By Seismic Sisters
In Silicon Valley, tech exec Namrita Khandelwal found herself vying for an opportunity to revolutionize the handbag industry. It was a journey that began while on the lookout for a briefcase that married style with utility. That search ended quickly after realizing there were little to no options that could make the power statement she sought. It sparked an idea that would propel the birth of Vertara, a California-based design and fashion accessories start-up, founded for empowered women, to empower women. After all, necessity is the mother of innovation.
Sisters Namrita and Sweta Khandelwal are the founders and co-owners behind Vertara, a forward-looking fashion company that specializes in bags, wallets and interchangeable accessories. They candidly describe themselves as “sisters by birth, rebels by choice, neighbors by chance, and business partners by destiny.”
Vertara sister co-founders Namrita Khandelwal and Sweta Khandelwal share their story about their start-up luxury fashion brand born in Silicon Valley, California. Photo by Seismic Sisters
Incorporating their experience as power players in Silicon Valley, Namrita and Sweta bring the startup drive to Vertara, with a commitment to championing the female experience. A majority-women workplace where the female-owned ethos derives from the top down, Vertara is all about power, voice and choice, creating a dynamic internal culture that has inspired a loyal and aligned consumer base.
Namrita first set her sights on the ‘business of business bags’ for the most practical of reasons: she couldn’t find a sleek, modern bag to hold her laptop and work documents. Always one to capitalize on first impressions, Namrita understood that just as a standard, utilitarian backpack could speak to the nature of its owner, so too could a beautiful, elegant business bag, designed for the modern working woman.
The Urban Triad: 3-Handbags-in-1, available at Vertara.com
First launched on Mother’s Day, May 8, 2020, in the darkest days of the pandemic, Vertara blazed into the unprecedented and turbulent economic downturn with confidence. Today, their industry success has validated their gambit. Namrita and Sweta have managed to delegate duties in a way that embraces their complementary strengths, with Namrita managing the front end as CEO and Sweta tackling the back end of the business as its Chief Counsel. In practice, this means that Namrita narrows in on challenges of design innovation and eco-friendly luxury while Sweta focuses on the legal and logistical decision-making operations.
Vertara’s approach favors variety, with a vast array of color palettes and styles available for any occasion. Vertara works with 100% top grain leather for its products, a sustainable material that eschews the need for toxic plasticizers and reduces waste. Disrupting the harmful trends of fast fashion and throw-away culture, Vertara can create bags and accessories in diverse colors and textures, creating an aesthetic of individual choice within a framework of universal and enduring appeal.
The team at Vertara takes particular pride in their tangible monetary investments in missions and organizations that empower women, including partnerships with the Living Beyond Breast Cancer campaign and Pratham Girls.
When it comes to user experience, Vertara’s website allows consumers to combine colors and mix materials into a virtual rendering of a bespoke bag. From purses to laptop sleeves to totes and everything else in between — Vertara’s mission is to deliver a high quality product that customers can treasure, knowing that their bag’s journey from the design studio to the factory floor and on to the customer has been designed with sustainable values in mind.
Vertara blends Silicon Valley innovation and fashion technology into a brilliantly stylish solution designed by and for women.