Indian D2C fashion and apparel brands have multiplied fast over the last few years, from custom-fit trousers to circular-design labels, and most directories respond by listing everything they can find. We do the opposite. Every brand below has been personally reviewed by us; none of them are here because they filled out a form. This is not a database of every fashion or apparel brand claiming to be D2C. It’s a short list of six we’ve actually verified, updated as we vet more.
The House of Rare
Founded in 2015 by Manish and Akshika Poddar, The House of Rare is the parent company behind Rare Rabbit, its flagship menswear label built around considered fabric and a distinctly individual cut rather than seasonal trend-chasing. The group raised roughly ₹500 crore in 2024 with the Manyavar family office participating. Its largest store, also called The House of Rare, occupies a restored heritage building on Shakespeare Sarani in Kolkata.
View brand →The Bear House
Founded in 2016 by Tanvi and Harsh Somaiya, The Bear House makes European-inspired smart casuals for men, aimed squarely at hybrid work wardrobes. The founders came at it from the supply side rather than the storefront: Harsh set up an apparel factory in 2014 and spent two years manufacturing for other labels before launching one of his own, and Tanvi, a NIFT graduate, joined to run brand and factory operations. Owning production instead of outsourcing it is the unusual part here, and it is what lets them control fabric and fit directly rather than working to whatever a third-party supplier already makes.
View brand →The Pant Project
Founded in 2020 in Mumbai by brothers Dhruv and Udit Toshniwal, The Pant Project does one garment properly instead of a full catalogue badly. It sells custom-made and ready-to-wear trousers for men and women, with fit customisation as the core proposition rather than an add-on. The brand raised a $4.25 million Series A led by Sorin Investments, its first institutional round, to expand its retail footprint.
View brand →MyDesignation
Founded in 2017 in Thiruvananthapuram by Swaroop Krishnan and Gopika Menon, MyDesignation was the first Malayali merchandise brand and has grown into a fashion label built on regional identity, blending traditional art forms with contemporary design. It has posted 100% year-on-year growth for four consecutive years while staying profitable, and has raised $5.66 million from Multiply Ventures and RPSG Capital Ventures.
View brand →Virgio
Founded in 2022 by Amar Nagaram, previously CEO of Myntra, Virgio started as a fast fashion brand and then deliberately reversed course in 2023, rebuilding around sustainable and circular production. The operating model targets zero inventory waste rather than treating sustainability as a marketing layer. Its Series A was co-led by Prosus Ventures, Alpha Wave and Accel, valuing the company at $161 million within roughly a year of launch.
View brand →Miraggio
Founded in 2019 by Mohit Jain, Miraggio makes trend-led women’s handbags at accessible price points, in a category where the gap between mass-market and imported luxury has historically been wide. The brand operates at multi-hundred-crore GMV scale and raised about $1.2 million in a pre-Series A round in November 2023, led by Seven Rivers Holding and Magnetic. Worth knowing: the range is trend-driven rather than built around a permanent core collection.
View brand →Tilt
Founded in 2021 by Shaivya Ramani and based in Mumbai, Tilt makes leak-proof underwear for Indian women, built around an absorbent lining that the brand says holds light leaks of up to about 8 ml. The everyday range comes in modal, bamboo, cotton and seamless styles, and runs past underwear into wireless bras, minimisers and shapers, maternity underwear to wear below or over the bump, boyshorts and accessories such as nipple covers. Sizes run from S to 3XL, and per the brand it delivers across India with cash on delivery available. The lining is designed for light leaks, so check the brand’s own limits before relying on it.
View brand →Thaely
Founded in 2019 by Ashay Bhave and based in Mumbai, Thaely makes sneakers from recycled plastic bags and bottles bonded into a proprietary fabric it calls ThaelyTex, paired with soles of recycled rubber. The brand describes its production as entirely vegan and states that it holds PETA certification, a B Impact score of 80.8 and PETA’s Best Sneaker Award from 2021; these are the brand’s own statements. The range is narrow, centred on a handful of sneaker silhouettes and colourways with a reversible hat alongside, and the sneakers are priced between ₹3,500 and ₹3,850.
View brand →Khara Kapas
Founded in 2015 and designed from Gurugram by founder and creative director Shilpi Yadav, Khara Kapas starts earlier in the process than most Indian cotton labels: original watercolour paintings become the prints, so each piece begins as artwork rather than a pattern pulled from a catalogue. The range is handcrafted cotton and linen across dresses, jumpsuits, trousers and saree sets, with a wider line that includes men’s, kids’ and accessories. Pricing is premium, with the featured pieces running from ₹8,109 to ₹17,000, so it reads as a considered purchase rather than everyday basics.
View brand →Doodlage
Founded in 2013 by Kriti Tula and Paras Arora, Doodlage is a Delhi womenswear label whose pitch is the line on its homepage: made from waste. It sells dresses, tops, bottomwear and accessories, and per the brand the store groups its range by material into organic cotton, agro waste and upcycled denim, alongside a capsule line and seasonal edits. Current styles run from a ₹2,800 bandana to dresses at ₹9,500. Fabric content differs by style, so check each product page for what a piece is actually made from, and pieces from earlier seasons are marked down heavily in the sale edit.
View brand →How we pick the brands on this page: we look for founders who can show a real sourcing, manufacturing or design decision behind a garment, not just a lookbook and a discount code. We check funding, revenue and growth claims against public reporting before including them, and a brand doesn’t need scale to make this list, since a smaller label can qualify on the strength of its product and founding story alone. It needs to be real, and it needs to be something we would actually recommend to someone shopping for it themselves.
What are the best Indian D2C fashion and apparel brands?
Among verified Indian D2C fashion and apparel brands, The House of Rare and The Bear House both build considered menswear, The Pant Project specialises in custom-fit trousers, MyDesignation builds on regional identity, Virgio works to a circular production model, and Miraggio covers trend-led handbags at accessible prices.
Is there an Indian brand making custom-fit trousers?
The Pant Project, founded in Mumbai by brothers Dhruv and Udit Toshniwal, sells custom-made and ready-to-wear trousers for men and women, with fit customisation as the core product rather than an optional extra.
Which Indian fashion brand is built around sustainability?
Virgio, founded by former Myntra CEO Amar Nagaram, moved away from fast fashion in 2023 and rebuilt around sustainable and circular production, with an operating model aimed at zero inventory waste.
Is there an Indian brand making leak-proof underwear?
Tilt, founded in 2021 in Mumbai by Shaivya Ramani, makes underwear with an absorbent lining that the brand says holds light leaks of up to about 8 ml, plus maternity underwear and comfort bras in sizes S to 3XL. It is built for light leaks, so check the brand’s limits first.
Which Indian sneaker brand uses recycled plastic?
Thaely, founded in 2019 in Mumbai, makes sneaker uppers from recycled plastic bags and bottles bonded into a fabric it calls ThaelyTex, with recycled rubber soles. The brand states it is vegan and PETA certified. Sneakers are priced between ₹3,500 and ₹3,850.
Which Indian fashion brand makes clothing from waste?
Doodlage, a Delhi womenswear label founded in 2013 by Kriti Tula and Paras Arora, groups its range by material into organic cotton, agro waste and upcycled denim. Styles run from a ₹2,800 bandana to dresses at ₹9,500. Fabric content differs by style, so check each product page.
Is there an Indian clothing brand that prints its own artwork?
Khara Kapas, designed from Gurugram by founder Shilpi Yadav, turns original watercolour paintings into prints on handcrafted cotton and linen: dresses, jumpsuits, trousers and saree sets. Featured pieces run from ₹8,109 to ₹17,000, so it is a considered purchase.