From Closet Makeover to ₹5 Crore Brand: How Malvica Saxena Built ‘The Quirky Naari’ from a Basement in Mathura

When most people talk about building a business, they imagine offices, funding, or formal plans. But for Malvica Saxena, it all began in a cluttered closet in her home. What started as an attempt to save a worn-out pair of sneakers from the trash has now transformed into The Quirky Naari (TQN) — a fashion-forward brand that blends art and footwear and clocks a turnover of ₹5 crore.

The story of TQN is not just about starting small; it’s about defying expectations, battling societal norms, and painting your own path — quite literally.

A Quiet Beginning in Mathura

Born in 1990 in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, Malvica grew up in a progressive family where education was encouraged. Her father ran a tobacco business and her mother was a homemaker. Malvica and her younger sister Ambika were raised with freedom and support, but like many Indian women, Malvica found herself nudged toward marriage after completing her education.

She earned a B.Sc. from BSA College in 2009, followed by an MBA from GLA University, Mathura in 2013. But instead of diving into a corporate career, she stayed home — a decision shaped partly by family expectations and partly by her own inner struggle. Campus placements were skipped, and discussions about marriage became a routine part of her life.

From Stalling Marriage Talks to Starting a Movement

To buy herself time from mounting pressure to settle down, Malvica enrolled in a local fashion design institute. She eventually took up a teaching role there, making a modest ₹5,000 per month between 2014 and 2016. It was during this time that fate — and a pair of old sneakers — kicked off her entrepreneurial journey.

While cleaning their closet, Ambika picked up a few old shoes she was ready to discard. Malvica, who had always enjoyed art, decided to breathe new life into them with hand-painted designs. Ambika wore the revamped sneakers to college — and they became an instant hit.

The First Steps of ‘The Quirky Naari’

Encouraged by positive feedback from friends and classmates, Malvica began painting more shoes on request. With no marketing budget, no team, and barely any inventory, she launched an Instagram page in 2018. She posted reference images from Pinterest with a simple note: “Can be made on order.” It was a scrappy beginning — but it worked.

Her first real customer, Shreya, requested a Mughal-inspired sneaker design. Malvica bought plain sneakers online, painted them by hand, and used a local courier to deliver them. That ₹5,000 in capital — the cost of materials and tools — became her seed investment. Orders trickled in, and soon she was making one sale a day.

Turning Passion into Profit

Malvica’s hustle didn’t stop at hand-painting shoes. She began DMing influencers, celebrities, and their managers on Instagram in the hopes of getting noticed. Her creativity and persistence paid off. In her second year, her business brought in ₹1.5 lakh in revenue — enough for her to bring on her first intern. By year three, earnings touched ₹2.5 lakh.

Despite slow growth, the brand was building a loyal community. The designs were bold, feminine, and expressive — just like the name The Quirky Naari, which celebrates eccentricity and empowerment.

Making Headlines on Shark Tank India

In 2021, Malvica took a bold leap: she applied to Shark Tank India. With two team members by her side and her mother in tow, she traveled to Mumbai to pitch her business. Her father, unaware of how far she had come, saw her on TV for the first time — and beamed with pride.

Her pitch was a success. In June 2022, Malvica secured ₹35 lakh in funding for a 15% stake from sharks Vineeta Singh and Anupam Mittal. The televised episode changed everything. In just 36 hours, The Quirky Naari gained over 10,000 new Instagram followers, their website crashed from traffic, and sales skyrocketed.

Scaling Up: From Basement to Boutique Brand

Following the Shark Tank high, Malvica moved operations from her home basement in Mathura to Ghitorny, a premium locality in South Delhi. She built a team of 17, streamlined her supply chain, and invested heavily in design.

Today, nearly 80% of the brand’s sales come directly through its website. The rest are through online marketplaces like Amazon and Myntra. The company now operates as a fully digital-first D2C brand, with hand-painted footwear, apparel, and quirky accessories forming its core offerings.

The Road Ahead

Looking forward, Malvica is laser-focused on design innovation and team expansion. “We’re just getting started,” she says. “The next phase is about going bigger, better — and even quirkier.”

Her journey is a reminder that you don’t need a boardroom or big investors to begin. Sometimes, all it takes is an old pair of shoes, a bit of paint, and the courage to say, “Why not me?”

The Quirky Naari isn’t just a business — it’s a rebellion in sneakers. It’s proof that passion, when paired with grit and creativity, can take you from a basement in Mathura to boardrooms in Delhi. Malvica Saxena didn’t just build a brand. She created a movement — one brushstroke at a time.