In this week’s 100 Emerging Women Leaders, we featured Pallavi Utagi, founder of the baby care brand D2C SuperBottoms. SuperBottoms is a sustainable online brand of reusable cloth diapers and baby products. He has now joined Tide Turners from the United Nations Environment Program.
Like any new mother, Pallavi Utagi was concerned about one thing: dealing with her newborn’s diaper rash. Her son, born in late 2013, was developing frequent rashes in reaction to regular disposable diapers.
“We tried different products and even thought about using cloth diapers as they are better for the baby’s skin. However, those are inconvenient and difficult to handle. This everyday problem made my husband and I wonder what to do,” she says Pallavi in a conversation with HerStory.
Cloth diapers have been around for years, but the problem with these is that they need constant monitoring, she says. “I brought different shapes of diapers from different parts of the countries, and some of the brands in the West were great, but they just weren’t suitable for Indian babies in this climate,” adds Pallavi.
An MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Pallavi has a background in the Pharma industry. She has worked with the likes of Piramal Healthcare and Strides Arcolab. She had taken a break from work during her maternity.
“It was then that I thought of using my experience and understanding of the pharmaceutical industry and making unique Indian cloth diapers. In addition to working on my own and building from my experience, I spoke with friends and family and understood the different needs and requirements that women have. mothers, “says Pallavi.
After speaking with many vendors, she began partnering with vendors around the world to source different types of fabric. The idea was to recreate them fabrics with unique, fun and quirky designs, as that is what most Indian parents wanted.
“One of the best experts in digital marketers wanted to work and we gave her the option. She is still part of SuperBottoms. The problem with most jobs is timing. As a mother, I understood the need for flexible hours. Long before I became popular during the pandemic, I had made sure that women could work anytime they could, and work remotely anytime during the day or even the night, “adds Pallavi.
With its products tested and certified under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, 2008 (CPSIA) of the United States, SuperBottoms now sells more than 30,000 diapers each month, mainly through its own website and also other leading e-commerce platforms.
According to the IMARC Group, the diaper market in India touched $ 1.25 billion in 2021. Some of the other brands are Naya, Lalubaby, Bumgenius and others apart from the regulars like Pampers, Mamy Poko Pants and Huggies.
Advising all women entrepreneurs, Pallavi says: “Just don’t listen to the naysayers. It is important to get feedback and advice, but if you think an idea is good and needs to be worked on, just go ahead. Many people advised me not to go ahead, They even advised me to start with my husband. Many assumed this would be just a hobby. My advice is to keep doing whatever you are doing with conviction, “concludes Pallavi.
