Leaders

Often viewed as tradition-driven, the textile industry is now recalibrating its landscape with creativity as well as inclusivity. One woman leader riding the waves of this transition is Acme Creation's Managing Director, Tanushri Shukla Kansal.

As part of a second-genera­tion family business, her journey has been a distinctive amal­gamation of enthusiasm blended with a steadfast zeal towards quality service.

A microbiologist by qualification, Tanushri ventured into the male-dominated textile business along with her husband. While she initially struggled to face complexity and resistance as a woman in sales, Tanushri’s persistence paid off when she became a trusted figure in the industry, known for her ability to bridge the gap between design and production.

She has completed management courses from IIM Ahmedabad and Dale Carnegie, along with several online programs that have helped her continuously upgrade her management and leadership skills, which is a testament to her commitment to self-improvement and evolving with the demands of a dynamic industry.

From humble beginnings, with just two machines, Acme Creation has evolved into a leading name in the textile and embroidery sector, with over 12 Swiss-made machines and a clientele that includes global brands like Marks & Spencer, Zara and Mango. Tanushri’s leadership has assisted Acme Creation align with industry evolutions, pledging every product to be designed with precision.

However, Tanushri's success story is not only about the company’s business expansion but also about empowering women in the industry. Acme Creation has an all-female sales and design team. A passion-driven leader, she dedicates herself towards creating meaningful employment opportunities.

Highlighting the power of perseverance, her journey also represents the importance of fostering an environment of equality. Tanushri’s leadership continues to inspire, driving both Acme Creation and the textile industry towards a more inclusive future.

In a conversation with Women Entrepreneurs Review, Tanushri shares the pivotal moments of her entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing the importance of leadership and quality-driven growth.

Take us through your professional journey. What were the key turning points that shaped your career?

I didn’t come from a textile background, instead I studied microbiology and biotechnology. Since Acme Creation is a second-generation family business, my father-in-law motivated me to join the family business.

Transitioning from a non-textile background was challenging. I started in the back office, and gradually I began learning from our production manager and our head of design. I then joined a design school and took several courses through the Chamber of Commerce.

For the initial two years, my focus was solely on learning. After building a strong technical and business foundation, I gradually transitioned into sales. In the first five years, I worked entirely in the background. Then, I took over the sales function.

Tell us about Acme Creation and your role as its Managing Director. What are your key focus areas in this position?

Acme Creation symbolizes shedding limitations to move upward, against the norm. As a brand, Acme Creation challenges the regular systems. Another core strength is our expertise in Schiffli, where we help buyers understand both the potential and the constraints. At Acme Creation, we use Schiffli to create exclusive, high-quality products, not mass-market items.

As Managing Director, I oversee sales, HR, and IT. My primary responsibility is to bring in clients who value quality & innovation and brands willing to invest in exclusivity & technology.

Our operations are divided into two verticals, namely CRR (Customer Retention & Relationship), which manages our long-term clients, and NBD (New Business Development), which is my focus area. I bring in new clients, explore new technologies, and collaborate with our R&D and design teams.

My goal is to use innovation to reduce costs and help clients penetrate wider markets, all while maintaining fashion-forward exclusivity.

What have been the key moments throughout your professional journey?

When I joined the textile industry, I quickly realized how unorganized it was. There was no clear hierarchy and very few women were a part of the sector. In the beginning, customers were not comfortable talking to me owing to my gender. Without giving up, I made it clear that if they wanted to work with us and have fabric made, they would have to close the sale with me. Gradually, things changed.

Today, we are transitioning the business from male to female leadership. The entire sales and design team is now made up of women. This shift has become one of my biggest motivators to grow the business further.

What has been your guiding leadership philosophy?

I’ve found that women are more focused during their working hours and often deliver better results, even though they may work fewer hours than men. That’s what motivates me to continue hiring women in our industry.

Another important aspect is generating female employment. Currently, we're actively working to ensure our machines are operated by women. At Acme Creation, 50 percent of our workforce is female. Whether it's backend operations, machine handling, quality control, or deliveries, we’re focused on bringing women on board.

What are the key challenges you face in the Schiffli manufacturing space, and how do you overcome them?

One of the key challenges is that the textile industry consists of a highly educated and experienced crowd, which makes it difficult to explain how our technology works.

Another major challenge is pricing. Clients expect high-skill, high-integrity products at very low margins. We try to communicate that exclusive, high-quality products command a premium price.

Specifically with Schiffli, we face additional operational challenges. It’s a large-format machine, 30 to 35 yards, requiring five to six skilled workers per machine. Running 12 machines along with backend processes like alterations and quality checks (QC) demands a sizable and skilled team.

Finding skilled labor is also increasingly difficult. This shortage of skilled labor continues to be one of our biggest challenges.

What’s your outlook on Schiffli manufacturing in India and which trends are you backing?

Looking ahead, I believe Schiffli has strong potential, especially in manufacturing. However, one of the biggest challenges is ensuring on-time delivery due to the many processes involved.

As the industry shifts towards fast fashion, timely delivery has become a major selling point. At our company, we are actively working toward achieving consistent on-time delivery. Although Schiffli manufacturing involves significant human intervention, which makes it difficult to commit to exact delivery dates, we are close to meeting this goal. If we can master this, Schiffli will secure a strong place in the manufacturing sector.

Tanushri Shukla Kansal, Managing Director, Acme Creation

Tanushri Shukla Kansal is a seasoned business leader who’s currently serving at Acme Cre­ation. Having a microbiology and biotechnol­ogy background, she ventured into the textile industry without any prior experience. Now, she handles the sales, HR and the IT department of Acme as Managing Director.