What connects these leaders is a clear sense of accountability… to teams, communities, and the systems they operate within. It informs everyday decisions as much as long-term strategy. From the ecosystems they nurture and the standards they uphold, to how success itself is measured. Their journeys also reflect the changing nature of leadership within the fashion supply chain. Today, influence is no longer defined only by titles or scale, but by the ability to build inclusive teams, drive responsible growth and create long-term value.
Anita Dongre, Chief Creative Officer & Founder, House of Anita Dongre
Nearly four decades ago, the landscape of Indian fashion was either looking westward for silhouettes and validation or rooted in Indian traditional silhouettes. The women were, however, changing the way workplaces looked and felt. Lakhs of women were seeking fashion that understood them in work, life, and celebrations. I built brands for them to feel seen and confident.
AND and Global Desi became the voice of fashion for women in the early 2000s, accessible, premium, and deeply beloved, growing across EBO and LFS formats. As these women advanced through different phases of life into marriage, they sought the same core elements of balance, minimalism, and dynamism crafted in their celebrations too. Thus, my eponymous label Anita Dongre was born, bringing together heritage craft and global styling. Our core has always been a culture of circular design that is humanitarian, ecological, and future facing.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Animal cruelty. The leather industry needs to take a hard look at some of their choices when alternatives can be achieved.
Start: Every practice mindful of the planet. We must replenish what we take and more.
Continue: A dedication to continued innovation.
Ritika Mehra, Co-Founder, Stylox Fashion
My focus at Stylox Fashion has been to move the company from instinct based working to process driven retail management. In the early days, many decisions were taken on experience alone. I worked on building systems where every major step could be measured. We started tracking store wise performance, product sell through, repeat purchase behaviour, and seasonal demand patterns. This helped us reduce slow moving inventory and improve buying accuracy. Over time, our stock rotation improved and stores began operating with better clarity.
I also introduced structured communication between design, production and retail teams. Earlier, feedback from stores used to come late or in fragments. Another important change was strengthening retail discipline. We standardised store operations, visual display guidelines and customer experience practices across locations.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: The practice of overproduction and deep discounting.
Start: Sell-through-driven merchandising, tighter production cycles, and cash-flow discipline.
Continue: Strong retailer and franchise relationships.
Smita Joshi, VP – Home Textiles and Exports, Nesterra, A Sutlej Brand
Over the years at Nesterra, my work has been driven by one clear purpose, to build a premium home textiles brand that stands for quality, clarity, and meaningful design, while remaining deeply relevant to our retail and export partners. Early on, we recognised that the market was cluttered with excessive choices, making it difficult for retailers to curate and merchandise effectively. This insight led us to consciously move towards fewer, more focused collections that are easier to understand, present, and sell. Central to this shift has been our design philosophy of “Featuring You”, where products are not created in isolation, but shaped around the personalities, lifestyles, and spaces they are meant to be part of. By curating collections that reflect individuality and emotion, we enabled retailers to tell clearer design stories rather than manage large, overlapping catalogues. This approach improved assortment clarity, inventory efficiency, and overall retail engagement, while preserving Nesterra’s premium positioning. A key part of my impact has been building deeper, long-term partnerships with retailers and export buyers. Instead of expanding indiscriminately, we focused on meaningful collaborations anchored in consistency across quality, delivery timelines, and execution
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Overloading the market with large, undifferentiated catalogues that overwhelm retailers.
Start: Using digital tools and data for design, planning, and sales.
Continue: Staying uncompromising on quality, fit, and finish, while building trust through consistent delivery.
Shubhika Sharma, Founder & Creative Director, Papa Don’t Preach
Under the Preach It Forward initiative, I lead Papa Don’t Preach with a values-driven vision that places social responsibility at the core of luxury fashion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I launched #CareForKarigars as a critical intervention to support India’s artisan community. The initiative raised ₹27 lakh during the first lockdown and an additional 4 lakh during the second, ensuring direct financial aid reached karigars and their families, including those in remote regions. At a time of extreme uncertainty, 100% of proceeds from select collections were redirected to artisan welfare.
My commitment to inclusivity extends to both social and healthcare initiatives. Thirty percent of proceeds from the Papa Don’t Preach × Alok Menon collaboration were donated to the Aravani Art Project, supporting education and surgical needs for the LGBTQIA+ community. Additionally, 20% of proceeds from select sales were contributed to the Life Wins Foundation towards breast cancer treatment for marginalised women. As a strong advocate for systemic change, I have been a leading voice against the industry’s discriminatory “fat tax,” where bespoke garments above size 12 are often priced 15 to 20% higher.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: One practice that should stop immediately is the Fat tax.
Start: Design schools in India should begin teaching Indian body measurements.
Continue: India-to-the-world story. It’s clear now — from the government to global markets — that it is Indian design, craft, and cultural soft power that is putting India on the global map.
Varija Bajaj, Founder & Creative Director, Office & You (Varija Lifestyles Pvt Ltd)
Idid not set out to become a fashion designer—I set out to solve a problem. Under O&Y, my work has focused on redefining fashion for Indian women—moving it from “borrowed masculinity” to confident, feminine, and functional clothing designed for real Indian bodies and profession.
With Office & You, I pioneered structured yet fluid workwear that integrates figure correction, colour psychology, and comfort—long before these became industry conversations. Our design philosophy has consistently addressed gaps ignored by mainstream fashion: mid-size and plus-size professionals, Indian proportions, long workdays, and multi-role women balancing leadership, family, and self.
From an operational perspective, I built the brand with a deep involvement across design, technical development, sourcing, and retail execution—ensuring quality control, scalability, and brand consistency. Over the years, Office & You has dressed thousands of working women across metros and emerging cities, building strong repeat customer loyalty and communityled growth. Beyond products, my impact extends into mentorship and knowledge-sharing—through workshops, community sessions, and collaborations with NGOs and professional groups — helping women understand how clothing can be a strategic tool for confidence, authority, and selfexpression at work. Today, as the brand expands into new markets including Singapore, my focus remains on creating globally relevant yet culturally rooted workwear.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Stop designing for a narrow and unrealistic body.
Start: Start designing with empathy and data—listening to real consumers, investing in fit innovation, and integrating functionality with aesthetics.
Continue: Continue blending tradition with innovation. India’s strength lies in thoughtful hybridity
Swapnita Singh, Business Head Womenswear (Vice President), Arvind Fashions Limited
I was given the opportunity to build the womenswear business at Arvind by then MD, Shailesh Chaturvedi, at a pivotal moment when the organisation was entering a phase of portfolio consolidation—strengthening core brands, improving capital efficiency, and exiting unviable bets.
In line with this strategy, I was brought in to launch and scale Flying Machine Women and U.S. Polo Assn. Women – both from the ground up. I led the creation of a dedicated womenswear vertical, with end-to-end ownership across design, sourcing, marketing, and sales, anchored in a strong customer-first mindset. The results have been tangible and measurable. The womenswear business has grown at 2x year-on-year, and within three years is on track to close FY26 at a GMV of ₹150 crore, while maintaining healthy profitability.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: The industry’s over-reliance on discounting as a growth lever needs to end.
Start: One practice the industry needs to adopt urgently is far better stock discipline.
Continue: A hands-on approach to product creation and development. While AI and digital tools can offer significant help, they cannot replace the tactile understanding that comes from seeing, feeling, and fitting an actual garment.
Meena Bindra, Founder, BIBA Fashion Ltd
Istarted BIBA in 1988 from my home with an initial investment of ₹8,000, driven by a belief that Indian wear could be both relevant and accessible. At the time, there were no organised branded players in the salwar kameez category. With BIBA, we helped create an entirely new category at scale, offering women a credible and comfortable alternative to sarees, one that combined ease, style, and cultural authenticity.
Innovation has always been rooted in understanding the evolving needs of the Indian woman. We pioneered ready-to-wear ethnic fashion, making contemporary silhouettes accessible while retaining the essence of Indian craftsmanship. Over time, we introduced several category-defining formats, including mix-and-match collections, occasion wear, fusion wear, and dedicated segments such as BIBA Girls. Equally important has been our commitment to building an inclusive ecosystem. Through our design, retail, and manufacturing network, we have created meaningful employment opportunities, with women playing a defining role across leadership, creative, and operational functions.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Build demand-aligned, waste-conscious production.
Start: The industry must invest more consciously in building inclusive and sustainable ecosystems, particularly by creating meaningful opportunities for women across the value chain.
Continue: Ethnic wear is closely linked to identity, celebrations, and personal expression. Brands that remain authentic to these cultural foundations, while adapting to modern lifestyles, will continue to build enduring consumer trust.
Disha Singh, Founder, Sea Turtle Pvt. Limited (Zouk)
Zouk was built with a clear intent: to create a proudly Indian brand in an industry that has largely relied on imported or export-first products for the Indian market. One of our biggest impacts has been building a 100% Made-in-India ecosystem at scale. Today, we support 2,000+ karigars across India, working closely with them to create products that blend craft, functionality and modern design. This has helped sustain livelihoods while also bringing Indian craftsmanship into every day, contemporary use.
From a product standpoint, we’ve focused strongly on quality and consumer trust. Unlike many brands that follow batch-level quality checks, every single Zouk product is individually quality-checked before it reaches the customer. This has allowed us to maintain consistency, reduce defects and build long-term credibility with Indian consumers.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: The industry needs to stop differentiating product quality based on whether a product is meant for export or the Indian market.
Start: Indian consumers have unique needs, usage patterns and expectations. Products cannot be created using a cutand-paste approach from international markets.
Continue: Growing adoption of homegrown, India-first brands.
Khushboo Ahuja, Head-Ecommerce (D2C & Marketplace), Spykar Lifestyles Pvt Ltd.
When I joined Spykar 2.5 years ago, I started with the Underjeans category. Within the first year, I scaled the business 4x, primarily by strengthening assortment planning, improving operational efficiency, and driving better channel execution.
Based on this performance, I was given the responsibility to handle the D2C business. Year on year, we delivered consistent improvement across key metrics such as revenue growth, conversions, and overall operational discipline, helping build a more stable and scalable D2C channel.
In the following year, I was entrusted with a larger mandate—managing Women’s Wear along with the marketplace business for Spykar. Along with my team, we have grown these verticals steadily, improved execution across platforms, and strengthened the overall business fundamentals. Across these roles, a common theme has been earning expanded responsibility through delivery.
Each opportunity came from demonstrating the ability to scale businesses, manage complexity, and build high-performing teams. The last few years have been focused on growth, ownership, and execution at scale. There is still significant potential to unlock, and the next phase will reflect deeper category building, stronger channel performance, and sustained growth
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Discounting must come to an end.
Start: Replenishments for top performing SKUs.
Continue: Strong fundamentals in operations and inventory discipline.
Rema Sivaram, Co-founder, Fairkonnect
Fairkonnect is a Fair Trade certified organisation based in Bangalore, dedicated to bridging the gap between marginalised urban communities and the global sustainable market. As Creative Director, I lead our mission of social elevation and environmental stewardship, overseeing everything from supply chain integrity to direct impact tracking.
In Bengaluru, where 17% of urban households reside in slums, women face the steepest barriers to education and opportunity. Our flagship initiative, Project Hennu, transforms these challenges into livelihoods. We provide comprehensive sewing training and guaranteed employment, ensuring fair wages that empower women to reclaim their independence. We track every metric of success—from the number of women trained to long-term employment retention. For those unable to commute, we offer a home-based model where women upcycle fabric scraps into accessories like scrunchies. To ensure total transparency, we are implementing QR-code technology on our products, allowing customers to see exactly who crafted their garment, fostering a direct connection between the maker and the wearer.
The fashion industry’s massive carbon and water footprints are primary drivers of climate change. Fairkonnect counters this by utilising only organic, naturally dyed, and sustainable textiles. By partnering with artisans across India, we provide a modern market for traditional crafts while significantly reducing the chemical and environmental impact of production.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Unnecessary packaging.
Start: Giving a score to the garment on the basis of carbon footprint.
Continue: Tags specifying the kind of fabrics used
Chandini A, Co-Founder, Hemp Hoppers
Hemp Hoppers has been about rethinking what “basics” should feel like on the skin, in daily life, and in how they’re made. The category has long prioritised low-cost synthetics and chemically treated cotton, often at the expense of skin health, comfort, and environmental responsibility. Our impact lies in introducing hemp as a core, skin-facing fabric in the inner wear category and proving that comfort, sustainability, and commercial viability can coexist.
We challenged this category by investing deeply in material research, fabric trials, and fit iterations, especially for Indian weather and real-life movement. Hemp’s natural breathability, anti-odour properties, and skin-friendliness allowed us to design inner wear that supports the body quietly without digging elastics, harsh finishes, or chemical-heavy treatments. We engineer customised hemp blends and thoughtfully designed elastic trims, using recycled PET bottle waste, to ensure products feel light on the skin without leaving marks, while remaining planetfriendly. On the supply side, we built a lean and conscious production ecosystem, working closely with Indian knitters and manufacturing partners to reduce sampling waste, improve fabric longevity, and prioritise quality over fast-fashion timelines.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Greenwashing sustainability through vague claims.
Start: Designing from the skin outward prioritising fabric behaviour, breathability, and comfort in real conditions, not just visual appeal.
Continue: Listening closely to real consumer problems and designing from lived experience.
Nisha Khatri, Head, Marketing, Libas
When I joined Libas a couple of years ago, the ambition wasn’t just to increase visibility, it was to build a distinct brand identity that drove measurable business results. We moved marketing from disconnected campaigns to a unified system where brand, performance, retail, and community worked as a single growth engine.
One of the most tangible outcomes of this shift was in brand-led activations and flagship campaigns. For example, our Purple Days sale drove 130% yearon-year sales growth, delivered up to 100× footfall in key stores, and amplified conversions five times over typical sale periods. The Kiara Advani launch campaign triggered a 60% jump in brand searches, 3× social engagement, and a 25% uplift in online conversions during that month—clear evidence that cultural relevance converts into commercial performance.
We also reimagined store launches and experiential marketing. The flagship Lajpat Nagar opening attracted 7,000+ visitors on day one, with retail sales staying 15% above average post-launch, proving that experiences can meaningfully extend purchase cycles. Behind the scenes, data and personalization became strategic levers. We embraced hyper-personalised communication based on browsing and purchase behaviour, not just demographics, and integrated predictive analytics for smarter media planning, an approach that deepened loyalty and boosted repeat purchase probabilities.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Treating scale as a substitute for identity.
Start: Building identity-first marketing before scaling.
Continue: Using data to humanise, not mechanise, marketing.
Sheetal Kapoor, Co – Founder & JMD, SHR Lifestyles Pvt. Ltd.
As Co-Founder of SHREE, my core conviction is: Brand ek din mein nahi banta bharosa saalon mein banta hai. (Brand is not built in a day, it takes years to build trust).
Even when tempted by rapid expansion, we chose to build buyer trust—prioritising fabric quality, fit, and affordable pricing over scaling up quickly. This allowed for sustainable growth to 124+ stores across the country, with a robust presence in Tier 2 & 3 cities, where genuine aspiration exists.
I helped establish a product development culture that focuses on meeting customer needs. Our team created fabrics that match India’s climate and its people’s daily needs, which we use to produce durable clothing items. Our business model combines traditional elements with modern fashion trends to provide shopping options for three family generations who want to buy from the same brand. We expanded our size options to include XS through XXXL sizes while maintaining our vital fit blocks, which serve as our main distinguishing feature, to deliver equal value to customers who shop online and in-store.
These strategies have helped create loyal customers, driving repeat business and faster break-even points for new stores. But beyond business metrics, my legacy is in creating a values-driven, honest, respectful, and empathetic organization in a trend-driven industry
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: We need to stop running behind constant discounts and fast growth.
Start: Start listening carefully to women. Better fits, comfortable fabrics, and fair pricing matter more than fast-changing trends.
Continue: We must continue building strong relationships with customers.
Nisha Pikle, Strategic Retail and Brand Leader
With over 25 years of industry experience, my career has been defined by a passion for retail evolution and a track record of scaling iconic brands. My career features extensive experience across the entire retail spectrum: offline, online, and marketplace brand businesses. I possess validated expertise in product and market understanding, consistently translating insights into significant business growth.
I hold a strong track record of driving success in large-format retail with groups like the Tatas and Aditya Birla Group, successfully leading a global brand with the Bestseller Group across three key global markets, and most recently, heading the own brands fashion business on one of India’s leading digital platforms.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: The new trend of quick commerce is growing fast. However, it brings high operating costs, complicated logistics, and very low profit margins that brands and retailers have to manage carefully.
Start: Consumers today have many delivery options and are used to fast service. They could be offered different pricing based on delivery time.
Continue: Dark stores help speed up deliveries, and the use of e-bikes makes the process more environmentally friendly. There is also room to explore other ecofriendly options like these, which can help consumers make more responsible choices.
Neha Kant, Founder, Clovia
When we started Clovia, I did not come from a fashion background, and that shaped the way I looked at the entire category. I approached lingerie with curiosity rather than assumptions, and with a problemsolving mindset. Very early, we realised how underserved Indian women were. Most retailers offered only a few sizes, and manufacturers treated limited standard fits as suitable for everyone. We spent a long time simply listening to women, understanding their discomfort with sizing, the lack of choice, and the hesitation they felt about discussing lingerie openly. Those conversations shaped everything from our product design to technology and supply chain. The brand has grown by staying close to real consumer needs, and every stage of Clovia’s evolution has been guided by what women truly wanted rather than what the market traditionally offered.
Today, Clovia offers thousands of options across lingerie and sleepwear in 50-plus sizes tailored for 9 body types. Through a feedback-led design approach and tools like the Clovia Curve Fit Test, we reach women across more than 2,500 cities and continue to make lingerie shopping more inclusive and accessible
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Designing for unrealistic body types and prioritising aesthetics over comfort.
Start: Start leading with education and transparent problem-solving, replacing screen-focused selling with a cheerful, hands-on environment that prioritises customer guidance.
Continue: Investing in innovation fabrics, silhouette construction and technology.
Prof. Dr. Noopur Anand, Dean (Academics), NIFT, Delhi
With close to three decades as an educator, researcher, and academic leader, my impact lies at the intersection of education, innovation, and industry transformation. Over the years, I have taught and mentored thousands of students, many of whom are now professionals, entrepreneurs, and leaders across the fashion, textile, and retail ecosystem in India and abroad.
I am currently involved in steering large-scale academic reforms, curriculum revision, and national-level initiatives that influence over 19 NIFT campuses and thousands of students annually. One of my most significant contributions to the industry has been supporting India’s first comprehensive, scientific body sizing initiative since Independence. Through INDIAsize, a pan-India anthropometric survey covering over 26,000 individuals, we addressed the long-standing absence of a nationally representative sizing database. This led to the creation of 27 scientifically validated Indian size charts.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Race-to-the-bottom practices that prioritise speed and volume over responsibility.
Start: The industry should urgently adopt data-enabled, demand-led production models.
Continue: The industry should strengthen its shift toward higher value-added products.
Drishti Modi, Founder & CEO, Lafaani
At Lafaani, my work has been about questioning how fashion is made- and rebuilding those systems with care. The brand was born from a deep engagement with sustainability, indigenous knowledge systems, and craft communities across India, and today operates as a circular, design-led label rooted in people and planet.
We work primarily with rain-fed indigenous fibres such as Kala Cotton, which requires over 100x less water than conventional cotton. Our textiles are handspun and handwoven, resulting in approximately 93% lower manufacturing emissions compared to mechanised cotton production. Through natural dyeing methods like eco-printing and one-litre pipe dyeing, we significantly reduce water use while diverting waste- reusing over 3.5 kg of temple flower waste for every 100 metres of fabric produced.
Equally central is our social impact. Lafaani supports livelihoods for over 35 women across the supply chain, with women comprising 80% of our workforce and 60% of our textiles sourced from women-led organisations. Artisan wages account for roughly 31% of the final garment price, supported by fair and living wages, structured year-on-year increases, annual bonuses, and flexible work-from-home models. Our made-to-order and small-batch app
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: The industry must stop extractive, speed-driven production.
Start: Made-to-order, small-batch production rooted in indigenous materials.
Continue: Hand spinning, handloom weaving, embroidery, and collaborative design must be protected.
Aanchal Saini, CEO, Flyrobe
Over the last decade, I have worked to build rental fashion as a credible and scalable category in India through Flyrobe. When we started, occasion wear was largely purchase-driven, expensive, and used only once. We introduced an access-based model that made premium designer fashion affordable, convenient, and sustainable for Indian consumers.
Today, Flyrobe services customers across 35+ cities online and operates 20+ physical stores in 13 cities, with continued expansion underway. Our platform enables thousands of users each month to rent bridal, groom, and weddingguest outfits at a fraction of retail cost, while significantly extending the lifecycle of garments and reducing fashion waste.
Beyond customer impact, we have built a franchise-led retail and customer-to-customer inventory ecosystem that improves capital efficiency, increases utilisation of existing wardrobes, and creates new income opportunities for partners. We have also driven behavioural change, normalising rental for weddings and celebrations in a market traditionally rooted in ownership. As a result, Flyrobe is not just a business but a category creator, shaping how India experiences occasion fashion
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: The fashion industry must move away from overproduction driven by seasonal trends and deep discounting.
Start: The industry must adopt access-based and circular consumption models such as rental, resale, refurbishment, and shared inventory ecosystems.
Continue: Preserving Indian craftsmanship, heritage textiles, and the tradition of wearing rich cultural attire
Soumya Kalluri, Founder, dwij
dwij is a Mumbai-based social enterprise, and the name means “second life” in Sanskrit. We rescue post-consumer jeans that would otherwise end up in landfills or be incinerated, and transform them into utility accessories such as bags, totes, handmade toys, handmade jewellery, and hand-embroidered home décor. Our jewellery, toys, and home décor products are largely handcrafted. We have an in-house manufacturing setup in Mumbai and also produce our handmade products through a network of women from self-help groups who need additional income to support their families. We are certified as Upcycled Textile Manufacturers by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.
Along with our existing collections of handmade toys, embroidered home décor, and utility accessories, this year we are planning to launch new collections featuring Kutch embroidery, new styles of Kantha embroidery, and Khesh fabric from West Bengal, with the aim of generating income for people living in urban slums. As per J-PAL’s audit, in the year 2024–25, dwij collectively avoided 30,353 kg of CO₂-equivalent emissions that would have occurred from the use of virgin materials in the production of bags and accessories, through the upcycling of textile waste.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Viewing fabric cut-outs or slight variations in fabrics as waste.
Start: Creating an ecosystem where stakeholders can utilise each other’s so-called waste resources.
Continue: The informal ecosystem that already recycles and upcycles most so-called ‘waste resources.
Ayushi Gudwani, Founder & CEO, FS Life (Fable Street | Pink Fort)
I founded Fable Street to solve a long-ignored problem: the lack of well- fitted Western wear designed specifically for Indian women. We pioneered a proprietary, R&D-backed Tailored Fit algorithm that delivers a nearcustom fit using just three body measurements. In the early days of the brand, I personally measured over 200 Indian women, laying the foundation for a sizing intelligence platform that today holds data from over one million women, making it one of the largest proprietary databases of Indian female body measurements in the country.
Launched in 2016 as a digital-first brand, Fable Street has since scaled into a strong omnichannel presence across our own D2C platform, leading marketplaces, and physical retail. We opened our first offline store in 2019 and continue to expand our brick-and-mortar footprint across key Indian cities. What began as a focused solution for workwear has grown into a full Western wear wardrobe, serving women across occasions, ages, and lifestyles.
Building on this foundation, I also launched Pink Fort, a modern Indian wear brand that brings the same consumer-first, fit-led philosophy to contemporary ethnic wear. Today, Fable Street and Pink Fort combined are ₹200 Cr brands in a short span of time and are poised to cross ₹500+ Cr in the next two years.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: The fashion industry must stop blindly importing Western size charts and patterns for Indian consumers.
Start: Brands should invest in original research on Indian body types, lifestyles, and climate needs.
Continue: The industry should continue leveraging omnichannel retail.
Tejasvi Madan, Founder, BeyondBound
BeyondBound was created to challenge how women are seen in fitness. As the founder, I launched the brand as an inclusive Indian activewear label that prioritises strength, dignity, and representation over unrealistic body standards. As part of this journey, BeyondBound has showcased women across life stages and identities—including pregnant women, plus-size athletes, a member of the dwarf community, and members of the trans community— through its campaigns.
The brand has also hosted inclusive try-on events to create safe, judgement-free spaces where women can experience activewear comfortably, and set up a stall at Sheru Classic IHFF, one of India’s largest fitness platforms, bringing a women-led activewear voice into a largely male-dominated bodybuilding environment. Alongside this, BeyondBound has built a digital community focused on breaking stereotypes “with every stitch,” shifting the narrative from shrinking bodies to building strength.
BeyondBound does not use fearbased fitness messaging. We consciously avoid language that promotes insecurity. Instead, we focus on functionality, confidence, and multi-activity versatility — designing pieces suitable for strength training, dance, yoga, cardio, and everyday movement. Internally, we prioritise equal opportunity collaboration and ethical production partnerships, ensuring that empowerment extends beyond the consumer to the ecosystem we build
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: The industry must end token casting and size-washing.
Start: Start building safe physical and digital spaces for women.
Continue: Continue investing in technical performance innovation.
Sudiksha Jain, Co-Founder, Necesera
Impact, for Necesera, has always meant improving how a woman feels in her everyday life. From the beginning, the brand set out to create what we call the “Sunday feeling” — the ease of owning your day without overthinking what you’re wearing. Not adjusting your clothes in a meeting. Not feeling restricted while travelling. Not compromising comfort to look polished. Just being present and confident. This feeling was not built through trends. It was built through disciplined decisions — refining fits until they truly worked, reworking fabrics that did not hold up over time, investing in R&D instead of chasing what was already selling, and speaking directly to customers to understand real lifestyle needs.
By building vertical integration early, Necesera maintained close control over fabric development, finishing, and quality standards. This allowed continuous improvement and thoughtful production, while also making conscious efforts to reduce environmental impact. The harder trade-offs were deliberate not copying existing designs, not participating in aggressive discount cycles, and not building for short-term spikes.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: The race to the bottom on pricing and short-term growth tactics.
Start: Investing deeply in product R&D.
Continue: Vertical integration and supply chain control, wherever possible.
Shehnaz Shariff, CBO, Indian Terrain Fashions Ltd
When I began strengthening the supply chain function at Indian Terrain, the brand was significantly dependent on its sister concern for sourcing and backend operations. While the brand had strong market presence, operational independence was limited. I led the strategic initiative to build a fully empowered, supply chain team — hiring the right talent, developing global vendor networks, instituting structured sourcing processes, and aligning procurement closely with brand positioning and growth plans.
Over time, Indian Terrain evolved from operational dependence to seamless global sourcing capability. The supply chain function became agile, quality-driven, and marginfocused, enabling better product consistency, faster turnaround, and improved cost efficiencies. This shift strengthened Indian Terrain’s competitiveness in a highly dynamic menswear market and gave the brand stronger control over its product narrative. Having established this foundation, I transitioned into leading retail sales across India. My focus shifted to translating brand strategy into retail performance. By creating stronger alignment between sourcing, merchandising, and retail execution, we ensured that Indian Terrain’s collections were not only welldesigned but also effectively sold with confidence and pride.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: End the culture of habitual deep discounting as a growth strategy.
Start: Adopt disciplined demand planning and data-led assortment strategies.
Continue: Maintain strong product quality, clear brand positioning, and retail experience.
Avnika Jain, Founder, Debaans Lifestyle
Ico-founded Debaans with the belief that sustainability should not be a compromise, but an upgrade. Coming from a family background in textiles, I witnessed firsthand the scale of resource wastage and overproduction in the industry. Debaans was created to challenge this norm by offering thoughtfully designed bamboo-based home linen that is both luxurious and responsible.
In under a year of launch, Debaans has successfully introduced bamboo bedsheets, towels, kids’ towels, and sleepwear to the Indian market, helping customers shift from conventional cotton to bamboo—a fabric that uses significantly less water, is biodegradable, and is naturally antibacterial. We have grown through a direct-to-consumer model and marketplaces like Amazon, reaching customers across multiple Indian cities, with consistent repeat purchases driven by product quality and comfort. Beyond products, Debaans focuses on awarenessbuilding. We use our platform to educate consumers on why fabric choice matters for personal wellness and the planet.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Overproduction driven by trend-led fast fashion cycles.
Start: Designing with responsibility at the core – using sustainable materials and realistic production planning.
Continue: Craftsmanship and quality-first manufacturing
Rachna Sarup, Founder and CEO, B77 Techstyles
When we first conceptualised a sustainable brand, people had a limited understanding of its meaning and importance. Sustainability was often dismissed as a buzzword, and changing the way we approach fashion wasn’t a consideration. For me, however, it was a crucial step to take, given the escalating environmental crisis we’re facing.
At B77, our most significant impact has been through innovative fabric and technology integration, aimed at minimizing waste, returns, and scale. We’ve focused on sourcing materials that are not only natural but also produced using minimal water and chemicals for dyeing and printing. Given that fabrics account for over 50% of our product input, this approach has been crucial. We’ve also leveraged 3D digital tools to reduce sampling waste and invested in developing a deep understanding of sizing to create ideal measurements for each geography, addressing the challenge of fitting. We are currently shipping to New Zeland and USA and working at larger global positioning.
We’ve taken our commitment to sustainability to the next level by implementing a Digital Product Passport (DPP) for each product SKU on our website, sharing the complete journey and carbon footprint calculation.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Wastage and lack of respect and compensation the Hands that Make .
Start: Traceability and honesty with consumer on the environment impact and make it easy for consumers to Adapt.
Continue: Value add techniques to encourage labour intensive and well valued products.
Dhanisha Murpana, Creative Director of Saibaba Garments, Cofounder, Dhanisha And Gehna
The greatest impact that I have made at our firm is the project called IMPACT WEAVE. The project is built on simple yet powerful dual purpose: to recycle responsibly and to contribute meaningfully. Through Project impact weave we collect and repurpose fabric waste generated during our production process transforming discarded materials into new purposeful creations. These reimagined pieces reduce textile waste, minimize our carbon foot print and embody the beauty of mindful craftsmanship.
But the impact does not end there. A portion of the proceeds is donated to our partner NGOS supporting causes close to our hearts from empowering women and children to environmental restoration and community welfare.
We have also started our Worker Welfare Fund. Through the funds we provide financial assistance and emergency support to our workers and their families ensuring their wellbeing, dignity and stability.
Our environmental impact is clear and measurable. Today, 100% of our production uses recycled or repurposed materials. We have diverted over 500 kg of fabric waste from landfills, helping reduce the burden on the environment. By choosing recycled fabrics, we have saved an estimated 200,000 litres of water. At the same time, our processes reduce carbon emissions by around 30% compared to conventional garment manufacturing.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Conventional textile dyeing.
Start: Closed loop manufacturing where nothing harmful leaves the factory and nothing valuable is wasted.
Continue: Lean manufacturing focuses on doing it right the first time.
Shubhi Sinha, Brand Head, Ralph Lauren, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail
As a leader, my focus has been on building relevance for a global luxury brand in a fast-evolving market like India, not just expanding the business, but strengthening what the brand stands for. Working with a heritage global brand means protecting its timeless identity while making it feel natural and contemporary for the Indian consumer. Over the past few years, I’ve worked closely with both local and global teams to ensure that product, retail experience, and storytelling reflect how luxury is being discovered and lived in India today— more lifestyle-led, more digital-first, and more confident in its individuality. A big part of the change has been shifting our mindset from growth through presence to growth through desirability and customer connection. That meant building stronger alignment across merchandising, retail, and digital, while creating an operating rhythm that is faster, more collaborative, and deeply customer-focused.
This approach has helped the business grow consistently, expand its customer base significantly, and strengthen its position within premium retail ecosystems in India. More importantly, it has helped build teams that think like brand custodians, not just business operators. Because in luxury, scale builds a business, but relevance builds a legacy.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Treating expansion as the primary growth strategy in premium fashion. Distribution without distinctiveness weakens brands over time.
Start: Giving markets like India a stronger strategic voice in global brand decisions, grounded in local consumer insight.
Continue: Investing in brand storytelling and physical retail experiences.
Chandni Batra, Founder, A BLUNT STORY
Iam the founder of A BLUNT STORY, a company working to replace crude oil–based materials in footwear with scalable, bio-based and waste- based alternatives. My work focuses on two of the country’s largest yet underused waste streams: agricultural residues and post-consumer textiles. Using a systems approach built on material accountability, we’ve developed our proprietary material innovations — UNCRUDE®, a plant-based, plasticfree sole material made with agricultural byproducts, and UNWASTE™, a cushioning material created entirely from post-consumer garment waste. Both materials offer measurable carbon reductions and are designed to be recyclable, helping bring circular and regenerative practices into a sector that is hard to decarbonise.
My work is guided by a larger goal: to rethink how material systems are built, who they benefit, and what impact they leave behind. I strongly believe in inclusive innovation that promotes clean chemistry for makers, wearers, and the planet, while also creating value from waste and supporting a fair transition across supply chains.
By rethinking material systems from the ground up, we aim to help build a future where accountability is part of every material we use.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: The ‘sustainability as capsule’ mentality. The industry should stop treating impact as a limited-run marketing exercise.
Start: Mandating material transparency from sourcing to consumer.
Continue: Collaborating across functions to embed sustainable practices throughout design, manufacturing, R&D and sourcing.
Shailina Parti, COO, Westside
When I joined Westside, a 25-year-old legacy apparel and lifestyle retail company, the brand had strong equity and a loyal customer base. However, the task ahead was clear: to elevate the product offering and make it more relevant to a younger, more trend-driven consumer, without losing the essence of what had made the company successful in the first place.
From the outset, my focus was on understanding the changing expectations of today’s customers in India, particularly Gen Z, and translating global fashion and lifestyle trends into products that felt contemporary, authentic, and accessible. This led to the rapid growth of Gen Z–focused brands within Westside, which are now the fastest-growing brands in the company, delivering consistent year-on-year growth of over 20%. Built with a sharp eye on global trends and cultural relevance, these brands have connected strongly with younger audiences and brought fresh energy to the overall portfolio.
At the same time, a key part of my role was to reimagine the legacy brands. With India’s growing need for premiumisation, we set out to thoughtfully modernise them with an international perspective.
The portfolio of over 300 stores also needed a contemporary look and feel, with airy, light-filled spaces that offered natural light and openness, along with a marketing language that told a strong fashion story and connected with modern India. Alongside this, we focused on building the e-commerce business and scaling reach through digitally native platforms. Creating the right culture was critical, and empowering a female workforce with confidence to deliver was a key focus. Today, the Trent head office workforce comprises 60% women, up from just 35% three years ago.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: All male boards shouldn’t be permitted.
Start: There should be a mandate for all to be trained and pushed to use AI to enhance innovation and speed within all businesses.
Continue: Face to face regular meetings in person to keep the human connect in business and not a sanitised online connect.
Rathna Nagaraj, CEO, Birdy Exports
With 27 years in the apparel industry, I have grown from receptionist to CEO, leading across merchandising, marketing, quality, and operations. An early entrepreneurial venture—though unsuccessful—shaped my resilience and strengthened my leadership approach. My years in quality leadership built deep expertise in compliance, systems, and product excellence. Today, I lead with a holistic view of the value chain, focused on operational excellence, people development, and sustainable growth. Working closely with French leadership and continuously upgrading my skills and education has further shaped my global perspective.
Stop–Start–Continue Playbook
Stop: Overproduction and last-minute changes that create waste.
Start: Building long-term, transparent supply chain partnerships.
Continue: Advancing ethical manufacturing, safety, and innovation.
