Also known as the knitwear capital of India, Tiruppur accounts for 90% of India’s overall cotton export. The textile and garment sector has seen a rapid boost across the city with numerous textile industries spurring up across the city. Starting around 20 years ago as a family-owned business, Garment Mantra Lifestyle Ltd. (Previously known as Junction Fabrics and Apparels Limited) has transformed itself into one of the leading garment manufacturing and wholesaling public-owned companies in Tiruppur through its gamut of business verticals.

One of the management pillars of the firm, Ashmita Aggarwal has been heading the production department of the firm as its Director- Production. Under her able hands, the firm has been able to provide export quality garments to people at an affordable price range while expanding nationally across households. In an exclusive interview with Women Entrepreneur, Ashmita shares her early experience, the underlying story behind Garment Mantra, her vision for the firm’s future roadmap, and much more:

Shed Some Light On Your Early Educational Journey And The Prior Industry Experience That You Bring To The Table.

I did my master's in Finance &Marketing from IIPM, Bangalore, and then my Fashion Apparel Management from NIFT-TEA, Tripura . During my college days, I also did my internship at Century Cotton, a fabric-related company, which gave me a lot of insight into practical knowledge as well as networking. In a family business, where both of your parents are involved, you happen to come across a lot of conversations about the business terms as well as get a thorough idea about the overall operation. After my 12th, my father encouraged me to come to the factory. I found it interesting and even started learning everything from a tactical perspective. So alongside my education, I started working at the factory.

What Led To The Foundation Of Garment Mantra? What Was The Underlying Idea Behind Establishing The Company?

Garment Mantra Lifestyle Ltd. (Previously known as Junction Fabrics and Apparels Limited) previously used to be a family-owned business but now it’s a public owned company. Started by my parents, the firm was the first hosiery garment company to be listed on BSE in 2015. The firm has various business verticals such as garment retail sectors, b2b wholesale garment business, and restaurants.

We started the firm 25 years back with a vision to fill the huge market gap between the needs of the market and the availability. The business started expanding gradually and we got into manufacturing as well as exporting surplus stock lots while also expanding into different business verticals. Initially named Junction Fabrics and Apparels Limited, we decided to change the name to Garment Mantra during our IPO registration as it was the label under which we used to do our market production.

What Are The Various Roles And Responsibilities That You Currently Shoulder At Garment Mantra? What Are Some Of The Major Business Challenges That You Face In Your Current Role And How Do Overcome Them?

As the Director-Production of Garment Mantra, I head the entire production department. My roles and responsibilities include understanding the requirement of the market and procuring the same while making sure that the export quality is available in our domestic market at an affordable price. I also monitor the production activities to make necessary adjustments to the schedule to ensure that all deliverables are supplied on time.

"Stay true to yourself and Your vision. Don’t let Any one person’s opinion Move you; listen, but be Confident"

In terms of challenges, the pandemic was one of the unforeseen challenges as nobody was prepared for the same. Another major challenge that we face is in form of changing trends. The duration of a production cycle is three months, during which, there are chances that the trend itself changes. To mitigate these challenges, you need to stay updated and be ahead of the trends. You need to be flexible and be open-minded about factors such as new fabrics, styles, procurements, and technologies.

How Do You Stay Abreast Of The Evolutions Occurring Within Your Respective Field Of Work And The Tech Landscape? What Is Your Vision For Garment Mantra’s Growth In The Near Future?

To stay abreast of the latest trends, you need to do a lot of reading. I am an avid traveler and a reader and that helps me stay updated regarding the cultures as well as style trends followed at the places I visit. Even attending a lot of fairs as well as joining clubs and groups who talk about the trends and the fashions helps. You should always be surrounded by the people from whom you can learn.

Through our gamut of business verticals, we, at Garment Mantra, are in a position to provide export quality products at an affordable price range. My vision for the firm is to see our products in every household across the country.

What Are Some Of The Major Milestones That You Have Achieved In Your Professional Journey? What Has Been The Driving Force Behind Your Success As A Business Leader? Any Advice For Young Women And Budding Entrepreneurs?

One of the major milestones for me has been to see our

company get registered on the Bombay Stock Exchange. I also received the Abdul Kalam Award in 2019 for the best business in the apparel category, which also has been a major milestone for me. My love and passion for my job have been one of the major driving forces. Even my parents have always been quite supportive of my ideas and thoughts.

The advice I would like to give to young women is not to have self-doubts. There's nothing right or wrong. Take your decisions and then make them right, which is very important for every entrepreneur, especially for women. No dream or idea is small. To unlock your potential, it is very important to decide and start from somewhere. Don’t be afraid of the situation and move forward confidently.

Ashmita Aggarwal, Director-Production, Garment Mantra Lifestyle

Ashmita has been working at Garment Mantra since her childhood long before she became the Director-production at the firm. An avid reader and traveler, she is heading the entire production department at the firm and helps the firm stay ahead of the trends by following present trends while maintaining quality and schedule adherence.

• Headquarters: #40, Nethaji Apparel Park, NH 47, Tirupur, 641 666, Tamilnadu, India

• Educational qualification: Master's in Finance &Marketing, Fashion Apparel Management.