(From top) Swati Gautam; a range of teas from her brand Necessitea. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

What do you call a lingerie designer who is also a college professor? Swati Gautam! The early 40-something who looks early 30-something effortlessly moves from a bra fitting at Hindustan Road to a mass communication lecture at St Xavier’s College. Somewhere in between she dabbles with tea, travels and writes columns for t2.

Her life might seem pretty perfect now, but she has had her share of adversity. “It hasn’t been easy all through. Life has sprung some surprises, not all pleasant, but with every difficulty came an opportunity and all the negatives turned into positives,” she smiles.

It is this upbeat quality that has helped her find her unique road to success. It all began in 1991 when the Political Science graduate designed her first bra. Family crisis led to a self-employment opportunity. Awkward childhood memories of lingerie shopping on Deshapriya Park led her to the bra biz. Local manufacturers were contacted. Machinery worth Rs 17,000 was purchased from a classmate. Swati is self-taught, all through trial and error — dart to detailing, shape to strap, cup to clasp.

Satisfied in supplying to local stores, business came to a screeching halt in 1996-97. “Operation Sunshine happened and the hawkers were removed overnight. With them went my stock and my entire capital. I thought I had lost my business but then a call from a lady changed everything. She asked me to make a bra with large cups and a small back. Lingerie customisation was born.” Necessity the brand was born in 1997. The target audience was huge, comprising ladies who were nursing, sagging and even mastectomy patients. And the lady who called for that first made-to-order bra is still Swati’s client.

In 2002 she left for England to study some more. She returned to India with a Masters in Broadcasting and in 2004 opened her first Necessity store at 9 Hindustan Road. Her post-graduate degree had to be used too; hence a corporate stint was followed by an opportunity in her alma mater St Xavier’s. Here she teaches advertising, radio and mass communication and heads the department of Integrated Marketing Communication.

The second Necessity store opened in 2008 at 99/1 Narkeldanga Main Road. But while this might sound like a full platter to some, Swati is still exploring new territory: the latest is a foray in the tea market with partner Parkwood, a city-based export house. After operating in countries like Japan and Germany for the past five years, brand Necessitea is now available in the domestic market, primarily through the two Necessity stores. The teas, priced between Rs 39 and Rs 69 per 100g, will also be pitched as corporate gifts.

And like her lingerie venture, the Kurseong tea estate provides employment to the unemployable. “The plantation employs many women who are beaten by the system, from age 16 to 55,” she explains. Future plans centre around her tea garden in Kurseong called Jogmaya, with a “really neat” spa on the agenda. “We also want to make it a three-day vacation destination.”

Why tea, one is tempted to ask. “Well, the mother brand is strong now. Also, it’s the same clientele. When a woman is discerning about her bra, she should be concerned about her brew!” Swati is confident about her brews. For one, Necessitea’s Mint Tea doesn’t use essence, it uses mint leaves grown on the estate. Second, unlike many other Earl Greys, theirs doesn’t use orange peel but imported bergamot oil. The other teas available are Green Tea, Masala Chai, Zordaar and Darjeeling Tea, all in foil, frill-free packs. The bras, thankfully, come with the fancy frills!