Please tell us a little about your entrepreneurial journey. What inspired you to start a D2C fast-fashion brand?
I come from a family of garment manufacturers, which inspired me to pursue a career in the fashion industry. I started off by organising an exhibition of surplus branded garments during my college days. To gain further technical expertise, I worked with my uncle’s factory for 2 years which was one of India’s leading apparel manufacturers. I gained invaluable production and fabric knowledge that gave me the confidence to start my own brand in 2011. The Indian Garage Co. was launched to bridge the gap in the value fashion market for menswear in India.
The Indian Garage Co. initially established an offline distribution channel to offer affordable fast fashion for men’s casual wear in India. However, we soon realised that there were factors that were a deterrent in our growth. The first one being product lead time which would take anywhere between 3 to 4 months for products to reach the stores. Another major factor was when retailers imposed their preferences and filtered the product catalogue, hindering the brand’s fashion offerings. This deprived the consumers from fashionable choices forcing them to buy what was available.
To overcome this challenge, we recognized the potential of e-commerce and pivoted towards establishing a strong direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand, which gave consumers the freedom to choose their fashion, and designers to experiment with designs. We were able to make real-time adjustments and swiftly provide customers with innovative fashion solutions. As a result, TIGC built a robust infrastructure that enabled the brand to offer trendy, aspirational fashion at competitive prices and with fast delivery to a wide number of audiences.
This bridged the gap between customers and designers, allowing our brand TIGC to establish itself as a notable men’s wear D2C fast fashion brand in the industry.
Kindly brief us about TIGC, its specialisation, and the products that it offers
TIGC is a homegrown D2C fast fashion men’s wear value brand known for its digital-first, technology-enabled positioning. The brand’s young team is at the forefront of driving creative and trendy designs, while also incorporating their expertise in technology. Our brand promises its customers a vast array of global fashion trends at an unprecedented pace. TIGC has become the go-to brand for fashion enthusiasts and has an extensive collection of over 2,500 styles catering to all age groups.
TIGC is one of the top 10 highest-selling men’s apparel external fashion brands on Myntra & Ajio and has won the Myntra Highest GMV Award and the Ajio Growth Driver Award. The brand recently strengthened its product portfolio & positioning by announcing popular Indian cricketer Surya Kumar Yadav as its brand ambassador.
What were some of the key milestones and challenges that you faced along the way, and how did you overcome them?
It gives us immense satisfaction to say that The Indian Garage Co. is a bootstrapped and asset-light company. This has propelled us to achieve a remarkable scaled GMV of 300 crore while being EBITDA positive. Since inception, we have consistently demonstrated our ability to generate profits, positioning ourselves as a thriving and prosperous business.
Our foremost challenge involved transforming multi product factories and nurturing smaller entrepreneurs to develop dedicated and captive capacities, which is on par with the efficiency of the modern factories. Despite the serious capital constraints, we managed to provide the necessary technical expertise to enable the micro-entrepreneurs to become independent. Additionally, we faced the task of reorganising the traditional mindset of garment companies to embrace a monthly fashion launch model, which presented its own challenges.
Another big challenge we faced was to fight the consumer perception of being a value fashion brand. There is a common notion in the market that value-based products compromise on quality and authenticity. Overcoming this perception was crucial for our success.
What sets your brand apart from other fast-fashion brands and stays on top of the latest fashion trends in the market?
The Indian Garage Company stands out from other fast-fashion brands, as we have end to end control over design and delivery. This allows us to take direct and unique fashion bets, programming the entire fashion process from design to delivery. With smaller captive capacities, we have a shorter lead time to market, allowing us to stay ahead of the latest fashion trends. Our monthly fashion launch cycle ensures we provide the latest trends in real time.
We stay on top of fashion trends by using research tools and customer insights, while our in-house designers highlight micro and macro trends. Additionally we are developing technology product “Chanakya”, which will provide us real-time insights, enabling us to make informed design decisions and quickly adapt to market changes.
How do you ensure that your brand is sustainable and environmentally friendly?
We are utilising recyclable man-made fibres (MMF) and cottons which are recyclable to ensure sustainable and ethical fashion.
Our commitment to ethical fashion aligns with the values of the Gen Z demographic, who are known for being informed and concerned about the environment. By prioritising these practices in our production and sourcing methods, we hope to create a more sustainable future for the fashion industry.
What was the inspiration behind turning into an entrepreneur?
My father, an entrepreneur in the garment industry, played a crucial role in shaping my decision to pursue entrepreneurship. Growing up in an environment immersed in the apparel industry, I developed a keen interest in apparel design and manufacturing. Witnessing my father’s success as a garment distributor and his collaborations with prominent fashion brands inspired me to follow in his footsteps and establish my own business.
However, it wasn’t just my father who guided me along this path. My uncle, too, played a significant role as I started off with his manufacturing outlet which helped me understand the intricacies of the industry. With their combined expertise and guidance, I gained invaluable insights into the garment business, from sourcing materials to production processes and building strong relationships with suppliers and clients.
The journey of entrepreneurship has provided me with an in-depth understanding of the difficulties and advantages that come with it. To thrive in any sector, particularly in the fast-paced and cutthroat world of fashion, requires significant hard work, determination, and persistence. Nevertheless, the chance to develop something new and one-of-a-kind that resonates with consumers is a gratifying experience.
What do you envision for the future of your brand?
At The Indian Garage Company, we have several exciting plans and initiatives in the pipeline. With time, we want to replicate the success of menswear clothing in other categories too. The focus is more on clothing product extension like women’s wear and plus size fashion. Therefore we launched two new brands- Hardsoda (Plus size Fashion) and Freehand (Women’s wear) through the house of brand format.
In addition to expanding our product offerings, we are also focused on expanding our offline retail footprint. We are now available in large format stores like the Fashion Factory, and there are more to come. We are also planning to accelerate sales growth on our own TIGC platform ‘tigc.in’. Our goal is to continue growing TIGC, and we aim to become a 600 crore GMV business by the end of FY 23-24.
We want to be the first homegrown brand to have a global fashion imprint and demonstrate the progress of new India. We are also committed to corporate social responsibility and plan to initiate CSR activities in the near future. Additionally, we have plans to foray into the global markets soon, starting with the Middle East. We are committed to innovation and growth while staying true to our values of sustainability and ethical fashion.