The Indian baby products industry can be described as nascent at best. With very few options available on the market (and even fewer luxury ones), parents would often resort to buying expensive baby products when travelling abroad or request visiting family members to bring what they needed. To address this gap in the market, Mallika Bakshi founded The Baby Trunk in 2019, a brand that has since grown by leaps and bounds in popularity. She recently spoke to the Sunday Guardian about her brand’s vision. Excerpts from an edited interview:
Q: When did you start The Baby Trunk and why?
A: I have never been part of my family business, but my father always encouraged me to find my own wings. Hence, I’ve had an interesting journey from the time I graduated from college with a double degree in History and the Theory of Arts. From there I worked in the sphere of luxury with brands like Bulgari, Christie’s, and Judith Lieber to name a few, before joining a luxury PR firm in Delhi. I even consulted for an international art investment fund. In 2019, I decided to embark on a business of my own. I was keen to do something associated with newborns but from a luxury perspective and geared at the Indian market. At the time, I had friends who had started having children and when I needed to gift them unique and high-quality products, I would only have the option of buying presents from abroad.
In India, the options available then simply weren’t elevated in terms of quality or even a variety of designs. When you touched the products – whether it was a dohar or duvet – they just weren’t soft. Ideally, baby products should give the feeling of sleeping amongst the clouds, to mimic how they felt in their mother’s womb! But the products available here were nowhere near that.
I also strongly believed that the Indian market had the strength and capacity to produce high quality products of this kind, but because of lack of exposure or lack of drive, it just hadn’t happened. My agenda was to create baby products that were eye-catching and made with pure fabrics that were organic.
The other aspect I was keen to introduce was beautiful packaging. Before this, the gift wrapping was just pink and blue. It contained no beautiful elements like stickers or ribbons. Fortunately, I had enough experience in the luxury market to know what a consumer wants. I realised that gifting was as much about the experience of unboxing as of the actual gift. Of course, the product inside is also extremely important – it should be exquisite yet durable and made with fabrics and elements that a mother can trust. It should be hypoallergenic so it doesn’t scratch the baby, and you can keep it for future children in the family. Most importantly, it should be made in India, which will also ensure its cost effectiveness and adherence to an Indian ethos.
By providing access to high quality products in India itself, we were also saving parents the effort of having to travel specifically to shop for their baby’s arrival or ask someone else to shop for them.
Q: How did you ideate the products and brand vision for The Baby Trunk?
A: Between 2017 and 2018, I did a lot of research – both internationally while travelling and in the domestic market – to see what was available. I visited fabric mills around the country to check on quality and intensely examined the best products to see the kind of material and technology being used. Then I interviewed mothers to understand their needs and what they felt is lacking in the market. Fortunately, I received plenty of positive feedback on our product line. Then we chalked out our product categories and shortlisted the best vendors that wouldn’t compromise or cut corners.
My mother is my source of inspiration and strength because she has excellent taste, and my father is my mentor on the financial aspects. They both helped me a lot. At the end of the day, I was fixated on my vision of starting a niche label that would also conform to the American and British levels of testing before being put on the shelf.
We opened our first store in the Santushti shopping complex because we were the only one of our kind there. Our store was decorated with a beautiful and welcoming English aesthetic. We even created a candle that was chemical free and replicated the smell of newborn babies, which was kept burning in the store all the time and became a popular item.
Q: Which are your most popular products?
A: We offer a wide variety of product categories, but my main product is the maternity cloud pillow. It’s a labour of love that took our team over two years to build as it’s backed by science and offers untold comfort. You can’t find anything like this in other shops because we use proprietary technology. It comes in three parts which can be easily separated and brought together by very high-quality Velcro. It supports your back so you can use it while sitting and watching TV or while sleeping. It also works great for post-natal purposes. In its entirety, it can be used across the length of the body, but it can also be separated into parts to support your spine, your bump and your legs to put the baby on while breastfeeding.
This product has become very popular with our customers as it’s really soft, very practical yet so chic and beautiful. It’s a very well designed and thoughtful product. Another USP of our product line is our use of gender-neutral colours so you can shop with us even if you don’t know the sex of the baby.
Most of all, we want to concentrate on what is most important for the baby and the mother – something that will be truly valued. Soon, I’m coming up with a line of super luxe kaftans that can be worn during pregnancy and after. They will be made with Egyptian cotton that’s very rich and beautiful.
I’m proud to say that we started off as a small experiment and in the process, I’ve discovered that the sky is never the limit. We have miles to go still, and we look forward to the journey!
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com.The baby trunk seeks to revolutionise the Indian baby products segment