Until recently, two things could not be seen co-existing in the women’s work-wear sector in India – function with fashion. Sure, women had their share of business suits or trousers but they seemed to be either an extension of menswear or were based on European sizing, which didn’t do justice to their unique body shapes and sizes. As a consultant working in the corporate sector, Ayushi Gudwani was also facing the same issues. Her work demanded her to travel all around the world and also a certain professional way of doing business & dressing up. She was flabbergasted by the lack of variety and sizing options in women’s work-wear in India and was often forced to buy clothes from abroad. It was also surprising because more and more women were joining the workforce and hence, were in need of both comfortable and professional clothing. So, what did these women wear?
Ayushi thought that surely, she wasn’t the only one. Simply out of curiosity, she spoke to a few friends and colleagues. The curiosity turned to longer, serious conversations and she observed that no brand catered exclusively to women’s work-wear. Can you believe that in 2016, no brand solved these very real issues that real women were facing, women who were their target consumers?!
You know how sometimes, an idea keeps gnawing at your brain until you sit up and take notice? How one idea, which seems indifferent, actually makes a big difference in the larger scheme of things? FableStreet was that idea. Ayushi decided that if no one else was going to do anything about these issues, then she would do it herself. FableStreet was born to address these very fit and style issues while delivering international quality, premium work-wear designed for Indian women. We also wanted to minimise the time and effort taken by women to find such styles and initiated delivering straight to their doorsteps.
The vision was simple – that dressing for work should not be work, that shopping for work-wear should be fun and not frustrating, that women needn’t have to choose between style/comfort or run from store to store looking for that one nice outfit. The team measured over 10,000 Indian women (initially) to understand their problems and needs, and came up with the innovative proprietary “Tailored Fit” algorithm that offered true fits by asking for just 3 body measurements from women.
A native of New Delhi, Ayushi 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. When she is not running a business, overseeing operations or having a chat with workmates, she can be found indulging in home-cooked parathas or Thai food, a quick workout session or planning a vacation.
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