When Bespoke Speaks Volumes: Insights From The Pant Project
Working for the thriving family business at Banswara Syntex might have been an expected or inevitable end for Dhruv and Udit Toshniwal, the grandsons of R.L. Toshniwal; striking out on their own with a new-age, digital brand that specialized in bespoke pants was chancy. But along with the family’s competence in fabrics and business, they had also inherited the original Toshniwal’s gumption. They were keen on creating something distinct, drawing on their singular talents and youthful pizzazz.
As siblings, they brought a rare medley of complementary skills to the start-up. While Dhruv, as a graduate of Wharton, was adroit with business and finance, Udit possessed an unusual creative brain. Armed with a degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he had a keen sense of color and design. Together, they sensed how a product idea could be imbued with business smarts and a compelling aesthetic to stand out in the market.
The following are some insights, for other founders, from their experience to date:
While Hunting for Ideas, Look for Something You Might be Personally Missing
Since Dhruv always grew up playing sports, he developed an athletic build. This also meant that he found that most readymade pants on the market were not a great fit. “I have really large thighs – thunder thighs – so no pants ever fit me. They were always just too tight,” he says, with a chuckle. Other styles were too baggy and hence uncool. But when he shopped at places like Bonobos in the U.S., he found perfect-fitting pairs. He started wondering if other Indians also missed out on good fits since pants were rarely fashioned for varied body types.
Solutions Can Draw From the Past While Improving on It
Moving away from the notion of ready-mades, The Pant Project reverted to a concept that many might find outdated: custom-tailored pants. But they also consciously skirted some of the disadvantages of conventional tailors. For one thing, they eliminated physical visits to tailor shops to pick fabrics and determine measurements. They devised a user-friendly front-end that guides consumers into logging in their own body measurements and fabric choices. Moreover, their tailors were trained to perform with a consistent quality focus. Manual mishaps were further diminished by technology – like CAD software and laser-cut patterns. Fabrics were pre-washed and subjected to high-end quality control tests.
Be Willing To Iterate Before Settling On An Idea
The Pant Project wasn’t the first idea that the co-founders executed. Earlier, they had come up with another idea – AANSWR – to sell elevated everyday essentials, clothes, and other lifestyle products. While that brand still persists, they pivoted to The Pant Project as the main focus.
Pivot Rapidly During Crisis Situations
Kickstarting an enterprise just before the pandemic hit the globe may not have been timely – especially for a company that was focused on pants when most people weren’t zealously shopping for workwear, and moreover for bottoms. Unfazed by the sudden market shift, the Pant Project started with smart casual pants, athleisure, joggers, and other categories that were still in demand during the intense work-from-home times.
Moreover, they had been intending to launch as a Physical + Online brand. But the pandemic ensured that they needed to disband their physical store plans. And move to an Online-only model, a change that they regard as a silver lining because this enabled honing their digital front-end and delivery processes to the tee.
They admit that their growth was affected by the two major waves that hit India. Nonetheless, despite launching a product that wasn’t designed for pandemic days, their sales graph has climbed to an impressive INR One Crore Revenue per month, for a product with an average price of INR 3000. They have already shipped to thousands of zip codes across India (and a few to other parts of the globe, including the U.S., Australia, Singapore, Mexico, and Greece) and serviced more than 30,000 customers.
As the Economist recently put it in a recent report on Agility: “Agile companies have been able to respond quickly to the crisis of covid-19, rolling out new services more rapidly in response to shifts in demand.” The Pant Project demonstrates that one of the most robust responses to the uncertainty that pervades our environment is a flexible mindset.
Use Slowdowns or Pauses to Refine Processes
During the lockdowns and in the midst of the two waves, since their orders understandably plateaued, they used the time to further refine their operations. “When things are breaking down, you look at the processes behind it and say how do I fix this, so that next time I’m prepared,” says Dhruv. They also made their enterprise less people dependent. “I think we’re in a better position now to grow from 1 Crore to 10 Crores monthly because of the challenges we’ve faced in the initial phases.”
Create Vibrant Online Content
I personally encountered The Pant Project through one of their Instagram ads. I thought at once that this was a spiffy brand whose origins were worth exploring. Naturally, Udit’s learnings at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his subsequent stints at the Fashion Institute, New York, and Marangoni Fashion Institute in Milan, Italy have helped accord it with a singular aesthetic character. To keep the brand constantly renewed and lively, they currently employ an in-house team of ten content creators.
Retain an Ambitious Long-term Vision
While wondering why there isn’t a widely-known, distinct India-out fashion brand, similar to Uniqlo from Japan, or Zara from Spain, in the long term, The Pant Project hopes to venture into the global market. At this point, they’re content with leveraging the national market, introducing pop-up or physical stores, and growing their online presence. After all, India still offers burgeoning opportunities as her denizens aspire for a chic that no longer requires forays abroad.
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