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Meet the woman who sold her company to Reliance for 100 CR. 1. The lack of educational opportunities in the small town of Amritsar in Punjab forced Ritu Kumar to move to Shimla. She worked so hard that she received a scholarship to study art history at the prestigious Briarcliff College in New York. She was writing her own destiny. 🙌 2. Ritu came back to India to study museology at the University of Calcutta. During her studies, she visited a small village, Serampore (West Bengal), and found a small colony of hand-block printers who needed financial help and employment. She had an idea. 💡 3. The idea was simple ⏩Take designs from the block printers and create beautiful designer sarees. In 1969, she started a company by her name with two tables and a handblock printer. Ritu Kumar was born. 🚀 4. Beginning with bridal wear, Ritu held her first exhibition at Hotel Park in Calcutta. It was such a huge success that she received international orders from London and Paris and opened her first small retail space. ✅ 5. But her third exhibition around UP's block and prints was such a disaster that she sold just two sarees in two days. Then, she came across the Ranihati embroiders, famous for the Zardozi gold and silver wire designs that the Mughals had owned for 1000 years. She wanted to bring them into the modern Indian design, and magic happened. 🪄 6. By 1996, she started opening branches in Paris, London, and New York, and she became a global name for her traditional Indian designs, such as Lucknow's Chikankari, Kutch's mirror work, and Kashmiri embroidery. By 1999, Ritu Kumar had clocked a turnover of 1000 CR - the highest for any Indian fashion outlet. 📉 7. But the challenges came quickly. In the same year, Ritu's London office shut down, and Kishore Biyani's Pantaloons made waves with its modern outfits. Bridal and traditional design wear was very niche, and Ritu had to expand to survive in India. 👇 8. In 2002, she launched her first modern fashion pret, Label, with her son (Amrish). She followed it by launching Ri, a premium bridal and formal wear design. By 2014, Ritu had not only survived but had also scaled to 30 stores in India. She raised 100 CR from Everstone Capital. 💰 9. With funds, Ritu kept growing and expanded to newer labels—Aarke (nightwear) and Home (Home Decor). By 2021, she had opened 50 stores, and the big news came. On 21st October 2012, Reliance Retail bought a 52% stake in Ritu Kumar for 100 CR. Ritu Kumar became Reliance Ritu Kumar. 💪 ➡️ Who would have thought that a girl from the small town of Amritsar would one day build a company that Reliance would purchase? Ritu Kumar, take a bow! 🙏