‘Fresh styles every Friday’ — An idea that has piqued every fashion enthusiast’s interest. With LetsDressUp (LDU), co-founders Aditya Balani and Dr Drishti Anand have attempted to bring about a fashion-tech company that promotes size inclusivity and “creates digital design options, and produce small batches of garments based on customer preferences.”
Offering a wide variety of silhouettes across kaftans, co-ord sets and others, LDU also claims to be the first company to create the Indian size chart, offering sizes ranging from XS to 8XL. We talk to Dr Drishti and learn more about the efforts that the organisation is carrying forward to produce a fresh angle to fashion tech, while also discovering the idea behind and the working of their Blockbuster Friday campaign.
Tell us about the ideation that went behind the ideation of the 'Blockbuster Friday' campaign.
As a pioneering fashion brand, we wondered why consumers must wait several months for designer labels to release new collections. Fashion is an everyday need, and customers aspire to remain in sync with the day’s trends. There are new movie releases every Friday to cater to the entertainment needs of the audiences, and we decided to introduce a ‘Blockbuster Friday’ initiative wherein we will unveil a new range of products that are comfortable, stylish, high-quality, and size-inclusive fashion options for the LDU customers. This initiative has drastically cut down the wait time, and our consumers can now always find something new and unique to wear that keeps them ahead of the style curve whenever they shop from LDU.
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What are the kind of silhouettes you have released and planning to release under this campaign? What would you suggest to our readers?
We launch new products based on user demand. We recently launched solid and printed bottom wear, which the user wanted to wear and feel comfortable with. Our bestselling kurtas get a refreshed look with new colours and print almost every month.
You claim to be the most size-inclusive fashion platform in the country, how did you come about the formulation of the Indian size chart, offering sizes ranging from XS to 8XL?
I have always been a firm believer in the power of dressing. I constantly looked for stylish, comfortable, high-quality dresses that would make me look glamorous and well put. However, the tricky part was that irrespective of the outfits I chose; it was always challenging to find the one that offered the ideal fit, style, and quality combination I desired. While the online fashion portals offered diverse choices, about half of the clothes I purchased had to go back as returns, and even those that I kept, had to be repeatedly altered to get the ‘right fit.’
During a discussion with my husband and LDU co-founder, Aditya, who was working with Kearney (one of the largest consulting firms in the world) at the time, he told me that my challenges regarding size and fitting were not unique and nearly two-thirds of Indian consumers faced similar dissatisfaction with the clothes they bought. He also told me that the fashion industry has an average return rate of about ~30% to 40%, depending on the brand. Determined to overcome the challenge, I embarked on the entrepreneurial journey with my husband, Aditya Balani, and we established LDU.
We identified that the cause of the problem was the absence of an Indian Size chart and the use of foreign size charts used by garment manufacturers, which didn’t factor in the unique needs of Indian women. After extensive research and analysis of real measurements gathered from over 3000+ women, an Indian size chart was devised by LDU, and it has become the most inclusive brand offering sizes ranging from XS to 8XL. The size chart is only improving daily with every outfit being sold.
You highlight the "fashion-technology" profile of your label greatly. How have you leveraged technology to stand out from other brands in the same industry?
We have always believed in using smart technologies to improve outcomes and customer experiences. Our Indian size chart is based on data-driven insights generated from over 3000 Indian women. We have become one of the very few fashion brands that use advanced Generative AI tools. We leverage deep learning Generative AI models like Stable Diffusion to develop new designs regularly.
It has brought down the design to execution to about 5-7 days, while we endeavour to bring it down to a day. We leverage technology on every aspect of the consumer journey, i.e., pre-purchase to post-purchase. We leverage first-party and third-party data to develop products the users are looking for. We have leveraged technology to automate personalized communications across channels such as WhatsApp, email, sms, IVR, etc. We have also created automated feedback loops to ensure that customer feedback is taken at every step of the journey and that the experience only becomes better day by day.
How has the label maintained its feature of being environmentally conscious with this campaign?
LDU works on the zero-dead inventory model. Our digital, lean inventory models and manufacturing practices have ensured that no waste is generated in the process. All the garments that LDU creates are sold, and nothing lands as unsold inventory in the landfills. Further, we also use technology deployments to track inventory smartly and the demand curve and ensure manufacturing is in sync with these observations. These practices have enabled us to remain sustainable. This helps reduce the biggest problem the fashion industry faces – managing the dead stock.
Do tell us about the colour palettes used for pieces under this campaign.
Colour palettes for the Blockbuster Friday launch usually align with the data gathered from the first and third parties. For instance, we introduced the mother-daughter duo Kurtas for mothers’ day and long Kaftan in pastels as they were the highly sought-after colours of the season. We launched 12 colours in 12 sizes in our Palazzo pants because basics should not be limited to basic colours of blues and blacks! We continuously work on coming up with new colours based on what the users want.
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Do shed some light on the fabrics you have used for this collection.
Our cotton rayon fabric is the most loved one with the ladies. The fabric choices are made after considering three main factors: comfort, season, and environmental impact. Our fabrics are typically buttery soft and lightweight cotton fabrics, enabling us to create the most comfortable, stylish, and right-priced dresses.
You had mentioned earlier that LDU is spearheading the development of Fashion 2.0 from India." What does Fashion 2.0 mean within this context, and what kind of development in the industry will we see with this version?
We are revolutionizing the $100Bn Indian fashion market by changing how the world will dress up in the future. We are solving the fashion industry’s biggest problem today - the dead inventory. We have an agile supply chain built in Inda which reduces cross-border dependence and hence reduces the TAT and costs, which allows us to work with lean inventories. We work on a zero-dead inventory model. With this supply chain efficiency, we are building the most inclusive fashion brand for women of Bharat.
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