SUMMARY
The innerwear brand has developed soft, lightweight and sustainable ‘MicroModal’ fibres from beechwood trees for ultimate comfort
The Origin Story
‘Undies’ may not be the most dazzling clothing item that frequently hits fashion headlines. But Sulay Lavsi wanted to disrupt the ‘drab’ category at home after buying a super-quirky pair in the US, which were bold, fun and comfortable. Coming from a family running a textile business and pursuing a master’s degree in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, he had the chance to research the Indian market thoroughly. The young enthusiast soon realised that only a few branded players dominated the space, leaving customers with limited choices. So, Lavsi launched Bummers to provide the comfort and style that every ‘bum’ needs inside and out.
The Differentiator
The team at Bummer spent nearly three years in R&D to create ultra-soft, ultra-lightweight and sustainable ‘MicroModal’ fibres from beechwood trees. The product lines for men and women include a wide range, such as bikinis, bralettes, hipsters, shorts, boxers, trunks and briefs, besides pyjamas and loungewear. These are made in 10 factories across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Tirupur and Ahmedabad, and all units are certified by SEDEX and WRAP for green manufacturing.
The Growth
As Bummer leads the innerwear segment away from the world of whites and greys (monotone hues, to be precise), adding style, comfort and a dash of colour, new-age and tech-savvy shoppers have responded enthusiastically. True to the D2C model, around 90% of the brand’s revenue comes from its website sales, 9% from other online channels and only 1% from offline sales. Bummer claims a 175% leap in YoY revenue in FY23 and expects EBITDA to break even in the next six to nine months.
What’s Next
The innerwear brand wants to overhaul the Indian market further and launch more categories in this segment. It aims to grow its offline retail to 20% of the total sales volume by 2025.
