Modern women are keen to look their best at all times. MISASO, a sustainable maternity clothing brand launched this year, helps them do it throughout their pregnancy, the post-partum period and beyond. Founder couple-preneurs Mitali Jaggi Sood and Samir Sood join The Daily Guardian for a candid chat about their brand and its vision. Excerpts from the interview: Excerpts from the interview:
Q: Hello and congratulations on the launch of your business. Why did you decide to create a maternity wear brand?
Mitali Jaggi Sood (MJS): We both always wanted to start our own ventures. Once we had a eureka moment while exploring a local mall. We surveyed Delhi-based malls and markets, spoke with several moms and also did the usual business analysis including market sizing, competitors’ outlook, etc. The maternity wear market is valued at over Rs 2,000 crore and the segment is growing at around 15-17 percent year-on-year. In fact, a number of start-ups have entered the space and even international maternity brands are breaking in to India. However, we found that many brands were still offering ill-fitting, loose dresses and frumpy gowns for expecting women. We wanted to launch a brand that would address the changing mind-set of Indian women as well as their pain points. Many moms shared that they sought maternity clothes which are wearable after delivery and wanted to mimic western maternity styles. We observed a strong motivation for women to embrace their maternity curves and not hide behind tent-like garments.
Q: What is the story of the name? Who came up with it?
Samir Sood (SS): The name MISASO stands for the pillars of our brand: MI – Made in India. Our products are proudly and ethically made in India. We’re Indian inside out, from organic cotton sourced from the south to our team all over India.
SA – Sustainable Alternative. Most maternity clothes are eventually discarded but at MISASO, we make styles that you will wear over and over again. Every single MISASO style is wearable during pregnancy, nursing and much after delivery. If a style doesn’t work for these three key stages of a women’s life then we will simply not manufacture it.
SO – Sourced Organically. 90 percent of our products are made from fabrics that are natural such as cotton or GOTS certified organic cotton which doesn’t involve pesticides. Safe, non-toxic fabrics are better for you, baby and the environment. Coincidently MISASO is also an amalgamation of Mitali and Samir Sood. It was serendipity that our brand philosophy and our names merged so beautifully.
Q: What sets you apart from your competitors?
MJS: We are unlike any maternity brand in India, both in terms of products offered and how we brand ourselves. We manufacture products which are only made from natural and organic fabrics. Unlike other organic brands we don’t charge a premium because we know expectant mothers have a variety of financial priorities and purchasing quality clothing should never cost a bomb. Our organic cotton clothes range from Rs. 1499 to Rs. 2799. We’re able to offer such pricing by procuring excess organic fabrics from vendors directly. So once sold out, you may not see the same prints again!
SS: Additionally, our styles are a dramatic shift from the usual loose, tent-like maternity gowns and dresses. Our styles are modern, embrace curves and encourage expectant mothers to express themselves with style. We vehemently oppose the notion that pregnant women should hide behind meters of flowing fabrics, and there’s nothing worse than that fabric being polyester – a fast fashion favourite! Our branding is bold, fresh and celebrates maternity. Indian women deserve to feel and look their best during pregnancy and this messaging echoes across our brand communications.
Q: Apart from maternity wear, do you offer other products to your patrons?
SS: We’ve designed each MISASO style to be wearable during pregnancy, nursing and much after delivery. So in essence, our clothes are wearable by women at any stage of life and at any size. We have consciously designed our garments in a wrap-style to easily adjust to changing bodies. We also refrain from including uncomfortable zips and concealed cut-outs in our garments – these tricks only reduce the wearability of a garment and frankly do not add to the functionality of it. Consumers often pay a premium for such gimmicks.
Q: Tell us about your latest collection? Where does one buy your products?
MJS: MISASO’s latest collection is vibrant and full of eye-catching prints which you won’t find anywhere else! Our 100 percent organic cotton promise is not yet offered by any maternity brand that sells modern dresses and tops. We plan to launch new styles every few months – scaling up our production will happen over a period of time. Our winter collection is set to launch in November and we look forward to seeing more women – expecting mothers as well as women who love their curves – to wear them in the upcoming 2021/22 winter season. MISASO retails exclusively on our website www.misaso.com.
The interviewer pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be reached on nooranand@gmail.com.