Does a purse need to be used completely as a purse? As consumers, do we ever imagine a product that could go beyond its conventional use? I believe some of us do!
This belief of maximizing a product’s utility and its lifecycle to the fullest extent has been the underpinning guidepost that drives the birth of Sumsaara’s products, a young start-up company, led by a mother-and-daughter team, Mini Bansal and Jannat Saxena. Saxena is a San Jose graduate in Design. She is also a recipient of the Los Altos Mayor Award at the Los Altos Rotary Art Festival in 2018.
Turning Passion into a Real Business
The three-year old start-up has a great passion in creating and designing everyday consumer products that are versatile, aesthetically-pleasing, and environmentally-responsible.
According to Saxena, their company’s vision from the beginning is to be creative and establish themselves as an innovative brand. They’ve created a rich product portfolio consisting of their Essence Collection, from an evening purse and card wallets to tray puzzles, do-it-yourself jewelry kit, and reversible accessory belts. They take design thinking holistically in that every product which they’ve designed goes through a rigorous refinement process, from its initial form to its final best.
“Every single product is handcrafted, made in small batches. We select materials that are environmentally-friendly, ranging from cork fabric and wood to the packaging of our products,” said Saxena. “Because of our product’s versatility and its multi-faceted usage, each item is unique and can be adapted as a displayable work of art, or be re-used and made into a new creation by end users.”
Their products’ re-usability adds the carbon-footprint reduction dimension that most consumers these days look for and appreciate in responsible companies.
Saxena and Bansal said Sumsaara’s products make their customers happy and bring a smile to their faces, making them great gifts for families and friends.
Expanding Portfolio into Multi-Folds
The pandemic has helped Sumssara evolve their product focus from creating items that are stylish and easy to carry, to items that their customers can enjoy making at home with their friends and families.
Their next plan is to introduce additional new items to allow their customers to be the “creators” as well. Taking their base product framework and letting customers create things the way they want them. This concept is in lockstep with today’s emerging trend of “the creator economy,” where consumers who are users of the product can build and showcase products of their own.
When we asked Sumsaara to reflect on their journey and lessons learned through the pandemic, they believe that their success rests on the fact that they started small. By building clientele and satisfying early customers through solid products and efficient customer service, they were able to sustain with more new sales, repeat buys and referrals that will allow them to scale and go big when they are ready.
In the future, the duo hopes to open a studio to help young adults with designing and manufacturing their own products, using the approaches that they have gathered and curated in their business, and encouraging others to follow their dreams and make things happen.
Sumsaara will have a booth at the Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival in September. For more information, visit www.sumsaara.com. Sign up for their newsletters to get updates on new product releases, and their participation in other fine craft events in the Bay Area.
**An edited version of this article is also published in the Los Altos Town Crier June 2021 online and digital editions. **
