eChai Women Founders Initiative in Ahmedabad: July Edition

Bengaluru

Harsha Bhurani

Founder · Hummingbird Talent ( An eChai Company )

Host

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Founder, Bootstrapped, in HR tech / future of work.

Building <div><strong>OUR STORY</strong></div><div><br></div><div>ACAO(a-sao) which means to move, was created for fitness but designed for life. Born with the idea of comfortable stylish essential wear, I wanted to create pieces that you would move and live in. Something that makes you feel powerful, yet comfortable.</div><div><br></div><div>It took us a long long time, but from process to execution, we converted challenges into experience. Experience, that has led us to create a conscious collection, where function meets everlasting fashion.&nbsp; I knew I wanted to create niche pieces which met the needs of people but also pieces that did little harm to the environment.</div><div><br></div><div>We always say that we are a COVID baby. It is a very strong part of our story. The challenges of bringing a brand to the market during a worldwide pandemic were thus far unpredictable. As we were not being able to touch and feel the fabrics together, we were forced to find new ways to keep going. We couldn’t carry out any sourcing during the actual lockdown and had to work with the sourcing which was already done and stay prepared to fill in the gaps as soon as we could. This has been a major roadblock in making clothes during a pandemic.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>We have a long way to go and much to learn, but I hope that if you choose to make a piece of ACAO a part of your life, you will find that the attention, care and love given to each piece, reflects when you wear it.We are not perfect- as a Brand. We are not perfect- as people. We are not perfect in product. We are doing our best we can, and we aim to improve every single day with every single product launch.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><strong>ABOUT ACAO</strong></div><div><br></div><div><strong>ACAO </strong>is a consciously curated collection of comfortable essential wear made with recycled and sustainable fabrics. We are here to have a positive impact on the world.</div><div>&nbsp;Our goal is to make a product that does as little harm to the earth as possible. We use eco-friendly dyes and make sure that the dye water is clean before it enters into the water system.</div><div>&nbsp;Dyes are supplied by <a href="https://www.huntsman.com/markets/textiles">Huntsman Dyes</a> in the US &amp; are <a href="https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/">OEKO-TEX®</a> &amp; <a href="https://global-standard.org/">GOTS</a> approved, protecting our planet for future generations. Also approved by GOTS, the Global Organic Textile Standard means the harvesting of raw materials is handled in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. We have partnered up with ECONYL®. ECONYL® is regenerated nylon which is made by recovering nylon waste - such as fishing nets from the oceans and aquaculture, fabric scraps from mills and carpets destined for landfill – and turning it into virgin quality nylon yarn for the fashion and interior industries. We also use REPREVE®.&nbsp; Widely certified as one of the most earth-friendly fibers available, REPREVE® fabric is made from high-quality polyester yarns generated from 100% recycled materials, including post-consumer plastic bottles and pre-consumer industrial waste. The production of REPREVE® reduces the consumption of energy by 45%, water by 20% and greenhouse gas emissions by over 30% as compared with producing virgin polyester.<br><br></div>

Ahmedabad

Koumal Kalantry

Founder CEO · Bignano Ventures Private Limited

Speaker

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Founder, Pre-seed and Seed, in Agritech.