These sherwanis are still sitting in my cupboard clean, folded, and completely unused.
and I know I’m not alone. India is India and, your wedding is your wedding and you will wear something expensive but OTT that you probably cannot wear again.
Once the selfies are taken and the functions are done we shelve it, and forget it.
And yet,
→ India’s ethnicwear market is already worth over ₹1.6 trillion and growing
→ Most ethnic pieces get worn once or twice, then stored indefinitely
That’s a wasteland of “owned but unused” clothing. What if we could rotate it instead? That’s an inefficient market with massive unlock potential. “Rent the Runway” for India?
Khadi coords, Ajrakh shirts, Kalamkari jackets, Handloom sarees from clusters in Pochampally, Bhagalpur, and Kutch
- rents for ₹799 per month for 2–3 looks
- QR code on every outfit so you can meet the artisan behind it
- Dry-cleaned, delivered, damage-covered, and ready for real life
And when you’re done, it flows to the next person with the story intact.
I think the timing to build this couldn’t be more better. People are thinking sustainable and ethnicwear is beautiful, but impractical. We hoard it, but rarely reuse it.
Fast fashion taught us to want “new” but Gen Z is asking if “new” can also mean good for the environment.
And because the same audience that pays for Spotify, Netflix, and Blinkit is ready to subscribe to something rooted in identity too.
But, people have tried this before in India and it hasn’t worked. Is it because there’s the joy in buying something new for your own wedding? Holding the inventory is a challenge? Or, we won’t return the garments in the right condition?
Globally, Rent the Runway built a $1.5B category around western formalwear. In India, the opportunity is wider and deeper but, it’s not worked out yet.
Is it just not relevant in India or were the predecessors too early?
Let’s discuss :)
PS: throwing back to my Sangeet 7 years ago. Think I can wear this again?
sustainability d2c startup india
This post was originally shared by on Linkedin.