She redefined college bags

College bags are not just for carrying books and other knick knacks. As every college girl knows they make a style statement. Customised bags are a rage on campuses as they spell attitude with a capital A. Kamal Goel who started off by designing her own bag first, turned her childhood passion for painting, into a profession. She started making attractive drawings on boring-looking jute bags. And within no time, students from various colleges were vying to get their hands on these trendy totes. The bags have become quite popular now, so much so that Komal ends up making at least 15 bags per day to meet the customer’s demand.

Sarga, her online store, was conceived in September 2012. She started with an initial investment of Rs 5,000 which was funded by her parents. She gets jute bags stitched and adorns then with her creative designs. The designs vary from portraits and emoticons to cartoon characters based on her customer’s demands. She also regularly showcases her products at exhibitions conducted in Hyderabad.

New entrepreneurs usually face a lot of difficulty initially to develop a client base but the 23-year-old surprisingly faced no difficulty in this area. “I first designed a bag which I had at home. I showed it to my friends and relatives. They liked it and the orders started pouring in.”

A Post Graduate Diploma holder in Human Resource Management from St Francis College for Women, Hyderabad, she had started working at Randstad India, Himayat Nagar, Hyderabad, but discontinued after four months as she realised she was not made for it. “Drawing, paintings and various other creative activities have always been my hobbies since childhood. By turning my hobby into a profession, I found that even hard work becomes a pleasure.”

Expanding her venture, Komal now also has phone covers and baby rompers to the list. Her products are also available on Amazon.com.