Today we’d like to introduce you to Bela Sutaria.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Bela. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It all started back in the 80s when my mom snagged her very first job in America at a sewing factory. She already had knowledge of sewing and was assigned to make patterns and stitch pockets for roughly $3/hour at the time. As a child, I watched my mom utilize her skills to sew things together at home and alter clothes that didn’t fit me correctly. She taught me the basics as I showed interest in this fascinating machine that I always saw her using but didn’t fully understand. Later in high school, when my creativity levels began to advance, I started experimenting with sewing clothes for myself. This remained a hobby of mine through college and as I began a career in Human Resources. Not many people knew that I had this hidden talent because at the time it was just something I enjoyed doing in my downtime after school or work.
I worked in HR for almost four years until the company went through some restructuring. My colleagues and I began searching for other opportunities but it was just crickets. I wasn’t getting many calls and the companies that I interviewed with, ended up choosing candidates internally. As time went on, I couldn’t help but think more and more that I could be my own boss and make a business out of my hobby. Why go back to sitting behind a desk and taking on the stress of another company, when I could be putting that much effort into something I built myself? The support of my husband was all I needed to back the decision to slowly cease job hunting and focus more on perfecting my craft. You’ve heard it before but I really felt in this moment that everything happens for a reason and that this was a blessing in disguise for me.
As a start, I began promoting alterations and custom clothing on my social media. Since then, we have grown organically mostly through word of mouth and only have bigger plans for Bela Sutaria Designs to come.
Has it been a smooth road?
If this or any other journey in life is a smooth road, then we may be in for a rude awakening. I almost always expect bumps in the road so that I am not surprised or disappointed later on if things don’t go as planned. My dad is a teacher of life lessons, and he always taught me that nothing will come easy and it will only make us stronger if we struggle in our endeavors. This has helped me value many little things in life so much more because you remember that you have to work hard and nothing will be handed to you. Some struggles that I have faced have been with customer service – finding the right fabric for the client, making sure the fit is perfect and getting the garments completed and delivered on time. Fabrics are sometimes unavailable or difficult to stitch, and other times the post office just decides to take your package on the longest route possible when your client needs to wear it to a wedding that weekend.
Luckily, most people I have worked with are understanding that we can’t always control certain situations. You start to see what works, what doesn’t, learn from the processes and carry on accordingly.
Many people have questioned if starting a business like this will be enough to make a living, have sufficient benefits or even be successful. I believe that not having the answer to these questions is the risky part of starting a business, but that it should never stop you from trying. Whether you start a new job or a new business, you hope that both opportunities involve a progressive upward scale, learning new things, and stepping out of your comfort zone. Sure, a business will likely take much longer to grow, but I don’t always want to wonder what I ‘could have done on my own and take an easy way out. Business is not for everyone and I hope to share my experiences and even if it’s at snail speed, prove that I was meant to do this.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Bela Sutaria Designs – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Bela Sutaria Designs specializes in custom clothing. Our main focus as of now is American and Indian/Pakistani Western outfits. We work with clients to select the fabric of their choice and use exact measurements to create their look of choice. We are working towards creating samples, collections, and fabric swatches for our clients to choose and customize from.
Our passion comes from creating pieces that can be mixed and matched, and worn time and time again. These are not garments that are one-time wear. We hope that you can pair them with other things in your closet and style them differently for maximum use. Some of our most proud moments are when we receive images from clients wearing their designs, and the number of compliments they received and how fabulous they felt wearing our clothes. Being able to execute the vision that was discussed with the client from the beginning is our dream and it is such a satisfying feeling when you know that has been accomplished.
We truly want to work with individuals to see their vision all the way through. We want to hear your ideas and provide feedback using our own personal touch to create unique, flattering garments that you can’t always find in clothing stores or online.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the various communities in Houston that I have grown up experiencing. I have people from elementary, middle, and high school who reach out to me because they heard from a friend or saw on social media that I can help create something that they want in their wardrobe. Since then, in my professional career, I have enjoyed many city events where the organizers, attendees, and fellow businesses are very diverse. I have made wonderful connections with other entrepreneurs, bloggers, and general population around town who I genuinely care to stay connected with.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.belasutaria.com
- Phone: 832-620-8711
- Email: design@belasutaria.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belasutariadesigns/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/belasutariadesigns/
Image Credit:
Syndee Jolly, Blake Hobson, Sarah Hobson, Jay Sutaria
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
