Millioniare mindset: Nagakanaka Durga Prasad Chalavadi, founder of the Rs 1,650-crore sari empire SSKL, recently appeared on Raj Shamani’s podcast Figuring Out. What began with his wife selling just 300 sarees from their house basement has now grown into one of India’s largest sari supply chains, powered by the strategic use of AI for customer feedback.
Before scaling this business, Chalavadi revealed that he had carried the baggage of several other strenuous ventures. In an unconventional move, he first hired 80 employees and scaled in reverse, completely rewriting the norms of supply chain economics to achieve a remarkable 95% conversion rate. Tracked by AI and driven by his strong belief in Gen-Z, the saree millionaire described this generation as the future of “keeping the culture alive.”
Today, the sari empire employs nearly 10,000 people and has grown more than 165 times, Chalavadi said. Beyond using AI for surveillance, the company now leverages it to refine designs based on real customer feedback, fine-tuning everything from intricate motif details to precise measurements in the saree-making process.
Rs 1.5 Crore loss that built a Rs 165 Crore Sari Empire: Chalavadi’s costliest mistake that changed everything
Sarees have always ranged from everyday attire to wedding trousseaus, which may cost a fortune. Speaking to Shamani, Chalavadi revealed that the most expensive saree he has sold was worth Rs 7.8 lakh. But this followed a Rs 1.5 crore loss, Chalavadi’s ‘cosliest’ mistake.
In an attempt to bypass middlemen, the saree millionaire set up a weaver’s hub in Hyderabad. Not revealing the timeline, he shared that he brought artisans from major hubs of India. However, within days, they started to quit, only to realise they missed home.
Owing to his ‘overenthusiasm’, he explained that his philosophy was to prove his dominance over the market. However, it backfired. “One fine day, 20 out of 25 people left.” It stemmed from the communal practice of saree weaving, where the entire family contributed towards a piece. One of the bigger financial mistakes in his career, he shared that he lost Rs 1.5-2 crore.
“In contrast, that Rs 1.5 crore gave me the Rs 1650 crore empire, as we speak,” Chalavadi shared.
“It is not about reinventing the wheel. When something is working, go to the root,” he shared, as a measure to bring efficiency in his sourcing. He owed this failure to the understanding that he has today, from building personal connections with 1000s of weavers across India, producing for them directly.
Summarising his philosophy, the saree millionaire said,” Saree is not a product for Indian women. It is an emotion.”
‘Fashion is circular’: How Gen Z is bringing back traditional sarees that are 50-70 years old
Sharing an anecdote, Raj Shamani recalled, “In China, their traditional clothing, hanfu, had died. But social media and young people wearing it and showing it off in their culture all around the world inspired the people back home to revive the long-lost form of fashion.”
Largely driven by those who live outside their native land, Shamani and Chalavadi agreed that they tend to face a sense of nostalgia towards their culture. However, pointing at the circular nature of fashion, Chalavadi added, “Fashion is circular. We are trying to recreate the 50, 60, and 70-year-old sarees now, and we are calling it vintage. And Gen Z is going gaga about it.”
At the same time, Chalavadi has also identified the ‘no repeat’ culture, where if someone has posted a saree on social media, they might not re-wear it. “Thanks to social media, once you upload a picture on Instagram, they don’t want to repeat a saree, they want a new one,” he remarked.