For the love of the language

COOL DESIGNS

Kool Sisya’ is a fashion venture that promotes the culture of Karnataka through T-shirts. Therefore, one can see the use of imagery from popular Kannada songs and films and the photographs of Kannada stars on the T-shirts designed by the company.

It all started in 2012 when Harsha Gatt and Sandeep P decided to do something about their passion for Kannada. The idea came about when the duo realised that there were not many stores that sell such T-shirts.

“Besides, the ones that were present in the market did not have the facility of online payment. They also had limited delivery options. So we started off with an integrated payment gateway, pan-India delivery and also created a community of designers,” says Harsha.

While Sandeep and Harsha also hold a regular job, the budget constraint was one of the challenges they faced while creating the company.

“We had to pool in our savings and work with a limited budget. We also had to ensure that we didn’t lose out on quality. We are still finding it hard to stay afloat. But our families believed in this idea and have been very supportive,” adds Harsha.
So how does ‘Kool Sisya’ function? It is primarily an online store where the orders are received on the portal, packed and shipped to their respective destinations.

The designs are either made in-house or submitted from the pool of designers that the company has. Once the designs are finalised, they are posted on the ‘Kool Sisya’ social media networks for feedback.

Based on the response it gets, the team goes ahead and prints them. “We are trying to expand our reach to other parts of Karnataka. We are also looking at working with garment retail shops and are planning to introduce a humour theme this year,” says Sandeep.

‘Kool Sisya’ also tries to give back to the community by using ten per cent of the profit for activities that increase the reach of Kannada. Using the fund, the team plans to create a few more Kannada websites and also promote Kannada short films.
The cost of a T-shirt is Rs 499 and they also take customised orders based on people’s preferences.

    For more information, log on to www.koolsisya.com