In a society where women are unable to talk freely about their lingerie comfort and needs, Richa Kar, built the brand Zivame which is now the symbol of comfort, empowerment and bold innovation. Her journey from a small-town girl to a visionary entrepreneur, has inspired thousands of women through her work.
Early Life of Richa Kar
Richa Kar, born on 17 July 1980, in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. Coming from a traditional household, she was a brilliant student driven by curiosity and ambition. She completed her engineering degree from BITS Pilani, (which is one of India’s premier institutions) followed it up with an MBA from NMIMS, Mumbai.
During the start of her corporate career, she worked as a retail consultant at SAP. Her key assignment was with Limited Brands, which is the parent company of Victoria’s Secret. It gave her insights into the lingerie industry and planted the seed of an idea, to bring similar experience to Indian women.
Even though she was aware of the stereotype mindset of Indian peoples, she was determined towards her goal to build a lingerie platform and offer better experience.
The Birth Of Zivame
Zivame, an online lingerie platform was co-founded by Richa Kar, in 2011.
She launched the website with the necessary investment of 35 lakhs. At first, her parents were shocked by her career choice and even friends questioned her focus towards the lingerie industry. But Richa didn’t back down and decided to stay committed. For Richa, Zivame was not only about selling garments, it was about giving Indian women freedom, dignity, comfort and choice.
In response to why she chose the name Zivame for her business website?
Richa states that the name ‘Zivame’ is inspired by the Hebrew word ‘Ziva’ which means radiance, combined with ‘me’ symbolizing radiant me, ‘confident women’. Zivame stands confidently and comfortably, breaking away the stereotypes.
Dominated by male staff, limited size range, lack of styles, and zero education on sizing and comfort, the lingerie industry in India needed an upgrade. And from the time Zivame came to existence, it solved these problems by featuring detailed product descriptions, providing size calculators and style guides, offering discreet packaging, and most importantly educating women on the importance of proper lingerie.
In short, Zivame created a new shopping culture that offered diverse options and a safe space to explore intimate wear.
Funding And Growth
Watching the potential growth, investors supported Zivame. And in no time company was able to raise significant funds from leading venture capital firms like Zodius Capital, Kalaari Capital, IDG Ventures India, Unilazer Ventures (founded by Ronnie Screwvala), Khazanah Nasional (the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund)
and Ratan Tata, (who personally invested in the company).
With the funding, Zivame expanded its team, improved its tech stack and ramp up marketing. Instantly, under the guidance of Richa Kar, Zivame became India’s leading online lingerie store, catering millions of women.
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Though Zivame was growing, Richa recognized the need for offline stores, as many women still preferred touch and feel experience, especially for lingerie.
In the Starting of 2016, fitting lounges and offline stores of Zivame were opened in major Indian cities. The store wasn’t of traditional touch, it was a body positive space (equipped with fitting rooms and measuring tools), staffed by trained female consultants. Offline stores were designed to educate and empower.
Her Leadership
After years of intense startup hustle, Richa felt the need to recharge. She decided to step back from the daily operations of Zivame and take a role of board member and strategic advisor. The role of CEO was handed to Shaleen Sinha, in 2017 as Richa wanted professionals to scale the company further.
Recognitions
Richa’s excellence and determination has been widely praised. She was featured in Economic Times 40 Under 40 (2014), Femina Women Award – Business Category (2015), LinkedIn Top Voices (2018), Womennovator 100 (2019). She even got awarded with NDTV Unicorn Startup of the Year (2016), Business Today’s Most Powerful Women in Business (2017) and Woman Icon of India Award (2020). She became the role model for youngsters and women who aren’t afraid to challenge taboos and build meaningful ventures. By starting conversations, no one dared to have and challenging centuries of stigma and redefined retail.
Richa did not just build a business, but also built a safe space for women.
Richa’s experience reflects that real change starts with courage. The courage to ask questions. The courage to speak when others stay silent are the moments that make difference.
The story of Zivame and Richa Kar is proof that success doesn’t always come from following trends, sometimes you need to be courageous enough to create your own.
Today, Zivame has grown beyond lingerie, it has expanded its product lines to shapewear, sleepwear, activewear and accessories.
With over 30 offline stores, 5+ million users, and thousands of SKUs, it has become a movement that promotes confidence, comfort and body positivity. At last there’s no harm in mentioning that Richa Kar has changed the narrative around lingerie shopping in India.
