Agility is in our DNA for the ever-evolving fashion landscape: Sathish Kumar

Established in 2015, Brand Studio Lifestyle is a pioneering force in the Indian fashion industry, catering to Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen Alpha consumers with a portfolio that includes some of the country’s most popular brands, such as HighLander, Tokyo Talkies, Ketch, Vishudh, Locomotive, and Hoop. With a robust network of over 400 supply chain partners and cutting-edge warehousing facilities, Brand Studio Lifestyle has achieved remarkable growth, shipping over 80,000 units daily across India. As a trailblazer in the Gen Z fashion space, the brand is known for its affordability and accessibility, available on major online marketplaces like Myntra, Flipkart, and Ajio. Recently, the company has ventured into offline retail, launching 15 stores across India, with plans for 100 more.

In this exclusive interview with Adgully, Sathish Kumar, Chief Creative & Digital Communications Officer and one of the founders of Brand Studio Lifestyle, speaks about the brand’s journey, the strategies that fueled its rapid expansion, plans to create an omnichannel presence, and much more.

Having started your career in fashion design and ventured into entrepreneurship, how have these experiences shaped your leadership style at Brand Studio Lifestyle? Moreover, as a founding member of the company, what has been the most rewarding aspect of your journey with Brand Studio Lifestyle?

I have been fortunate to gain a comprehensive, 360-degree experience throughout my career, covering various aspects of the fashion and apparel industry, including design, manufacturing, marketing, retail planning, e-commerce, supply chain, and strategy. This broad exposure has allowed me to develop a well-rounded perspective, enabling me to approach business situations from a bird’s-eye view and better understand the implications of decisions across the entire value chain. It has also enhanced my ability to assess people effectively, allowing me to guide my team in maintaining a focus on the bigger picture.

The most rewarding aspect of my journey at BSL has been the continuous opportunity for learning and adapting in a dynamic, entrepreneurial organization. Agility has been a key part of our DNA since the beginning, allowing us to respond swiftly to an evolving market environment.

Brand Studio Lifestyle has grown tremendously since its inception in 2015. What were the key strategies and decisions that fueled this rapid expansion, especially in the e-commerce space?

Since our inception in 2015, our growth can be attributed to several key strategies and decisions. Young India has a deep love for fashion, and we have always focused on our end consumer – those who are passionate about style and constantly seeking the latest trends. Understanding our consumer has influenced every aspect of our business.

Over the last decade, we have built a unique, robust, and scalable fashion supply chain, shaped by the cross-functional expertise of our co-founders. This has enabled us to deliver the latest trends from concept to consumer with both cost and time efficiency. All our decisions – whether in design, supply chain management, marketing, or retail – are deeply grounded in data analysis.

We have also cultivated strategic partnerships with leading market players, allowing us to understand their pain points, vision, and business needs, creating mutually beneficial relationships. Our ability to study and experiment within the e-commerce marketplace has provided us with valuable insights into how best to operate in this space. Finally, our flat and lateral decision-making structure keeps us agile, allowing for swift, informed decisions that continue to drive our growth.

As Brand Studio Lifestyle forays into offline retail with a goal of opening 100 stores, how are you planning to balance the e-commerce dominance with offline growth? What marketing strategies will you employ to drive footfall and create brand visibility in physical stores?

E-commerce and offline growth do not need to be mutually exclusive; they are simply different channels for delivering the brand and its promise to consumers through the medium they prefer. As such, these two approaches can complement each other and enhance the overall customer experience. Over the next 3 to 5 years, we expect offline stores to contribute at least 40% of our total business.

Today’s Gen Z customers are digital natives, spending significant time online – whether on social media, shopping, gathering information, or seeking entertainment. It is crucial to reach and engage with them primarily through digital platforms. This forms the foundation of our approach to connecting with customers in the digital space and drawing them into our physical stores. Social media offers a valuable opportunity for brands to have meaningful, two-way conversations with their customers, fostering trust and responsiveness.

Relatable content is a key element of our digital communication strategy, with a focus on conveying trends, value, and accessibility.

With 70% of your revenue currently coming from online marketplaces, what unique strategies are you implementing to further grow your Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) channel, and how do you foresee its contribution evolving in the next few years?

Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) is a key growth channel for BSL, as it strengthens consumer engagement by offering a more immersive brand experience and access to curated merchandise collections. This approach also provides us with valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviour. To fuel growth in our D2C channel, we are concentrating on expanding into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, where there is considerable market potential. Our strategies include implementing strong brand and trend-focused communication and offering exclusive promotions for our website customers.

In the coming years, we expect D2C to play an increasingly important role in our revenue, driven by these focused efforts.

As a pioneer in Gen Z and Millennial fashion in India, how do you ensure that your brands, such as Highlander and Tokyo Talkies, consistently resonate with this rapidly evolving demographic? How do trends and consumer feedback influence your product launches and marketing campaigns?

To ensure our customers connect with the brand, we conduct extensive research, including data analysis and reviewing fashion trends from over 20 global sources. This rigorous design process is vital for staying relevant. As a house of brands with 12 annual collections and 52 weekly drops, trend research is ongoing, helping us stay on top of evolving consumer preferences.

We recognize that Gen Z and Millennials embody diverse personas, with varied interests and fashion needs. Therefore, offering a wide, versatile range across multiple trend categories is a key component of our assortment strategy. We rely on real-time data, constantly iterating based on consumer feedback and product performance, allowing us to fine-tune our offerings and capture emerging trends at the right moment.

Since our marketing and communication are fully digital, we benefit from real-time insights into the effectiveness of our campaigns. This enables us to determine which communication methods resonate most with different audience segments and adjust our messaging accordingly.

What role do social media, influencers, and digital marketing play in engaging with your target audience? How does Brand Studio Lifestyle leverage these tools effectively?

As a digital-first house of brands, Brand Studio Lifestyle understands the power of social media, influencers, and digital marketing in connecting with our target audience. Influencers, content creators, and digital media play a key role in our marketing strategy, supporting both our online and offline channels.

We have established an in-house content studio that produces and delivers over 250 pieces of content monthly, while also collaborating with a growing network of more than 300 influencers across India to promote fashion.

India’s e-lifestyle market is expected to grow significantly by 2028. How do you see Brand Studio Lifestyle capitalizing on this growth and staying ahead of the competition? How do you ensure Brand Studio Lifestyle stands out in this crowded market?

India is one of the largest markets in the world, characterized by a highly dynamic business environment. The growing youth population, rising per capita income, and expanding middle class are driving the growth of the e-lifestyle market. Our foundation to serve this market is built on a unique fashion supply chain ecosystem, designed to deliver consumer-preferred fashion quickly and intelligently.

Our approach combines a strong emphasis on technology to enhance our offerings and service capabilities with a continually growing brand presence through a robust omnichannel strategy. We aim to maintain our market leadership by focusing on brand love and responsiveness to evolving customer needs, offering a superior, timely, and delightful fashion experience across channels.

We are also looking to expand our category offerings in fashion and lifestyle, including accessories and footwear. Additionally, we are partnering with a range of Pop Culture IPs, infusing our unique brand identity into these collaborations. Our goal is to expand our footprint globally.