Megh Studio is a cultural enterprise that specializes in floral hand-painted sarees, lehengas, and dupattas. With an expanding catalog and an ever-growing following of 26,000+ on Instagram, this brand has touched every corner of the world.
In our previous blog post, centered around the power of influencer marketing, we highlighted how Instagram can be used as an effective tool to help Indian cultural businesses reach wider audiences. In this conversation with Maithree Venkatesan, Mahima Doshi, co-founder Megh Studio, shares their entrepreneurial journey.
The Megh Studio story demonstrates how NICE entrepreneurs in the Fashion and Accessories focus sector can grow their consumer base via meaningful collaborations.
The First Stroke: How it all Began
The concept of Megh Studio came very naturally to us. It started in June 2020 with the shoot of just two dupattas.
My mother always had a background in art and wanted to create something in the fashion sector. Using professional fabric paint, she designed the first two dupattas. We then decided to shoot two videos, create an Instagram page, and take it from there. After our initial posts were out and we got our first set of followers, we decided to design a saree.
From there,Megh Studio has now evolved into a family-run business. My mother and I are the designers and painters, while my sister handles our social media accounts.
Setting up the Palette: How we found our Creative Process
Our process has two components that loop – creating and researching. We begin our process by looking up different types of flowers. Through this process, we have discovered many unique flowers that we had no idea of previously! We then figure out how to bring these flowers to life on fabric. We have some sample sarees and dupattas entirely for trial and error. We use a freehand painting technique and do not sketch the design before starting. All the fabric and materials are wholly sourced in Udaipur, our hometown.
Placing the Canvas on the Eisel: How we use Instagram as a Storefront
We interact directly with our customers, who place orders for products through Instagram DM. We plan to soon set up our Instagram shop. This feature will become accessible after we have a website.
Currently, we do not have plans to go into retail as the global market we have established on the Internet is very strong. We have established a worldwide presence and receive many international orders ranging from the US, Australia, Singapore, and more.
Growing into different Galleries: How we Increased our reach with Collaborations
We have used three major ways to collaborate with a variety of influencers and have received a great response every time.
The first method is directly reaching out from the brand’s end. After picking an influencer who would be a good fit for us, we approach them by email. We found out that Dolly Jain, a fashion influencer and celebrity stylist, had a forte in sarees and decided to mail her. When she got back to us, we discussed the collaboration, helped her pick a saree of her choice, and sent it to her.
The second method is when influencers approach us themselves. This happened in our collaboration with TV actor Debashree Biswas. We had a conversation with her, discussed the sarees she wanted, and then the collaboration was agreed upon.
The third way to collaborate is via agencies, for example, Fashion Business Official, and VBlitz Communications. These agencies have contacts with all the influencers, celebrities, and stylists. At the same time, they also have contacts with specific brands. When there is a requirement from influencers/celebrities, they approach the brands, and vice versa. This worked for us in the case of Niki Mehra. We wanted to collaborate with her and have our work showcased on her feed. Coincidentally, she was also looking for a saree for one of her projects. Our need matched her requirement. Following this, the agencies sent her pictures from our portfolio, and she picked the saree of her liking.
These agencies also helped us get in touch with celebrities like Vidya Balan, Gauahar Khan and Hina Khan. We gained an overwhelming response from the PR package sent to Hina Khan. It was also a great moment of personal satisfaction to see something you have painted on the Instagram story of a celebrity you admire.
What the next exhibition holds: Plans For the Future
The search is currently ongoing to expand and find new artists. Currently, it’s a small team, and we operate from our home. We are now looking for a workspace to expand and establish ourselves further. As of today, my mother and I are the only ones who paint. With the increasing demand, we are currently on the lookout for more artists to join our team.
We also have plans to expand our catalog. Currently, Megh Studio has sarees, dupattas, and lehengas. In the near future, we plan to launch stitched suit sets and western wear like dresses and gowns.
Megh Studio has been able to grow it’s following with the help of meaningful collaborations, consistent posting on social media, and authentic consumer interactions. NICEorg wishes them best of luck in their journey ahead.
In order to find out how a brand in the beauty sector drives relevant collaborations, check out our article on Love, Indus. Stay tuned to find our next article, to find out how to measure ROI on your brand’s social media PR campaigns.
If your cultural enterprise is in any of our five focus sectors and you would be interested in being featured, write to us at namaste@niceorg.in
