Brainchild of retail & tech professionals, Stylista offers designer clothing at affordable price for women
Stylista is a collaborative fashion platform that works with leading designers and influencers to co-create a high street collection that’s true to their design DNA. It also takes the burden of manufacturing and marketing off of the designer’s plate, allowing them to focus solely on design.
Stylista a completely vertically integrated company and has full control over the manufacturing and distribution of its garments. It creates strategic partnerships online and offline to reach a larger customer base.
"Indians are waking up to ecommerce, and online shopping has become a necessity today thanks to rising distribution and retail costs. We saw the apparel market as a great growth sector but it was fragmented with a few large retailers selling near identical products and it became a way for bargain hunting,” says Avnish Chhabria Co-founder and CEO, Stylista.
Brainchild of Avnish, Rishi Rajani, Anjana Sharma and Rishi Khiyani, Stylista aspires to clearly differentiate in product while staying true to the aesthetic value of design from India. It identifies designers as being the core influencers of Stylista’s audience, and wanted a solution to reach the lowest common denominator in the country without breaking the bank – all from the comfort of one’s living room.
“Designers, on the other hand, wanted to tap into this potential and reach the average college-going girl but high retail costs and low distribution points proved to be a problem. Stylista was born out of this fundamental challenge and we made this our strength,” adds Avnish.
Stylista team
Avnish has a double master’s degree in Corporate Strategy and Governance. In his early days he was mostly driven by his eagerness to deep dive into retail, and had worked with a large PE fund where he worked with clients like Paul Smith and Alliance Boots to shape
their retail presence across Europe.Rishi was the driving force behind Biharilal Fashion. Biharilal Fashion has been one of the pioneers in the garment industry in India for over two decades, while Rishi Khiyani is a cross-media veteran with over a decade of experience in the media, internet and mobile space, as CEO of Indiatimes.
Anjana had worked in advertising, marketing & business management in a career spanning over 20 years. Most recently, she was with IMG Reliance as Director Fashion.
Stylista’s USP
Stylista’s USP is limited edition designer products at high street prices in an environment built on service and experience. “We are completely design focused and each one of our designers has a name and a reputation that’s immediately identifiable and well-respected,” says Avnish.
Manage conflict with better communication
While there are bound to be conflicts and differences in opinion, that one singular goal and better communication always solves each issue. “Leaving your ego aside and not hesitating to do even the smallest jobs is what builds faith and belief in the people you work with. Finding the right people is always a challenge as they need to be molded to believe in your dream, and once you’ve identified them it’s all about harnessing their true potential,” points out Avnish.
Build product with passion, everything else will follow you
Each individual has an inherent drive to do well; you just have to channel them towards the goal, adds Avnish. Money and investments are always a challenge - but the moment you build a product with passion and stay true to the reason why you got into it, your investors will bite into it sooner or later.
Revenue model and size of opportunity
“While the first phase is focused on online brand building and online sales along with some strategic online distribution partnerships, our next phase will be pop-up shops and eventually a strong retail presence,” sums up Avnish.
Website: Stylista