It is often said that a successful start-up is like a love affair: demanding, but has its own prize. The story of Kultprit is like that, but with a twist. It all started when Salt Lake boy Saumya Jain, with a background in mining, went to London for a cousin’s wedding. He had no clue how his life was going to change.
Saumya always had a passion for fashion. Though he never had any formal training, he followed fashion trends and dreamt of starting a fashion start-up in Kolkata. But the fear of moving out of the mainstream always bothered him. In London, during a ride in the underground, he met Olena, a young Ukrainian girl. They had an instant connection, and love blossomed. Olena was mad about fashion and was working in the fashion industry in London, and Saumya always dreamt of the perfect partner with whom he could share his life and passion. Kultprit was born out of their love.
The merchandising brand has a website that deals in clothes and accessories. It has slowly carved a niche in the international circuit. “Kultprit was born in July 2014. We just got married, came back to Kolkata and wanted to do something different. So we decided to unite our passion for fashion and form a brand that represents the spirit of youth,” says Saumya.
The brand employs eight permanent designers and several freelancers from all around the world. “Designers and doodlers from India, Brazil, the UK, Singapore, Spain, Ukraine, the Czech Republic regularly contribute for us. Though Kultprit is our brainchild, it is also a stage for the amazingly talented young designers around the world to showcase their talent,” Olena says.
Speaking on the brands sustainability and future Olena said, “Kultprit is not only a fashion label. We support lot of fashion influencers around the world. Musicians, bloggers, actors and artists all over the world who give out strong messages to the youth are our fashion influencers. They are not our brand promoters but we are inspired by their work and in turn promote them though our designs,”
Colours used to intrigue Ranodeep Das since childhood. When teachers demonstrated algebra problems, he was busy scribbling and sketching a bird’s nest he could see outside the window. Since childhood, almost like every 90s kid, he was in love with Batman and Superman. And as he grew up, the idea of designing these characters and their merchandise came to him. And he gradually realized that the young generation was increasingly getting addicted towards customizable products.
When all his friends were busy hunting for mainstream careers, this young entrepreneur chose to have his own start-up: Rare Planet. On being asked how he dreamt up such an idea, Ronodeep says: “Everybody loves celebrity merchandise, customizable and designer products. And that is how I thought of the idea of Rare Planet.” Rare Planet designs superhero-themed earthen pots, kettles and wall art. Among the various products that Rare Planet has, the best are the colourful busts of Hellboy, Bane and the Joker. It also makes customized masks and movie memorabilia.
For Ekta Bhattacharya , it all started when she saw a poster of Satyajit Ray’s ‘Gupi Gayen Bagha Bayen’ at Nandan. She fell in love with the illustration. Since then, the girl from Barrackpore looked up to the other side of Ray — the illustrator — for inspiration. “I always loved painting, but Ray’s illustrations gave me direction,” she recalls. “Though I was never interested in a mainstream career, I was not sure of becoming a poster artist either. It happened by chance. A friend of mine, a short-film maker, asked me to design a poster for his film. He suggested I paint it, as it is rarely done nowadays. I always wanted to do a poster like that and readily agreed. It got lots of praise. I then realized this is what I am actually good at. I realized that that was who I am — a designer,” Ekta says. She launched her company — Ekta’s — in 2015, and leads a team of seven designers.
Her painted posters were hugely appreciated by artists like Soumitra Chattopadhay, Anupam Kher and Mahesh Bhatt. Ekta even painted a poster for Mahesh Bhatt’s last production ‘Hamari Adhuri Kahani’. “Money has never been the driving factor. It is the creative satisfaction that I derive working for my clients. Each one of them is a challenge,” she says.
From a very young age, Sharmila Dutta never liked looking at things devoid of colour. When kids of her age were busy playing, she choose to scribble and paint the walls of her room. Sharmila took this love forward and formed Colorblot , her start-up for those seeking customized walls an interior designing.
Her company aims to design and customize rooms according to customers’ needs. “I have painted a lot of walls in people’s homes. Getting your wall painted is like getting a tattoo done. The art becomes a part of your existence,” she feels.
Sukanya Majumder never thought she would someday form a brand that would style some of the biggest Tollywood actors. The Behala girl was always into dancing and play-acting in her school days. But when she went to college, she saw herself in a new light. Her fondness for mingling metal and art became her calling.
“It was in college that I first met Neha Panda, who was a well-known stylist then. I was intrigued by her work. I thought about creating jewellery differently for people to wear it at work and play. Why not create something that is a statement and becomes part of one’s identity? It is then that I formed Sukanya’s, in end-2014,” she recalls.
Sukanya’s makes all kinds of daily wearable jewellery, from anklets to arty jhumkas and Rastafarian headgear. Everything she does is customizable. “I try to make my creations in a way that reflects the identity of my customers. Whatever one wants to wear, I try to make,” Sukanya says.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / by Sayan Mazumder & Abhro Banerjee / May 28th, 2016
