IIM Calcutta grad makes trendy clothes from hemp, clocks ₹2.5 Cr/year

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, While others were experimenting with different food trends such as dalgona coffee and trying different exercise techniques, the Bangalore-based corporate employee turned entrepreneur Salendra Gupta was figuring out a unique business idea in the fashion industry. 

He observed that people were becoming more conscious about their habits for better health and immunity. However, nobody was talking about wearing sustainable and eco-friendly clothes for the betterment of the environment, even though the textile industry is the second largest pollutant of the environment. 

After thorough research as to what fabric to use and all about sustainable and eco-friendly fashion, Salendra Gupta, 35, launched the Ecentric fashion brand in 2020 during the pandemic based in Bangalore. 

Ecentric is a sustainable and affordable fashion brand that sells products for Men and Women across categories, such as lounge pants, yoga wear, co-ord,  and 100 SKUs made of hemp fabric.

From employee to entrepreneur: 

The founder of Ecentric, Salendra, initially worked as a Telecom engineer at Ericsson post Engineering. He then did an internship with an e-commerce company during his MBA from IIM Calcutta, then joined Godrej Properties in their land acquisition/investment team. He was drawing a Rs. 30 lakh salary and living a decent and comfortable life.  

However, hailing from a business family where his father is into the diamond business, he always had that entrepreneurial spirit. 

When he got the idea of a sustainable fashion brand during the pandemic, he eventually left the comfort of corporate life. He took the leap of faith within three months of launching his sustainable and affordable fashion brand- Ecentric.

Salendra said, “Leaving the corporate life behind was easy for me because I have always wanted to start my own business. I was truly passionate about the idea of starting my sustainable and affordable fashion brand,” during an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia.

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Launching the Ecentric fashion brand:  

With an initial investment of Rs. 10 lakhs, the Bangalore-based entrepreneur launched his fashion brand Ecentric with about 30 SKUs.

While he outsourced the manufacturing part of his wide range of products, Salendra, in the meantime, set up the website and launched the Ecentric products on e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, etc. 

Cut to four years, the brand currently has 100 SKUs for men and women across categories such as lounge pants, yoga wear and co-ord. Since Ecentric’s products are affordable and sustainable, it received traction from customers online quickly. 

Talking about the affordability of Ecentric products, the founder explained that while consumers will find cotton and linen shirts for Rs. 2000-2500, Ecentric’s hemp fabric-made eco-friendly shirts start from just Rs. 1500.

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How Ecentric brand is eco-friendly: 

All the products of Ecentric brand are made of hemp, which is one of the most sustainable fabrics. Hemp contains as negligible THC as (<0.3%), which makes it non-psychoactive. Hemp plants require less water and no pesticides, rejuvenate the soil, and are legal for cultivation in India. 

Apart from using the most eco-friendly fabric, the sustainable brand follows many other practices that make it an eco-friendly fashion brand.

For instance,  instead of using plastic, the brand uses paper-based packaging for products, labels, and tags, replacing plastic. It also uses coconut shell buttons for shirts. 

The Bangalore-based sustainable fashion brand donates the fabric leftovers (called katran) to NGOs that create new products from the waste, supporting livelihood initiatives.

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Sales of Ecentric fashion brand: 

The Bangalore-based eco-friendly and sustainable fashion brand receives most of its sales from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Which the founder of Ecentric believes contributes to more than 50% of the over all sales of the brand. 

Ecentric's highest sales come from Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Chennai. Their customers are 70% male and 30% female, mostly between 35-45 years old. Also, 70% of their sales happen through their own website.

The founder of Ecentric said, “This age group consumers have more disposable income. They look for elegant and simple clothes, which are lightweight and comfortable. Since we have such apparel that makes them look simple and elegant, this age group contributes to most of our sales,” in the interview of Startup Pedia. 

Funding and revenue of Ecentric fashion brand: 

While the Bangalore-based sustainable and eco-friendly fashion brand’s launch was bootstrapped, it raised Rs. 85 lakh from one of its consumers and family and friends at a valuation of Rs. 8.5 crore.

In FY22, the brand clocked Rs. 1.2 crore in revenue, which increased to Rs. 2.8 crore in FY23. However, in FY24, the revenue dropped to Rs. 2.5 crore due to some challenges. Despite this, they became EBITDA positive since the beginning of this year and continue to remain EBITDA positive.

While talking about projected revenue, the founder said, “In the last four years, the brand has made Rs. 9-10 crore in total revenue so far. However, it became profitable the last year. We are aiming to achieve Rs. 100 crore ARR within the next 3 to 4 years (by 2027-28),” during the Startup Pedia interview.

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The plan ahead: 

Talking about how the brand will achieve the projected revenue, the founder of Ecentric explained that it is setting up its own manufacturing unit in Surat, which will help them expedite the entire process. 

Moreover, it will also launch more SKUs across different sustainable fabrics. 

The Bangalore-based sustainable and eco-friendly fashion brand is also exploring partnerships in Dubai and the US market to make its presence there.

“Interestingly, we are the largest player in the hemp fabric apparel sector in the country. While the market is still growing, our position allows us to understand and anticipate market trends. The knowledge we have accumulated will fuel our future growth,” signed off Salendra Gupta, founder of Ecentric, at the end of the Startup Pedia Interview.