How this woman set up Rs1.2 cr saree business with Rs2 lakh investment

Prachi Seksaria, Founder of Moora Saree, Jaipur

The gift that led to a business

A block-printed cotton saree gifted by Prachi's husband in late 2021 was so beautiful and easy to drape that she thought of setting up a saree business.

For the modern woman

“Young modern women hardly wear saree as it is uncomfortable and draping it is time-consuming. I thought of changing it with easy-to-wear and light weight sarees," says Prachi, an arts graduate.

Starting from Bagru, the traditional hub of hand-block printing

Prachi began meeting hand-block printing artisans in Bagru, a small town near Jaipur synonymous with Dabu and Syahi Begar block prints. It is home to artisan families, which have been practising handblock printing for over 450 years.

Rs 2 lakh investment

Most artisans have not kept pace with the changing design requirements of urban customers. She discussed her requirements and now 100 artisans work with her. The Rs 2 lakh investment was mostly in fabric procurement.

The launch

Since it was summer (May 2022) when she launched Moora brand online, the sarees were named after fruits and beverages like Alphonso saree, Rooh Afza saree, Kala Khatta saree etc. She rolled out 30 unique products to begin with.

Sarees sold like hot cakes

The launch with unique names and affordable price points helped in brand recognition. Initially, Moora received 100-200 orders a month and after nine months, it began to get over 300 orders monthly.

Pricing it right for success

Most cotton sarees are priced under Rs2500 while silk sarees are between Rs3,000 and Rs4,000. “We have priced our sarees strategically to ensure they are within the reach of most urban women. This has helped us to grow fast," she says.

Eco-conscious fabrics and natural dyes

Moora works only with eco-conscious fabrics, cotton and silk, and natural dyes. “I provide the artisans with the fabric and design and they handcraft the sarees accordingly," she says.

Rapid business growth

The monthly sales from sarees is over Rs10 lakh and Prachi hopes to cross Rs2 crore in FY25 because the modern Indian woman prefers products that combine comfort with authentic handmade traditional crafts.