Meet the Founder & Team

                                         

Karuna Reddy, Founder                   

Success or Failure what's your interest? We all love Success stories or we learn from failure stories but do we ever look for that messy middle? Namaskaram, I'm Karuna, founder of Sreka. And if you're still reading this, that means you're a fan of the in-progress stories too, then stay with me for next 2 min. 

                                   
My journey began with my daughter Sreena's interest in fashion and researching for NIFT admission. Now you know how my Brand name has arrived ;) That led to my own deep dive into fashion. I born and brought up in Telangana and as far as I know most of us never craved for Pochampally Handloom Double Ikkat sarees since these sarees cost huge. I was quite surprised and visited most of the villages where Ikkat is weaved. I talked to many weavers and learned about the process they do. 

                                   
After spending a good amount of time, surprisingly I felt they are charging very less for what they do. After 12 years in the corporate world, I took a leap of faith and a decision to launch a brand of Telangana's pride Pochampally handlooms. 

                                   

But, I wanted to dig more n more to understand the fabrics, process of weaving and started my journey from Pochampally, Narayanpet to Kolkatta, Varanasi and Jaipur. Then I got a little "greedy." I fell in love with every beautiful collection as part of my exploring. Then my journey became a beautiful but chaotic mess.

Then I quit my corporate job to pursue my passion, but looking back, my vision was lost. All I knew was that I wanted to build something authentic and sustainable. So I took a pause. I went back to my core mission of Handloom Ikkat which is very expensive and challenging to reach right customer. And finally I found my true path which is sustainable, plant-based fabrics. 

You may ask why sustainable? 

Sustainable fabrics are environmentally responsible textiles made using eco-friendly materials and ethical production processes of designing to reduce environmental impact. These fabrics focus on renewable resources, low water consumption, reduced chemical use, and biodegradable or recyclable fibers. So why not sustainable?

                                       

"I care deeply about the environment, and if you are too then make a difference".

Here is the story how I started my Hand Block Printing journey:

Every Art has a beautiful connection and a unique story of an artisans. Then I fell in love with one of the most beautiful and creative craft of Hand Block Printing. I went to Jaipur with my family and tried to understand the art and the techniques. Then I have decided to launch my Brand new collection of Hand Block Printed sarees. 

                                     

I started my new journey with lots of hope and went to Jaipur for my first sampling. Even there I had to struggle with manufacturers, as I mentioned at the very beginning everyone wants a success story. Even manufacturers wants to work with only on heavy MOQs (Minimum Order Quantities) and hardly supports small business owners. 

                                   

I went to Jaipur to spend only one week to get my sampling but it took me 1.5 months to get my work done. The journey was not that easy for me with having no background knowledge on textile designing and staying away 1500 KM far from my family. But I never wanted to comeback home without my purpose is achieved. So I stood hard, learned about the fabrics and the art techniques which helped me to get my work done.  
 

                                   

Now we create stunning hand-block printed sarees for casual and daily wear, all from sustainable materials like pure cottons, viscose and Bemberg silks.

                                 

My journey wasn't a straight line. It took detours, but it led me to my most authentic self. This is my in-progress story. If you love to see my successful journey then follow me. 

Itlu,

Team Sreka