Ritu Oberoi - Founder of For Sarees

Mumbai based Ritu Oberoi is the founder of ForSarees, a digital brand that sells handloom sarees made by weavers and artisans from all across India.

A former Accounts Director at ABP Network, Ritu created a brand which shines a spotlight on one of our country's greatest assets, our Handloom Sector.

ForSarees isn’t simply a clothing brand, but a socially-driven business enterprise that works closely with weavers and artisans in rural India, bringing skillfully crafted sarees and other products to urban consumers.

Founded in 2018, Ritu believed that her corporate position had provided her with the knowledge and experience to establish her own business. Ritu used her sabbatical time to discover her entrepreneurial streak.She was astounded to witness so much ability and talent when visiting craft villages, yet residents struggled to market these things beyond a specific exhibition. She was aware of the void in the handloom sector.

Ritu sat down with her thoughts to reflect on her personal journey which led to the creation of ForSarees. It takes a lot of effort to start a business. Since she was not from the fashion industry, it took her a lot of study and initial research to get started. From a white-collared job to doing grassroot work, it was a huge transition. Ritu had to learn the ropes of marketing and strategizing on the go.

Ritu says "I believe every Saree has two stories to tell, one of the weavers, and another of the wearer. And we help these two stories meet. ForSarees is a tribute to these artisans who craft stories between threads, colours, prints and patterns!"

Nonetheless, she is pleased that her sarees have been worn by her clientele again and again, even after several months or years.

At ForSarees the artisans are the backbone of the organisation. ForSarees aim at addressing two major issues in the handloom industry: rural employment and women empowerment. With determination and hard work they have proudly associated with 250 weaver families (ancillary workers not included here) spread across 10 states and working on multiple clusters in each state. They have ongoing projects in Kutch, Chanderi village, Shantiniketan, Yadadri , Ajrakhpur , Sambalpur, Chaubundi in Rajasthan, Burdwan, and many more villages across the country.

ForSarees mission has been to ensure that the artisans have a consistent monthly income. It was also critical to eliminate any intermediaries from the chain, as this ensures a higher revenue for the craftsman and a lower price for the final consumer.

and handmade craft items. What sets them apart is the effort that’s been put in to organize the developmental projects in the clusters while creating handloom marvels.

Through different social media campaigns, For Sarees attempts to popularise handlooms in urban areas. This ensures that handloom products are given the attention and respect they deserve.