Within the chaos of Mumbai’s fast-paced life, it was one thing so simple as a pair of knitting needles that sparked a quiet revolution. When Heena Patel picked them up throughout her being pregnant in 2015, she wasn’t chasing a enterprise concept — only a second of calm, a inventive outlet whereas ready for her twins.
“I used to be making tiny sweaters and equipment for my infants,” Heena remembers. “And I realised how tough it was to search out premium-quality yarns and handcrafted merchandise in India.”
That spark of frustration, blended with creativity, quickly changed into one thing extra. Inspired by family and friends, Heena started promoting her creations on-line. Inside months, she acquired an sudden order — from Asia’s largest youngsters’ retailer.
“That was the turning level for Magic Needles,” she says. And it really was.
As demand grew, so did her mission
That one order modified every thing. What started as a passion at dwelling slowly reworked right into a rising on-line enterprise. As orders trickled in, Heena realised she couldn’t handle every thing alone. She turned to the ladies round her — and that’s when Magic Needles started to actually take form.
“The first artisans have been onboarded by means of native references in Mumbai,” Heena explains. “The community regularly expanded by means of phrase of mouth. Over time, many ladies approached me with curiosity in working with us, and a few have now constructed their very own groups as demand grew.”
At this time, greater than 300 girls have been expert by means of Magic Needles — a lot of whom now deal with warehouse operations, order processing, stock, and even design. Some have been skilled in particular person, others nearly. For Heena, these aren’t simply hires — they’re the guts of the corporate.
“The talents they’ve gained have given them extra than simply employment; they’ve discovered confidence, monetary independence, and goal,” she says.
When yarn turns into a lifeline
Behind the nice and cozy colors and punctiliously stitched patterns are tales of quiet resilience — like Riya’s (title modified), who confronted extreme home violence at dwelling.
“My in-laws don’t even give me meals at dwelling, and I can not divorce my husband due to the social taboo as my mother and father gained’t take me again,” she shares. “I began working with them as a knitter and am now a part of the core design group and have girls working underneath me. I now earn sufficient to handle myself and educate my son.”
One other artisan, Nita (title modified), had studied solely until Class 6 and labored as a home assist. After childbirth, monetary struggles and abuse pressured her to depart her job.
“Once I realized of her state of affairs, I invited her to hitch us,” Heena says. “At this time, Priya leads warehouse operations at Magic Needles, managing a group of 5. She has turn into the first incomes member of her household, bringing monetary stability and even enrolling her kids in a personal college, one thing she as soon as thought was out of attain.”
These girls aren’t simply contributors to the enterprise — they’re dwelling proof of what dignity and alternative can do.
Sluggish vogue, crafted with care
Because the neighborhood grew, so did Heena’s imaginative and prescient for what Magic Needles may stand for. Past employment, she needed the model to replicate her values.
“We’re dedicated to sustainability at each a enterprise and product stage,” she says. “By selling handmade, gradual vogue, the model affords an alternative choice to mass-produced, fast-fashion gadgets that contribute to extreme waste. Hand-knit clothes are designed to last more, cut back churn, and encourage accountable consumption.”
However she didn’t cease there. In 2022, noticing a scarcity of high-quality supplies for crafters in India, Heena launched Passion Retailer — an area for regionally made, premium knitting and crochet provides. “Hobbyists needed to depend on costly imports. Entry to high quality instruments was tough. This problem led to the beginning of Passion Retailer,” she explains.
From an preliminary funding of lower than Rs 1 lakh, Magic Needles has steadily grown right into a worthwhile Rs 8.5 crore model. However for Heena, the numbers are solely a part of the story.
She lights up when she talks about their bodily retailer in Vikhroli, Mumbai — a vibrant inventive hub that brings collectively vogue, artwork, and neighborhood. First launched in 2019, the shop was upgraded in October 2024.
“The Magic Needles retailer in Vikhroli is a one-of-its-kind inventive hub for India’s rising crafting neighborhood,” she says with pleasure.
Magic Needles additionally thrives due to its digital-first roots.
“Social media has been integral to our progress,” Heena shares. “Initially, Fb performed an important position, and now Instagram and YouTube are the first platforms for participating with a rising crafting neighborhood. We actively add self-help movies, free patterns, and tutorials, permitting hobbyists to be taught and enhance their craft.”
For a lot of, Magic Needles is greater than a model — it’s an area to be taught, join, and belong.
What lies forward
With a robust basis and a transparent goal, Heena is now seeking to develop Magic Needles throughout India.
“We goal to develop by means of a retail community and are actively looking for potential companions to carry high-quality yarns and handmade vogue to extra prospects whereas strengthening the crafting neighborhood,” she says.
There are additionally plans to widen the product vary — from dwelling decor within the completed items class to new yarn compositions tailor-made to various buyer preferences.
Ten years in the past, she was only a soon-to-be mom, knitting tiny garments for her twins. At this time, Heena Patel leads a worldwide gradual vogue motion that has empowered a whole bunch of girls, stitched dignity into livelihoods, and proved that typically, the best instruments — a pair of needles and a bit of hope — can change every thing.
Edited by Khushi Arora; All photographs courtesy Magic Needles
