This Brand Is Making World Class Bags And Empowering Local Artisans : Modern Myth

• BySheetal Sidhu     |    June 25, 2021

“To start with, entrepreneurs should stop “analysis-paralysis.”  In simple words I mean that thinking shall only bring you forward in inches but doing will take you forward in miles,” Oshina Hans, Co-Founder, Modern Myth on engaging with Startup Story.

A Walk Through NIIFT Experiences And Journey Towards Entrepreneurship

“Design students might relate here, as we ALL have faced our fair share of REDO’s!” Oshina Hans, Co-Founder, Modern Myth.

Oshina while telling Startup Story about her 4 years experiences at NIFT Gandhinagar  where, she had completed her Bachelors in Textile Design, Looking back she said, “I realise how important those things were as they made me develop a key eye for details & instil a fundamental habit of researching before starting off with something that I may find worthy”. Oshina further continued saying that she always looked forward to creating something unique & NIFT faculties were highly supportive, she holds her teachers in high regard. She also revealed that she had a lot of memories attached to her college but her most cherished memory was being awarded the Most Meritorious Student Award at the college Graduation Ceremony.

“Right off the bat, I learnt never to settle for ‘that’s good enough,” Oshina Hans, Co-Founder, Modern Myth

Further, Oshina told Startup story that coming from a family working in government jobs, the conventional path is considered more “safe” & “ideal” in India. However, she had a knack for creating something new and exploring the unexplored. So, post-graduation, she worked for a leading export house to gain insight into the design industry and save money for funds. She was driven to fulfil her dream of launching her own bags label. On diving deeper she saw that the niche market was missing handcrafted & offbeat designs that were affordable & animal-cruelty free. And so, ultimately she combined fashion with compassion by creating vegan bags. On having a team and business plan she decided to quit her job and launch Modern Myth.

About launching Modern myth Oshina told Startup Story that a lot of research went behind setting up the brand, while her Co-Founder Saurabh set up the warehouse, she utilised this time to work on a pool of digital designs based on my research, they made sure to test their products on themselves using them as customers before putting them out in the market. They simultaneously worked on sampling, production, paperwork & cataloguing and spread the word before the launch of their website which was looked forward to. Within six months they were listed on the beauty giant , Nykaa and received an overwhelming response from the very first day. They now retail via their own website along with stock listing platforms like Myntra, Amazon, Flipkart, Ajio, Snapdeal to name a few with an average customer rating of 4& above. Being a young brand still they have month on month increase in production of bags that stands at about 20-25% on an average.

“We believe in bringing value to the table, and we don’t really worry about what our competitors are doing. We, however, promote the idea of healthy competition because customers have a pool of options to choose from, whatever is best for them.” Oshina Hans, Co-Founder, Modern Myth.

About Modern Myth Products

On asking about the products, styling, designing and innovation behind the modern myth bags, Oshina told us that “Modern Myth brand has been striking out in terms of designs from the day of inception.” They have constantly tried to innovate and stay original, while maintaining a great balance between following trends and setting their own. One of the key features of their bags is the raw materials that are used are completely non-leather & are safe to use, irrespective of age group. They derive the inspiration for the use of bright colours, aesthetic design and a more bold approach as a whole reflection of her co-founder, Saurabh, and her own sensibilities & bold approach towards life, therefore, resulting in a line that is bright & lively.

Oshina on the mention of her team introduced her Co-Founder at Modern Myth, Mr. Saurabh Tokas a civil engineer, who she said had been a pillar of strength ever since launch. She told Startup Story that it was his firm belief in the idea and to make it happen he gave his own place for setting-up their first manufacturing unit. She further introduced her team of 20+ artisans from around the country who work with them on a full-time basis wherein all their major expenses like food, stay, electricity etc. is taken care of by the company. Furthermore, they also have a bunch of people who take care of operations, sales & marketing while she works as a head of design along with micro-managing the business.

As for setbacks, Oshina said she would rather term them as “new learning’s”, which is more of an on-going process that happens every day.

Customer Review

Oshina told Startup story that they come across a range of customers on an everyday basis, some of whom are college students while others who have switched from luxury brands,  on a recommendation from a friend/family to Modern Myth! Overall, they keep a proactive approach to collecting customer feedback, which in return ensures that  they never stay far from the needs of our clients, this helps them not only maintain relationships with existing customers but also help retain new ones. They ensure to keep their existing customers satisfied and constantly take polls on social media to record feedback and connect with customers after the product is delivered to know their view.

Studying at NIFT gave Oshina an exposure and chance to interact with a lot of craft clusters over a period of time, “I always in my heart knew that these skilled people should get a chance to earn a better living & not lose out on the opportunities they deserve just because of a middle-man.” Oshina said. With the boom in import-export activities, she noticed that Indian craftsmen carrying a heritage with them were facing stark competition of machine-made products. “It didn’t resonate with me & I thought their skill set & my designs should be combined to create something valuable & that is what I have tried to achieve with my brand Modern Myth.” she added.

Future And Expansion Plans For Modern Myth

About taking the brand global, Oshina gave an affirmative response adding they were also working on expansion of the product line. As for funding Oshina said that they were bootstrapped for the time being “We currently have the funding to organically grow on our own & achieve our short, mid and long-term goals” Oshina said. However, they are open to the idea of raising funding as per business demands. They also plan on entering the home furnishing & décor vertical soon and will be keeping it animal and cruelty free as well. For the same they are currently working on revamping production & delivery channels. Oshina also disclosed that they are in talks with some local partners across the globe but it is still in a very early stage but, they will certainly make the information public once all the papers are signed and in place.

Advice For Budding Entrepreneurs 

“You will never accomplish anything if you don’t try something and stay trapped in your own head. So, strategize and convert those into actions. Have a sense of purpose & keep improvising in the journey”.

Oshina is of the view that entrepreneurship is filled with the highs and lows that come with riding the roller coaster of a business’s lifecycle. Some things work while others fall flat, but one needs to keep going.

She then concluded with some golden words, “Someone once told me that an MBA is important to succeed in business, but I feel these 2 years into business have taught me more than what an MBA degree would have taught me. Rather, I created my own MBA – i.e.; Master in Bags Administration.”

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