One fine day, I was scrolling my Whatsapp feed. I stopped at a message and saw these words in bold character “India Book of Records.” I clicked the link and saw the details of various products and their prices, then I googled the brand and started thinking how a man owning business worth 1.5 crore turnover is forwarding messages in whatsapp groups. I cross checked his Display Picture, and to he was the founder of VERSATYL. His name was Saneen Javail. I congratulated him via whatsapp.
Here is Saneen Javail, a man of passion and fashion. He is not just earning but serving the people of different tastes and backgrounds. His experiment of social entrepreneurship is not only satisfying the travelers but also athletes, fashion designers of various genres and of course, it suits professionals too. He is the leader of VERSATYL. VERSATYL is a premier brand of Innovative and Unique Multi Utility Jackets. It was launched in November 2016. His journey of entrepreneurship started with an investment of hard earned savings of 2 Lakhs in 2010 with his friend Muhammad. Earlier he was working in IBM for Rs 15,000 per month to fulfill the dream of his mother, a teacher, of his becoming an engineer and working for a corporate company. His father was a garment trader, who always wishes to expand his business.
Like others, I thought of taking a prior appointment with Mr. Saneen to discuss his startup and success story, but I was wrong.
I tried again on whatsapp with a text message, initiated with Islamic greetings of Salam, “Can I get details of your struggle from a small job to a brand maker?”
Mr. Saneen replied politely, “Please send me your mail id dear.” I replied to him immediately…
Again a beep sound in mobile, with a text message. “Okay. And what’s your good name brother?” I felt relaxed.
He seemed to be a cool guy. I replied, “I am Syed Azharuddin.”
Our discussion continued on Whatsapp chats. He replied to me although he was busy.
After a day or two, I again messaged him. But he excused me for talking later as he was travelling then.
Meanwhile, I prepared some questions out of my curiosity to know about his startup.
I forwarded to him all my questions. He replied, “I will revert by EOD (End of the Day). Thank u…”
Following is the conversation between two brothers, me and Mr. Saneen.
Q. How you got an idea of designing light weight jacket??
A. Since Jackets is my area of expertise, and I had launched VERSATYL which is known for Unique and Innovative Apparels, I suddenly thought of making a very light weight Jacket which should be very easy to carry as well and should be water resistant simultaneously. I found out that there were few lightest Jackets at 190 grams. We put a lot of efforts in designing and prototype, and finally, our World’s Lightest Jacket came good at 179 grams. We named it as “FEATHER” which was recognized by World Records India and India Book of Records. Today it’s ranked Amazon Bestselling Jacket in India. In May, this year, I will also be receiving the Genius Indian Achievers Award for this. (I wish him whole-heatedly to be the on the top for Genius Indian Achievers Award)
Q. Why you left IBM? What were the reactions of parents and friends after leaving IBM?
A. I always wanted to be a businessman. 9 am to 5 pm Job was not my cup of tea. After completing my studies, I was fortunate enough to land up in a nice MNC like IBM, but I was always looking for business opportunities. Then after almost two years in IBM, I quit IBM and convinced my mother that somehow I would strive hard and become successful in business. It was not easy to convince her as my mother, a science teacher did everything to make me a computer engineer and wanted to see me working for an MNC, but she had faith in me and allowed me to pursue my dreams. Today she is a proud mother seeing my success with VERSATYL 🙂
Q. Are you satisfied both financially and emotionally??
A. I came into the business in 2010. There were too many ups and downs for me. 2015 and 2016 were the worst years of my life. Back to Back I suffered too many losses and lost too much money as I was making Jackets for other brands and supplying Jackets and Uniforms to corporate companies. Lack of regular orders and cash flow left me in a very difficult situation. But I was patient and I had faith in my Almighty. I was busy finding solutions and one day I found the concept of multi utility jackets. I launched VERSATYL in Nov 2016 and since then there was no looking back. We have hustled 24/7 and today my company sells over 100 products per day. I am very much satisfied because VERSATYL is seen as a global brand today. We have also unique T-Shirts, Bottoms, and Shirts, in addition to jackets.
Q. Please share a bitter experience, if any, while you were busy in making VERSATYL a brand and also an experience which encouraged you to continue to move ahead.
A. Well as I told you there were too many ups and downs for me. 2015 and 2016 were the worst years of my life. But after the launch of VERSATYL, I never had any bitter experience. All is well since then. But now what motivates me today to take VERSATYL to new heights are the positive reviews and prayers from my customers and my good wishers. Many people send their regards and prayers to me for creating an innovation brand like VERSATYL which is flourishing India with innovative apparels. The Award Winning Versatyl Feather Jacket, with a weight of 179 grams (mentioned earlier too). This lightweight, water-resistant jacket is the lightest jacket in the world. It has been recognized by the ‘World Record India’ and ‘India Book of Records,’. This innovative jacket has a hoody, a pocket and comes wrapped in its very own little pouch that fits in the palm of your hand. This jacket was a roaring success with over 10000 pieces delivered to happy customers.
Q. Can we say goodbye to hot, sticky, uncomfortable weather?
He nodded his head with a positive smile and continued; this jacket will keep you warm in the cold and cool in the heat. The jacket with 20 features in addition to its innovative cooling technology made it a wardrobe essential. The next level of success is Versatyl Air Jacket; this revolutionary jacket took jackets to a whole other level. With built-in super quiet, super powerful fans and a power bank, the Air is must have. Being an engineer too helped me to use the technology to making VERSATYL smarter. Versatyl Switch Jacket is a one of its kind with RFID protection and 18 features, the Switch with 11 hidden pockets allows you to carry all your essentials from your phone, wallet, and keys to your iPad, passport, power bank and much more. The jacket is reversible, giving you the luxury of having two stylish looks with just one jacket. However, the coolest features of this jacket are the two built in RFID protection pockets. They ensure that your credit card, debit card, and passport are secure and cannot be compromised by high-tech skimmers and digital theft.
This is all about Mr. Saneen Javali and VERSATYL. I disclosed our conversation only to encourage others and seek inspiration. Mr. Saneen felt money is not at all a hurdle to chase dreams, and made use of opportunities he had around. Today VERSATYL is India’s most crowd funded apparel brand, having risen over INR 7 million through crowd funding so far, with 5 Unique Jackets in the basket of VERSATYL. The success of VERSATYL is a truly unique story. When Saneen Javali, an ex-IBM engineer, decided to make the foray into the apparel industry, rather than taking the tried and tested conventional route to building the brand, he decided to take an innovative and ingenious approach, crowd funding.
In less than a year since its launch, VERSATYL the brand has raised INR 7 million and has sold close to 22,000 pieces of apparel, going to on to become India’s most crowd funded apparel brand along the way.
Yes, crowd funding via www.fueladream.com. You can visit the mentioned site and explore yourself for further details.
I find Mr. Saneen a sociable person who engages with others to help, encourage and motivates them. You can reach him on emiratefashions@gmail.com but please don’t disturb him unnecessarily. I thank him for having spent time with me.