We want to build a Cult Indian Fashion brand that has a global appeal and market – Anant Tanted, Founder & CEO of TIGC

Interview with Anant Tanted, Founder & CEO of TIGC

Anant Tanted is a visionary entrepreneur and the Founder & CEO of TIGC, an innovative online clothing store specializing in apparels and footwear.

With his passion for fashion and keen business acumen, Anant has successfully built a thriving e-commerce platform that caters to the diverse fashion needs of customers worldwide.

As the Founder & CEO of TIGC, Anant Tanted continues to inspire and revolutionize the fashion industry.

With his unwavering commitment to quality, accessibility, and sustainability, he has transformed TIGC into a trusted and beloved online clothing store, catering to the fashion needs of a diverse customer base.

Tell us a little bit about your entrepreneurial experience. What gave you the idea to launch a D2C fast-fashion company?

Anant Tanted: I belong to a family of garment manufacturers and have always been fascinated and inspired to pursue a career in the fashion industry.

I started during my college days by organising an exhibition of surplus branded garments, and after that, I spent two years working with my uncle, who at the time was one of the top clothing manufacturers.

During that time, I obtained further technical proficiency, invaluable production and fabric experience, which gave me the confidence to launch my own company.

The Indian Garage Co. was launched to bridge the gap in the value fashion market for menswear in India.

The Indian Garage Co. was initially set up as an offline distribution channel to offer affordable and readily available fast fashion for men’s casual wear in India.

However, we soon discovered that there were some things impeding our development. The first is the lead time for products, which might be anywhere from three to four months before they arrive in stores. 

The other major factor was  that retailers’ tastes were imposed and the product catalogue was filtered, which constrained the brand’s fashion offerings.

Customers were left with limited fashion choices, which forced them to purchase what was readily available.

To address this issue, we turned to direct-to-consumer (D2C) branding, which offered customers the opportunity to select their own fashion and designers the freedom to try out new concepts.

We also realised the potential of e-commerce. We have the ability to quickly supply customers with cutting-edge fashion solutions while making real-time revisions.

TIGC created a strong infrastructure as a result, allowing the company to provide stylish, aspirational clothing to a variety of customers at affordable pricing and with quick delivery.

This quickly bridged the gap between buyers and designers, enabling our brand, TIGC, to become a well-known D2C fast fashion brand for men’s wear.

Please tell us a little bit about TIGC, its area of expertise, and the products it sells

Anant Tanted: We are a homegrown, value-oriented, D2C fast fashion menswear brand & we lay a strong emphasis on technology and digital media.

The brand’s young team is leading the charge for innovative and current designs while also combining their technological know-how.

Customers of our brand may expect a wide range of current global fashion trends at a breakneck pace. With a wide range of over 2,500 styles that appeal to all age groups, TIGC has emerged as the go-to brand for fashion fans.

One of the top 10 most popular men’s apparel brands on Myntra and Ajio, TIGC has won both the Ajio Growth Driver Award and the Myntra Highest GMV Award.

Surya Kumar Yadav, a well-known Indian cricketer, was recently named the brand’s brand ambassador, helping to boost both its product portfolio and positioning.

What were some of the major turning points and obstacles you overcame along the way, and how did you do it?

Anant Tanted: We get immense satisfaction to announce that The Indian Garage Co. is a bootstrapped and asset-light business.

This has enabled us to generate an impressive scaled GMV of 300 crore while maintaining a positive EBITDA.

Since our inception, we have continuously shown that we can make money which has enabled us to establish ourselves as a successful story.

Our biggest problem was changing multi-product factories and supporting smaller entrepreneurs so they could build specialised and captive capacities that are comparable to the efficiency of contemporary factories.

Despite the severe financial limitations, we were able to offer the technical know-how required for the microentrepreneurs to achieve independence.

We also had to restructure the conventional thinking of clothing companies to adopt a monthly fashion launch model, which offered its own challenges.

The other significant obstacle we faced was overcoming the consumer perception of us as a value fashion brand.

There is a widespread belief in the market that value-based items compromise authenticity and quality. We needed to break this impression in order to succeed.

What makes your brand different apart from other fast-fashion brands and how do you manage to stay on top of the latest fashion trends in the market?

Anant Tanted: As we have complete control over both design and delivery, The Indian Garage Company stands out from other fast-fashion brands.

As a result, we can program the entire fashion process from conception to delivery and place direct and original fashion bets.

We stay ahead of the most recent fashion trends thanks to our shorter lead times to market and smaller captive capacity. Our monthly fashion launch cycle guarantees that we offer the newest trends as they emerge.

By utilising research tools, customer insights, and in-house designers that highlight micro and macro trends, we stay on top of fashion trends.

Additionally, we are creating a technological product called “Chanakya” that will give us real-time insights, allowing us to quickly adjust to the market and make wise design decisions.

How do you ensure your company is environmentally conscious and sustainable?

Anant Tanted: We use recyclable man-made fibers (MMF) and cotton, which are recyclable, to ensure sustainable and ethical fashion.

Our dedication to ethical fashion is consistent with the principles of the Gen Z generation, who are known for being informed and environmentally conscious.

We want to help the fashion industry move towards a more sustainable future by giving these practices priority in our sourcing and production processes.

What motivated you to start your own business?

Anant Tanted: My father was an entrepreneur in the garment industry and has always inspired and guided me in shaping my decision to pursue entrepreneurship. 

I developed a deep interest in clothing design and manufacturing as a result of growing up in a setting that was completely surrounded by apparel sourcing.

I was motivated to start my own company by seeing my father & my uncle who were into clothing distribution & manufacturing.

As I got started with his manufacturing business, my uncle also had a big impact on my  understanding of the sector.

I learned a great deal about the garment industry, from sourcing materials to production methods and cultivating trusting connections with suppliers and customers, thanks to their combined knowledge and direction.

Being involved as an entrepreneur has given me a thorough awareness of both its benefits and drawbacks.

Putting forth a lot of effort, being persistent, and having a strong work ethic are necessary to succeed in any industry, but especially in the competitive and fast-paced fashion industry.

Nevertheless, having the chance to create something novel and distinctive that appeals to customers is a rewarding experience.

What are your goals for the future of your brand?

Anant Tanted: We at The Indian Garage Company are working on a number of fascinating projects. Over time, we hope to extend the success of men’s fashion to other categories too.

Through the house of brands, we have launched two new brands: Hardsoda (plus-size fashion) and Freehand (women’s apparel).

We are concentrating on growing both our product line and the footprint of our offline retail locations. We are currently present in multi branded outlets like Fashion Factory and plan to launch EBOs in the near future.

We are currently focussing on improving our website interface TIGC.in for increased brand visibility and sales. By the end of FY 23–24, we are confident of clocking 600 crore GMV.

We aim to be the first homegrown brand to have a global fashion imprint and demonstrate the progress of the new India.

Furthermore, we are planning to take up CSR initiatives in a big way. We also intend to enter international markets soon, beginning in the Middle East.

While maintaining a commitment to our core principles of sustainability and ethical fashion, we are also committed to innovation and growth.

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