From 0 to 500 crores in 5 years; How Siddharth Dungarwal’s Snitch Became India’s Top Men’s Apparel Brand

When India went into lockdown in 2020, most apparel brands hit pause.

But Siddharth Dungarwal did not.

Stuck at home with cancelled orders and unsold inventory, the Bangalore-based entrepreneur didn’t panic - he pivoted. 

With just 30 designs, a Shopify account, and a four-member team, he launched Snitch, a menswear brand that would soon take the internet and the Indian fashion landscape by storm.

Siddharth didn’t just understand how to make clothes — he understood timing, people, and how to move fast when others froze.

“Snitch wasn’t born out of a trend. It was born out of desperation — and instinct,” said Siddharth Dungarwal. 

Founded in 2019, Snitch today is synonymous with new-age men’s fashion. But its origin stems from a very different business.

Siddharth’s Journey 

Before Snitch was founded, Siddharth spent nearly 8 years in the apparel industry. 

He ran a buying house that worked with other retailers. That meant sourcing and manufacturing clothes that ended up on racks all over India.

It was during this time that he had an eye-opening moment. 

One day, a client brand placed an order with Siddharth’s firm for 20,000 shirts. The shirts were manufactured, delivered, and sold in retail stores. 

Months later, Siddharth happened to see the same shirts on the racks, but with a huge markup. The ₹300 shirt he had manufactured was being sold for ₹1,200 under the client’s brand name.

“That’s when it clicked,” he says. “We were doing all the work, and someone else was getting all the credit and margin.”

That incident stuck with him. It wasn’t just about money. It was about ownership. About building something with his name on it, not just supplying for others.

“I realised that production is a bigger game. Whoever controls production controls pricing, speed, and quality. And if you can pair that with a strong brand, you can build something powerful.”

He also understood the inefficiencies of traditional retail — the delays, the overproduction, the guesswork in designs. 

He knew if he ever launched a brand of his own, it would be built differently. 

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Starting Snitch 

Snitch was launched in 2019 as a B2B enterprise. 

He was supplying stylish menswear to offline retailers who would sell it under their own brand names. It was a behind-the-scenes business, built on the production muscle he’d spent years developing. 

Things were going well, and the future seemed stable.

But everything changed in March 2020. 

India went into lockdown. Stores shut down overnight. Orders were cancelled. Payments got stuck.

And just like that, the entire supply chain he’d built collapsed.

“I lost 100% of my revenue overnight,” Siddharth said. “We were left with stock and no buyers.”

Boxes of unsold inventory sat in his warehouse, with no way to move them. Months of work, investment, and planning - frozen in limbo. For a lot of entrepreneurs, this would have been the end of the road. But for Siddharth, it was the moment something clicked.

He didn’t wait for the economy to recover or for retailers to bounce back. Instead, he asked a bold question: What if we sell this ourselves?

With just 30 SKUs, a Shopify store, and a small team of four, Siddharth launched Snitch as a direct-to-consumer brand in July 2020 — right in the middle of the pandemic.

“We didn’t know anything about D2C or digital marketing. We were just reacting to a crisis with instinct,” he admits. “The goal wasn’t to build a ₹100-crore brand. The goal was survival.”

But that leap, driven by desperation and backed by deep industry knowledge turned out to be the best decision of his life.

Challenges Faced

Launching a new fashion brand is hard in any year, but launching one during a global pandemic? That’s next-level.

Snitch wasn’t just up against typical startup hurdles like a lack of brand recognition or tight cash flow. 

It was reborn as a D2C brand in a time when the world had hit pause — when supply chains were broken, movement was restricted, and no one knew what would happen tomorrow.

“There was zero clarity,” Siddharth recalls. “No funding, no roadmap, no outside support. Just a bunch of stock and a lot of uncertainty.”

With every rupee counting and no margin for error, Siddharth had to make bold decisions and fast. The one thing he could lean on was speed.

“We said, we’re going to launch products in 25 days — from concept to storefront,” he says. “We control the design and the raw materials. Our vendors just cut, stitch, and pack.”

That approach, controlling the creative and raw material side while outsourcing the final leg, gave Snitch an edge. While traditional brands took 3–6 months to launch new collections, Snitch could drop fresh styles in a few weeks.

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About Snitch

Snitch isn’t just another D2C fashion brand — it’s a full-blown style revolution for Indian men who were tired of being an afterthought.

While most legacy brands kept playing it safe with basic fits and muted palettes, Snitch came in loud, experimental, and unapologetically fresh. Think co-ord sets, oversized silhouettes, bright prints, and edgy cuts, all tailored specifically for Indian body types and tastes.

“Most brands make slim-fit shirts that don’t fit Indian bodies,” Siddharth says. “We fixed the silhouette. Our designs are made for Indians, not Europeans.”

That small tweak — designing for the Indian consumer instead of adapting Western patterns — became a game-changer. 

Suddenly, young men who never felt seen by big brands were finding clothes that actually fit, felt good, and made a statement.

But it wasn’t just the style. It was the pace. Snitch launches 35 new styles every single day, over 1,000 fresh looks a month, thanks to its in-house design team and lightning-fast production cycle.

 It’s fashion at the speed of culture.

This breakneck pace allows Snitch to constantly experiment, respond to trends in real time, and stay several steps ahead of the competition.

What Sets Snitch Apart 

At its core, Snitch is more than just a clothing brand — it’s a culture.

From day one, Snitch built itself around three promises:

“We made 3 promises — new styles every day, hassle-free returns & exchanges, and COD available,” Siddharth says. “These weren’t just gimmicks. We meant every word.”

And Snitch doesn’t just launch a few styles here and there they drop over 35 new looks a day, giving customers something fresh to explore literally every morning. This level of responsiveness isn’t easy, but it’s part of what keeps the brand ahead of the curve.

Then there’s the content.

Scroll through Snitch’s Instagram and you’ll see a brand that’s alive. Every reel, caption, and photoshoot feels current, relatable, and made by people who actually get it. That’s because it is.

“Our content team is all under 25. They don’t just post content. They live it,” Siddharth shares.

The team doesn’t just brainstorm content – they are the consumer. They dress the part, understand the references, and move at the speed of Gen Z. From creator collaborations to viral reels, Snitch's social presence isn’t curated; it's lived-in and real.

And behind all the creativity, there’s ruthless discipline. Siddharth and his team obsess over data. 

“We check data every single day. If a product isn’t selling in 10 days, we pull it. No questions, no pride, no overthinking. That’s our rule.”

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Snitch’s Shark Tank Moment

Despite its fast growth and success, Snitch’s journey was far from conventional. 

“I never went on Shark Tank with the expectation that I needed money. I was more interested in seeing if these seasoned investors could understand our business model, our vision,” Siddharth says.

The show’s judges were quick to see the value in what Siddharth had built. Snitch’s journey had already proven that a strong brand, the right timing, and agility could disrupt India’s fashion landscape.

“It was more about getting the credibility from Shark Tank’s platform,” Siddharth explains. “The investment, if any, was secondary.”

And even though the investment pitch didn’t result in a deal, the show had an undeniable impact. Following the episode’s airing, Snitch saw a surge in sales, increased brand visibility, and the confidence to keep scaling.

“You can’t just go by what investors think — you need to believe in yourself first,” Siddharth adds, summing up his approach to both Shark Tank and his business journey.

From 0 to 500 Crores

In just five years, Snitch has gone from a small startup to a ₹100 crore brand, revolutionising how young Indian men shop for fashion. 

After pivoting to a direct-to-consumer model in 2020, Snitch’s revenue skyrocketed. By 2023, it hit ₹100 crore, driven by a mix of fresh designs, cultural relevance, and speed. 

The brand launches 35 new styles every day and uses data to constantly fine-tune its offerings. 

With over 35 stores already and plans to hit 100 by 2025, Snitch is set to grow even faster, aiming for ₹500 crore in revenue. 

Scaling New Heights

Snitch has quickly gone from an online-only brand to a major retail player. 

The brand is already operating over 35 stores and plans to hit 100+ by 2025. The flagship store in Bengaluru, covering a huge 10,000 sq. ft., is a big milestone.

“When we open a store, online sales in that city jump by 3x,” says Siddharth. “It’s not offline vs online. It’s about omnipresence.”

For Siddharth, physical stores are more than just spaces to sell clothes; they’re about building a deeper connection with customers. 

The brand’s retail expansion complements its online presence, making it easy for people to shop Snitch no matter how they prefer to buy.

But Snitch’s growth isn’t stopping at India. The brand is looking to expand internationally, with interest in markets like the Middle East, the US, and UK, driven by the large Indian diaspora.

Siddharth believes the time is right for an Indian brand to go global.

“Zara and Shein aren’t Indian. Why can’t the next big global brand be from here?” he says confidently.

With its unique designs, speedy execution, and customer-first approach, Snitch is on its way to becoming India’s next global fashion brand.

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Looking Ahead

For Siddharth Dungarwal, the journey of Snitch is far from over. 

While the brand has already achieved incredible growth, its focus remains on the long-term vision of building scalable systems, staying creatively restless, and, most importantly, keeping the customer’s attention in an ever-evolving market.

His mindset is grounded in reality, acknowledging that fashion is about more than just the product; it's about connecting with the culture and the community.

“Zara’s not my competition. My customer’s boredom is,” he says with a smile. 

For him, it’s about staying exciting and unpredictable, so customers never get tired of what Snitch has to offer. It’s this hunger to stay relevant that keeps the brand agile and dynamic.

As Snitch looks ahead, it’s clear that Siddharth is not just building a fashion brand — he’s building a movement. 

A movement where every product launch, every store opening, and every Instagram post reinforces the idea that Snitch is more than just a clothing brand; it’s a lifestyle.

Author’s Note: This article is based on Siddharth Dungarwal’s interview on the Think School podcast. Quotes and anecdotes are drawn from that episode.