Sunanda Kumar

“Customer say when they wear clothes from my boutique, it makes them feel beautiful. I don’t only sell fashion, I allow them to display their South Asian heritage in an empowering manner.” – Sunanda Kumar

She’s an entrepreneurial and marketing genius. No wonder, her clientele absolutely adore her. Meet the extremely talented Sunanda Kumar who talks about her journey in the clothing business, the challenges she faced and more…

She lost her father when she was just 9 years old. Her mother had to figure out a means of sustenance and that is when her mother started a small unit which did job work for big garment export houses. They did embroidery and knitting work on garments which were exported to various countries. Sunanda Kumar used to accompany her mother and sister at that tender age and spend time with the karigars. She used to observe them do beautiful embroidery work on the garments. This is when she became passionate about entering the garment business. During her growing up years, she did several small stints working at a Jewellery store in Karol Bagh, Delhi. Later on, she also helped her husband in his soda making business. Her fate later got her to Bangalore. Business was in Sunanda’s blood. She recalls, “My father worked for Modern Bead as a Sales Manager and I guess marketing was in my blood. It is destiny that eventually drove me to clothing business. When I was in Bangalore, my mother used to send me small packets of readymade clothing which I use to show my friends and acquaintances and that’s how the home-based clothing business started.”

Adding, “I started a home-based boutique. I am a person who cannot sit still. I always was doing something. My goal was to open a store in Bangalore, but my kids were very small, and it was very difficult for me to manage home and business.”

She lived in in Bangalore for several years and then migrated to USA in 2002. Sunanda says, “After few months, my sister who lived in USA opened up a gold store in Jersey City. I was handling the entire store for her. We ran the store for five years and then closed it down later on. After that I worked for a short period at a doctor’s office and Dunkin Donuts.”

Adding, “The entrepreneur in me could not make me work for others. I started a cart selling silver and gold at Livingston Mall in New Jersey. I ran this business for 6 to 7 years. Once again, my fate played a big part in getting me into the clothing business. A clothing store in Jersey City was closing down and the owner asked me to take over the store. I told him; I had no idea of running a clothing store in USA. The guy had confidence in me and told me I could do it. At times people see you are hard working and feel that you can make a success of it. I did not have an infrastructure but then you have to take risks.” Sunanda muses, “One cannot be too calculating a person and at times, should take chances. I ran the store for 10 years and then in 2017, I moved to the current location which is in the same locality but is a much bigger place. I decided to cater to all kinds of customers. I have earned a tremendous amount of good will with my customers. More than money, reputation matters.”

Furthermore, she adds, “Today, I have manufactures working for me in India. We create custom designs for my clients which are specially created keeping in mind the taste of the client. We also create custom dresses for our plus size clients and I take utmost care that the fit of the dress makes them feel comfortable and they look beautiful. I give a lot of individual attention to my customers and make them feel at home. My customers always tell me that when we wear outfits from your boutique, we get so many compliments and lot of attention. So, I cater to all kinds of customers, as I have items to suit everyone’s budget.

So, what about the men? Sunanda says, “I have also noticed that Indian men do now want to wear traditional Indian garments for special occasions. I talk to them and convince them that we also do have a range of Indian casual wear and you will be comfortable wearing them. I am a very traditional Indian woman and want to keep our traditions alive.” Lastly, so who has inspired you the most we ask Sunanda? She concludes, “ I owe everything to my mother for instilling and nurturing me into the clothing business.”