Indian, chic and homegrown

Armed with an infallible entrepreneurial spirit, Dinesh Manglani and Karishma Manglani have established themselves as game changers in the world of fashion. Owning a small wholesale garment store in the old city, they took a plunge and started their first fashion concept store in upmarket Hyderabad in 2011-12. The fashion line became so popular that they made the passionate decision to turn their idea, to bring in a ready-to-wear fashion line exclusively for women, into reality and thus, Kaira was born in 2013.

Over the years, Kaira grew with Saina Nehwal as the face of the brand. “Saina Nehwal has been such an amazing part of the brand story,” says Karishma and adds, “In just four years, we had over 100 stores across India.”

Dinesh has been in business since the age of 14, due to his father’s ill health. “He always dreamt of making his own brand and felt that the Indian market has so much potential. He thought of creating a homegrown brand that would be as famous as its international counterparts,” says Karishma, who hails from a family of entrepreneurs.

How it all started

Born into a family of traditional retailers, Karishma and Dinesh were inspired and wanted to do something on their own. With encouragement, they built a business out of knowledge. “I always wanted to do something that I enjoyed for a living. I realised fashion was the one thing that gave me joy. Born and brought up in a business family, I would say entrepreneurs are 50 percent born because we have the genes and with education and experience, we are made 100 percent,” says Karishma, who did her B.Com and MBA in Human Resources and also holds a diploma in fashion designing.

The brand’s focus on quality fabrics, detailing, and contemporary tailored fits is evident in each piece that it creates.

When it comes to the business, their dream is to open 5,000 stores across India. “We follow a franchise module and open company-owned outlets. Karishma heads the marketing and advertising departments. So with good marketing strategies, we are able to grow and develop the business. We have good investors. Saina is also one of the directors of the firm,” says Dinesh. 

In the fashion industry, one day you’re in and the next day you’re out, feels Karishma and says, “We are always ready to change. We started with the Maharaja Dupatta collection  and by the grace of god, reaped goodwill and loyal customers. Now, their next generation has also  become Kaira’s customers.”

Karishma and Dinesh admit that the business wouldn’t have  become successful if it weren’t for the support they received from their family and local businesses. “We want people to know that it’s a locally-run fashion label we were both drawn to and love,” they say.

Even though Dinesh has been supportive of her throughout, Karishma says it was initially challenging to take care of elderly in-laws and kids. “Trying to take care of the family while running a business has been difficult at times and only now have we learnt to juggle the two. We have found a balance that keeps us both mentally and physically in the best shape possible,” says Karishma, who got married during her second year of masters. She was a housewife for the first two years of marriage and later joined her husband’s retail business.