Fashion isn’t built for Indian women’s curves and their lives. Most brands design basis global size chart, which is based on western women’s body type, and it fails to account for the beautiful, unique shapes of Indian women. To bridge this very gap FableStreet entered the market in 2016, to cater specifically to Indian women and their special body type. Founder and CEO, Ayushi Gudwani shared:
“When I started FableStreet in 2016, I was clear in my vision – I wanted to build a western wear brand giving best fits for Indian women. This vision came from my troubles of not finding clothes that fit me well. As I dug deep into the problem, I identified that the core reason for this was that all international brands designed clothes keeping European/American women in mind & even Indian brands had not looked at sizing from scratch. As we grew from 0 to 1 and then 1 to 10, my belief in the problem got stronger and stronger as the brand grew and we kept getting more consumer love. It started as an idea to overcome THAT feeling of trying on a dress hoping it would look stunning on you, and then coming out of the trial room frustrated, promising yourself to become a perfect size the next time you shop.”
The Inspiration Behind FableStreet
A native of New Delhi, Gudwani pursued Engineering from NSIT (Delhi) and holds an MBA from IIM Calcutta, from where she graduated as a silver medallist. After that, she joined McKinsey & Co. in 2008 where she spent seven years consulting various organisations on strategy, growth and scale across sectors before venturing out to start FableStreet in 2016.
Understanding the Real Problem: Size vs Fit
Gudwani measured more than 200 women, tried sample garments on them, and discussed their fit issues. This revealed that many Indian women tend to obsess over size rather than fit when it comes to clothes. They are expected to fit into garments rather than have garments to choose from that fit them. It’s like they’re all trying to hide those fit issues with jugaads and hacks, which pushes Indian women to settle for whatever’s available, even if it’s not the best fit for them. Which often means, getting pants altered, side tucks, opening hems from the hips- the list goes on!
The international size charts were another issue which did not cater to the diverse Indian woman body type. Thus, the company worked on finding the ‘right fit’ which meant the holy trinity: the right size, the right shape, and the right length. It’s like finding the magical combination that makes Indian women feel like a million bucks in their outfits! That’s why, FableStreet created the FS Fits Algorithm which is:
Right FIT = Right size + Right Shape + Right Length
A Brand That Empowers Confidence
Thus, focusing on these key aspects, clothes were designed to perfectly fit the Indian body type. The goal of the company is to let you shine and make you feel confident. The vision is that dressing for work should not be work, that shopping for workwear should be fun and not frustrating. Women needn’t have to choose between style/comfort or run from store to store looking for that one nice outfit.
Also Read: Branding vs. Word-of-Mouth: What Really Drives Premium Pricing in Indian Fashion and Jewellery?
