E-commerce helped us establish a popular D2C men’s fashion brand: TIGC founder

The Indian Garage Company (TIGC) is a men’s wear D2C fast fashion brand that was launched in 2011. The brand was founded by Anant Tanted, who comes from a family of garment manufacturers. TIGC initially established an offline distribution channel to offer affordable fast fashion for men's casual wear in India. However, the brand soon realized that the offline distribution channel had several limitations, such as long product lead times and retailer interference. To overcome these challenges, TIGC pivoted towards e-commerce and built a robust infrastructure that enabled the brand to offer trendy, aspirational fashion at competitive prices and with fast delivery. As a result, TIGC has become one of the top highest-selling men's apparel external fashion brands on Myntra and Ajio. In an interview with Bizz Buzz, Anant Tanted discusses the inspiration behind TIGC, and how the brand has evolved since its inception.

The Indian Garage Company (TIGC) is a men’s wear D2C fast fashion brand that was launched in 2011. The brand was founded by Anant Tanted, who comes from a family of garment manufacturers. TIGC initially established an offline distribution channel to offer affordable fast fashion for men's casual wear in India. However, the brand soon realized that the offline distribution channel had several limitations, such as long product lead times and retailer interference. To overcome these challenges, TIGC pivoted towards e-commerce and built a robust infrastructure that enabled the brand to offer trendy, aspirational fashion at competitive prices and with fast delivery. As a result, TIGC has become one of the top highest-selling men's apparel external fashion brands on Myntra and Ajio. In an interview with Bizz Buzz, Anant Tanted discusses the inspiration behind TIGC, and how the brand has evolved since its inception

Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind starting The Indian Garage Company (TIGC) and how it has evolved since its inception?

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 in my uncle's factory for two years, which was one of India's leading apparel manufacturers. I gained invaluable production and fabric knowledge, which gave me the confidence to start my own brand in 2011. TIGC was launched to bridge the gap in the value fashion market for menswear in India. It initially established an offline distribution channel to offer affordable fast fashion for men's casual wear in India. However, we soon realised some factors that were a deterrent to our growth. The first one being product lead time, which would take anywhere between 3 to 4 months for products to reach stores.

Another major factor was that the retailers imposed their preferences and filtered the product catalog, hindering the brand's fashion offerings. This deprived consumers of fashionable choices, forcing them to buy what was available.

To overcome this challenge, we recognised 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 the freedom 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.

How does TIGC differentiate itself from other fast fashion brands in the market?

TIGC distinguishes itself from other fast fashion brands in the market through a number of factors. Firstly, we have complete control over the design and delivery processes. Unlike other brands, which may purchase ready-made offerings from traders, we program the entire fashion process from start to finish. 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 have a short lead time to market because of captive capacities, and these are smaller factories that can turn around fashion very quickly. We also follow a monthly fashion launch cycle. Therefore, we are able to provide the latest trend in real time.

Although these monthly launches are difficult to manage, our model is based on that, setting us apart from other fast fashion brands in India. TIGC is one of the top 10 highest- selling men's apparel external fashion brands on Myntra and Ajio and has won the Myntra highest GMV award and the Ajio growth driver award. The brand recently strengthened its product portfolio and positioning by announcing popular Indian cricketer Surya Kumar Yadav as its brand ambassador.

Could you walk us through your creative process when designing new collections or pieces?

TIGC places great importance on fashion trends to stay ahead of the competition. We use various research tools to analyze market trends and customer demands. Our in-house designers also use these tools to highlight micro and macro trends, which help us create unique designs that resonate with the customers.

In addition to this, we are developing a tool called Chanakya, which provides real-time insights into how our range is performing. This helps our designers to make informed bets and adjust our designs based on the data provided by the tool. This allows the company to stay agile and quickly adapt to changing market trends and customer preferences. Over the past decade, the company has built a deep understanding of its customers' needs and wants. This has allowed us to create designs that not only meet the demands of our target audience but also exceed their expectations. By leveraging research and technology, TIGC has managed to differentiate itself in the fast fashion industry, and maintain a competitive edge over its rivals.

In recent years, there has been a growing trend towards sustainable and ethical fashion. How does TIGC approach these issues in its production and sourcing practices?

We are utilising recyclable man-made fibers (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 prioritizing these practices in our production and sourcing methods, we hope to create a more sustainable future for the fashion industry. The brand's young team is at the forefront of driving creative and trendy designs, while also incorporating their expertise in technology.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the men's apparel industry currently, and how is TIGC addressing these challenges?

It gives us immense satisfaction to say that TIGC is a bootstrapped company. This has propelled us to achieve a remarkable scaled GMV of Rs 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. The men's apparel industry faces several challenges, including scalability, dead stock, and a high level of dependency on channel partners. At TIGC, we recognise these challenges and have taken steps to address them.

One of the biggest challenges in the apparel industry is dead stock, which is basically the leftover inventory that cannot be sold. To mitigate this issue, we place smaller bets on our products to test market demand. This ensures that there is no leftover inventory, and the cost of manufacturing is low enough that even if there is some remaining inventory, there is no liquidation cost attached because we sell it at a value price. By taking smaller bets, we avoid piling up stock and reduce the risk of dead stock. Another challenge in the industry is scalability. To address this, we have a complete asset- light direct manufacturing model with captive capacity. This allows us to maintain control over our production processes, ensuring quality and scalability while minimising costs.

Additionally, we faced 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.

Can you discuss any future plans or initiatives for TIGC, such as expanding into new markets or collaborations with other brands?

At TIGC, we have several exciting plans and initiatives in the pipeline. One of our key priorities is expanding our offerings into women's wear (free hand) and plus-size fashion (hardsoda). We plan to launch the first fashion brand for plus size and replicate the success we have achieved in men's wear within the women's wear market. This will allow us to cater to a wider audience and strengthen our position in the fashion industry.

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 Rs 600 crore GMV business by the end of FY24.

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.

How are D2C brands catapulting the Indian e-commerce market, growth trajectory of the sector?

D2C brands report faster growth on their own website. The increasing number of D2C brands in the beauty, fashion and personal care segment are driving the growth of the ecommerce market in India. D2C is a fairly new business domain and has rapidly grown during/post the pandemic.

There are multiple facets to the success of a D2C brand: 1. Digital adoption has accelerated post-pandemic 2. Needs of the new age consumer have changed and evolved and there is a dearth of supply to satisfy this newer demand 3. Eco-system readiness with regards to digital infrastructure, supply chain, customer experience, and marketing frameworks is far more advanced for brands to operate independently in the online world 4. Also, in the current scenario, with everyone having access to fashion data, content is becoming increasingly important. Faster delivery times will also be a key factor in meeting customer expectations.

What's your consumer base currently?

Our customer base is diverse, with a relatively even split of 50-50 between metro and non- metro audiences. In the previous year, we shipped over 50 lakh units, and this year, we are aiming to double our reach to around 1 crore consumers.

Do you want to stick to apparel or have plans to diversify your product line?

We have already forayed into women's wear and plus-sized fashion under the house of brands format and want to be the first homegrown brand to have a global fashion imprint and demonstrate the progress of new India.