Can Harfun Make The Cut In The Highly Competetive Workwear Space?

Can Harfun Make The Cut In The Highly Competetive Workwear Space?

SUMMARY

Launched in 2022 by Saurabh Agrawal, Harfun was founded with a vision of creating a menswear brand that could blend comfort and work

Today, what sets the Gurugram-based startup apart in the Indian textile space is its proprietary technologies — 6X SmartTech°, IQ° Tech, and Advanced ZeroSweat° Tech — which make the fabric wrinkle-resistant

On the financial front, the brand achieved a GMV of INR 13 Cr in FY24 and is currently generating a monthly recurring revenue (MRR) of INR 4 Cr. The founders claim to close FY25 with INR 25 Cr in GMV

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic brought the world to its knees in early 2020, a lot changed too quickly. When work from home emerged as the new normal, computer screens became the new conference rooms and dining tables new workstations. Not just this the lines between loungewear and workwear blurred.

The stiff formals we were once used to adorning stopped making sense anymore, and we slipped into something more comfortable yet presentable. Understanding this natural transition away from traditional workwear, many D2C brands emerged to serve a workforce confined within their homes.

While some struck a chord with the generation of staffers working from the comfort of their couches, many perished amid rising cut-throat or even flawed business models.

Among the ones that survived this crucial change when the economies of the world came to a screeching halt, including India, one clothing brand devised a playbook too perfect to fail — Technology.

Launched in 2022 by Saurabh Agrawal, Harfun was founded with a vision of creating a menswear brand that could blend comfort and work. However, he soon realised that the thesis alone wouldn’t cut it if he wanted to make an impact in the market. Therefore, to truly differentiate the brand in the crowded clothing market, he decided to give his product a tech tweak.

Today, what sets the Gurugram-based startup apart in the Indian textile space is its proprietary technologies — 6X SmartTech°, IQ° Tech, and Advanced ZeroSweat° Tech — which make the fabric wrinkle-resistant. The company’s moisture-wicking fabric also boasts anti-odour properties and offers four-way stretchability. 

The brand enjoys a total user base of over 1 Lakh individuals, captured entirely from its D2C channel. The startup has recently been listed on Myntra and plans to be available on other marketplaces by the end of this year.

For FY24, the brand achieved a GMV of INR 13 Cr and is currently generating a monthly recurring revenue (MRR) of INR 4 Cr. The founders claim to close FY25 with INR 25 Cr in GMV.

harfun factsheet

Knitting A Story Of Versatile Menswear

Before founding Harfun in 2022, Agrawal had worked in several senior leadership roles. While he has been the general manager of finance at Trident Group India, he has also been the head of strategy at Transformative Learning Solutions. 

He also cofounded Eroute Lifestyle Private Limited (Tvisii) in 2019, where he played an integral role in scaling the business. 

From here his knowledge of D2C became his core strength, and combined with a deep understanding of digital marketing and business strategy, Agrawal incorporated Harfun.

The idea for Harfun was born during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially, the concept for the brand was simple — to create a menswear brand focussed on blending performance fabrics, typically used in sportswear, with work attire. 

According to the founder, the boundaries between workwear and loungewear were blurring during the pandemic, and he wanted to create clothing that could become the best of both worlds. 

His vision was to combine high-performance fabrics, like moisture-wicking and stretchability, typically seen in sportswear, and transform them into work attire.

Hence, the very first iteration of the brand, launched during the pandemic, was athleisure. Some of its early products included tank tops and shorts, which were comfortable enough for home and casual wear but still presentable. The focus has since been on offering clothing that suited the new work-from-home lifestyle, according to the founder.

However, after a few months of testing this line-up, Agrawal recognised that the approach wouldn’t suffice in the long run. 

“Speaking with over 200 customers, we realised that while functionality was key, we needed something more classic, something more aligned with traditional workwear,” the founder said, adding that it was the time to pivot for them. 

In October 2022, Harfun pivoted to what Agarwal calls WorkWear 2.0, combining minimalistic design with advanced fabric technologies like wrinkle resistance, moisture-wicking, and 4-way stretchability. 

The new direction of offering garments that are both professional and designed for enhanced comfort and functionality has allowed the brand to carve out a niche in the crowded market, 

Currently, Harfun has over 90 SKUs and offers silhouettes like shirts, trousers, polo t-shirts, jackets, and hoodies, among others. 

“The vision behind Harfun was to streamline the wardrobe and create a brand that focused on utility rather than vanity. The idea was never to offer a vast range of options like traditional garment brands but to focus on a core set of essentials that a modern man would need in his wardrobe. The philosophy was clear—simplicity over trends, functionality over fashion,” the founder said.

What’s On Harfun’s Clothing Stack?

Per the founder, what has worked well for the brand is its range of hi-tech fabric. The startup uses man-made fibres designed to perform like natural fabrics but with enhanced properties. 

The fabric is carefully selected to integrate the benefits of sportswear technology while maintaining a professional and polished look. 

Its Worknet fabric delivers the flexibility of sportswear but with the structure of woven fabric, providing a balance of comfort and professionalism. Besides, its fade-free technology ensures that the colours of the products don’t fade, providing lifetime durability. 

“This is achieved through a special dying process that locks in the colour at the yarn level, making the garments more durable and long-lasting,” the founder said.

He added that all garments are treated with antimicrobial technology, preventing odour and microbial growth, especially in humid climates, and ensuring fresher, longer-lasting wear.

Apart from the fabrics, the startup has crafted intelligent features to elevate everyday formal wear for men. For instance, most of its products are ultralight, and advanced wrinkle resistance, each product is engineered to enhance performance and comfort. Central to this are its trademark technologies like 6X SmartTech°. Its ZeroSweat° Tech keeps wearers cool and dry. 

Its products are engineered to be 40-50% lighter than traditional clothing. The typical weight of a Harfun garment ranges from 120g to 260g, making it significantly lighter and more comfortable than conventional workwear.

On top of this, its products feature 2-way stretch, “depending on the garment, the stretchability can range from 5% to 28%, ensuring a comfortable fit without compromising on style or structure,” the founder added.

What’s Next For Harfun?

While Harfun has effectively differentiated itself with its scientific fabrics, one of the biggest challenges so far for the brand has been identifying the right fibres that can absorb the necessary chemicals for antimicrobial properties, stretchability, and durability. 

According to the founder, the R&D process requires extensive testing, as not all fibres are suitable for these functionalities. 

“Ensuring consistent availability and quality of these fibres across batches remains difficult, as the manufacturing processes, machines, and workforce need to adapt to handle these specialised fibres,” the founder said.

However, the startup has been overcoming these with the help of its in-house R&D team of seven specialists. Moreover, the brand has also partnered with many institutes in Japan and Thailand for specialised research. It is also in talks with top Indian institutes, such as IITs and NITs, to explore new avenues.

Going forward, the startup aims to integrate more new technologies into its product stack. While the company does not want to experiment much on the design front, features like real-time health monitoring such as a shirt with a glucose sensor that syncs with a mobile app will be introduced soon.

Additionally, it is also working on temperature-regulating fabrics, which adjust the warmth of shirts based on the body’s temperature.

The startup will soon be launching a home-wash blazer in the coming weeks, which as per the founder will be India’s first.

With its ongoing technological advancements and focus on customer feedback, the brand is continuously looking to expand its footprint. It will soon be seen expanding its offline presence, starting with the Delhi NCR region. 

What will also be interesting to witness going ahead is the founder’s ambitious plan to capture 20% of space in the wardrobe of every working professional. While it is for time to tell, the workwear startup locks horns with D2C menswear brand Snitch and Turms, which claims to have similar offerings. Amid this, can Harfun make the cut?

[Edited By Shishir Parasher]

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