Flattering Fits Designer Ayushi Gudwani, an IIM Kolkata alumnus, launched FS Life in 2016 with a philosophy of designing clothes that flatter women of all shapes and sizes, thereby making them more confident about their appearance.
By Priya Kapoor
This story appears in the May 2023 issue of Entrepreneur India. Subscribe »
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FS Life, formerly Fablestreet, was launched in 2016 with a philosophy of designing clothes that flatter women of all shapes and sizes, thereby making them more confident about their appearance. A brainchild of Ayushi Gudwani, an IIM Kolkata alumnus, the brand identified a need gap in the market for good fitted garments for Indian women. But it took the brand 1.5 years from concept to going live with the website and first transaction," says Ayushi Gudwani, Founder, FS Life.
But why did FS Life enter the industry as a digital first brand? "It was natural to launch digitally as the D2C was exploding with brands and the uptake was faster. Over the years, online consumption of content has increased many fold. Electronic commerce and retail advances have also evolved dramatically. We have grown from one brand to a house of brands with 3 brands based on the need gap in the market during this time," says Gudwani.
Fact sheet
Year of establishment: 2016
Online platform that results in maximum revenue: www.fablestreet.com
Total funding: $9.72M over 3 rounds
Over the years, the brand has expanded into other categories like evening wear, casual wear and other occasion wear to cater to all apparel needs for the target audience.
"As a brand, we are extremely data driven. All our products are made based on consumer insights. One big example is our LivIn edit. LivIn pants have become the go-to for every woman as it is comfortable, fits perfectly and is a classic pick. Our size charts are designed for Indian women with collating 1 lakh+ measurements of Indian women over the years. Hence, we claim we provide the best fit for Indian women."
The company also runs two other brands- Pink Fort & March jewellery. It uses multiple tools for marketing & operations efficiency like MoEngage, Unicommerce, GoKwik and more, has grown over 10X over the last few years. "This has happened by being agile, on trend, listening to customer input (tracking trends online + deep diving in our own data + talking to consumers). It has a small client base which is international. "We have not yet gone full scale on advertising in other countries or gone offline. We would aim to do that over the next few years," says this Ex-Mckinsey.
Gudwani believes that key drivers to overcome the challenges of building a D2C brand is to know your customers well, identify their needs gaps and being able to provide the right product for them. "Once they are in place, it is about tightening your audience, right communication and also focussing on customer delight," says Gudwani. In FY 2023-24, the brand is eyeing revenues of INR 150-200 crores.
