Influenced by the modern way of living while imbibing the rich culture of our beautiful country, Indian ethnicwear brand Saaki is poised as a fashion exploration for the modern woman of today.
With design aesthetics that are rooted in exquisite Indian sensibilities of craftsmanship juxtaposed with functionality, timelessness and quality at its core, Saaki is updated with a refined modern touch to suit the palette of today’s consumers.
Launched in 2020, and co-created by South Indian actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Former Miss India winner Sushruthi Krishna, Saaki is a D2C fashion brand from the house of ‘Merch Brands’.
“Saaki merchandise has an Indian essence with a contemporary global appeal. We have built this brand for today’s modern women who own up to their identity and the same is reflected in our entire designing process and the corresponding products. We want our customers to feel confident and comfortable in whatever they don from the brand,” Sushruthi Krishna, Founder of Saaki, told Apparel Resources (AR) in an exclusive interview.
After studying Architecture at RV College, Bengaluru, Sushruthi founded her first-ever clothing fashion company, KIS Clothing in Jan 2017, followed by ‘Merch Brands’ which saw Saaki emerge as the first brand to be launched under its umbrella of brands in 2020.
| “Celebrity-led brands give you the added advantage of tapping into wider regional distribution networks that aren’t buying online and also give one the opportunity to reach and engage with a pool of customers that we wouldn’t have been able to interact with as a non-celebrity represented retail brand.” – Sushruthi Krishna, Founder of Saaki |
At Saaki, Sushruthi, who assumes the role of the Founder, handles the day-to-day business and operations of the brand and works out of their HSR office with the team, while her Co-founder, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, poses as the face of the brand while being actively and integrally involved right from the ideation of designs to the shoots and marketing of the products. The team works closely to incorporate her thought process into what the brand aims to build.
REVOLUTIONISING THE D2C FASHION SPACE IN INDIA
In less than two years of launching, Saaki scaled to a revenue boasting of two-digit crore annually, with 70 per cent of revenue coming in organically through its much-loved community. The brand now ships to over 15+ countries internationally and continues to grow rapidly with new category launches and new distribution channels.
Saaki offers a wide range of contemporary ethnic and fusion womenswear clothing featuring a wide array of tops, tunics, kurtis, kurtas, suits sets, jackets, shrugs, dresses, trousers, leggings, skirts, palazzos and sarees. Each segment is priced between Rs. 1,299 – Rs. 5,299.
| In less than two years of launching, Saaki scaled to a revenue boasting of two-digit crore annually, with 70 per cent of revenue coming in organically through its much-loved community. The brand now ships to over 15+ countries internationally and continues to grow rapidly with new category launches and new distribution channels. |
“In a short span of time, we’ve seen many forms of success! Our business metrics are strong with a high customer retention rate, extremely low return rates and we are scaling with a lean inventory model. Beyond that, a key success has been our strong digital community of women on social media, who play a pivotal part in making brand decisions,” Sushruthi pointed out.
“Everything from picking brand colours, to finalising our logo to what kind of styles we make is strongly led by our social media community, who constantly help us in ensuring we bring out the right products for them. Beyond this, our international launch has been great; this launch strengthens our belief that we can build a global brand out of India,” she added.
MANUFACTURING AND SOURCING
Founded in September 2020, the brand has experienced unparalleled growth and has grown to have 20 employees. Though the brand does manufacture a few pieces in-house, the majority of their manufacturing is done through suppliers and contract manufacturers.
In terms of fabrics, the brand mainly works with cotton blends, rayon blends and soft polyester blends with all their fabrics being sourced from different vendors and mills in order to ensure the trendiest and best fabric availability to meet modern-day requirements.
“We source all our fabrics from India; we get our fabrics from Jaipur, Delhi, Surat and Bengaluru, to name a few,” Sushruthi said, adding, “All our stock is stored in our warehouses located in Bengaluru.”
Saaki usually comes out with 1 to 2 styles on a month-on-month basis with the styles being more occasion-focused.
“Our demand for our bestsellers, especially products from ‘Samantha’s Closet’, are high and we end up selling out as soon as we re-stock. We keep replenishing the stock every two months or so,” Sushruthi explained.
Available across pan-India, a considerable portion of buyers of the brand are based out of South India, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai, but it has also recorded a lot of demand from the overseas market. Responding to the same, Saaki now ships its products to over 15+ countries across the world, including the US, UK and Australia to name a few.
SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
Saaki recently joined hands with Relove, a fashion recycling technology platform, to launch the ‘Relove Saaki initiative’ that aims to establish the brand’s commitment towards responsible fashion.
As per statistics, the fashion industry contributes 10 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions and approximately 9 billion clothes are left idle in the closets. Each garment resold can save 6 times its weight in CO2, thus, limiting the environmental impact of fashion.
Via the initiative, consumers are empowered to make thoughtful fashion decisions that allow them to buy and sell their pre-loved Saaki garments, thereby extending the lifecycle of a product.
“As a brand, we are very conscious of the environment and support the green movement and we always look for ways to give back,” Sushruthi said, adding, “We started by incorporating the use of sustainable packaging materials in our orders and with the Relove Saaki initiative, we are taking another step towards being a responsible fashion brand. This initiative is an ideal example of how brands can continue to grow while having a limited impact on the environment through rethinking their business practices and shifting the focus on innovation. We are positive that our consumers will find this addition valuable.”
| “With the Relove Saaki initiative, we are taking another step towards being a responsible fashion brand. This initiative is an ideal example of how brands can continue to grow while having a limited impact on the environment through rethinking their business practices and shifting their focus on innovation,” – Sushruthi Krishna, Founder of Saaki |
Co-Founder of Saaki, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, added, “I have inculcated many sustainable practices in my life and we wanted to translate that in a meaningful way to our customers at Saaki. With Relove Saaki, we are encouraging a responsible way of shopping that will help build sustainable habits among our consumers.”
Saaki consumers can sell and buy products online by following a few simple steps.
In order to make a sale, consumers can login to their Saaki account and view the wardrobe from which they can pick the item or items they want to sell from their purchase history. Post this, they can list the item by entering a few details. Once sold, Saaki sends a shipping label and package to the seller, to ship the product to its new lover (owner).
For consumers who wish to buy a pre-loved Saaki garment, all that they need to do is click the Relove category page on www.saaki.co and select the product they want to Relove (buy). Post this, they can add their desired product(s) to their cart and checkout. The dress will be shipped to the buyer from the seller on the pre-mentioned delivery timelines.
“Technology has the power to change the way we have structured business models in the past. The possibilities have been extended by building circular technologies that are user-friendly and we hope to change the way the world works,” said Prateek Gupta, Founder of Relove, being positive about the association with Saaki.
IN CONVERSATION
AR: What is the scope of celebrity-led fashion brands in India?
Sushruthi Krishna (SK): Ethnicwear and fusionwear is a massive market with close to Rs. 85,000 – 90,000 crore turnover coming from both the organised as well as the unorganised markets. Celebrity-led brands give you the added advantage of tapping into wider regional distribution networks that aren’t buying online and also give one the opportunity to reach and engage with a pool of customers that we wouldn’t have been able to interact with as a non-celebrity represented retail brand.
AR: What, according to you, is driving consumption in fashion categories in the Indian market?
SK: According to me, social media, the increasing influx and presence of global brands in the country and the increase in spending ability, are all major factors driving consumption in India.
We can now see an increase in the number of global brands in both the luxury and fashion space opening their stores in India, or who have started shipping their products directly to India and this has also created ease in shopping.
While we have seen a surge in consumption of western outfits, we have also observed an equal increase in the demand for ethnicwear within India as well as on a global scale.
AR: What is one valuable lesson/skill one must adhere to while launching a successful fashion business in the Indian landscape?
SK: Through my years of experience, the most valuable skill an entrepreneur can develop is the ability to listen and anticipate your customers’ needs and adapt accordingly. I am a firm believer of building a community and keeping an open and transparent line of communication with all our customers.
AR: Please shed light on the growing demand and popularity of ethnic fusionwear amongst the consumers of today.
SK: We’ve seen an increasing demand for contemporary and experimental ethnicwear, like block print pants and suits for women and men sporting jackets with ethnic prints and silhouettes. Although the demand for Indo-western ethnic fashion is a boon for the ethnic fashion industry, the challenge is to remain relevant and keep introducing newer styles with the ever-changing trends.
Currently available for purchase online at www.saaki.co, Saaki is presently focused on offering only apparel. However, in the future, the brand intends to expand its product categories and move into offering a complete wardrobe solution that includes the likes of accessories, skin care products and a few other emerging categories.
