Brothers Dhruv and Udit Toshniwal started the Pant Project in 2020. Initially, the brand was digital-only and offered customers only made-to-order pants. Since then, they have pivoted to omnichannel and expanded their bottomwear offering to include both customized and ready-to-wear items such as chinos, jeans, cargo and shorts. Dhruv, who survived the early days when people didn’t actually wear pants during the peak of the pandemic, believes the sky is the limit from now on. He shares how The Pant Project aims to become a timeless fashion brand through fabric technology and innovation.
Excerpt from the interview…
Please tell us about the insights that led to the creation of your brand and the gap in the market that you yourself have filled.
My brother Udit and I launched The Pants Project in October 2020. We come from a family that has been in the textile manufacturing industry for nearly 50 years, so we understood the product and supply chain. I studied finance at Wharton in the US, Udit studied art in Chicago and fashion in New York and Italy. When I returned to India after spending 6-8 years abroad, I realized that there was a gap in the bottom wear market.
You won’t find really high-quality pants that specifically fit the Indian body shape. So we decided to become pants enthusiasts and started the Pants Project. We started online right after the first wave of Covid-19, which was probably the most difficult time to start a business. Most people were at home and not wearing pants. I got through the initial and most difficult stages and never looked back from there.
Can your typical customer actually measure themselves correctly? What was your process to educate them?
When we first started the business, only about 70% of orders would fit correctly the first time. 30% required rework, which was a painful process. As we get more data about fit, we’re getting better at getting your exact measurements online. Through data, we assess which patterns are most likely to have fit issues for people ordering specific waists, lengths, and other measurements. This allows you to adjust the fit of your garment in a way that is more likely to fit correctly the first time. Currently, approximately 93% of our orders are properly matched the first time.
We educate our customers on how to measure themselves through easy-to-understand size guide videos and quiz questions. There are also offline stores where you can visit and check the fit before ordering. We also solved many fit issues by adding more stretch to the fabric and using a FlexTech waistband with 2 inches of stretch. So even after a slightly heavy meal, the pants will still fit your body.
In theory, the problem with doing customized products is that you can’t scale them. Please tell us a little about The Pant Project’s model and how you were able to scale it up.
For the first three years after our establishment, we only made custom-made pants. Today, we offer both customized and ready-to-wear clothing. We found that we had a customer that required a custom fit. But some customers fit standard sizes and don’t want to personalize or wait 10 days for the pants to arrive. Our business is split almost evenly between made-to-measure and ready-to-wear, which makes us highly scalable. We sell approximately 500 pairs of pants a day.
How have customer perceptions and demands changed in the apparel space? What insights have your brand been able to leverage?
When the brand was launched, made-to-order products were generally associated with formal or smart casual clothing. Customers are now also moving towards casual and athleisure attire. Therefore, we have expanded our product range to include jeans, chinos, cargo, shorts and joggers.
We are seeing a trend towards more comfortable, casual and versatile clothing – bottom wear that is basic but can be paired with a variety of tops items. Approximately 50% of our sales occur in three colors: black, navy, and gray. At the same time, we focus on new styles, textures, cuts and fits. For example, six-pocket cargo pants are perfect for traveling. And jeans is a category that we developed, which is a combination of jeans and chinos. Although it is casual, you can also wear it to work or any occasion.
Sustainability is also becoming increasingly important to Indian customers. The fabric is made from polyester recycled from plastic bottles and BCI (Better Cotton Initiative) certified organic cotton.
How is demand formed in the country’s small cities and towns?
Tier 2 cities contribute almost half of our business, of which 40% comes from tier 2 cities and 60% from tier 1 cities. Basically, I think what customers are looking for is a brand they can trust in fit and fabric, something that is durable, and something they can wear with pride. That’s what we’re aiming for.
The Pant project is a digital native expanding its offline presence. Why was it important to build it and how do you envision future expansion?
In the apparel category, the feel of clothing is important offline. We opened our first store exactly one year ago, in January 2024, and have opened seven stores since then. Our roadmap is to expand our offline store presence to 25-30 stores across various states in the near future.
What have been the most effective advertising and marketing strategies to reach potential customers?
Instagram is a very important channel for us as we often work with influencers. We are a digitally native brand, so we combine advertising with organic content from Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
As we grow, offline events and local community activation will also be important. The Mumbai Marathon is coming up on January 19th and the Hughes Road store happens to be on the marathon route. We have been handing out free water with The Pant Project branding on the morning before the race and plan to do the same on marathon day. We also attended the Mood Indigo Festival at IIT Bombay last month.
How do you envision the future of your company? Do you have any plans to expand into clothing other than pants?
We want to continue to be known for one thing. Just as Nike is known for sneakers, but they sell many other products, we want to be known for our pants, and one day we’ll sell more than that. Probably.
When it comes to apparel, there are many brands for customers to choose from. So it’s our goal to really stand out as experts in one category. I think it’s rare to have that kind of clarity in this world where everyone is trying to do everything.
