Look forward to achieving more than 3x in next 2 years
Started in 2018, DaMENSCH is a D2C brand that caters to the men’s premium essentialwear fashion segment in India. Paulami Chatterjee spoke to Anurag Saboo, Co- founder, DaMENSCH, to get an overview and idea behind launching of the brand, and why and how men’s essentialwear industry is fast becoming a priority segment.
How did the idea of developing a men’s eco-friendly brand arise from?
The idea was to tap the most neglected and challenging part of the male wardrobe – the innerwear. DaMENSCH is on a journey to create products for modern men that are distinct in features and most desirable in their feel. And as an environmentally conscious generation, it was imperative that while we started this journey, we also kept the problems of earth in mind. We believe that our entire segment will be the apparel of choice for our target customer of conscious progressive millennials and gen z and we want to be an integral part of their wardrobe.
How has consumer behaviour changed in current times compared to the pre-pandemic era?
Innerwear is the fastest growing apparel category where growth post-Covid has been even faster. Innerwear was a highly unorganised sector. However, in the last 5 years, the market has moved towards more branded segments. As a category, about 10 per cent of purchases are now made online which is indicative of an apparent shift in behaviour. A consumer who would shy away from trying innerwear online now knows that brands like DaMENSCH offer a try-on guarantee, and the first one is on the house if he is not happy with the purchase, or in case of a size issue. 95 per cent of our consumers are men who are choosing the brand because the modern man is not negligent about his innerwear and considers it an essential purchase.
What improvisations/new products have you launched to cater to the present consumers?
DaMENSCH's product range of innerwear includes “Deo-Soft”--India’s first odour cancelling underwear, “Neo-Skin”--thermoregulating vests made from a curated composition of sustainable bamboo fibres, among other products catering to the comfort of the modern man. We plan to connect with these cohorts through our technological superiority and contemporary design. Our recently launched All Degree Polos are 100 per cent ecofriendly, made of Coolmax Eco fibre tech which creates polyester from recycled plastic while adding superior moisture wicking capabilities. Would anyone have ever dreamt innerwear could eliminate odour? Well, we did! Indeed, all our collections are made with the technical expertise to achieve the unthinkable. Our contemporary designs are for modern men who think differently. We marry designs with today’s forward-thinking men and our Deo-Soft collection is evidence of this.
What do you see as some of the main problems regarding sustainable fashion facing the industry now?
Since the 2000s, fashion production has doubled and it will likely triple by 2050, according to the American Chemical Society. The production of polyester, used for much cheaper fast fashion, as well as athleisure wear, has increased nine-fold in the last 50 years. Because clothing has gotten so cheap, it is easily discarded after being worn only a few times. One survey found that 20 per cent of clothing in the US is never worn; in the UK, it is 50 per cent. Online shopping, available day and night, has made impulse buying and returning items easier. According to McKinsey, average consumers buy 60 per cent more than they did in 2000 and keep it half as long. And in 2017, it was estimated that 41 per cent of young women felt the need to wear something different whenever they left the house. In response, there are companies that send consumers a box of new clothes every month. The problem is lack of awareness about slow fashion and its good impact on the environment.
What is the inspiration behind the name DaMENSCH? Where is the brand headquartered at?
DaMENSCH originated with the idea that it was time to rethink The Man, as being more than macho. Hence, DaMENSCH is a combination of words from English and German, which together mean The Man. But it means more man-kind than just one idea of man.We are headquartered in Bengaluru, India and are present as a D2C brand through our website, and across all major e-commerce platforms.
What role is technology playing in keeping the apparel business relevant during current times?
With staying-in becoming the new normal, technology has become the forefront of connecting with customers. From showing your offerings to creating the entire customer journey online, technology now just does not do the basics of providing services, rather it has become imperative to provide an experiential service.
What are your growth expectations from the company for the next two fiscals?
We are currently a 100-crore brand and we believe we can continue our streak of growing 3x YOY for the next two years and our plans are geared for the same. We believe tech-enabled omni-channel strategy will aid this growth. We have grown to a team size of 130 and intent on going upto 200 and have hence moved to an office space that allows us to house our new team.
We have used the funding to bring in specialists in leadership roles and to increase the strength of our design, customer service and product team in line with our core value of customer centricity. As we grow, we want to ensure our customer experience continues to improve and that's the key thrust in our growth plans.
How has the brand gained traction 3 years after its launch? What are the major highlights?
We are currently a 100-crore brand Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) and look forward to achieving more than 3x in the next 2 years. While we started with only innerwear SKUs, currently we offer 18 categories of products spanning across 300 styles and 1800 SKUs. Our plans are geared for the same and we believe our tech-enabled omni-channel strategy will aid this growth. We are also expanding rapidly across all departments--product, engineering, marketing, and supply chain. We moved to an office space that allows us to house our new team, and boasts of an in-house studio as we gear up on focusing on content-commerce strategy in the times to come.
Where are your sourcing bases in India?
Our main sourcing is done from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Punjab.
How do you want to expand further?
DaMENSCH envisions emerging as a lifestyle brand that will become an integral part of every global Indian’s wardrobe. Every product designed by DaMENSCH Product lab, from innerwear to loungewear is infused with innovation never seen before. We create products presently nonexistent but ultra-essential for your self-belief since confidence comes from wearing comfortable yet functional clothes. DaMENSCH offers exceptional value for money. Our plan is to continue on the same growth trajectory.
What percentage of your sales is through brick & mortar and through e-marketplace?
Currently, we are only selling through our own D2C website. We are also available on all leading e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Nykaa, Tata Cliq, MensXP to name a few.
