These billion dollar empires are built by visionary women despite the curbs they faced, and their legacy continues to thrive, inspiring generations
Bengaluru: For women, starting a business is much facile in recent years with the increased access to resources, supportive policies, and a shift in societal attitudes. The advent of e-commerce and social media platforms has further simplified this, and there is now minimal gender disparity in the world of commerce.
However, the scenario was vastly different 30 years ago. Women in India were still struggling for equality and fair pay, while most working women juggled office responsibilities, household chores, and childcare. As a result, starting a business independently was a herculean task—one that many relegated to mere aspiration.
Listed below are 8 female-founded brands and the women who built their empires despite the societal barriers and patriarchal norms. Through resilience, creativity, and business acumen, they carved a niche in the retail industry once dominated by men.
- Â VLCC by Vandana Luthra
VLCC (Vandana Luthra Curls and Curves) is a beauty and wellness brand founded by Vandana Luthra in 1989. Inspired by her mother, an Ayurvedic doctor running a charitable initiative, Luthra aspired to make a difference in people’s lives. After graduating from New Delhi, she pursued further expertise in beauty, nutrition, and skincare in Europe.
VLCC’s first wellness service center was launched in New Delhi that focused on dietary modification and exercise regimen-based weight management programs.
Over time, the company has expanded into multiple verticals, including wellness & beauty services, with 191 centers across India and 25 locations in nine other countries; personal care division marketing over 118 personal care products, and nutraceuticals, under brands like VLCC Natural Sciences, Slimmer’s, Shape Up, and Wellscience, reaching 110,000 retail stores in India and global salons, spas, and clinics.Â
Additionally, VLCC operates 94 institutes of beauty and nutrition across 67 Indian cities, training over 7,300 students annually.
The public-limited company currently serves customers across 310 locations in 143 cities spanning 12 countries in South Asia, South East Asia, the Gulf Cooperation Council Region and East Africa.
2. BIBA by Meena Bindra
Ethnicwear brand BIBA Apparels Pvt. Ltd., was founded in 1988 by Meena Bindra, a designer turned entrepreneur. The brand retails apparel for women covering kurtis, kurtas, suit sets, bottomwear, dupattas, and dresses
At 39, as a homemaker and mother of two, she began designing clothes from her Mumbai home as a hobby to earn money, despite having no formal training or expertise. Her designs soon caught the attention of buyers, and with a petite bank loan she laid the foundation for her business.
The brand name is derived from the Punjabi word ‘Biba’, which means ‘pretty woman’.
The company opened its first standalone store in 2004, followed by the launch of its e-commerce platform a decade later. To cater to youth in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, a new Indian wear line, Rangriti, was introduced in 2014.
What started with an investment of Rs 8,000, three decades later, grew into a company that reported a revenue of Rs 728 crore in the fiscal year 2024. Biba operates 443 exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) and was present in over 700 multi-brand outlets (MBOs) as of October 2024.
 3. Baggit by Nina Lekhi
Bags and accessories brand Baggit was founded in 1989 by Nina Lekhi. The Mumbai-based retailer offers 100% vegan handbags, backpacks, trolley bags, and wallets for both men and women.Â
She started the business when she was just 18 years old with a Rs 7,000 loan from her mother, designing handbags made from eco-friendly materials. In 2000, she opened the first retail store of Baggit in Mumbai at Atria The Millennium Mall.
What began as an out-of-home, small-scale business, has grown into a company that manufactures approximately two lakh pieces each month and offers over 800 stock-keeping units (SKUs). It is now worth over Rs 100 crores and operates over 100 stores across the country.
Apart from its exclusive outlets and D2C platform, the brand operates through shop-in-shops across multi-brand large format stores such as Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop, Reliance Central, Pantaloons and multiple regional stores.Â
The company is now aiming to expand its retail footprint and operate more than 500 stores over the next five years, opening five new stores each month on average, Lekhi said in a previous interaction.
4. Ritu Kumar by Ritu Kumar
Ritu Kumar is a fashion label founded in Kolkata during the 1960s by Ritu Kumar, a designer known for her use of traditional Indian textiles and techniques.
Her entrepreneurial journey began while she was studying art history at Lady Irwin College. While pursuing museology, she visited Serampore, a small village in West Bengal, where she came across a community of unemployed hand block printers. Recognising their potential, she started a small venture, providing them with designs to work on. This collaboration led to the creation of exquisite hand-block printed sarees. After a few exhibitions in Kolkata, her designs quickly gained recognition both in India and internationally.
In 1966, the brand opened its first boutique store in New Delhi’s Defence Colony, marking Ritu Kumar as a pioneer in introducing India to boutique culture.Â
Over the years, the brand diversified its offerings. In 2002, Label Ritu Kumar was launched as a western prêt line catering to the modern, fashion-forward woman. Later, in 2019, Ritu Kumar Home was introduced, offering an extensive collection of home and living products.
Today, she owns five labels—Ritu Kumar, Ri, Label Ritu Kumar, Aarke, and Ritu Kumar Home—with a network of over 110 stores across India.
5. House of Anita Dongre by Anita Dongre
House of Anita Dongre is a Mumbai-based fashion company that was founded in 1995 by designer Anita Dongre.
Born and raised in Mumbai, Dongre spent her summers with family in Jaipur, which influenced her aesthetic and understanding of craft and artisanship. Starting with just two sewing machines and a loan from her father, she and her sister began designing and creating western outfits for women.
After facing rejection from multi-brand stores for her designs, she decided to launch her own label, ‘AND’. In 1999, Dongre opened her first store at Crossroads Mall in South Mumbai. In 2015, AND Designs rebranded as House of Anita Dongre.
Today, the brand has grown to include multiple labels: AND (western wear), Global Desi (boho-chic fashion), Anita Dongre (signature designer label), Anita Dongre Grassroot (contemporary luxury prêt line), and Anita Dongre Pink City (fine jewellery brand).
In India, the company owns 286 exclusive brand stores and is present in around 789 multi-brand large format stores, taking it to a total of 1075 points of sale in over 114 cities. Globally, it has established its presence in New York and Mauritius.
6. Shahnaz Husain Group by Shahnaz Husain
Shahnaz Husain, the Indian beauty brand primarily focused on natural and herbal skincare products, was founded by entrepreneur Shahnaz Husain in 1971. The brand is internationally known for organic beauty care, based on Ayurveda, blending ancient traditions with advanced techniques.
She started her journey with a small home salon in New Delhi, utilising her knowledge of Ayurveda to formulate herbal beauty products. She created therapeutic products for specific skin and hair problems, as well as premium ranges for skin care.
The first Shahnaz herbal clinic was established in Kolkata in 1979, leading to the formation of The Shahnaz Husain Group in the following years. The brand expanded internationally with its first overseas clinic opening in London in 1982.
Today, it has over 400 franchise clinics worldwide, along with beauty training academies, spas, retail shops, and direct product distributors offering a diverse range of 375 beauty and healthcare products.
7. Good Earth by Anita LalÂ
Good Earth is a premium design house founded by Anita Lal in 1996. The brand retails handcrafted home décor, apparel, beauty and wellness products that celebrates Indian craftsmanship and culture.
Lal, a studio potter, noticed the declining craft of village potters during the 1990s. She opened a small shop in Mumbai’s Kemps Corner neighborhood and began experimenting with surface designs and patterns, blending traditional artistry with contemporary aesthetic—one of the earliest offerings in the Indian luxury market.
The design house is known for its hand-painted ceramics, fine textiles, and handmade vessels, often featuring floral, nature-inspired, and historical motifs.
Today, Good Earth has evolved into a global design house with 11 flagship stores in India across cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai and a web boutique that ships to over 100 countries.
8. Forest Essentials by Mira Kulkarni
Forest Essentials is a luxury beauty brand founded in 2000 by Mira Kulkarni. The brand uses Ayurveda-inspired natural and organic recipes to create skincare and haircare products and has a policy of not testing their products on animals.
Now 68 years old, the fine arts graduate founded the company at the dawn of the millennium, beginning with handmade soaps and candles that were first offered to family and friends. Launched as a self-funded venture with an initial investment of just Rs 2 lakhs, the brand embraced Ayurveda and set up its manufacturing unit in a remote village of Uttarakhand.
The venture, which started to sustain her family as a single mother, gained momentum in 2002 when Delhi’s Hyatt Regency placed an order for the soaps to stock in their hotel rooms.
Kulkarni launched her first standalone store in Delhi’s Khan Market. Today, the company operates 155 Forest Essentials stores across India, supplies products to 190 hotels, including Taj Hotels, The Oberoi Group, The Ritz-Carlton, and Four Seasons, and exports to 120 countries.
In 2022, it also bolstered its retail presence internationally, with the first flagship store in London’s iconic Covent Garden, followed by stores in Dubai and Kuwait.
