Women's apparel brand eShakti gets funding from IvyCap, IDG Ventures

BANGALORE: Online women's apparel brand eShakti.com has received funding from venture capital firm IvyCap Ventures, as it prepares to scale up operations in the US. Existing investor IDG Ventures India also participated in this second round of funding that takes the total amount raised by the Chennai and Gurgaon-based company to about Rs 90 crore.

eShakti, which makes custom-designed clothing for women in the US, will also use the money to hire talent and improve technology. "We intend to add talent at all levels in the coming months to support our growth plans," said BG Krishnan, founder of eShakti.

"Given height and size differences across the population (in the US), there is a big need in women's fashion for clothes that fit and fall well." Founded by Krishnan in 2001 as a lifestyle products firm for Indians living in the US, eShakti changed its business model six years ago to begin producing and retailing customised apparel for women. eShakti has customers across 10,000 cities in the US with design teams based both in the US and India.

"I almost exclusively wear eShakti dresses five to six days a week now," says Jina Jansson, a customer based in Seattle in the US. What has given an edge to eShakti over others is the use of advanced technology to customise apparel at a lower cost. A customised garment is designed using software tools based on the measurement provided. It also shows the different shapes of fabrics that will assemble together to go to make the garment. The virtual dress is then draped digitally on the three dimensional image to see how the garment fits.

"So before scissor is laid to fabric, the entire garment is virtually made," said Krishnan. "We believe this is unparalleled," said Vikram Gupta, managing partner of IvyCap Ventures.

"We strongly believe that customisation at scale is a powerful trend. It has the potential to disrupt otherwise established business models." eShakti makes the clothing in its own manufacturing units and local factories. It neither stocks products nor does it have to warehouse its merchandise. The products are shipped directly to the customers.

"What Dell did with computers which is mass customisation, we want to do same with apparel as well," said Krishnan who is seeing a huge demand for 'boho' or bohemian kind of fashion this year. Investors are evaluating a number of online companies, especially niche retailers in segments such as web-only fashion, babycare and eyewear. 

ajay thakur

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