This loungewear brand has clocked revenues of Rs 1 cr amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
Agra-based Erotissch founded by sisters Aayuushi and Anushka Agarwal offers a range of comfortable clothing, priced between Rs 650 and Rs 5,000.
With work-from-home becoming the new normal after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, most of us have not been paying much attention to dressing up for work.
Workwear, or after-work wear have now taken a backseat and women are mostly comfortable lounging in comfortable PJs.
One startup benefiting from the loungewear trend is Agra-based that specialises in intimate and nightwear apparel.
However, sisters Aayuushi and Anushka Agarwal founded the bed-to-streetwear clothing brand in 2019, not knowing a year later, they would be an important part of a growing trend.
The idea was inspired by the Japanese concept of Jinbei, a form of nightwear that can also be worn outside to run errands.
“In India, the cultural mindset limits wearing intimate and night apparel inside the bedroom but we realised that the women on the go need something that is acceptable outside, especially working women who are multi-tasking, and need a versatile wardrobe,” say the sisters.
Erotissch is now tapping into the global intimate apparel market that is poised to grow at a CAGR of 7.09 percent between 2018 and 2022.
Sales and growth
The sisters grew up with a shared love for design and fashion and went on to pursue higher studies. While Aayuushi pursued knitwear design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Kolkata, Anushka Agarwal studied fashion styling and image design from Pearl academy.
Today, the duo’s homegrown brand offers a range of products including lingerie, nightwear, beachwear, swimwear, loungewear, masks and other accessories, priced between Rs 650 and Rs 5,000.
Targeting working women between 18 and 35 years, the startup ramped up social media marketing and Google ads.
With an initial investment of Rs 2.5 crore from Kolkata-based Rishi Informatics, Erotissch made a record turnover of Rs 1 crore in five months amidst the pandemic. It also introduced a range of masks and has sold over 50,000 masks so far. Some of their peers include Delhi-based NeceSera and Mumbai-based Dandelion.
Initially launched on AJIO in October last year with 280 SKUs, it is now available on Myntra, Amazon, , and . In July 2020, Shoppers Stop onboarded their products, opening doors to the retail market. However, the startup’s ecommerce platform generates the most revenues.
With Aayushi leading the design efforts, the startup has an in-house team of 15 full time employees including eight karigars and outsources work to nearly 50 more karigars.
While the startup has an in-house sampling unit with production capacity, the production is often outsourced depending on the quantity.
The entrepreneurs believe that starting up is synonymous with challenges. “We faced problems at each stage right from translating our concept into reality, sourcing raw material in India, and branding for target audiences. But the experience also gave us the confidence to face different situations regarding design, production, finances, and sales,” Aayuushi says.
Products by Erotissch
COVID-19 and the road ahead
Within a year of operations, COVID-19 struck. The entrepreneurs had to shift base form Noida to their hometown Agra to cut down costs. The most difficult part, they say, was having to let go of several karigars while few shifted with them to produce masks out of waste fabric in the past one year.
As the business gained momentum, they were able to open up job opportunities both in Agra and Noida. Aayuushi says they are bringing more artisans on board as the demand for their products has increased.
“We are looking for a steady trajectory for the next four months by expanding our client base,” she adds.
Moving ahead, the duo plans on launching Eroskin, a personal skincare brand. They are aware of the challenges involved in entrepreneurship, “You learn to put out fires wherever you go and learn to think on your feet, and most of all, you learn to accept change and move with time,” Anushka adds.
Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan