By Sujata Rajpal

“Allow your passion to become your purpose, and it will one day become your profession.” — Gabrielle Bernstein

Tulsi Belagur has turned a personal challenge into a thriving kids’ clothing brand, showcasing the power of passion and determination. Her journey began when she struggled to find quality clothes for her new-born.

“I don’t know if it was my passion for designing or the need to buy good, comfortable clothes for my children, but I turned my passion into a profession,” Tulsi shares matter-of-factly. “I realised there must be other mothers like me and I saw this as an opportunity.”

Driven by a desire for financial independence and the urge to create something of her own, she took a leap, despite marrying at the age of 18. Growing up in a conservative family, she wasn’t allowed to study fashion designing, but her determination drove her forward.

What began as a small retail venture soon blossomed into a full-fledged manufacturing unit in Bengaluru for kids’ apparel. In 2020, during the pandemic, Tulsi moved her operations to Mysuru to balance work and family. “Also, the cost of operations is much higher in Bengaluru, so Mysuru was ideal for us,” she explains. Her business quickly expanded across India and Europe. Her brand, Idaa, a manufacturer and wholesale supplier named after her two children, Idhant and Aadhya, focuses on minimalist, comfortable and durable kids’ clothing for ages 0-16 years.

“All designs are mine. Once we handled production ourselves, the quality also improved drastically,” she recalls. Today, about 40,000 pieces are manufactured daily, with production scaling up to 50,000 during the festive season. Six months ago, the company expanded its presence on e-commerce platforms.

Idaa provides employment to 90-120 people, with twenty percent of them being women. “I wanted to build a respectful and supportive space for women to succeed,” Tulsi emphasises. She agrees that being a woman entrepreneur has its advantages — they can connect better with the women employees. “The women workers would come to my office and discuss their personal issues with me,” she adds.

As a mother herself, Tulsi has found a way to balance family life with running a business, while also inspiring her daughter, who has launched her own venture.

Interestingly, Tulsi has no formal education in design; everything from designing to the nitty-gritties and technicalities of running a mass production business, including costing and production, has been self-taught on the job. “My biggest happiness is seeing my designs and creations on the mannequin,” she says, her eyes glittering with pride. “Not just designing, I even find mass production exciting. The learning is never-ending.”

“In this industry, challenges are aplenty, like labour issues, high attrition and training, but I can’t avoid that. I can only try to find solutions,” Tulsi says with a charming smile. “Once, all the women workers formed a union and left in a day, but the work had to go on as there were orders, so I had to quickly hire people and train them,” she explains.

Tulsi’s commitment to quality, affordability and empowering others, especially women, continues to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs in Mysuru and beyond.