Ethics and Us : Ethicus by Ms Vijayalakshmi Nachiar and Mr. Mani Chinnaswamy

Another extraordinary colloquium was that of Ms Vijayalakshmi Nachiar and Mr. Mani Chinnaswamy, the dynamic couple who founded the Indian fashion brand Ethicus. It was of great benefit for us, the budding managers to understand the backdrop story in building a very unique brand.

Mr. Chinnaswamy narrated the gripping incident that was instrumental in his re-orientation towards starting a brand focused on sustainability and ethics. It once happened that all of stock was burnt in an act of sabotage. Absolutely frozen in shock he walked around colorlessly and reached atop a nearby hill. From there, as he saw the fire of his mill, it seemed not so incredible. From a distance the problem seemed to be smaller. That moment inspired him to re-think his direction and restart anew.

India is one among the greatest cotton cultivators and leads the world in terms of the area of land where cotton is cultivated. But in the various agricultural measures taken post-independence, the seeds were largely genetically modified and the rich traditional varieties started leaning down in cultivation. As the worldwide demand for organic cotton started growing and the awareness about the demerits of chemical-intense farming started rising, in September 2009, Appachi Cottons launched Ethicus.

Mr. Chinnaswamy and Ms. Nachiar patiently took us through the entire brand engineering process answering all our questions. It was a live case-study session with them handing us the case built on their brand published by Valparasio University, Ohio. Ethicus produces clothing made from organic cotton, natural and eco-friendly dyes, and ethical silk. Ethicus products are handcrafted using traditional weaving techniques on revived jacquard handlooms of the Pollachi region.

The founders also discussed on how they have innovated in every bit of their way. There are excellent craftsmen-welfare schemes in place. Product labels have the photo of the artisans giving them due credit at the same time achieving high differentiation. The incident of Mr. Chinnaswamy meeting global exquisite brand leaders and never budging to enter a partnership where the Ethicus label would not be present was very inspiring.

It was a colloquium like never before, simply because we had the very founders of a brand explain their evolution. The exuding passion they possessed in holding, carving and growing their brand was visible first-hand. May be all can read a case study. But rarely do we get to quiz the subjects of a case in depth. It left us with a deep sense of understanding of what is ethical in their industry, how hard it is to sustain and still dance through the market with sound business principles. On the whole, it was a multi-dimensional learning experience.