Childhood friends start online brand Momzjoy to fit the fashion-conscious moms-to-be

Two friends Divya Gupta and Kriti Baveja got to thinking about Momzjoy when they met a friend, an expectant mother, at a common friend’s party. She had expressed anguish over being unable to find the right clothes to wear to occasions and that really gave her self-esteem a blow.

It got us thinking how pregnancy is so underrated though it deserved so much more importance,

says Kriti, who, along with Divya, thus started online maternity brand Momzjoy. The brand has a mission to create fashionable yet comfortable clothes for new mums and to-be-mums. The portal went live in November last year.

The startup

Both 26, the co-founder duo of this brand are computer science engineers and childhood friends.

The team went ahead and conducted a research covering over 100 would-be-mothers and doctors only to find the need to have fashionable yet comfortable and functional maternity clothes. Leaving their lucrative jobs behind, the founders started Momzjoy.com.

“A 2015 research of expecting Indian mothers found them to be as anxious about breastfeeding as their attractiveness during and post- pregnancy. Also, several studies prove the effect of clothes on self confidence and self-love. We realised how we could use the power of fashion to solve these problems by creating the right kind of trendy, fashionable yet comfortable maternity wear with easy nursing access and how this would be a step towards resolving these worries,” says Kriti.

Challenges faced

Leaving her lucrative job behind to start up a maternity fashion brand was indeed difficult for Kriti’s family to accept, but they eventually understood the concept of her startup and gave their nod to the venture.

For Divya, it was a different ball game. Being married meant she had to constantly juggle between a full-time startup and her home. She too managed to balance efficiently and ride high on the family support.

We knew we had to take a step. We both don’t look at any challenges as problems, and we understand these are faced in every new business and we are no different. Each one of these are but stepping stones to reach our goal of empowering millions of moms and new moms. That certainly is one of our biggest strength,

says Kriti.

Make in India

The founders of Momzjoy find great satisfaction in the fact that they are a total Make-In-India brand. Their entire collection is handcrafted in India – from the raw materials used to the extensive in-house manufacturing, everything is indigenous.

Designed to provide maximum comfort with clean cuts and an option to use them even after pregnancy, the clothes are styled to fit comfortably to accommodate the physical changes during this crucial time.

The startup offers doorstep delivery, returns, cash on delivery and free shipping, just like any other leading e-commerce portal. Apart from shipping pan India, it also sells on leading sites like Firstcry, Mybabycart, Amazon, Flipkart etc.

Market size

The maternity products market has emerged as one of the most lucrative markets in India over a period of time and according to research and consultancy firm RNCOS, it is estimated to grow with a CAGR of around 17 percent, till 2017. The popularity of the maternity line can be gauged by the fact that even before their launch, Momzjoy started receiving orders and in the first month itself, crossed over 200 orders.

This brand faces tough competition from Mom n Me and a couple of private labels that sell on leading e-commerce websites.

Currently self-funded, Momzjoy is looking at raising funding in the next few months.

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