A Housewife Turned Entrepreneur
“Mumbai is a city of Dreams”, well yes, this statement again got true, when Shweta Manek turned her passion for fashion into business. In the world of entrepreneurial endeavours, few stories resonate deeply. From her passion for comfort and style, she made a brand ‘Brat & Babe’ a brand for night suits. Being a housewife, this journey was not a piece of cake.
How The Journey Started…
Shewta was searching for night suits for her 16-year-old kid. Being from the fashion industry, she is embraced with fabric and fashion knowledge. Despite scouring through numerous shops, none of the night suits met her standards. Whether it was the lack of appealing designs, unflattering appearances, or, most importantly, the absence of comfort, her discerning eye could not find a suitable match.
So, to adjoin comfort and style she started her own brand for casual clothing and nightwear for women and kids- ‘Brat & Babe’. She believes in what you wear should reflect your personality even when you are at home. Hence, she started with a collection of night suits that could make the wearer feel confident and relaxed at the same time.
Brat & Babe Started Because…
From an early age, she wanted to have her own brand in apparel. Born and brought up in Mumbai, Shweta Manek has done fashion designing from a reputed Institute. Following her marriage, her focus shifted to homemaking and raising her children. However, the desire to create her brand lingered within her. When the right opportunity presented itself, she seized it, embarking on the journey she had always envisioned.
The core reason behind starting her brand for nightwear was to give utmost comfort and style to wearer. She is the creative designer, Founder and Director of this brand. Under her supervision, she designs and creates nightwear for kids and women.
In Initial Phase She Achieved…
The main purpose of ‘Brat & Babe’ was to provide Urban, Natural, Comfortable & Simple yet stylish nightwear. She believes that ‘design creates culture and culture will shape one side’, so her nightmare designs reflected style and comfort. After getting disappointment on both offline and online nightwear, she was planning to start her own brand for the past 9-12 months.
Her initial thought was not to earn money but to provide kids happiness and comfort when they wear their nightwear. Being a housewife, she was not aware of anything like how to start, where to sell and how to do pricing. But she learned all this and managed it all. Sourcing high-quality fabrics and finding skilled artisans who shares her vision was also a hurdle. But she managed her time efficiently.
Starting The Business Helped Her In…
Strong determination plays a key role. She quotes ‘Nobody is perfect and when you start something new, you need not be perfect but passionate.’ Marketing, production, distribution, finances and many more things related to a business she learned on her own. Managing cashflow was tough but her passion for her brand made her overcome all the hurdles. She believed that, in this competitive era one should not be afraid to take risks.
Sheweta firmly believed that even in the absence of immediate orders, closing down her brand was never an option. Her unwavering dedication and belief that hard work would eventually bring results got true. Hard work pays off, and with her creative designs crafted from premium-quality fabrics, she began to attract a steady stream of orders, validating her commitment and vision. She always tried to improve the designs, comfort and fabric of the nightwear to give maximum comfort and style.
What Kept Her Motivated:
In this competitive market, it is very tough to stand out, but her trust in herself helped her in achieving that target. As she says ‘Fashion with comfort plays an important role in enhancing confidence’ so she kept improving her designs and styles. For keeping herself motivated she stays in the right headspace surrounded by good people. She also tries to maintain good health as it helps her in focusing better.
Working Force & Upcoming Goals
Currently, she has 2 working units (workshops), where she has around 20-22 employees. She designs the outfits and 2 masters, to stitch them to perfection. Being fond of color, she tries to curate elegant and stylish designs for kids and women to make them happy. She is selling her nightwear apparel online and getting a good response. Future planning is to go for retail stores as well but with more improved quality and designs.
Brat & Babe Is Available On…
Juggling the responsibilities of homemaking alongside her business venture proved to be a formidable challenge for Shweta. To achieve a balance, she opted to sell her apparel through e-commerce platforms, recognizing the convenience and flexibility they offered. Online marketplaces were a natural choice due to their user-friendly nature and the burgeoning demand they experienced, especially after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Future Expansions:
Shweta Manek is on a mission to create the most stylish, elegant pyjamas and wants to make the wearer fill special. People are praising her for her designs. As she never got a complaint regarding the fabric. By indulging creativity in business, she is planning to expand the designs by introducing themed nightwear according to the occasion. For upcoming events, she is planning a night suit Fashion show where she will showcase her designs. Soon her products will be on every apparel e-commerce site.
Message To All The Upcoming Entrepreneurs
Failure is a part of success, so do not feel demotivated when you do not achieve your set target. Keep working towards your goal and always remember to set realistic and clear expectations. Remember every day is exciting as it is a creative field so innovation goes hand in hand. In an entrepreneur journey, your growth graph will sometimes touch the peak and will sometimes hit rock bottom. But be passionate about your goal and work towards it always.
About Brat & Babe
The aim of business is to make people feel happy, comfortable, and stylish at the same time. With unique designs, they offer premium quality nightwear. Along with timeless designs and durability they are serving both genders. And especially for kids they create colourful childhood. In a very short span, she catered a decent revenue and is now on a mission to grasp more customers and more profit from her upcoming business plans.
The fabric used in making this nightwear is soft, gentle, and non-irritable for children. Design curated is funky, fun, and attractive. The brand’s motto is ‘Happy Kids, Happy We. Shweta Manek the Founder of Brat & Babes says ‘Children go where there is excitement and I want to give them that with lots of comfort’.
