20Dresses

Operating under its legal entity Outletwise Retail Private Limited, 20Dresses was a direct-to-consumer fashion startup established in 2012 by Sumant Kasliwal. Kasliwal, leveraging his previous experience as a Principal in Private Equity Investments at ICICI Venture and roles at Microsoft and Star India, aimed to address the women's fast-fashion market in India. The company positioned itself as a members-only site focused on personalization, providing customers with a curated personal showroom based on their size, style preferences, and fashion profile.

The business model centered on selling its own private label products, encompassing apparel, shoes, handbags, and accessories for women aged 18-35. This D2C approach allowed the company to maintain control over its product uniqueness and manage profit margins effectively while offering competitive pricing. By utilizing analytics, 20Dresses delivered a personalized shopping experience, handpicking trendy items for its members. In February 2015, the Mumbai-based company secured $1 million in an angel funding round from investors including Srinivas Aluri, a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, and B.S. Nagesh, the founder of Trust for Retailers. This capital was allocated towards enhancing technology, infrastructure, and team expansion.

A significant milestone occurred in March 2019 when the beauty and fashion e-commerce giant Nykaa acquired 20Dresses for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition was a strategic move by Nykaa to bolster its own private label offerings and expand its fashion business. Following the acquisition, the entire 20Dresses team was integrated into Nykaa to leverage their expertise in building private fashion brands. The brand continues to exist as 'Twenty Dresses by Nykaa Fashion', sold through the Nykaa platform.

Keywords: personalized fashion, women's apparel, direct-to-consumer, private label fashion, online retailer, Indian fashion e-commerce, Sumant Kasliwal, Outletwise Retail, Nykaa acquisition, members-only shopping, fashion accessories, fast fashion, style personalization, Mumbai startup, angel investment, e-commerce exit, fashion technology, women's western wear, online styling, curated fashion