Kaaryah gets funding from Mohan Das Pai

Online non-casual western wear brand, Kaaryah, has got funding from former Infosys board member Mohan Das Pai. The brand which was launched in 2014, was rejected by 113 investors till early this year when founder Nidhi Agarwal managed to convince Ratan Tata about her unique concept. Only in June did she raise some funding. Kaaryah focuses on providing the best possible fit with 18 different sizes.

The idea was born when Agarwal realised a serious lack of sizes in the Indian garment market. One day when she spilled coffee on her shirt while on the way for a meeting, she went out looking for a replacement. But she couldn’t find a perfect fit. Most shirts in branded shops are between 6-11 size. That’s when it struck her that there would be other women facing the same challenges. This realisation led to the birth of Kaaryah. She immediately conducted a survey among 1,500 women and arrived at 18 different sizes which would fit 80-85 per cent women. With the idea rolling she set up her e-commerce website. Most of the products are priced between Rs 1,000-7,000, and recently launched accessories and scarves on its website. It also developed a line of clothing with the Rajasthan government called ‘Rajasthan Heritage Line’. This initiative, she informs, uses handloom fabric for the western silhouette, and gave her an opportunity to work directly with the weavers.

Till now, the return rate of clothes is 3 per cent, as per the company, and 33 per cent of their products are bought by return visitors. With funding problem solved, Agarwal will now make sure that her 50-member team guns towards the same vision.