The ultimate goal is to make Freakins a household name
Established in 1991 with a vision of delivering “quality & high-end fashion” to the local and global consumers, Avadat Group has in-house sampling, production and washing capabilities. The India-based company produces 150,000 garments per month, and is soon going to add capacity to produce another 100,000 pieces. Owner & MD Sachin Shah speaks to Fibre2Fashion about the Group, its brand Freakins and its tech startup Nuvate.
Avadat group is 25 years old. What are the next-generation moves and investments that you have done?
I believe in growth through adapting to the current market changes. Overtime it is always beneficial to use your strength to build something new. I have invested, groomed and helped built three brands —Freakins followed by Svensson & Co and Blieu that is yet to be launched. I also helped launch two tech-startups, -- Nuvate and The Fabric Market, the tech of every textile manufacturer and brand owners.
What was the motivation behind backing and starting all these other ventures?
I have my expertise in core business and manufacturing and a background in engineering. Motivation was inherent specifically due to the market growth. I have always seen the younger generation build on ideas and great concepts but lack direction and backbone. I believe in them, and their hustle bolsters my approach to building a robust ecosystem of my own.
How has the Avadat Group grown over the last few years?
Avadat, as a core manufacturing business, has grown multifold with approach to cater to solid partnerships and brands. While core business kept moving strong, our other ventures started showing grace. Freakins grew from 20X in ARR (annual recurring revenue), Nuvate Tech got valued and started delivering the products to over 100 factories and brands.
You seem to be strong on the women’s westernwear. Why?
The women’s westernwear market capitalisation only in India is worth around $235 billion. It is an ever-growing industry and even though there are some major market mammoths, there is still scope for smaller brands to grow. This industry gives the chance of constant application of innovation, creativity and trendsetting.
Which are the best performing categories and best performing markets in India?
In terms of products, straight jeans, wide leg jeans and bootcut jeans are our best performing categories and they do extremely well with the Gen Z market. With India currently witnessing digital growth, I am bullish on tier 2 and tier 3 cities, and expect them to overtake the tier 1 cities.
Talking about Freakins, why did you marry supply chain of Avadat and brand?
Today, new products are launched on the website on daily basis. This couldn’t have been possible without a supply source backing it up. When we thought of the brand, we were keen on building it as core fashion than just a face of it.
How is the collection at Freakins designed and produced?
There is a structured process for product development at Freakins. The design team does thorough research at the development stage, then proper material for the products is sourced and final designs are created. Design team is given the freedom to directly work with tailors and manufacturing team to be as fast as we can be.
What are the plans for the next four years? Do you plan to open more offline and open stores?
The plan is to expand the brand to other countries: Nepal, Bangladesh, UAE. As for the brand, I am a core believer that India will experience its very own Zara or H&M or maybe better than them with Freakins. We are opening offline stores across cities to support omnichannel approach. These stores will be more about experience, and concepts, rather than sales. We want every Indian woman to feel what they are wearing and be proud. Bottomline, the ultimate goal is to make Freakins a household name for every young lady of the country.
Coming to your tech venture, could you share a broader view on what is Nuvate?
Nuvate Tech is the venture that I always had my geeky vision for. This venture started to solve problems for Avadat Manufacturing, Avadat Washing and Freakins Daily Functioning. Before we even moved out beta phase, we had people asking for it all across.
We have 4 core products:
1. Digitail - A amalgamation of Warehouse Management, Accounting, Shipping management and Analytics for e-commerce brands. This also gets directly integrated with Supply Chain Tech
2. WashIT - A special software created for washing laundries of denim. This cuts manual working by 60 per cent.
3. StitchIT - A software made for garmentors to make production easy and organised with increased efficiency.
4. HRSoft – One-step solution for labour intensive company HR operations.
Published on: 20/07/2022
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
