Meet the young Indian ecommerce startup that makes a profit out of every sale

Spindles are used in the kadhwa weaving technique. The more the colors used, the more intricate the design. Photo credit: WeaverStory.

In the autumn of 2015, master weaver Shamim Ansari* was on the verge of quitting his ancestral profession. In their tiny home in Varanasi town, he and his brothers had forever seen their father bent over the loom, churning out lustrous Banarasi silk saris. It was a skill Shamim loved. But he was not earning enough.

“His brothers had already left – one was driving a cycle-rickshaw and another was working at a shop in Bangalore, folding saris all day. This in a family with eight looms,” says Nishant Malhotra, a financial services expert who had come to Varanasi looking for weavers.

At that time, Nishant was exploring the possibility of his own startup.

Today he runs WeaverStory, which sells handloom Banarasi saris online to clients across 20 countries. With an average transaction value of US$300, it has a Facebook following of 130,000.

The young, bootstrapped startup is already breaking even. “We make a profit on every sale,” Nishant tells Tech in Asia.

Their saris sell in the range of US$105 and US$1,500. “I doubt if you can get authentic handloom Banarasi from a branded outlet for less than this,” he says.

A Banarasi jangla sari. Photo credit: WeaverStory.

The Banarasi, with its delicate warp and weft, and intricate golden thread embroidery, is considered a must-have for every bride in much of India. But the industry has fallen upon dark days, primarily due to intense competition from the power loom, which churns out cheaper versions by the dozen.

Why did it appeal to Nishant as his first startup idea?

A pact on Facebook

Two years ago, Nishant used to work with the financial services firm, Principal Retirement Advisors, in Mumbai but was looking to relocate to Delhi where his family lived. Starting his own business seemed like a good way to do that.

But what business?

Market trends indicated a lot of interest in apparel. By 2020, fashion and lifestyle are set to overtake consumer electronics as the largest e-tail category.

Clickety clack goes the loom

A tangled web online