Bengaluru’s Commercial Street is THE shopping destination and has been for decades. One shop that has made a mark in such a competitive market is Mysore Saree Udyog. A family-owned business, the brand was founded in 1982 with a vision to preserve and promote the rich textile heritage of India. Local Samosa spoke to the co-founder, Dinesh Talera, to learn about the inspiration behind the brand, integrating sustainability, preserving traditional craftsmanship, and more.
The Inspiration and the History
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Inspired by the fine craftsmanship and timelessness of traditional Indian textiles, Mysore Saree Udyog’s mission was to honour these art forms by providing a varied selection of pure silk sarees, lehengas, and bridal wear. “Our journey began modestly with a single 10x10 feet work unit. With its firm commitment to quality and authenticity, MSU established itself rapidly as a strong favourite with a loyal customer base,” shared Dinesh.
In its early years, MSU faced several challenges, including building a brand in a competitive market and making customers aware of the quality of its products. Sourcing authentic materials like silk and gold-thread Zari while maintaining quality and competitive pricing was difficult. The company also struggled to balance traditional craftsmanship with modern fashion trends and manage limited production resources. Gaining customer trust in an industry where authenticity is crucial took time. Despite these challenges, the brand's focus on tradition and quality allowed it to grow.
Marrying Traditional Essence with Modern Trends
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Dinesh stated, “We are committed to honouring India's rich textile culture while embracing modern design innovations. This balance is achieved by integrating the latest textile technologies with our traditional methods. Our investment in building a comprehensive repository of ancient textiles, documented by textile historians through the Registry of Sarees (TRS), ensures that our cultural heritage remains fully intact.”
MSU uses modern technologies, such as digital printing, while ensuring customers understand the traditional craftsmanship behind each product. The company keeps up with technological advances to support its weavers, printers, dyers, and artisans in producing high-quality products. This approach ensures that, even as manufacturing processes evolve, the traditional aspects of their textiles remain intact. MSU remains committed to its cultural values, blending modern techniques with tradition.
Quality & Authenticity Over Fast Fashion
Quality and authenticity have always been the primary focus of the brand ethos, and they operate on a distinct model of production that gives the highest priority to these values. “Instead of having one factory unit, we have an association with various job-work factory units that are specialised for our production. This method enables us to have firm control over the production process so that all of our products are made with precision and care. With a very close association with these units, we maintain high standards of quality for all of our products. Our production approach also gives us the flexibility to keep pace with fluctuating market requirements and incorporate various craftsmanship techniques,” Dinesh remarked.
Mysore Saree Udyog has an in-house design team that creates most of its products, helping the company maintain its style while adapting to fashion trends. The company combines specialised manufacturing and design expertise to produce authentic, high-quality collections. They value sustainability and use natural dyes, handloom weaving, and eco-friendly materials in its production processes. The company aims to create products that last for generations, with many of its sarees being passed down through multiple generations.
Promoting Traditional Textiles
In today’s world, preserving traditional textile techniques is more important than ever. Artisans, with their exceptional skills, act as guardians of cultural heritage, protecting ancient methods of weaving, dyeing, and embroidery from being replaced by modern, mechanised processes. Dinesh mentioned, “The economic pressures of contemporary society often push artisans to leave their craft for more profitable work. Ensuring fair wages and offering financial support are vital to sustaining these traditional practices. Promoting traditional textiles and highlighting their cultural importance can boost demand for these unique products. Fashion brands and consumers play a pivotal role in empowering our artisans by choosing their work and ensuring their skills are valued and passed down to future generations.”
Technology at MSU is primarily used to manage the quality of processes rather than altering traditional production techniques. “For example, while we employ modern technologies like digital printing, we always inform our customers about the specific craft used in making each product. We stay abreast of all technological advancements to benefit our weavers, printers, dyers, and artisans, ensuring that they can deliver the highest quality products,” he further stated.
In terms of authenticity, the Zari Authenticator is a prime example of how technology helps maintain quality. While traditional weaving methods for Zari are used, this technology ensures customers receive only the finest gold-thread Zari, offering transparency and confidence in their purchase. The goal is to blend tradition with modern tools to preserve and enhance the art form for future generations. Mysore Saree Udyog’s approach ensures that, even as production methods evolve, the traditional essence of its textiles remains intact.
To Bengaluru and Beyond
Dinesh elaborated, “MSU has a strong commitment to improving the customer journey with our proactive approach to digital era adaptation. MSU offers a customised, interactive online shopping experience that replicates the in-store environment by including progressive tactics like video chatting, which enables customers to communicate with product specialists in real time and make well-informed decisions. In addition to improving ease, this feature fosters openness and trust between the company and its clientele worldwide.”
MSU values customer feedback, using it to continuously improve and strengthen customer loyalty. Its e-commerce platform provides easy access to traditional Indian fashion, regardless of location or time zone. The company’s video call shopping service offers a personalised experience, allowing global customers to receive tailored advice and recommendations. MSU is not just keeping up with the digital age but revolutionising how customer relationships are developed in a global, technology-driven world.
Analysing Customer Feedback
For any brand to succeed, customer feedback is crucial, as it helps understand the choices of the customers and areas for improvement. “We continuously look for feedback from a variety of sources, including direct customer surveys, social media interaction, and Google reviews. By analysing and using this feedback, we aim to enhance the quality of our products, optimise our services, and provide a more customised shopping experience. We can make sure that our collections live up to customer expectations by appreciating and acting upon customer feedback. This allows us to keep improving and build enduring connections with our clients,” Dinesh commented.
Innovation & Expansion on the Horizon
The brand focuses on expanding and innovating in the traditional textile and fashion focus areas. “Looking ahead, we intend to focus on an innovative approach to diversification, keeping our traditional roots intact. In terms of innovation, many new collections have been launched to meet the varying tastes of our customers. This year, we also continue the product innovation with plans to launch a few fusion sarees, such as Ikat and Kantha hand embroidery, Mysore silk with embroidery, and many more innovations,” he concluded.
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