OSTRYCH is not just another brand of t shirts. It stands high on the cool quotient and comfort factor. Made from twisted yarn for subtle texture and softness OSTRYCH t shirts wants to bring the t shirt culture to the east. Interview with the founder Siyad, Fayush and Ansar reveals their interest to make their t shirts environment friendly suited to the regional climate.
Give a brief info about your startup?
Those who love OSTRYCH never fall out of love with it.
We are the makers of class, comfort and a Kaleidoscope of colored T shirts to be sold in the global market. STITCHOSTRYCH presents the best cotton texture with voguish solace and an accentuation on quality.
STITCHOSTRYCH t-shirts are made from twisted yarns that are specially woven for a subtle texture and washed for softness, which means each one will have a rich, perfect color and super soft comfort.
OSTRYCH’s lightweight t-shirts feels like an old favorite from the very first wear (you’ll never want to take it off). It’s perfect for warm days or even for layering with other styles. STITCHOSTRYCH t-shirt is the perfect blend of streetwear coolness and work wear ruggedness, more durable than your average tee, and cut in a relaxed, old-school fit.
We at ostrych.com believe in spreading happiness. So if wearing our attire gets a grin and confidence in your appearance, that is the ultimate satisfaction we get. Anything closest to a human body is the apparel that you wear, that is how close we want to be with you.
What made you choose this industry?
To inspire people to wear an elegant, classy, calm, simple and earthly outfit. We envision a world where people think critically about their clothing choices, making environment friendly apparels easily available and accessible and live a compassionate lifestyle.
We ventured out with t-shirt into the apparel market, as we believe this piece of apparel has transformed from a lowly undergarment, to a statement attire. The versatility is endless and it’s the perfect choice for everyone, everyday & even at the office. Apart from the metros, India doesn’t have a t-shirt culture as like in the west. So we would like to initiate and be a part of a new work culture, to wear simple, elegant, climate friendly and earthly tees.
Tell us about yourself, your previous jobs/ventures? What were you doing before this startup?
Myself, Siyad Abdul Aziz, a management professional with 10 years of international experience in E-Commerce Operations, Brand Development & Customer Relationship Management. Worked as Operations Manager with Markavip, one of the leading e-commerce fashion store in the Middle East, now acquired by Jollychic. Led e-commerce operations for several young startups in Dubai.
Tell us about your team and how did you meet each other?
We are a team of three myself, Fayush Younus and Ansar Rasheed who share a keen interest and passion for the apparel industry.
Fayush Yonus, a management professional with international experience, who has a great passion for clothing industry. We are childhood friends and the dream to build a brand was in our talks for years, and with sufficient experience, we decided to start chasing the entrepreneurship dream.
Ansar Rasheed, a young professional, who always had dreams of fashion and design. We were impressed by his artistic ideas and the futuristic fashion vision and made him join the bandwagon.
Where is your startup based out of? Why do you think that is the best place for you?
Based out of Cochin, Kerala, our home town we believe Kerala is one of the most difficult market to start with. Very critical, educated, fashion savvy people, who doesn’t accept anything new easily. So if we could win this crowd and walk them towards a new t-shirt & clothing culture, we know, we could win a million hearts.
How did you come up with this name for your company?
Our brand name is STITCHOSTRYCH and the website name is www.ostrych.com. The fashion comes from the west, so we needed a name which is global, fashion related (ostrich leather is very famous), and a very familiar noun.Like, ostrich is not just another bird, it’s not just another tee, it’s OSTRYCH tee.
As a startup in the online retail sector what are some of the challenges you faced?
We are focused exclusively in the online market. The online market is not mature enough to accommodate young startups, like us. So we need to create our own online space and presence. It’s a fast growing industry and need to be up to date with the technology. So we always need to keep investing on changing technology and adapt quickly. The other challenge is to find the right partners, associations to handle different sectors of e-commerce business like, Digital Marketing, Web development, Product development etc.
Who are your competitors and how are you better than them?
Koovs.com, Bewakoof, Souledstore. They are selling their contents through a medium which is the t-shirt. But we will be selling t-shirt to drive people into a new culture. We are trying ‘product as a service mode’; we are an Apparel & Fashion Brand, at the same time an ecommerce service selling STITCHOSTRYCH products exclusively.
Have you raised funding? If yes, then we would like to know the details. If no then please tell us if you’re looking to raise?
No, we haven’t raised any funding. It’s been started with an initial capital investment from the three Directors. Yes, for the second phase of scaling to develop new products and explore more geographies, we are planning to raise funds.
What are the future plans for your company?
Want to establish as an International brand as well as an ecommerce platform. We are in the research of finding and making Apparels which are least harmful to the environment and most suited to the regional climate.
How hard is it to have a work-life balance as a startup founder and how do you manage it?
Ostrych is a part of our life, it’s a passion, it’s a dream, we are chasing it along with the family.
Know a great startup story or want to share your own? Write to us at keralainsider.com@gmail.com and we will get back to you. For more updates follow Kerala Insider on Facebook.