DTC Wedding wear brand Lashkaraa aims at Global Indian Millennials for their business growth

COVID-19 has had a catastrophic impact on businesses worldwide. However, one brand has taken this opportunity to identify the trends as well as insights along with the key drivers behind these recent market changes specifically catering to the growing Global Indian Millennials.

They realized that the pandemic has also spurred the adoption of online retailing in the world. This has led the young entrepreneur-driven Lashkaraa, an operationally ‘Make In India’ product, with the US established roots, to carve an unparalleled niche in the large market of Indianethnic wear shoppers abroad. Especially those Indians missing their country,who are searching for their ‘Mitti ki Khushboo (fragrance of their soil)’ in the rich heritage, centuries-old traditions, and cultural attire.

Ms. Sumeer Kaur, Founder/Director Lashkaraa Inc. states, “It is difficult for NRI brides whether in NY,Chicago, SF, Atlanta, San Jose, LA, Toronto, Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, Dubai,Qatar, Abu Dhabi, etc.to get their hands on well-priced and custom-designed traditional wear as they could not travel last year.Long-distance shopping done by relatives in India left brides and bridesmaids feeling frustrated.

We saw the demand and aggressively expanded this 6-year young company to cater to modern-style-savvy GlobalIndian Millennial Brides. It was pure economics that made me choose the wayforward. We have enriched our user experience by providing increased variety and have empowered them with an unmatched ability to custom design their wedding outfits from the comfort of their home! We have given the ease of selection and focused on customization with quality, keeping in mind the pricing.” Lashkaraa Largest consumer base is Indians in the United States, Canada, the UK, and, theMiddle East. When it’s time for wedding shopping, the bride/groom and/or their families usually visit India to complete shopping for the wedding trousseau.

The biggest change was that, due to the lockdowns, couples came online to complete their shopping. This led to an increase in custom wedding orders. More And more couples are opting for their wedding outfits online and why not? The Story of how Lashkaraa Inc. began is no less than a movie script. The thought came to Ms. Kaur during a phase of depression in her life. Her parents had separated, as her father left with basically nothing for her mother and she could not work due to health issues– leaving the financial responsibility on Someone's shoulders at the young age of 18.

Driven by her passion for clothing and while holding on to a job at her uncle’s restaurant, she began Lashkaraa so that she could earn a few hundred extra bucks a month while fueling her passion. She then began the business with merely $1200 that she had saved up working. Lashkaraa Markets itself as an affordable luxury brand that provides discerning consumers in-house, exclusive designs of high quality at affordable pricing with quick, safe deliveries. Thebrand claims that there has been a rapid increase in mix-n-match pieces under custom orders. So, bridesmaid outfits’ customization, a $200 lehenga is being offered with a $60 blouse, so a bridesmaid can later buy many blouses at a lower cost to pair with the existing expensive lehenga. During the COVID lockdowns when others were cost-cutting, and decreasing their teams, the brand did the opposite and doubled their design team. They started working on their in-house lines and also expanding the ranges in kids, men’s, and bridal-wear. Due to these changes, now the brand launches 3-4 new collections every month as compared to 2 every month, pre-pandemic.

Even Before COVID-19, the online Indian wear market was drawing attention with players like Uniqlo introducing their premium-priced kurta collection, and Swedish retailer H&M’s saree collection, both of which are in collaboration with seasoned Indian-wear designers. Experts say about 80-90% of the ethnic wear market in India is still unorganized. Now imagine the same market abroad which is another hurdle the brand wants to overcome in the coming years. Lashkaraa has always believed in the Indian ethnic spirit and is spreading its wings across the globe to promote it. Lashkaraa offers a unique blend of vintage and new-age ceremonial wear and an ever-increasing range from Sarees, SalwarSuits, Anarkali Suits, Punjabi Suits, Churidar Suits, PalazzoStyle, High Slit, Gown Anarkalis, Lehenga Cholis, Kurtis, etc.

They are available in a variety of fabrics like Cotton, Cotton Blend,Silk, Georgette, as well as covering elaborate work including zari, beads, stone-works, thread-works,or other motifs for every need, Lashkaraa.com is set to become one of the most trusted, easy to use and loved online ethnic wear shopping store for South Asian clothes. Ms. Kaur Concludes with confidence, “Investment you ask? Well, Lashkaraa is self-sufficient and growing faster than I had ever imagined. Our aim is to leave a global imprint, to expand the business to its full potential, and be accessible to both, a discerning woman or man in a small town in any part of the world or a fashionista in a fashion capital like NYC, Toronto, Milan, London or Tokyo. They should be able to shop for Indian clothes online in the USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa, Mauritius, UAE, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, India, and any other country. We already have a happy client base across more than 50 countries and will keep increasing our reach.”

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