A doodle at hand

Needle work

Kavita Jain admits that her venture, ‘Needle Doodle’, started because of her love for handbags. What began as a commonplace addiction for trendy clutches and purses has now turned into a creative venture that eats up most of her time. “I have an addiction for bags so I started making some for myself. When friends, started enquiring about them and were willing to buy them, I began ‘Needle Doodle’,” she says.

Now, the start-up has expanded its business and one can order for customised greeting cards, clothing, home decor and a variety of accessories on their Facebook page. Kavita says it was her husband who suggested she start selling her products.  “After getting married, I worked for a company for a while but left because we were moving to the UK. Then I had my twins so I was on the lookout for something different, something that would give me more time with them. When they turned one, I started working on different products, which eventually led to ‘Needle Doodle. It was my husband who suggested I start making handbags because he saw how much I loved them and even people received them well.” She adds, “I promised myself I would make 100 designs because I can do justice to them, as someone picks up a bag wherever she goes.” Not only did she fulfill the promise she made, in two years, but also managed to make her bags popular worldwide. The NIFT-Bangalore graduate adds that it’s her children who inspire her designs. “I decided to call the venture ‘Needle Doodle’ because of the time I spend with my twins. As I work on doodles and designs for my products, the kids work on their own doodles. This made me realise that nice things come out of our time together.”

What role do the kids have in her business? “My daughter has already said she wants to take over the business when she grows up! They help me decide whether to put a plane, truck or cartoon character on the products. They also tell me whether a particular colour or design is suitable for that product.” Along with that, the twins model for her kids clothing collection in their free time. Her bag collection is called ‘Addiction’ and one can see influences from all around the country on them.

“I travel a lot so I pick up designs from wherever I go,” she says. ‘Needle Doodle’ also has a range of eco-friendly, recycled products. “All the material I use is eco-friendly – either cotton, jute or faux leather. And I enjoy making products out of recycled material.”
Kavita says she likes making products that have a “positive energy” to them. “My designs are colourful, patchy and look kiddish but they have a positive energy to them. Now I’ve started making feng shui bags as well.” Soon, her products will be available on online shopping sites. But she stands by her words that this is just a hobby and passion which took a little detour.