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.
How Richa Kar Built a Multi-Million Dollar Brand from a Taboo Idea
In a world where women feel hesitant to discuss their experiences related to the comfort associated with lingerie, Richa Kar founded the Zivame brand, which now stands for comfort, freedom, and innovation. From a small-town girl to becoming an inspiration to many other women entrepreneurs, she has come a long way.
Early Life of Richa Kar
Richa Kar was born on 17th July 1980, in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. With traditional family values, Richa was a bright girl who was fueled by her inquisitiveness and ambitions. She graduated in engineering from Bits Pilani, one of the prestigious colleges in India. After that, she pursued MBA from NMIMS in Mumbai.
As she embarked on her career path, Richa began working with a retail consultant firm named SAP. Her key project was the work assigned with Limited brands, where the company manufactures Victoria’s Secret lingerie brand. She gained exposure to this niche and got the idea to provide Indian ladies the same experience.
Despite knowing about the stereotypical views of Indians, she remained focused on her mission of creating a lingerie platform for them.
Despite knowing the stereotype thinking of Indians, she was focused on achieving her aim of creating an apparel portal.
One of the things that defined Richa as an individual during this time was her skill in analyzing market gaps from both technological and behavioral perspectives.
As a retail consultant, Richa had seen firsthand how significant the impact of the proper product setting could be on customers’ confidence and purchase decisions. In India, the proper setting for women’s intimate clothing was nonexistent. The stores were not designed, the sizes were not varied, and there were no considerations made for the comfort and perspective of 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 portal, is one among the brainchildren of Richa Kar. It was established in the year 2011 by Richa herself, who invested 35 lakhs into it at inception. To begin with, her own parents could not help but feel surprised by her profession, and so did some of her friends when they felt that she had concentrated on the wrong field. However, Richa did not stop and was determined to move ahead in whatever she was doing.
When it comes to the reasons behind her choosing Zivame as the name of her online portal, Richa explains that it is because the word Zivame is formed from two Hebrew words ‘Ziva’ meaning radiance and ‘me’, standing for radiant me, a confident lady.
With the dominance of males, small sizing, lack of styling options, and education on sizing and comfort being totally lacking, the lingerie market in India desperately needed an innovation. Zivame made sure that this was corrected from the very beginning through its detailed product descriptions, providing women with sizing calculators and styling guides, packing all products discreetly, and educating women about the importance of wearing proper lingerie.
Going online initially rather than setting up physical stores is something that Richa recognized as more than a commercial move.
The founder realized that Indian women, especially in small towns like Bhopal and Lucknow, would never visit a physical store and choose a product for themselves out of embarrassment. By going online, there was anonymity available, which meant freedom to choose what one wanted. This understanding made Zivame reach a target audience which no physical store could reach in its early days.
In short, Zivame created a new shopping culture that offered diverse options and a safe space to explore intimate wear.
Funding And Growth
Witnessing the tremendous potential, investors came forward to invest in Zivame. In no time, the startup managed to raise a huge amount of money from top venture capital firms such as Zodius Capital, Kalaari Capital, IDG Ventures India, Unilazer Ventures established by Ronnie Screwvala, Khazanah Nasional, which is a sovereign wealth fund of Malaysia, and finally Ratan Tata who personally invested in the startup.
What made this investment by Ratan Tata so special was its symbolic value rather than financial gain. His investment in a lingerie startup at a time when this category was taboo in India was a message for the entire startup sector. Businesses which addressed the genuine requirements of women deserved investment and attention, according to him.
Zivame then managed to hire additional manpower, improved its technical expertise, and stepped up its marketing efforts. With Richa Kar at the helm of affairs, Zivame became India’s largest online lingerie retailer catering to millions of women.
While the company was growing fast through the online portal, Richa realized that there was a need for physical stores where one could visit to purchase products since some women would prefer touching and feeling the product. In 2016, fitting lounges and physical stores of Zivame were established in various parts of India. However, the store did not follow the traditional format whereby products could be picked randomly and sold. It was more about empowerment and educating customers as per the philosophy of the company right from its inception.
Another common problem in the lingerie market is the issue of the right fit. Research indicates that most women buy bras in the wrong size as they have never been fitted before. This problem was taken care of by the physical stores of Zivame since women consultants would take proper measurements of customers and make sure they got their fitting done at the stores.
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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 non-stop efforts at scaling up her startup, Richa realized that she needed some time off to rejuvenate herself. She made the decision to step away from the everyday activities at Zivame and assume the responsibility of being a board member and advisor. In 2017, the CEO position was taken up by Shaleen Sinha, as Richa thought that professional managers would be able to take her venture further.
The transition shows that Richa had reached a level of maturity which is not usually seen among startups, who struggle with the issue of dissociation between the founder’s personality and that of their firm. She understood that what she could do best at that point was to identify the correct leaders and let them run her business. Richa’s ability to make this decision despite having worked hard on her venture for so many years is a reflection of an entrepreneur’s wisdom.
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.
The Larger Impact
Richa Kar created something more than just a successful brand with Zivame. By doing so, she transformed the dialogue surrounding one entire product segment. Prior to Zivame, the promotion of lingerie in India followed the paradigm of male desire, ignoring women’s requirements and needs when it comes to lingerie.
Richa managed to break with this pattern, placing the customer above all else and creating a brand that talked to women as intelligent and mature beings who knew what they needed.
Richa Kar’s path also showed the way for startups in India. Zivame became a demonstration of the potential and profitability of an innovative women-centred product in a socially controversial niche, paving the road for many entrepreneurs, men and women alike, to consider the needs of women in other segments.
It appears that courage is always crucial in bringing real change. The courage to ask tough questions and to voice unpopular opinions is everything.
The tale of Zivame and Richa Kar is a testament to the fact that success cannot always be attributed to following fads. At times, you have to have the audacity to create your own trend.
Zivame has now diversified beyond being just a brand selling lingerie. It has ventured into shapewear, sleepwear, activewear, and even accessories.
With more than 30 stores, over 5 million users and several thousand SKUs, it is fast becoming an initiative that encourages self-confidence, self-comfort, and body positivity. It cannot be denied that the mere mention of Richa Kar will forever alter the storyline on buying lingerie in India.