D2C fashion brands gear up with trend-first offerings for Myntra’s 20th edition of EORS

One of India’s leading fashion, beauty and lifestyle platforms, Myntra is hosting its milestone 20th edition of End of Reason Sale from May 31. The event will showcase an impressive 30 lakh styles across fashion, beauty, home and lifestyle from more than 8,000 leading domestic and International brands. Trends-first demand will be on a high during the current edition; over 400 homegrown D2C brands will be presenting over 2 lakh trend-first styles to millions of fashion-forward customers.

According to Unravelling the D2C wave in India’s consumer commerce, a report by KPMG, India’s D2C market is projected to reach $60 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 40%. And with Myntra’s Rising Star programme championing made-in-india brands, the stage is set for fashion brands in this space to thrive in the upcoming EORS.

Unveiled last year, Myntra Rising Star is designed to strengthen D2C, made in India brands. The platform features a mix of emerging and popular brands spanning fashion, beauty, home, accessories, and footwear segments. It helps D2C brands to connect with customers, build deeper salience, and enable accelerated growth. Currently, the programme supports over 400 D2C brands.

In this edition of Pathfinders, YourStory spoke to two thriving D2C fashion brands about their experiences with MRS -- how this partnership came about, Myntra’s key role as an enabler, and their expectations from Myntra’s highly anticipated 20th anniversary End of Reason Sale (EORS).

FS Life: Fits that flatter the Indian woman

FS Life, now a house of brands, started off as FableStreet- a premium D2C fashion brand focussed on providing best fits for Indian bodies. The brand was launched in 2016 by Ayushi Gudwani after she measured over 200 women, draped sample garments on them, and spoke to them about their issues with sizes and fits. She discovered that Indian women are typically shorter, with narrow shoulders and pear-shaped bodies. These insights formed the core of FableStreet’s unique sizing algorithm. It now has evolved into a multi-brand organisation, FS Life, with March — a fine silver jewellery brand, which caters to women’s need for high quality jewellery at affordable prices, and Pink Fort — a modern Indian wear brand reimagining traditional clothing for the woman of today. Over the years, FS Life has emerged as an ambitious and innovative apparel and lifestyle company - a perfect fit for the Myntra Rising Stars Platform. 

FS Life has been a part of the Myntra platform for the last 5 years. They wanted to work a lot closer with Myntra to align its brand ethos with their growth strategy on Myntra, when it joined the MRS programme.The programme provided guidance  on crafting consistent  brand imagery and customer interactions,  key trends, market insights  and attributes that assist in product planning and design, allowing FS Life to have a deeper insight of what Myntra’s fashion-forward and loyal customers are looking for - marrying it with their leadership in sizing.  

Jayant Nayar, Business Head, FS Life, shared that the Myntra Rising Star programme assisted  FS Life in exploring more premium prospects and new cohorts, enabling it to attract a wider set of customers whose choices resonated with the brand. It also supported FS Life in tailoring its merchandising and getting a step ahead in nurturing value-conscious luxury in a way that appealed to the customer. 

Powerlook: Where style meets affordability

This D2C brand was established by Amar and Raghavendra Pawar with the goal to provide style, comfort and affordability in men’s streetwear.

The brand’s ethos was driven by the brothers’ struggle to find quality shirts in an affordable price range. In 2013, they established Powerlook, offering shirts designed in high-street styles, with a western touch. In June 2023, Powerlook joined the MRS programme and has since then witnessed an upward growth trajectory.

Ayush Todi, Retention Marketing Manager, Powerlook, credits Myntra with helping the brand boost its visibility and market presence. The partnership has strengthened the brand’s position in the menswear category, he says. 

When Powerlook joined the MRS programme, it was struggling with limited brand awareness and reach. Myntra’s wide fashion-forward customer base and market expertise helped the brand reach a wider audience, offer customers a seamless shopping experience, track ecommerce operations, and obtain insights from the audience’s response to certain product lines. 

D2C Rising Stars gear up for 20th edition of End of Reason Sale

This year’s EORS is an unprecedented trend-first selection. It isn’t just the customers who are excited; D2C brands are gearing up to meet the rise in demand. Both FS Life and Powerlook have been part of earlier editions of EORS.

Todi recalls that Powerlook wasn’t prepared for the sheer volume of demand in last year’s edition; this time it is estimating a threefold increase and is looking forward to being part of this milestone edition. The brand will showcase structured shirts, T-shirts, knitted, and crochet shirts.

“Events like EORS have been instrumental in helping brands like ours shine and scale. They help stimulate the fashion ecosystem by promoting innovation and offering consumers access to a wide range of brands and products,” Todi says. 

FS Life has a longer association with the End of Reason Sale, having participated in nine editions. The shopping festival has been a highlight in FS Life’s journey, driving huge demand and helping it launch new product lines. This year, FS Life aims to attract new customers who have never interacted with the brand. 

Nayar says programmes like EORS end up becoming an ecosystem of sorts over time. “They bring a brand equity that makes people want to shop and wait for their purchases. It’s an all-out shopping bonanza! If I talk about hard metrics, post EORS, there is an uplift in my BAU revenue and there are new customers added to my profile,” he says.