The Apparel And Textile Industry Has Been Majorly Dominated By Men And Hence Was Really Tough For A Woman Entrepreneur To Break The Gender Barrier And Achieve Success. Kamhalinieithal, Founder White Lotus & Co. Is One Of Those Hardworking And Passionate Leaders Who Has Successfully Made A Name For Herself In The Indian Apparel And Textile Industry. After Experiencing Fashion From Its Close Quarters And Living In International Fashion Capitals, Kamhalinie Returned To India And Opened Her Buying House ‘White Lotus And Co’. 20 Years Of The Sheer Hard Work And Grit, Resulted In Success And Surge In Volume Which Made Her Open Two More Companies ‘White Lily’ And ‘Lily & Lotus’ And Is Also On The Verge Of Opening The 4th .

In An Exclusive Interview With Women Entrepreneur, Kamhalinie Has Shared The Inception Story Of Her Organizations, The Challenges She Has Been Tackling As A Successful Buying House Owner, And Much More:

Give Us A Brief Overview Of White Lotus & Co. What Are Some Of The Unique Propositions It Offers To Its Clients?

White Lotus And Co, The Flagship Company Was Formed With A Clear Vision To Provide Professional Assistance To Buyers Looking To Procure Garments And Accessories In India As Well As In The Neighbouring Countries. We Are A 20-Year-Young Company Working As Buyer’s Representative Based In India And South America For Textile Fashion Apparel And Accessories. We Source Merchandise From India And Its Neighbouring Countries Like Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, And The Maldives. We Are Currently Working For Some Of The World’s Finest Labels And Handle A Wide Range Of Products.

We Follow Aql Standards For Inspection And Use Only Quality Laboratories Like Sgs, France, And Ecb Online, Germany, For Testing. Almost All Our Customers Have Been Working With Us For Over A Decade If Not From Inception. Our Operation As A Boutique Company Providing Personalized Services Is Unique To Each Buyer And This Sets Us Apart From Other Organizations. Because Of The Exponential Growth Of Our Business, We Did Not Want The Sudden Surge In Volume To Affect The Quality Of Our Services And Hence The Need To Float Two More Companies, White Lily And Lily & Lotus.

Shed Some Light On Your Education And Prior Industry Experience. What Motivated You To Establish A Firm That Is A One-Stop Source For Procurement, Sampling, Quality Check & Logistics For Textile, Fashion Apparel & Accessories?

I Started My Career Working For An Organization, Which Was Also The First Buying House In India. I Headed Departments In Merchandising, Sourcing, Overseas Production, Quality Control, And Business Development And Worked My Way To Become The Youngest Director. However, I Later Left The Organization And Went To Live In Fashion Capitals Around The World, Where I Saw Fashion From Its Close Quarters, Especially From The Buyer’s Perspective. This Made Me Realize That I Had The Right Blend Of Experience In Both Buying And Selling. Initially, White Lotus & Co. Was Formed To Inculcate And Implement What I Had Learned Regarding Proven Customer Satisfaction, Honest Approach And Personalized Services And This Helped Us To Grow To Where We Are Now.

What Is The Varied Expertise That You Possess In The Field Of Textile And Fashion?

It Is In My Dna To Be Passionate About What I Do, I Make Sure We Construct Our Garments With The Thought That Someone Is Going To Live In Them. Even Though I Am A Science Graduate Student With No Degree In Fashion, I Am Natural When It Comes To Styling And Colors. Our Buyers Often Tell Me That We Fit Our Garments With Feelings. I Guess This Passionate Approach Has Helped Us To Retain Our Customers From The Start Even For Over A Decade In Some Cases As A Reliable Buying House. The Positive Word Of Mouth Regarding My Sincerity Has Helped Me Gain My Client Base. Also Going By The Present Trend We Have Initiated Our Factories To Use Computer Aided Patterns For Proper Styling And Accurate Costing Making It More Efficient And Giving Us The Edge Over Others.

We Are Constantly Visiting Overseas Trade Shows And Working With International Fashion Designers To Understand The Upcoming Seasons, Colors And Fabrics So As To Source Efficiently.

As A Policy We Only Promote Factories That Have Healthier Environment, Gender Equality And No Child Labour.

As A Result My Company Has Also Been Recognized As One Of The Best Vendors In South East Asia By A Prominent Brand Overseas For Providing Quality Products And Exemplary Services.

“I'd rather regret the risks that didn't work out than the chances i didn't take at all”

What Are Some Of The Major Challenges You Have Faced So Far As The President? How Do You Overcome Them?

Throughout These 20 Years Of Running The Organization, I Have Faced Numerous Challenges. Initially, The Textile And Fashion Apparel Industry Used To Be Dominated By Men And I Had To Work Hard To Sustain Myself. A Buying House Is Responsible For Bringing In Huge Export Business, Foreign Exchange And Is Also The Reason Behind The Indirect Employment Of Many Factories/ Mills. However, We Hardly Get Any Support Or Facilities From Banks Nor There Is Any Assistance Or Grant From The Government. With All These Limitations I Have Sustained And Will Continue To Do So. Even During The Pandemic, We Have Paid Salaries To All The Employees On Time As I Believe That Every Life Is Important. We Believe Happy Employee Means Happy Business.

How Have You Sustained During Pandemic And These Trying Times?

During This Time Our Focus Turned More Towards Sustainable Fashion, To Develop Products With Recycled And Eco-Friendly Fabrics. Clothing Made In Ways That Value Social Welfare And Worker Rights That Are Eco-Friendly And Restoring Environment.

We Hope With This Conscious Venture We Would Make The Planet A Better And Cleaner Place. We Believe This Will Become The New Way Forward.

As A Successful Entrepreneur, What Would Your Advice Young Women And Girls Aspiring To Become Business Leaders And Entrepreneurs In The Future?

The Advice I Would Like To Give Young Women And Budding Entrepreneurs Is That They Must Love And Care For Themselves First And Foremost Because That's When The Best Comes Out. Success Is Not Final; Failure Is Not Fatal. It Is The Courage To Continue That Counts. I'd Rather Regret The Risks That Didn't Work Out Than The Chances I Didn't Take At All. I Have Neither A Degree In Fashion Nor In Business But I Dared To Believe In My Talents And Making The Impossible Possible. Even My Free Time Became A Hobby To Design For Movie Stars. My Mantra To Success Is Keep Your Passion Alive And Dare To Do What You Love.

I Would Like To End With My Favorite Quote Imbibed In Me By My Mentor Daisaku Ikeda "Only Effort And Hard Work Constructs The Bridge And Connects Your Dream To Reality.

Kamhalinie Ithal, Founder, White Lotus & Co.

After Experiencing Fashion From Its Close Quarters In New York, Kamhalinie Ithal Returned Back To India And Opened Her Buying House White Lotus And Co. Due To Her Hard-Work And Diligent Efforts, She Has Already Floated Two More Organizations White Lily And Lily & Lotus Within 20 Years And On The Verge Of Opening The 4th One.