The Indian startup ecosystem is quite strong and promising when compared to other developing countries. Globally, it ranks third with more than one lakh startups. And undoubtedly, women play a pivotal role in this dynamic ecosystem.

Business for woman in India

According to NITI Aayog, about 13.8% of entrepreneurs are women in India. Notably, the majority of these women are housewives. COVID has opened up increased opportunities and enabled them to earn from home. More than for primary or secondary income, women are in business or entrepreneurship for passion with the skills and competencies to handle the challenges.

There are several small business ideas for housewives to kickstart from the comfort of their homes—coaching, writing, crafting, tailoring, assisting, etc. However, fashion or clothing is something that most women have an eye on because they are creative and color-centric by nature. Hence, in this post, let’s unveil the top seven ideas in this favorite niche!

1. Boutique

2. Hand-painted clothes

3. Niche clothing store offline

4. Versatile online store

5. Custom tailoring

6. Distribution or reselling

7. Print-on-demand apparel

The top 7 business ideas for housewives in clothing business

1. Boutique

In French, ‘boutique’ means a tiny shop. In clothing, a boutique is nothing but a small clothing store with or without jewelry or accessories. If you’re a woman with great style and unique clothing choices, you can start a boutique. Either you can design your clothing or curate it from the best designers on the market.

2. Hand-painted clothes

This is one of the unique business from home for housewives as it requires only three things—time, creativity, and a learning mindset. Recently, the demand for hand-painted textiles has been on the rise in the country. So, start learning the traditional textile art methods with brushes and paints and launch your hand-painted clothing brand now!

3. Niche clothing store offline

Offline or brick-and-mortar clothing stores are not something new. But when you choose a distinguished niche that yearns for beautiful collections, you win the race. Some of the demanded ones include streetwear, bridal wear, plus-size fashion, vintage wear, eco-clothing, etc.

4. Versatile online store

Starting an online clothing store is not a big deal with the advent of plug-and-play platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce. You just had to collaborate with a wide range of wholesalers or distributors who can offer clothing in all styles, sizes, colors, and price ranges.

If you want to run a store from home check here how to start selling clothes from home with a step-by-step approach

5. Custom tailoring

Made-to-measure or custom tailoring is a great idea if you've got knowledge of sewing or designing. Indeed, this is the best business for housewife. Several institutions and universities offer training programs or certificate courses on tailoring, which you can undergo. Online or offline, you can offer the most befitted and styled clothes as per the needs of your customers.

6. Distribution or reselling

Reselling clothes is the most sought-after and convenient business idea for homemakers. Being a top textile exporter, India has many wholesale suppliers across the states. They offer reliable procurement with low MOQs, video call sampling, and home delivery of stocks. Thus, you can shortlist a couple of leading wholesalers, associate with one leading wholesale clothing supplier of your choice, and resell them to end consumers.

How to start a clothing brand just by buying wholesale >>>

7. Print-on-demand apparel

This business idea is based on printing the clothing after the demand, i.e., post the customer orders. This avoids the need for warehousing. And in some cases, your printing vendors themselves help with dispatch and shipping. You only need to have a website with an in-house clothing design and marketing team to attract traffic. Honestly, among the above-listed clothing business ideas, this one is competitive yet fruitful for most entrepreneurs. Why not give it a try?