Holding tight to her interest in arts and crafts, Krystal Manish, a 12-year-old Indian Australian entrepreneur from Cairns and the owner of ‘Turtle Looms’ has expanded her business and is now sewing and selling high-fashion tote bags.
Krystal began her sewing journey in 2022 with colourful scrunchies after her parents gifted her with a small sewing machine for her birthday. She then explored the machine and started sewing scrunchies to pass her free time.
The young entrepreneur is so thrilled that she could keep her word and sew tote bags which she believes are liked by many.
“I am so excited to introduce the new product from Turtle Looms to you all. I learned it by watching videos and then tried a few for myself before launching it in the market,”
said Krystal.
Her deep interest in sewing prompted her parents to ignite the spark in her and suggested the idea of a startup. It was then that ‘Turtle Looms’ took its shape in September 2023.
Now it is four months since the launch of Turtle Looms and Krystal has invested in a professional sewing machine to ensure the high quality of her products.
At the beginning of her start-up, Krystal promised her customers to add more fancy items to her list.
“I make them sturdy and attractive, with box stitches on handles to make them strong. It can be used as a shopping bag, a library bag and also for carrying things around replacing plastic bags.”
“The product is aimed at people of all ages. Tote bags have become a fashion nowadays. Many people use them as an accessory to their outfit as well,” she explained
The 12-year-old adds that she can make tote bags of any colour as per her customers’ wishes. The price ranges from $8 -$10. Krystal is also introducing the same pattern of scrunchies and tote bags as a gift pack for special occasions.
Like her products, Krystal has also ensured to make the package eco-friendly and markets them mainly through Instagram and Facebook.
This Cairns-based Year 7 girl says she is pleased about the response she received with her scrunchies and thanks everyone who stepped forward to support her.
The success of scrunchie-making motivated her to launch tote bags. Started with normal scrunchies, she now makes cotton, satin and bow scrunchies for a price of $3-$3.50.
Krystal expects her second product to become trendy and get inspired to work on another new product in the coming days.
“I am also planning to make something for boys soon. So, Turtle Looms can turn into a one-stop shop for trendy items not alone for girls,” Krystal added.
With the success of her scrunchies, Krystal is excited to continue innovating and is aspiring to make Turtle Looms a one-stop shop for trendy items.
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