Hyderabad, Feb 04…. Sangeetha Rajesh, an ISB alumnus and former remedial teacher turned fashion entrepreneur, has built a thriving saree empire by leveraging Facebook Live in a way few others have imagined. Over the past decade, Sangeetha has pioneered a unique direct-to-consumer model of selling sarees via live video broadcasts, connecting traditional manufacturers and weavers straight to buyers’ smartphones.
In doing so, she sold more than 1,000,000 sarees (10 lakh) through 200+ Facebook Live shows, all without initially owning a large retail storefront. Her story of innovation, grit, and passion is now inspiring a new generation of entrepreneurs.
Sangeetha’s business model is as vibrant as the sarees she sells. She pioneered Facebook Live Commerce in Sarees. She literally brings the market to the customer’s screen– often traveling to wholesale markets and weavers’ workshops across India, and then streaming 6-8 hour Facebook Live marathons showcasing hundreds of sarees in real time.
During each live session, she displays sarees one by one, describing the fabric, craftsmanship, and story behind each piece with the enthusiasm of a storyteller. Viewers can claim or bid on the sarees in a “fastest-finger-first” format as soon as they fall in love with one.
In a single live event, Sangeetha can sell as many as 5,000 sarees, often achieving around ₹50 lakh in sales in one go. This real-time, interactive shopping experience — essentially a personal televised home-shopping show on social media — allows her to give customers wholesale prices on exquisite garments by cutting out middlemen and connecting the merchant market directly to buyers.
What makes her approach unique is that Sangeetha frequently goes live from the premises of saree manufacturers and weaving clusters. Whether it’s the silk mills of Surat, the handloom centers of Kanchipuram, or artisanal studios in Kalamkari heartlands, she sets up her camera on-site to literally broadcast from the source. Customers tuning in not only shop, but also get a virtual tour of India’s famed textile regions and an authentic glimpse of the craftsmanship behind each saree. By marrying storytelling with sales, this teacher-turned-entrepreneur has transformed traditional saree shopping into an engaging “saree-telling” experience.
The numbers behind Sangeetha’s success are staggering. In ten years of consistent effort, she has cultivated an online community of over 850,000 followers on Facebook, eager to catch her next live show. Thanks to her marathon live sessions and loyal fanbase, Sangeetha has sold more than 10 lakh sarees to date – a volume that brick-and-mortar retailers would envy.
Sarees ranging from ₹600 to ₹45,000 in price find buyers through her live streams, proving that demand spans from affordable daily wear to high-end bridal silks. “I have not taken a single day’s leave in the last so many years. For me, work is worship,” Sangeetha often says, and the results speak for her unwavering dedication.
Her Facebook page has hosted over 200 live shows so far, and not one has gone by without enthusiastic sales. In fact, the sarees “sell like hotcakes” on her live show, sometimes within seconds of being showcased.
Such is the efficacy of Sangeetha’s model that industry observers have taken note. “I’m just blown by this one-woman show that must be a $3–$5 million business annually, with her acute skill of sourcing from the weaver and cutting out the cost of a retail operation by going direct,” noted Prashanth Rao Aroor, CEO of Intellistay Hotels, in a LinkedIn post praising the power of her Facebook Live commerce.
By eliminating the traditional overheads of retail and bringing products straight from weavers to wardrobes, Sangeetha has not only built a profitable venture for herself but also created a more efficient value chain in the saree industry.
Sangeetha’s journey was not without challenges. Coming from a non-fashion background (she was a pre-primary curriculum designer and remedial educator before fate led her to fabrics), she learned the ropes of design and retail the hard way – through trial and error. In the early days, she started a boutique almost by accident, driven by passion rather than formal training.
“Each of my products has to be unique,” she believed, focusing on niche artforms like Kalamkari (hand-painted textiles) even when they were considered esoteric. This commitment to uniqueness meant a steep learning curve; Sangeetha admits she lost a lot of money in initial experiments and setbacks. But far from deterring her, those losses became lessons.
She bounced back by reinventing her strategy – shifting from a conventional boutique model to the innovative Facebook Live selling format that eventually made her famous.
Her love for India’s textile arts kept her motivated. Sangeetha even pursued a course at NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) to strengthen her fundamentals in design
She traveled to crafting hubs like Machilipatnam and Srikalahasti to deepen her understanding of techniques like Kalamkari ensuring she could truly add value in the products she offered. By 2015, she was already conducting online exhibitions to cater to growing demand beyond her city a prescient move that positioned her well ahead of the live-commerce wave.
“Although I do not have a board to answer to, I am my own investor and set my own targets,” she says, reflecting the independent spirit that drove her to innovate.
Today, Sangeetha Rajesh’s venture Sangeetha’s Saree Emporium is not just an online phenomenon but a growing enterprise that provides direct employment to over 100 people. From logistics personnel handling the deluge of orders, to customer service teams managing inquiries, to social media crews and camera operators traveling with her on live tours – a whole ecosystem has flourished around her Facebook Live commerce model.
Importantly, her success has also meant steady business for countless weavers, artisans, and manufacturers whose products she features. By sourcing directly from them and spotlighting their work to a nationwide audience, Sangeetha acts as a bridge helping traditional craftsmen find new markets. This aligns with her original passion for handlooms and heritage crafts, and amplifies the social impact of her enterprise.
Sangeetha’s relentless work ethic and groundbreaking approach have made her a role model for many, especially aspiring women entrepreneurs. She frequently fields messages from fans and followers who see her as an inspiration – proof that with creativity and perseverance, one can build a business empire from scratch using just a smartphone and a strong idea. Her journey illustrates how digital platforms can democratize commerce: even without a fancy showroom or a fashion pedigree, she carved out a niche by leveraging technology and her natural teaching skills (honed in her past life as an educator) to engage and educate customers online.
In a full-circle moment, Sangeetha recently opened a 5,000 sq. ft. saree emporium in Hyderabad’s upscale Banjara Hills. This physical store, complete with an interactive experience center, stocks over 15,000 sarees and stands as a brick-and-mortar testament to the empire she built through digital means. However, Sangeetha is clear that the showroom is not the endgame, but rather an extension of her brand. Her primary focus remains on her unique live-selling model that got her here. “Nobody had ever imagined that one could build such an empire via Facebook Live shows,” she says, proud of the path she forged.
Indeed, Sangeetha continues to push boundaries – she now takes her live shows on tour to different cities, sometimes even hosting mega exhibition-cum-live-sale events. In the past few years, her Facebook Live roadshows have lit up screens (and saree collections) from Delhi to Bengaluru, introducing local weaves from each region to global customers at the click of a button.
As an alumna of the prestigious Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hyderabad, Sangeetha also values continuous learning and networking. She credits part of her business acumen and resilience to the exposure gained through ISB’s entrepreneurship programs, which helped her marry grassroots craftsmanship with savvy marketing and strategy. It’s a blend that has clearly paid off.
With live commerce becoming a fast-growing trend in India’s retail scene, Sangeetha Rajesh stands out as a pioneer who was years ahead of the curve. Her story underscores the power of innovation: by reimagining how sarees could be sold in the digital age, she not only achieved her own “big, fat dreams” but also elevated a traditional industry into the modern e-commerce era.
Sangeetha’s success is a celebration of enterprise and authenticity, and as she likes to remind her viewers at the close of each live show, it’s also a celebration of the timeless elegance of the saree.
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