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In this edition of ‘The Pathfinders’ series, we speak to Myntra’s select brand partners who were among the top performers of the previous edition of its flagship event, EORS. Emerging Homegrown brands, A.T.U.N, Metro brands and The Indian Garage Co. share their excitement and preparation for the upcoming 16th edition of Myntra’s EORS, which is live from June 11-16.

EORS this year is going to be bigger than its previous versions, comprising the biggest-ever collection of over 14 lakh styles from across 5000+ brands. The 6-day event is set to provide unprecedented offers from fashion, lifestyle, beauty and personal care and home categories, catering to over 50 lakh unique customers across the country. And like every edition, it is not just shoppers but also the brands that are gearing up for the biggest fashion carnival of the country, in style.

In this edition of ‘The Pathfinders’ series, we’re putting the spotlight on three homegrown brands, who emerged as the top performers in the previous EORS in December. In a tete-a-tete, we discussed their journeys, their partnership with Myntra, and how they are gearing up for the upcoming EORS 16.

A.T.U.N: Changing the face of kidswear

Poonam Mehrotra remembers being excited about clothes and styling since childhood. It was after she completed her post-graduation from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) that she delved deep into the world of fashion and garments. After working in a few international retail chains, she decided to take the entrepreneurial plunge with her husband, Nishit Mehrotra who is also a NIFT graduate.

The duo launched their enterprise and started exporting styles to international markets. But after their daughter was born, Poonam and Nishit realised the lack of good quality clothes for kids. “We felt that the clothes available in the Indian market were just not at par with what we would ship overseas,” she said, and that was the starting point behind their kidswear brand A.T.U.N (All Things Uber Nice), launched in 2012. As her daughter grew, so did their collection and their brand. Today, A.T.U.N sells all over the world, especially the US and the Middle East.

Poonam believes that A.T.U.N has defied the norms in kids’ clothing. “We feel that kids do not have to fit into boxes by wearing only T-shirts and shorts, or steer away from whites, or be unable to carry anything fancy. Our collection is different, our price points are very sharp, our design sensibilities are unique, and that’s what people are appreciating,” she revealed. Poonam revealed that the Myntra team has been extremely supportive and they have consistently helped A.T.U.N since the brand was launched on the platform.

A.T.U.N launched on Myntra six years ago, in last year’s EORS it sold over 10,000 kidswear apparel. The brand was also given the Customer Magnet award, for new customer acquisition by Myntra. “I owe a lot to the Myntra team for their constant support, ‘Poonam said. She also revealed that Myntra is constantly in touch with their brand to understand if they are facing any challenges, is receptive to their feedback about any issues that their team is facing, encourages them to deliver the best during special events like EORS and BFF, as it’s a great opportunity to establish a relationship with customers.

As the brand gets ready for yet another blockbuster EORS, Poonam’s expectations are also higher. “After receiving an overwhelming response during the last EORS in December, this time I am expecting over 2X the sales over last year. A lot of work has gone into curating the best collection at affordable prices to attract parents of young children.” she said. This year, EORS is going to be a bonanza for the customers as we have amped up our collection to 1400 styles, she added.

Metro Brands: Mixing legacy with new-age demands

Metro Brands have been touching Indian lives – or feet – since 1955. After years of offline service and over 600 outlets across the country, Metro started its online journey in 2010. Sukhminder Singh Lamba, Head of Marketplace, Omni Business and Operations, Metro Brands Ltd, said that the company believes in adapting their products to their customers’ needs.

“We follow the principle of making our customers happy and delighted with our services; footwear and accessories are just the byproducts of what we offer,” he said. Today, the company enjoys equal demand across all tiers and categories of footwear, mainly because they curate their collections as per the demand from the location. Sukhminder, who has been instrumental in growing Metro’s Marketplace and omni channel business, explained that they have a dominant presence in Tier I and they are expanding in Tier II and III. “The biggest advantage of Myntra’s omni channel presence is that now, our stores can also cater to an online customer sitting in that particular region or part of the city in the shortest time possible,” he added.

As part of its omni-channel integration, Myntra is fast expanding its omni channel network. Today, it has 300+ brands across 3800+ stores to help drive sales for brands on its platform. This also talks about the trust that brands place in Myntra as an enabler to help them reach their target audience and serve them with their fashion and lifestyle needs.

A key enabler to Metro’s online presence is Myntra, with whom they have been associated since 2014. Sukhminder revealed that they have received immense support and freedom to express themselves as a brand. “We set internal targets at Metro and have been overachieving our numbers year after year. In each EORS, we have seen a 2X growth and it has become a common trend on Myntra. We are able to offer a much better selection and can plan our business better, keeping our customers at the centre,” he added.

Sukhminder added that they were able to tap Myntra’s omni network and scale its inventory across regions. They could cater to customers’ demands, thanks to the insights that Myntra gives to its brands on the platform across the board. “We have great plans to develop and grow in the athleisure, casual footwear and handbag accessories so you will see more of it in the coming events on Myntra,” he said.

As the category sponsors for the first time for an EORS event, Metro Brands is gearing up to showcase their largest and latest selections, while introducing styles which will go live for the first time on Myntra in both footwear and handbag categories.

The Indian Garage Co.: Giving fashion a new destination

The Indian Garage Co. story began in 2011 after founder Anant Tanted noticed the need for trendy and affordable fashion in the country. Coming from a family that was in the distribution business, Anant understood the fashion space very well. He realised the massive potential of online business and started Indian Garage and Co. “In 2013, we started selling on Myntra. That’s when we increasingly started to realise that India is really a fashion hungry market. Today, we are one of the fastest growing online brands at a run rate of about Rs 250 crore” shared Anant Tanted, Founder, The Indian Garage Co.

“Myntra has been instrumental in getting us to live our dream of offering customers trendy fashion choices. We are able to achieve big numbers in four or five years because of the sheer scale that Myntra has been able to offer,” Anant added.

Like every other partner brand, Myntra encouraged Anant to create new designs to suit the evolving needs of its customers, for a line of blue jacket and bike collection, which happens to be one of their bestsellers till date. Since 2020, the focus has been more towards Gen Z fashion. “With Myntra, the advantage is that the trend spotting happens every month and we are updated about these trends regularly,” he said.

An EORS participant since 2014, The Indian Garage Co. has witnessed phenomenal growth right from the start. The kind of traffic they witness during EORS helps them throughout the year with a new set of acquired customers. “This year, the brand launched a small line of trucker jackets and digitally printed shirts, set to go live in EORS.” Anant said.

“I am excited about their sportswear collection of T-shirts that will be a part of EORS 16, and some very high fashion denim wear.” Anant added. Even as they gear up for the upcoming season, The Indian Garage Co. has big plans for the future. “We’re trying to replicate that same success that we’ve had in the men’s casual wear in the women’s casual space. Very soon the brand is going to be live. We’ve also gotten into footwear along with that. With people getting back to offices, we are also launching formal wear and sportswear. So, we are moving towards becoming a household brand and we are launching our categories with the same degree of focus in scale,” he signs off.