Established in 2014, Rubans Accessories is the fastest growing jewellery brand in the country. Chinu Kala is one of the prominent women in the fashion jewellery business in India today. The brand was started with a vision to honour Indian artisans and make jewellery affordable and accessible to all. Chinu talks about her brainchild Rubans, her journey of being a Woman Entrepreneur, Business Succession Planning, and Career Transitions in an exclusive interview with Hello Entrepreneur.
Q. Can you please let our readers know about your journey to Rubans?
Chinu Kala: The journey to Rubans has been a tough road which I have been treading for almost 24 years now. For me, it all started at the age of 15 when I left home due to a difference from my dad. It has now been almost 24 years that I have been working tirelessly. There were times when I had to work to make sure that I could at least get two meals a day because in the initial years. There were days when I had to sleep off by drinking only water since I did not have enough money even to buy dinner that day. I did all the odd jobs that one can find. I have worked 2-3 jobs each day and kept on growing in life. At one time in life, getting all three meals in a day used to be my aim in life, struggles continued, but the goalpost kept on changing. Shifting from a dormitory where I shared the place with 20 others to a PG where three girls stayed in a room was a massive success. But I have celebrated all my accomplishments, big or small. In 2007 after my marriage, I participated in Gladrags Mrs India and was amongst the finalists there. This allowed me to stay in the boot camp and be part of the troop for one month. Here I saw and discovered the importance of a small piece of jewellery and how it can accentuate the whole look of a person. This thought remained with me for many years, and finally, in 2014, I took the plunge and started Rubans from a 6×6 Sq Feet kiosk in a mall. In 2017 I started reading about the internet boom and how cheaper and accessible data would change the face of shopping in India. We decided to switch from being a 100% offline brand to going online. Rubans in the past eight years has grown by more than 100% YoY. What started with an investment of just 3 Lac today has become a 38 Cr brand. We intend to keep the growth engine moving and make the brand India’s most loved fashion jewellery brand.
Q. What are your plans for the organization?
CK: Rubans has received much love from our customers in India, which is the mantra behind our success. We are now looking at going overseas and collaborating to start our operations in other countries. The ultimate goal is to make sure that every woman who wears jewellery should possess a piece of Rubans in her ensemble.
Q. What makes your brand unique?
CK: In Rubans, whatever we curate, we always keep our customers in the Centre of it. Every time we launch a new collection, it is an instant hit.
Q. What are your recent developments?
CK: We are now extending our offering under the brand extension. We are adding Party purses and clutches and Silver jewellery to our portfolio. We are committed to delivering value and quality to our customers thru every new category that we launch under Rubans.
Q. Does your responsibilities increase as a Woman Entrepreneur?
CK: Every entrepreneur has responsibilities toward the people who work with us and the customers who endorse our products. For me, someone who has seen many struggles from an early age, I am consciously working on empowering and upscaling women employees. I can proudly say that 70% of my team members are women, and most of them have excelled very well.
