2024-08-13 13:09:50
New Delhi: Richa Kar is the founder of the country’s largest lingerie brand Zivame. She founded this company without caring about society. Richa grew up in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. Her family was not very modern. So, when she entered the lingerie industry, her family did not support her. The truth is that her parents were ashamed of Richa’s work. It is another matter that the daughter made a name for herself by making the same lingerie business worth crores. Let us know about Richa’s journey to success here.
This was the thought behind starting the lingerie business
Richa Kar belonged to a society where women could not talk openly about undergarments. She brought about a revolution by founding Zivame. Richa laid the foundation of Zivame when she realized how inconvenient women in India were in buying lingerie. There were often male salesmen at the shops who did not have the correct information about women’s undergarments. Apart from this, women were also worried about their privacy while buying lingerie. Due to all these reasons, women often had to compromise on their size and fitting. Richa had gained experience working with a company like Victoria’s Secret. This experience inspired her to create an e-commerce platform where women have the freedom to buy lingerie of their choice without any hesitation. Richa created a platform that changed the experience of buying lingerie for women in India. Richa believed that women should get respect, privacy and diverse options while buying lingerie. With this vision, she started Zivame and became an inspiring entrepreneur.
Did engineering from BITS Pilani
Richa Kar was born on 17 July 1980 in the industrial city of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand. She belongs to a traditional family. Currently, Richa’s home is in Michigan, USA. Richa has done engineering from BITS Pilani. In 2007, she did her post-graduate diploma from Narsee Monjee School of Management. Later she got her master’s degree from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS). After completing her studies, Richa worked in the IT sector for a few years. She gained valuable experience by working in reputed companies like Spencer’s and SAP Retail Consultancy. By working in Victoria’s Secret, she gained good knowledge of the retail sector. It was here that she got the idea of starting a lingerie brand.
There was pressure from family and society
Despite the pressure from family and society, Richa did not give up and turned Zivame into reality. She started Zivame in 2011. It was an online platform where women got the opportunity to buy lingerie in a comfortable and private environment. More than 5,000 designs, more than 50 brands and more than 100 sizes were available on Zivame. Due to this huge collection, Zivame very quickly gained popularity among Indian women. Initially, Zivame sold only lingerie but later it also started selling women’s clothing, fitness wear and sleepwear.
Cracked deal with Mukesh Ambani
Seeing the success of Zivame, Ratan Tata invested in it in 2015. This made the company worth several million dollars. Zivame kept moving forward. Meanwhile, Mukesh Ambani and his daughter Isha noticed it. Mukesh Ambani, owner of Reliance Retail and Brands, bought Zivame in a big deal. This further strengthened the company’s hold in the industry. Its annual income exceeded Rs 100 crore. In 2020, Reliance Retail acquired Zivame. Although Richa resigned from the post of CEO in 2017 itself, she is still present on the Board of Directors. Her stake in Zivame also remains. According to the Economic Times, Richa Kar’s net worth is Rs 749 crore.