Hetal Desai (58) has been designing clothes for her daughters, Lekhinee and Twaraa, for almost three decades now.

With an investment of Rs 50,000 to an annual turnover of over Rs 15 crore, The Indian Ethnic Co. celebrates Indian weavers and artisans across the country.

It all started in 2016 when the mother-daughter duo visited various exhibitions in the city to check out some of the fabrics being used.

In one such exhibition, they picked up some Ajrakh material, and Hetal made a few silhouettes with that.

“We clicked some pictures and uploaded them. Those pictures probably did not have our faces. They are all cut out. It was all one big experiment,” says Lekhinee.

With no sense of how to market themselves, Lekhinee says that their first order from Goa was a huge boost to their confidence. And eventually, they began getting orders from all over India.

The duo has managed to dress over 3,000 people living in over 450 cities and 19 countries so far.

“Through the business, we also wanted to help artisans and craftspeople earn a good livelihood,” says Lekhinee.

Speaking about how that started, Lekhinee says, “It was my father who suggested we combine our love for dancing and the weaves to do something different.”

This turned out to be a huge hit. The first reel that garnered over a million views was shot in five minutes.

Hetal says, “It feels surreal. We get one life, and I am so happy to feel like I have finally achieved something and made my mark, and that too at 58! Better late than never, right?”