How The[Pant]Pro?ject is Redefining Personalisation and Customisation for Menswear?

The[Pant]Pro•ject, a new age e-tailor, offers customised pant solutions for men. A selection of luxury fabrics and customisations is curated by the team, making it simple for one to pick a pair of pants for any occasion.

Founders Dhruv and Udit Toshniwal hail from a family with over 40 years of experience in the Indian textile export industry. Having worked with some of the largest global brands such as Uniqlo, Massimo Dutti, Marks & Spencer, Levi Strauss & Co, Ralph Lauren, and Hugo Boss; they know what it takes to deliver the highest quality product to consumers. The duo have successfully leveraged this knowledge to launch The[Pant]Pro•ject, which revolutionizes the retail of pants with their laser focus on ‘fit, fabric and functionality’.

The [Pant]Pro•ject, also know in short as [TPP], has thrown out the rulebook and decided to be a direct-to-consumer, online-only brand. The brand offers custom-made pants at similar to off-the-rack prices, which is only possible by cutting out the middlemen and making their bespoke products available directly online.

The idea to launch the brand online only resulted from the pandemic. With physical retail stores struggling and closing down over the world, Udit and Dhruv saw an opportunity to leverage the power of the internet to digitize the traditional tailoring experience, and offer never-seen-before levels of service for a seamless online shopping journey of customers who were looking to buy high-quality clothing from the comfort of their homes. 
 
In an interaction with IndianRetailer, Dhruv Toshniwal, CEO of The[Pant]Pro•ject shares the backstory, services offered and the future of the brand.

Here are the excerpts:

What was the idea behind being a direct-to-consumer, online-only brand?

We decided to be a direct-to-consumer, online-only brand to offer custom-made product at similar to off-the-rack prices, which is only possible by cutting out the middlemen and making their bespoke products available directly online. We also felt there was an opportunity to use technology to revolutionize the traditional tailoring and retail shopping experience, and provide clients with a hassle-free clothing solution from the comfort of their homes. 

We believe in directly dropshipping from the factory to the client.

What steps are you taking to beat the competition from other big retailers who are already in the business of selling pants?

Our offering is significantly different from traditional big retailers in so many ways. We are offering custom-made product at similar prices to off-the-rack. Each pant is personalized, made precisely to customer measurements and according to their unique styling preferences.  

We are providing choices to our customers and offering perfect fit as per their preference. Customers can choose from slim, tapered, and regular (relaxed) fit according to their body type. We also offer free monogramming, to explain it better I'd say, clients can add their initials monogrammed onto the pant at no additional cost. 

As we don't believe in charging extras, we offer customizations, shipping, alterations without taking any additional charge. 

Our after-sales service is unparalleled. We offer free alterations to clients for the lifetime of the pant. If the client is unhappy with his fit the first time, we organize a free reverse pickup and alter the pant to fit them just right. The Pant Project provides free consultations with their personal stylists before and after purchase. Clients can consult the stylist on the ideal fabrics, fits, styles and customizations for their needs. Our stylists are highly trained with a background in fashion and know how to expertly guide clients so that they choose the perfect pair of pants for their wardrobe.

Fabric is another USP of our brand. It is sourced from India's leading exporter, and includes a range of premium options in cotton, wool, poly-viscose, linen and knits. We have a range of classic colours and sophisticated patterns that offer options from dress pants (formal wear) to smart casuals and chinos, jogger-style pants and work from home casuals. 

With the offerings I have mentioned I believe we can offer a far superior experience to clients than the traditional retail store shopping experience that big brands like Zara, H&M, M&S, Levis, Blackberry, Arrow, Tata Trent etc. offer. We are excited to offer something new and innovative to clients, and have been amazed at the positive response from clients and fast rate of growth in our first few months of operation. 

According to you, how bright is the future of customization in India?

The future of customization in India is very bright. We believe that more and more people will buy a custom-made product. Mass-personalisation is a global mega-trend. We believe that many new brands will emerge in the next five years, offering customized solutions in many market segments. 

Established brands like Bombay Shirt Company are helping to create an ecosystem of custom made and highly personalized solutions that will change the face of retail in India and take on global competitor brands like Zara, H&M, Levis, M&S etc. who are offering off-the-rack traditional retail shopping experiences. We believe that it is healthy for an entirely new industry to emerge, and are excited to be leaders of the growing trend of customization.

What are your future/ expansion goals?

Udit and I have ambitious plans to become India's no.1 direct-to-consumer clothing brand and become the world's leading new-age e-tailor. We want to grow to serve over 1 million Indian customers in our first two years of operation and achieve an annual sales run-rate of over Rs 100 crore. 

We would also like to arrange events that engage with clients, experiment with pop-up shops, and potentially grow to have an omnichannel strategy of a mix of physical brick-and-mortar experience centers and digital as our primary sales channel. We have started with a focused offering of custom-made pants for men, and over time, would like to grow our range of product to include an entire wardrobe the solution, potentially including custom-made shorts, t-shirts, belts, shoes, socks etc. 

Our styles are classic and never go out of fashion. Clients can wear their pants for years, and get maximum value from the purchase, as we believe that less is more and that owning fewer, but higher quality pants, that one uses many times, is the future of fashion.In the long term, we would also like to expand our global focus, and expand in overseas markets to become a truly global brand, from India for the world.