This episode explores the realities of building a modern apparel brand from zero.

Sanya and Adit, founders of Cove & Lane, are building a modern, quiet luxury clothing brand for ambitious professionals. Timeless pieces designed for people moving from boardrooms to social evenings.

They join experts, Shantanu Deshpande (Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company), along with industry leaders Shiv Shivakumar (Operating Partner, Advent | Ex-SVP, Nokia | Ex-CEO (India), PepsiCo) and Toshan Tamhane (Ex-McKinsey Senior Partner | Global Chief Operating Officer, UPL) for a sharp conversation on what it really takes to build a consumer brand.

From repeat purchases and referrals to customer psychology and status signalling, the panel breaks down how founders can identify what is actually working.

They also unpack a critical founder dilemma:

Should early startups prioritise growth or profitability?

Problems we solve in this episode:

• How do you measure product-market fit in a D2C fashion brand?

• How should founders use data when the sample size is small?

• When scaling a startup, how do you balance growth and profitability?

If you're building a D2C brand, consumer startup, or fashion business, this conversation will sharpen how you think about scaling.

Navigate through the chapters and watch till the end