Efficient And Eco-friendly Scrubs For The Medical Healthline Workers - KNYA Med Supplies Scrubs To 650 Cities

Just as the cover on the KNYA website states, the company works towards supporting and empowering medical superheroes with cool, functional, and comfortable medical apparel. ‘KNYA’ the word itself is derived from Sanskrit, predominantly from the word for ‘bravery’ which is ‘Panchakanya’.

With the goal to pay homage to all the healthcare professionals, the company started by husband and wife, Vanshika Choudhary (27) and Abhijeet Kaji (30) has come a long way. This way has been paved with over 500 hospitals and medical institutes that they have partnered with all over India and provided them with their comfortable and sustainable scrubs and lab coats.

Initially KNYA had two apparel startups, the B2C e-commerce platform that catered to working women whereas KNYA Uniforms that sold uniforms to restaurants, hotels, schools, and a few hospitals. This quickly changed with the hit of the pandemic and around the time of April 2020, the focus shifted as the need for uniforms for restaurants, schools amongst other things started to decline and as a result to come back from this, that would cause a downfall for their business, they were quick to realize the need for PPE kits.

The couple learnt how PPE kits were more of a necessity in countries where the covid-19 spread was dense. The progress was slow and steady initially but quickly rose as time passed and the company surpassed supplying more than 6 lakh PPE kits to over 250 hospitals. The scrubs and coats have already supplied to 650 cities through their website and Amazon alone. The progress wasn’t limited to the number of supplies made but they also ventured onto launched their ‘Ecoflex’ line of scrubs.

The Ecoflex line was launched with sustainability in mind, and it shows as the products are not only sustainable but efficient in terms of being odor resistant, durable, and autoclavable which is a method of sterilizing the scrubs before entering the OT. The line works using 100% recycled polyester made from PET bottles found in ocean waste and also has a minimal about of carbon footprint. The line was launched after 6 months of intensive research about the fabric technology and the functional design for the scrubs. The effort taken goes on to show how the couple have come so far with careful consideration given towards the making of their products.

Abhijeet Kaji tells, “We are aiming to be the Nike of medical apparel in India. When Phil Knight started Nike in the 1970s, it was a community to celebrate runners, giving them comfortable shoes to wear. In some sense, this is what we are starting out to do for medical professionals. There are 8 million medical professionals in India who buy several scrubs a year. Currently, medical apparel is deeply fragmented and there has been no product/distribution innovation for over 50 years. We feel there is an opportunity to supply fashionable, comfortable, and scientifically backed apparel to these superheroes through D2C and direct to hospitals/clinics channels”

Vanshika on one hand has a degree in fashion studies from Lasalle college of Arts – Singapore and handles the sourcing, designing, production and quality control of their garments whereas Abhijeet controls hiring, revenue and the growth of the company.

Abhijeet also adds “It’s our duty to provide products that are backed by real science and technology. We need consistency, laboratory-tested fabric and products that fit the body and help them perform at an optimal level,” he notes. “When it comes to performing life and death surgeries, it’s all about small margins. If in our own way, we can help doctors feel comfortable in their uniforms, then why not? Our products are lab tested by the Bombay Textile Research Association (BTRA).”

Looking at how far they’ve come, the company now designs and develops medical scrub suits, lab coats, masks, compression socks and scrub caps and have about 160 SKUs live on their website. The specialized scrubs are suited for experienced surgeons and doctors to medical students’ level of expertise. These specializations come in terms of the number of pockets as well.

“We also started a blog called Capes of India (A Humans of New York for medical professionals). It’s a way for us to humanize medical professionals. Listening to their stories has helped us understand what medical professionals go through. I have done almost 100 interviews with them and in fact, a lot of them even write to us about their stories. It’s a truly inspiring space and allows us to feel genuinely invested in their lives and struggles. In many ways, this sense of kinship spills over into how we design our products as well,” Abhijeet adds.

Through KNYA Med, the duo has also donated medical apparels like scrubs, lab coats and PPEs to doctors in less serviced cities and towns as well. All this with the intention to reach and expand their help to as many health professionals who are battling the frontlines. It is true indeed that not all heroes wear capes, some wear surgical gowns, scrubs and lab coats as