This city-based 'mompreneur' is making waves worldwide

Jalandhar, May 7

Manzil mil hi jaegi, bhatakte huye hi sahi…Vo kya karenge log jo ghar se nikle hi nahi — The destination will be found even though I lose my way, what will those people do, who never ventured out.

For the past seven years of ups and downs, this has been the guiding thought for ‘Mompreneur’ Mitali Garg, whose quaint little business has now gotten big enough to make waves in India and overseas.

A ravishing mother of two, a fitness freak and lover of all things organic and cotton, Mitali is the quintessential entrepreneur with prowess in martial arts and fitness. Written down by many in the beginning of her career as a businesswoman, her success proved all naysayers wrong.

Born and brought-up in Jalandhar and married in Jaipur, it was after the birth of her daughter Aadhya (now 9) that she took wings as an entrepreneur. One night she had a dream that she was a successful business woman and the next day she was off to the market to set up shop. ‘Vastra By Mitali’ was born. It specialises in ethnic cotton wear, hand-blocked and vegetable dyed garments and now branching out to ‘juttis’ and ‘mojaris’.

Having pursued her schooling from the St Joseph’s School in Jalandhar and graduation from HMV College, she went on to be a gold medallist in her MBA course of entreprenureship and leadership from Amity University in Noida. She is a black belt in judo and has some neat ‘moves’ reserved for those who act unreasonable.

She started off with 70 to 80 kurtis from a Jaipur market seven years ago and today, her merchandise ranges across 6,000 varieties of garments and footwear and she has clientele spread across Jaipur, Surat, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, South Indian states as well as Dubai and Singapore.

“The business bug was always there. The dream almost spurred me into action. It gave me the conviction that I can be successful. I was married into a business family and had to quit my job after my wedding. Initially, relatives said they didn’t like me to pursue a business. They said we had enough money, what’s the need for a woman to work. Since I was determined, everyone then thought i’ll give it a shot for 2-3 months and then give up.”

However, what started with a handful of clients, has now spread to thousands. Innovative as she is, during the pandemic, with most people staying home, she began modelling for her own garments too, which became her USP. Such is her charm that her clientele further grew.

“Initially, since women mostly wore saris in Jaipur, I had no idea how well kurtis and pants will be received. But people’s response has been a pleasant surprise. I’m now shipping off consignments abroad,” she says.

While juggling business after kids was another huge challenge, as her daughter Aadhya was a little over 1-year-old when she started, the birth of her son only prodded her on.

“Many said ‘bacche chote hain, baad mein karna’ but I thought ‘later’ never arrives. People think children are an impediment to work. But for me they are actually inspirations. My daughter Aadhya (9) is my official photographer for all my shoots. And son Ahaan (5) a huge encouragement. They pack things with me, conduct my photoshoots and provide me with valuable advice,” she laughs.

Off an on, Aadhya, too, poses for the kids wear. Her another constant support is her husband Ashish who has backed her in all her ventures.

She has her own staff of five people and a busy business with clothes being couriered off to obscure corners of the country (and world) every day. What is her ultimate dream? “I’m thankful for the growth of my business, but I dream of having my own chain of stores across India someday. By God’s grace, I have come this far, there’s no reason why I can’t go further,” she quips.