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Monika Chaudhary -
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After spending 15 years in consulting and business development with companies like GE and IBM, Monika Chaudhary decided to quit corporate life in 2013 to explore new options. While she was exploring business ideas to promote Indian cultural artforms that corroborated her belief further that the ethnic wear segment for children was a huge, untapped market. Thus, when she was unable to find one, she decided to launch one in 2015 named BownBee!
BownBee is an Indian kids wear brand that specialises in Indian Ethnic and Indi-casual wear for new born babies up to 15 years. BownBee’s muse is a child who wants to dress up in comfortable yet contemporary traditional and fusion wear for all kinds of special occasions and festivals. They design traditional and Indo-western outfits in vibrant, breezy and comfortable Indian fabrics to make each celebration memorable for kids. The brand is committed towards bringing alive traditional Indian art & folklore through their intricate prints.
For occasion wear, parents seek uniqueness in design with affordability and quality assurance, something that is hard to find in this unorganised sector. BownBee is successfully bridging this gap through innovation in design, quality, and differentiated sourcing. Their collection is a perfect embodiment of comfort and style. Their designs represent the right amalgamation of modern silhouette with a variety of Indian regional crafts such as Benarasi, Bandhani, Gota, Kutchi mirror work etc to make ethnic wear stylish and comfortable for kids.
Today, BownBee is one of the leading kids ethnic online brands in India with 500+ products across categories. Since the last 5 years, BownBee has constantly been ranked as top 5 Mompreneurs Brand on Firstcry and as one of the top ethnic-wear kids brands on Myntra. The company has been growing with a CAGR of 67% while maintaining healthy gross margins. Currently operational in India and 2 international markets, BownBee aspires to be a global brand, with an aim of being a one-stop-shop for kids Indian wear needs.
Monika has 9 years of experience in kidswear and e-commerce, passionate about spreading her love for India’s rich culture and traditions globally. Since BownBee’s inception, Monika has been working with artisans and weavers from different states in order to maintain the right blend of local flavour and in-house designs in its products. BownBee started its first in-house manufacturing unit in March 2022 to provide women employment at a remote village in Uttar Pradesh. The company plans to spread this network further and create a stream of employment opportunities for rural women.
Based in Gurgaon, the brand is supported by an experienced and skilled team of 16 people across sourcing, production, quality control, design, sales and marketing. BownBee wants to build its niche by building a national level kids ethnic wear brand that provides variety and quality at an affordable price. In coming years, they plan to expand to new geographies and channels like offline retail through multi brand outlets.