Story of a Cotton Collection
Some in the corporate world opt to step out of the business environment to take a break from it all. And then there are some people we meet who have lived their passion for over 20 years and are now faced with emotional pressure from near and dear to focus on family.
Niloufer Anverally
With two kids in tow, Ms. Niloufer Anverally, the businesswoman who is fiercely independent and a strong believer of women’s empowerment has sold her soul that was Cotton Collection to Softlogic with the aim of giving priority to what is important to her home – her family.
As a woman who would freely give her advice and assistance to women in her workplace a space to work and become independent has today had to take a step back. But she continues to hold onto her other investment Leather Collection as it is a separate company in itself.
Ms. Anverally spoke to the Business Times from her former home and her room in which she lived and from where she began her business –Cotton Collection – that she considers was part of her DNA.
It was here that she first set out to begin her work and passion in business and take the first steps to becoming a truly independent woman in her own right pursuing what she loved – fashion.
It has been 27 years since Ms. Anverally commenced Cotton Collection which she began by sourcing from factories clothes that she first sold to friends and then later when they gained much acceptance to the market she sold her clothes to the retail outlets and from there it became quite popular.
Her aim was to fill a much needed gap in the market with a casual segment of clothes that were of high quality, variety and good fabrics with a sense of taste and fashion.
After completing her college education, Ms. Anverally pursued a banking career with American Express after which she took an active interest in fashion.
My father
“My father always brought me up to believe you need to be independent,” she recalled insisting that it was this advice that got her going right along.
The first Cotton Collection outlet was opened at Majestic City and operating this business, she said was “very easy for me since it was an extension of myself.” The casual clothes with a Bohemian touch and feel made it a crowd puller as it was different from the rest of what was available in the market.
Over these years Ms. Anverally has been able to build a very strong team some of whom work even after 27 years at the same company. “The women in the company are wonderful and are empowered.”
During her career she ensured that life working at Cotton Collection for her women workforce is comfortable in that she would allow them to attend to their motherly duties taking time out from work with no strict regimen in place.
Looking back, the independent businesswoman explained that her biggest challenge was shifting from Flower Road to Dharmapala Mawatha as it meant a complete change in the way they carried out their business and its operations.
More professionals were required to be part of the workforce and attending to detail and ensuring that the place looked just right and unique as she would want it to be was important.
“Getting responsible people was difficult. I’m blessed with a very good team of people,” she said.
Returning home she says that pressure from her family was what drove her to make this decision to sell her passionate creation.
“I’ve created a different DNA that stands apart from all brands in the country,” she said adding that had she continued her plans for further expansion would have had to be implemented since in the retail world it is a hands-on game.