Shobitam, a D2C ethnic fashion brand, makes the strategic acquisition of Isadoralife, a ready-to-wear saree company, in their quest to make Indian sarees accessible to all—across Gen Z’s and globally.
Shobitam and IsadoraLife alliance to make the most loved traditional attire of Indian origin more accessible and wearable across the globe–Saree. This association would address issues of unfamiliarity of draping and also break into a bigger demographic age base, especially the young consumers worldwide, and showcase sarees as wholesome ‘must-have’ attire in a wardrobe across India and globally.
This strategic acquisition brings together two women-led startups in which the deep passion for ethnic fashion binds two entrepreneurs: Aparna Thyagarajan, one of the co-founders of Shobitam with a rich IT background at Microsoft, and Neha Tandon Sharma, Founder of IsadoraLife and a seasoned investment banker with 10 years of experience, who will seek to revolutionize the saree industry together across India and in global markets. This just marked the start of serious investments made in fueling further innovation in the ready-to-wear saree market for expansion and growth, backed by the commitment of Shobitam towards this key product category for growth at a fast pace over the next 2-3 years.
It is driven by three key value propositions, further strengthening Shobitam’s positioning in ethnic fashion: Inroads into fast-moving global markets: With the new partnership, Shobitam shall leverage the current global presence and distribution network for a strong landing for IsadoraLife that shall ring in demand and preference acceleration for the ready-to-wear sarees; Customer satisfaction by onboarding a talent pool of experts in the domain. Notably, IsadoraLife has a workforce comprising 100% women from Raipur, India, with over 45 brilliant artisans, thus vouching for the most important attribute for any business operating in today’s world: diversity. Building saree potential by introducing a new category with innovative, easy-to-drape designs for the Gen Zs in order to give the best products and customer experiences.
Aparna Thyagarajan, the co-founder and CPO of Shobitam, said, “It’s gratifying seeing Sarees pick up momentum, but we often hear about the challenge of draping. While it may seem trivial, this simple concern was making women back out from possessing this beautiful piece of attire. Our acquisition of IsadoraLife is aimed at bridging this gap and seeing more and more women globally embrace the elegant saree, showcase our timeless culture effortlessly, and take pride in being part of the Saree Revolution. Together, Shobitam and IsadoraLife are poised to further strengthen ethnic fashion globally and pave the way for an upward growth trajectory in the fashion startup ecosystem in India.”
Neha Tandon Sharma, founder and CEO of IsadoraLife : “I am very excited about this new association with Shobitam, and I look forward to the growth and acceptance of Sarees like never before, both in the Indian market as well as in the Global diaspora. Our association with Shobitam has come at the most opportune time when Indian fashion is going through an interesting transition phase with Sarees being seen as both traditional and contemporary wear. It is the epitome of clothing for Indian women and as seen at the Paris Olympics, too, by the Indian women contingent. Exciting times indeed!”
