Woven with pride
Ask any bride-to-be in Kerala about her preferred trousseau shopping destination and the name that would emerge would most certainly be Seematti. The brand that had humble beginnings as a single shop has now turned multi-storeyed and made inroads into many cities.
But the one name that is even more famous than the brand’s is that of the woman behind its phenomenal growth: Beena Kannan.
Though established by her grandfather in 1910, it was Beena’s futuristic vision, eye for detail and her willingness to take risks in a conservative Kerala market that proved to be Seematti’s trump card. They hold the Guinness Record and the Limca book of Records title for the longest silk sari — half a kilometre in length.
Of the early struggles that shaped her, Beena recollects: “After my marriage, my husband Kannan, who was also involved with the shop, gave me a chance to engage with the business. But our culture dictates that no woman grow above the husband and my case was no different.” His demise pushed Beena, then a naïve girl, into learning some hard lessons, faced with shrewd merchants willing to go any length to push their goods. Those experiences gave her a core of steel and Beena says, “Today, I don’t trust even myself. The world has changed drastically, values like trust and sincerity have disappeared.”
The world may see her as a successful businesswoman handling a multitude of staff, living a life of luxury and owning the latest cars. But behind all the gloss is a feisty woman’s determination to prove her mettle and succeed in a competitive world where men ruled the roost.
Talking about the evolving fashion scene in Kerala, Beena, who travels the length and breadth of the country to procure textiles says, “Weavers are becoming scarce! Kerala is accepting changes but far slower than their Northern counterparts. I have to play with different combinations, which presents its own difficulties with respect to colour and designs. Kundan and jadau work do not find many takers in Kerala — it took me five years just to introduce embroidered saris here!”
A complete socialite at one point of time, who hosted parties every day, she has since cut down and is concentrating on her business empire and dance classes. Regular yoga helps maintain her trim figure.
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