- Sangeetha Rajesh sells sarees through Facebook Live shows
- Sangeetha Rajesh connects weavers to buyers directly
Sangeetha Rajesh, an ISB alumna and former remedial teacher, has built a large saree business by using Facebook Live as her main sales platform. Without relying on a traditional retail store in the early years, she sold more than 10 lakh sarees through live video shows. Her journey shows how digital platforms can reshape traditional retail when used with focus and consistency.
Over the last decade, Sangeetha Rajesh pioneered a direct to consumer model by selling sarees through Facebook Live. She conducted more than 200 live shows and sold over 1,000,000 sarees in the process. These sales volumes rival those of large brick and mortar stores. However, she achieved this by streaming live from markets, mills, and weaving clusters instead of opening multiple outlets.
Sangeetha’s Facebook Live shows often last six to eight hours. During these sessions, she showcases hundreds of sarees in real time. She explains the fabric, design, and craftsmanship behind each piece. Viewers watch, interact, and claim sarees instantly in a fastest finger first format. In some live events, she sold up to 5,000 sarees and generated around ₹50 lakh in sales. Therefore, her model removed middlemen and offered buyers wholesale prices.
Meanwhile, Sangeetha frequently goes live from saree manufacturers’ premises. She streams directly from Surat silk mills, Kanchipuram handloom centres, and Kalamkari hubs like Machilipatnam and Srikalahasti. This allows customers to see the source of the product and understand the work behind each saree. As a result, shopping becomes both informative and interactive. She often describes this approach as saree telling rather than simple selling.
The scale of her success is backed by a strong online community. She has built over 850,000 followers on Facebook who regularly watch her live shows. Sarees priced between ₹600 and ₹45,000 find buyers on the same platform. Reflecting on her work ethic, she says, “I have not taken a single day’s leave in the last so many years. For me, work is worship.”
Industry observers have also taken note. Prashanth Rao Aroor, CEO of Intellistay Hotels, wrote on LinkedIn, “I’m just blown by this one-woman show that must be a $3–$5 million business annually, with her acute skill of sourcing from the weaver and cutting out the cost of a retail operation by going direct.”
Although she came from a non fashion background, Sangeetha learned through trial and error. She later pursued a course at NIFT to strengthen her design knowledge. Today, her venture Sangeetha’s Saree Emporium provides direct employment to over 100 people and steady work to many weavers. Recently, she also opened a 5,000 square foot saree emporium in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, while continuing to focus on Facebook Live commerce.
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