Meet 33-year-old Ankit Saboo, founder, Indian Bow Tie Company, who started collecting bow ties as a hobby and culminated into a full-fledged business.
You launched the Indian Bow Tie Company in 2015. How did this happen?
Well, I have always been an avid traveler & fashion has always been my aphrodisiac. My work took me many countries across the world & it really fascinated me, when men wore their accessories (bow ties & lapel pins) to work in the USA & England. After my return back home, I started hunting for men’s accessories but the only ones available were of Tom Ford or Zara which were too expensive. That is when the scarcity for mens’ accessories gave birth to the Indian Bow Tie Company & I started experimenting with fabrics & wood.
Ankit Saboo, Tell us about the first bow-tie that you made. What was it all about?
The first bow tie that I made was for myself & it never really occurred to me of selling these commercially, until it was finally made. After that, I began experimenting with various fabrics & prints and started narrowing down on my commercial options.
What’s your fascination about everything wooden?
The whole idea of the products made by Indian Bow Tie Company is that each product is unique & special in its own way. As we use real logs of wood in making our products, each bow tie, lapel pin & hex tie is different from the other. None of our products look exactly the same & each product has its own story to tell. Hence, the fascination for wood is something that defines my art of men’s fashion.
Ankit Saboo, What were the challenges in setting up the business?
The biggest challenge that I faced in setting up a men’s fashion accessories business was that I had no prior experience or knowledge of this industry. I come from a background where our family business is of manufacturing cement plants, so for me, every day was a challenge and I have learned from my mistakes and I guess that’s the beauty of my journey as an entrepreneur.
The Hex tie and wooden brooches along with wooden bow ties are the hot-selling accessories. Comment.
Yes, especially our patented Moochwala Bow Tie design, it is the only patented bow-tie design in India. We are working forward to create designs which our customers can relate to & that also tell a story.
Ankit Saboo, You are now available in 12 stores. Where do you see your business in the next 5 years?
In the next 5 years, we are planning to expand more in the physical & online market across India. We have recently started selling in Australia, so our next target also includes international markets & definitely Bollywood.
The biggest learning over the years.
Don’t compromise on quality & never sell good stuff for free.
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