They say all great ideas start with a basic need. That’s how Uma saree bags began. Being tired of always looking for my saree blouses, misplacing a Punjabee shawl or worst still having to find my expensive garment creased and squashed in some corner cupboard, was enough to drive me crazy. Then I heard about those bags from India and they were cheap so I went of and got me a couple. Low and behold I go what I paid for…. I got poor quality bags that tore or zips broke and made everything look untidy.
So out of frustration I decided I had had enough and that I wanted to make my own. Needless to say they had certain criteria that needed to be met, because I am a girl with high standards 🙂
- They needed to be proudly South African
- They had to be made with durable and hardwearing substrates
- Strong industrial zips
- Breathable material
- Be non-slip
- Look fabulous
- Be functional enough to give my husband back the cupboard space he so deserved …
So of I went sourced the material and got sewing. When it was done I proudly displayed all my stuff in my beautiful bags. When family and friends came over and I shared what I did, I started noticing that more and more where asking me where they can get some for themselves …. and here you go…the business idea was born, with a fitting name choosen, Uma, meaning Goddess, to give the idea a life of its own.
“It is the essence of genius to make use of the simplest ideas.” Charles Peguy