Nidhi Ghevar

This project investigates how emerging Indian designers and entrepreneurs develop homegrown fashion brands in a rapidly growing yet highly competitive domestic market, focusing on the direct-to-consumer model and the challenges of international expansion. Despite India’s position as one of the world’s leading apparel manufacturing hubs, locally founded brands often struggle to gain recognition abroad, reflecting structural imbalances where global fashion giants benefit from India’s production strengths while homegrown labels face limited funding, weak international networks, and intense domestic competition.

The research explores how early-stage founders navigate these constraints using creativity, resourcefulness, and strategic decision-making. By examining the interplay between entrepreneurial improvisation, operational discipline, and market realities, the study highlights how brand identity is preserved while scaling sustainably. This topic was chosen to understand the unique dynamics of India’s fashion ecosystem, to identify the critical success factors that enable survival and growth, and to shed light on the structural and operational barriers that influence domestic and international expansion of homegrown fashion brands.