18 April 2023, Mumbai 

D2C brands are becoming increasingly popular due to the rise of e-commerce and social media. However, with intense competition, these brands need to stand out and capture their target audience's attention.

These brands have been able to leverage digital platforms to reach a wider audience and grow their businesses. However, with the growth of D2C brands comes intense competition and it's crucial for them to stand out by providing unique products, exceptional customer service, and a personalized shopping experience.

Adapting to changing market trends is also essential for D2C brands to remain relevant and successful. By quickly responding to consumer demands and preferences, D2C brands can stay ahead of the curve. For instance, if there's a shift towards eco-friendly products, D2C brands need to adjust their product offerings accordingly.

Building a strong brand identity and cultivating a loyal customer base are also critical for the long-term success of D2C brands. Effective marketing strategies, social media engagement, and value-added services such as free shipping and easy returns can help create a positive image and foster customer loyalty.

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07 April 2023, Mumbai 

Aditya Birla Group's fashion and lifestyle venture, TMRW, is set to offer stock options to its top executives as part of its efforts to retain and attract senior talent.

The direct-to-consumer platform, founded by Aryaman Vikram Birla, is also planning to recruit senior executives from startups and consumer firms. The move is aimed at driving aggressive growth and creating a 'House of Brands' by investing in online-born brands that draw a large part of their sales through the internet.

What all you need to know

The move comes after rival Tata Digital announced similar efforts to attract senior talent with long-term incentives, including stock options. TMRW has also been on an acquisition spree, acquiring a controlling stake in Bewakoof Brands and infusing ₹200 crores to fuel the growth of the D2C brand.

Within a year of launch, TMRW owns eight brands, including Berrylush, Bewakoof, Juneberry, Natilene, Nauti Nati, Nobero, Urbano, and Veirdo.

TMRW's equity plan was designed with the help of senior Aditya Birla executives who met with industry experts for six to eight months.

The company aims to create the largest portfolio of disruptor brands in fashion and lifestyle and be part of India's D2C growth story, estimated to be at $100 billion by 2025.

TMRW plans to acquire and incubate 30-plus innovative, customer-obsessed brands.

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17 March 2023, Mumbai 

Zouk, a direct-to-customer accessories and lifestyle brand, has successfully raised $3 million in a strategic funding round led by Stellaris Venture Partners, one of its existing investors.

The funding will be utilized to expand its product range and offline operations. Zouk aims to improve its supply chain to expand its retail presence throughout India. This year, Zouk plans to open five exclusive brand outlets in India Furthermore, Zouk is investing significantly in team expansion and strengthening its supply chain. The company intends to hire personnel across all departments, including leadership and marketing roles.

Zouk launched in 2016 with Rs 20 lakh investment and a line of cruelty-free and vegan handbags. The brand has since added footwear and accessories such as wallets to its product range.

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17 April 2023, Mumbai 

Nykaa Fashion, the online fashion retail arm of Nykaa, is gaining popularity among fashion-conscious Indian customers due to its focus on curation and trend-forward approach.

The CEO of Nykaa Fashion, Adwaita Nayar, believes in offering the best brands from across the country and the globe to Indian customers, as quoted in The Print.

What all you need to know

What sets Nykaa Fashion apart from other online fashion retailers is its emphasis on curation. Nykaa Fashion ensures that every product listed is of high quality, on-trend, and offers good value for money. The premium fashion platform has a dedicated process to actively de-list products every week, ensuring that only the best-curated products are available to customers.

Nykaa Fashion offers several exciting properties on its platform, including Hidden Gems and the Global Store. Hidden Gems is a property close to Nayar's heart as she travels across the country, discovers emerging labels and brands, brings them onto the platform, and gives them the attention they deserve. The Global Store, launched in September 2022, brings the best brands from around the world to Indian customers. Nykaa Fashion now offers brands from Turkey, UK, and USA on the platform.

The vision for Nykaa Fashion is to create a platform that provides all-round customer sustenance.

Nykaa Fashion's focus on curation, inspiration, and customer obsession is quickly making it the go-to destination for fashion-conscious Indian customers.

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05 April 2023, Mumbai

Ajio Street, the new marketplace from Ajio, is expected to offer a wide range of affordable fashion items including clothing, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and children.

The platform will reportedly follow a zero-commission model, which means that the sellers won't be charged any fees for listing their products or making sales through the platform. This move is likely to attract more sellers to the platform, thereby increasing its product offerings and giving consumers a wider choice.

The launch of Ajio Street is part of Reliance Industries' broader strategy to expand its e-commerce presence in India. The company has been aggressively investing in this space and has acquired a number of start-ups and established players to strengthen its position.

With the launch of Ajio Street, the company aims to capture a larger share of the online fashion market, which is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years.

One of the key advantages of Ajio Street is that it will be targeted at consumers in tier II-tier IV cities and towns, where there is a largely untapped market for online fashion.

By offering affordable prices and a wide selection of products, the platform is expected to attract new consumers who may not have shopped online before. This could lead to an increase in the platform's user base, which will in turn drive sales and revenue growth.

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16 March 2023, Mumbai 

Chumbak, the popular lifestyle and accessories D2C brand, has made a significant move towards sustainability by partnering with circular technology product Relove.

The new initiative will allow Chumbak's customers to resell their pre-loved products on the brand's e-commerce store, further promoting the idea of sustainability. This launch is in line with the brand's core values of embracing sustainability and reducing wastage.

Chumbak was launched in Bengaluru in 2010. The brand's mission is to make contemporary Indian design accessible to everyone through homeware and lifestyle accessories. By manufacturing their products locally, the brand is positively impacting community livelihoods across India.

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15 April 2023, Mumbai 

LetsDressUp (LDU), a fashion-tech startup, has introduced a new size chart, offering plus-size consumers affordable and stylish options without having to pay a "fat tax."

The startup, founded in 2019 by duo Dr. Drishti Anand and Aditya Balani, aims to address this issue by manufacturing clothes in small batches and curating pieces that are highly searched on the internet to avoid producing unwanted designs.

What all you need to know

LDU's size chart was derived from measuring over 3000 Indian women, offering a range of sizes from XS to 8XL. The company mainly offers ethnic clothing pieces such as kaftans, palazzos, and kurtis. It has in-house designers who curate the pieces, and the products are manufactured in small and medium-scale factories in India.

The startup recently launched "Blockbuster Friday," where new fashion products are released every Friday, providing consumers with various dressing options. The platform has seen approximately 8000 orders per month with a 25% retention rate and a 30% month-on-month growth rate. It has a revenue of Rs 10 crore and aims to reach the Rs 100 crore mark in the next 15 months with a gross profit margin of around 75% and looking to be EBITDA positive in the coming months.

LDU raised its seed round of Rs 2 crore from Titan Capital and marquee angels.

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29 March 2023, Mumbai 

Fashinza, a B2B e-commerce startup focused on global fashion supply chains, has secured USD 30 million in debt funding from Mars Growth Capital, a subsidiary of Liquidity Group, according to an announcement made by the company.

The Gurugram-based firm aims to use the funds to fuel its ongoing transition into a global business, with significant operations in the USA, Gulf, and Europe.

Fashinza is transforming the global fashion supply chain with its unique approach to e-commerce. With a strong founding team, existing global network of manufacturers and customers, and impressive performance since its inception.

This latest funding round marks a significant milestone for Fashinza as it strives to establish a foothold in international markets and revolutionize the fashion industry's supply chain. With the backing of Liquidity Group and Mars Growth Capital, Fashinza is poised for continued growth and success.

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09 March 2023, Mumbai 

Off Duty, a premium apparel and fashion brand, has raised Rs 4 crore in funding from Velocity, the country's largest revenue-based financier.

Funding from Velocity is expected to enable Off Duty to reach new heights and inspire emerging D2C apparel brands with their growth. The investment will be used to increase the brand's inventory to meet rising demand. Off Duty has a strong presence across e-commerce platforms and is expected to close the current financial year with revenue of Rs 15 crore.

Off Duty was founded in 2019 by Madina S Khan and Shahbaaz Khan, with the aim of bridging the gap between fashion trends in India and international markets. The brand's core products include everyday wear, comfortable denim, pants & trousers, and men's denim.

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12 April 2023, Mumbai 

The India in Fashion exhibition, currently underway in Mumbai, is showcasing the country's traditional dress, textiles, and crafts, and how they have influenced international fashion since the 18th century.

What all you need to know

The exhibition, curated by English fashion editor Hamish Bowles, opened on April 1 at the newly-opened Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre and was attended by some of India's biggest celebrities, fashion designers, and influencers, making it a grand affair.

The exhibition features ten sections with each having its own grand setting designed by multi-disciplinary artist Patrick Kinmonth in collaboration with Mumbai-based architect and designer Rooshad Shroff.

The exhibition is a blend of the past and present, showcasing Indian chintz, muslin, and other fabrics, and how they have been used in Indian and international clothing cultures.

The exhibition also highlights the journey of Indian textile and crafts traditions to the West, which has faced many socio-political and economic challenges. The exhibition showcases vintage gowns, traditional Indian ensembles, and contemporary Indian brands, demonstrating the impact of India on Western fashion and couture.

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20 March 2023, Mumbai 

XINT, a fashion and lifestyle brand is launched by Macrowagon exclusively on Ajio.

XINT is known for its premium quality fabric and 100% EU-tailored garments made from sustainable stored raw materials. Marcowagon plans to scale up high this brand in the next five years. XINT also has plans to expand into accessories, footwear, handbags, watches, and sunglasses categories.

XINT's current collection leans towards catering to millennials rather than Gen Z, with plans to become the face of the brand through collaborations with celebrities. The SS23 collection is expected to go live on the platform in March and is anticipated to catch the consumer's eye with its premium trends and price points.

Marcowagon Retail Pvt. Ltd. is a licensee for global fashion and lifestyle brands.

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04 March 2023, Mumbai 

Flipkart, one of India's leading e-commerce giants, has acquired around 20 per cent of its new customers through its vernacular interface, demonstrating the importance of regional languages in improving the consumer shopping experience. Flipkart currently offers its customers the option to browse and shop in 11 different languages, with a particular focus on tier 2, 3, and 4 markets.

To tap into these markets, Flipkart has partnered with regional influencers and saw engagement with vernacular creators grow by 30 per cent year-on-year, making it a critical part of the company's influencer marketing approach. Additionally, fashion is the first category that one out of two customers tries on Flipkart, with one out of every four new-to-e-commerce and new-to-Flipkart consumers being from the GenZ cohort, which is under 25 years old.

Moreover, Flipkart has witnessed higher growth in tier 2, 3, and 4 markets than in metros, highlighting the significance of small towns in the company's growth. Flipkart acts as an equalizer by providing consumers access to brands and labels that are not present in an offline format in small towns. Flipkart's focus on tier 3 and tier 4 markets is expected to be crucial for its future growth.

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