Ombre Lane India wins seed funding
In this article (4)
Indian women’s workwear brand Ombre Lane has received seed funding from a group of angel investors. The investment group includes ex-LinkedIn India CEO Akshay Kothari, LinkedIn general counsel Aditi Jha, and director at Bristol-Myers Squibb US Neeraja Balachander. The fashion start-up plans to use the funds to establish Ombre Lane as a go-to destination for modern Indian women seeking to buy functional office-wear styles. Forecasting a five-fold annual growth rate, the brand plans to scale significantly over the next year while staying focused on building the brand.
The brand, launched by sisters Shweta and Prachi Sharma, launched with the motto of making women feel confident as well as comfortable at work. It conducted extensive surveys to establish average body shapes and sizes of Indian women, finding that more than 70 per cent of Indian women have a pear-shaped body and an average height of 5 feet 2 inches, while more than 75 per cent of Western workwear available on the Indian market is made for a woman with a height of 5 feet 7 inches and the more rectangular body shape common in the west.
The market for women’s workwear in India is expected to grow in double digits over the next five years. Ombre Lane offers shipping throughout India via its e-commerce platform ombrelane.com.
Questions & Answers
Q.Who are the key investors that provided the seed funding to Ombre Lane India?
Who are the key investors that provided the seed funding to Ombre Lane India?
The investment group includes Akshay Kothari, former CEO of LinkedIn India; Aditi Jha, general counsel at LinkedIn; and Neeraja Balachander, a director at Bristol-Myers Squibb in the US. They are a group of angel investors.
Q.How does Ombre Lane differentiate its clothing designs from Western workwear brands in India?
How does Ombre Lane differentiate its clothing designs from Western workwear brands in India?
Ombre Lane's designs are based on extensive surveys of Indian women, finding over 70% have a pear shape and average height of 5'2". Western workwear often caters to taller women (5'7") with more rectangular body shapes.
Q.What are Ombre Lane's primary goals for the company after receiving this seed funding?
What are Ombre Lane's primary goals for the company after receiving this seed funding?
The fashion start-up aims to establish itself as the preferred destination for modern Indian women seeking functional office wear. It plans significant scaling over the next year, forecasting a five-fold annual growth rate, while building its brand.
Reader pulse
Is Ombre Lane's targeted niche approach a winning strategy?
18,316 votes so far