Amouve's organic bed, bath linen for homes, hotels

Amouve is the first of-its-kind organic bedding and bath linen brand in India. Four years ago, the company was founded by a young first-generation entrepreneur Ami Sata in Bengaluru. Though the startup is based out of Mumbai, it has two exclusive stores in Hyderabad at Sarath City Mall, Gachibowli-Miyapur Road and InOrbit Mall, Madhapur.

In an exclusive interview, Ami Sata told Bizz Buzz about their organic bed and bath linen products and how the pandemic has pushed people to lead a sustainable life. She revealed the journey of the brand from procuring material from a co-operative society of farmers in Telangana to marketing a wide range of products across the globe.

What made you to start an organic bedding and bath linen brand in India? What was the initial response to the idea of your startup?

I started Amouve after experiencing some really soft bed sheets at a hotel in Sweden. Having been left with a dearth of options after coming back to India where I noticed a lack of clarity on the composition of the fabric and the same softness, I took the onus of founding a brand that was all about honest marketing, genuine organic cotton, real thread counts and benefited everyone in the supply chain.

I have previously worked in the bedding and lifestyle industry. This helped me in establishing a brand that stands for honest, chemical-free, restful sleep and a spa-like bathing experience. It is all about luxury with a conscience. While the bed sheets and blankets resonate Scandinavian minimalism, the printed bed sheets are crafted by skillful artisans through hand-screen printing methods.

Amouve has received good response so far. We sourced its organic cotton from farmer cooperatives in Telangana that were then weaved into sumptuous bed sheets and bath linen. The certified factories have adopted responsible waste and water management policies. They also ensure fair-trade, which means all workers get a respectable wage.

Niche customers have always been looking for trends that they could replicate from their trips abroad. Amouve started with just four categories and now has a range of more than 20 categories.

Being a Mumbai-based entrepreneur, how do you choose Telangana for sourcing organic cotton as well as setting up retail stores?

Back in 2018, Amouve started its first Management by objectives (MBO) at Danube Home in Sharath City Mall. We started with bedsheets, quilts and pillows. Today there are more than 20 categories that we have including towels, cushion covers, a range of bed sheets, fitted sheets, comforters, five different types of pillows, bathroom mats, table runners and table mats among others.

Hyderabad is an enterprising, thriving residential and commercial market. The city has a penchant for big homes that makes it ideal for a home decor business. Most of the young dwellers here have an inclination to try new products. Every few months, we've tried to innovate by introducing new SKUs (stock keeping units) based on the feedback.

How are you helping the farmers from this region?

Amouve sources its organic cotton from farmer cooperatives in Adilabad. This way, we ensure that we trace the origin of the organic cotton with authenticity whilst also ensuring that they're given a respectable livelihood. Over the years we've been able to source from over 900 farmers. I believe that in order to democratise organic cotton, more consumers need to be made aware of the sustainable living.

From the perspective of brands, again it is important to have price points that are workable in a category that is gradually growing.

Why did you open the second store again in Hyderabad instead of another city?

Amouve opened its second store at Danube Home in Inorbit Mall, Madhapar in August 2022. It has just been over a month now and we're seeing a good response. Our idea is to be store specific in terms of doubling down on SKUs that move the fastest. We also have plans to expand to other cities. We will be opening an MBO in Bengaluru soon.

Do you want to scale up the business further? What are the future plans?

We wish to capitalise on each store with our best moving SKUs whilst also aiming for larger ticket items like organic mattresses made of Kapok and Hemp by themselves or in combination with spring, curtains that move in sets of 6-8, to increase the topline from each store. Amouve is seeking to grow five times with more categories in its kitty and tapping the private label and online segment.

On the retail side, we're tapping the hotel segment by devising innovative products in the pillow menu as well as luxury spas that are moving towards sustainability. We just supplied to Taj Group of Hotels among other hotels. We are also in talks for a couple of their properties. On the online side, we're seeking to introduce a wider variety of SKUs and mattresses whilst targetting niche marketplaces.