This week on Visionary Voices, let’s meet Shampa Moitra the Co-founder of Shalmali, a Gurgaon based Label for ethinc Sarees. What’s special here let’s find out!
Some dreams wait for the right moment. For Ruma, a devoted homemaker in her 60s, that moment came when she dared to rewrite her story—transforming from a nurturer of family to a nurturer of heritage. Alongside her daughter, Shampa Moitra, a passionate entrepreneur and stylist Shampa co-founded Label Shalmali—a brand that is not just about sarees but about stories, resilience and timeless tradition.
The Think Pot’s Founder Editor, Mahima Sharma this week does an exclusive interview with Shampa Moitra to know the story and tough efforts behind Shalmali!
How did Shalmali come into being?
Shalmali happened pretty organically…my love for handloom and passion for travel was growing in leaps and bounds for the past few years, and I was gaining a lot of attention for my saree styling. On the other hand, mom who had shifted here in 2020 while she had settled pretty early on, but I couldn’t really see her particularly well-settled or as that same happy soul, and a part of me always felt guilty of uprooting her from her safe space, her own house – even though the decision was collectively ours. And especially when for the last two years, she had been suffering from major injuries and surgeries, I really wanted her to engage somewhere meaningfully.
Thus, the idea of launching a designer label which deals into sarees came into being. Saree is a common love for both of us – mom is super fascinated around pure sarees- pure cotton, silk etc. and designs as well. So bringing her on board wasn’t difficult at all. We started our Shalmali journey from July 2024 and I can see her happier, engaged and getting popular.
But Shalmali definitely isn’t only a mission to engage my mom and give her a direction. We do have a vision for the brand – we want to bring the entire Indian handlooms across the country – from all states under one roof. We want to tell both Gen Z and millennials that sarees, and especially handloom sarees can be super comfortable, stylish and a showstopper! In short, we want to make more and more women wear sarees, purchase handloom and understand the labour behind the same.
What obstacles did you face and do you think these were society-driven, industry-driven or both?
Our beginning was great by the grace of God and with the support of our wonderful friends and followers. The only challenge we have seen so far is our work being copied – left, right and centre. But then, that’s just how the industry is. And that’s how society reacts when you do something unique. We take it like a backhanded compliment and move on. Rest, it’s a little too early to face those real challenges around scaling up and brand building. We are taking baby steps , currently focusing on building our collection and brand.
What’s your idea of sustainability and fashion considering we have already burdened Mother Earth with so much trash? How can sustainability and business numbers rise together, hand in hand – what’s your formula as an enterprise?
That’s a very good question. I personally feel sustainable fashion is the way forward and the sooner we realise that, the better it is for all of us. I do follow sustainable fashion my own way. I repeat my sarees, I don’t stitch blouses with each saree, I would rather have a crop top which can go with at least 3-4 sarees and some dresses…I didn’t buy petticoats in the last 15-20 years, hardly one or two if at all – as I style sarees with many other things, it is easier that way as well. And as a stylist I suggest the same to my audience. The question that remains is, what about the numbers as a brand? How are we going to make the desired number of sales? Well, we believe in our focus on quality and right pricing, as well as educating our customers about the same so that they don’t mind buying handloom at the right price and thus allowing us to make profits and grow sustainably. But this, of course, is a tall order . And being a new brand,
we are trying to strike that balance. What really works in our favour in this case is directly connecting with the weavers and eliminating the middleman – it helps us get the products at the right prices and consequently, we are able to offer better prices to our customers.
Body positivity – we have mostly seen women vs women when it comes to it. How have you been able to shatter this aspect via Shalmali considering you have plus sized women promoting it often?
Body positivity is something which I have a deep connection with.
Body positivity isn’t limited to plus size alone, it can be the colour, height, skin and many other things. Throughout my teenage years, I have always been called names for my height. For a person who has herself been through body shaming, the concept of body positivity becomes a bit personal. It could include height, skin, colour, weight or size – for Shalmali, from the very first day, our motto was to promote body positivity.
Here my biggest advantage or superpower is that I am myself. I always tell my audience or my customers that if I, a 4X10 something woman of medium build can look stylish in sarees, so can you! We have models of all ages, shape, size, colour, height and so on, who have walked the ramp for us, or promoted Shalmali in some shape and manner and rocked the look!
Lastly, I have never heard you say you balance work and life. What’s the new normal or what should be the new normal in an age which is faster changing in tech than anywhere else, driving our lives crazy?
Have you ever heard a man talk about balancing work and life or people being concerned for a man not balancing work and life- then why this burden on women? We need a balance in the household and that can come through cooperation & collaboration. Today, I have mom for all her support but earlier there have been many years when I was alone, my husband was located in a different city, and I was managing my house, my growing boys and a new business- that’s when I realised I can either have a beautiful, picture-perfect house or a smooth, running business.
I chose the second. I realised I can work with peace of mind if my boys are independent, cooperative & collaborative – so I have raised them accordingly. In today’s scenario, however, my mom being around as a support system, makes a whole lot of difference!
For example: my younger son had to give his 10th boards while I had to travel to Kolkata on a family emergency, my husband couldn’t make it for his work commitments, mom was taking care of my son, dropping him off at the exam centre etc. , and he was taking care of mom. That’s the balance we should champion! So my life mantra is – understand the demand of the situation and act accordingly.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the above interview are the personal opinions of the protagonist/protagonists for which The Think Pot is not liable in any manner. To share your views on an apolitical and intense subject like this you can reach out to us at mahimaasharma@thethinkpot.in
