An economics graduate from Hindu College, started his activewear brand in 2018, to build a domestic D2C brand.
We talked to Utkarsh Chaudhary (Founder of Fit Mentor) about this amazing idea & products and he had the following to say:-
A brief overview of your product/service.
We manufacture performance-enhancing activewear for our retail customers on our online official website and Amazon. Fit Mentor products are based on Hexarel fabric technology which includes Qmax Cool Touch, Anti Odor, Anti-Viral, Sweat-Wicking, Anti-Static, UPF Sun Protection.
How did you get the initial traction?
We started selling football customized kits to Delhi private teams and football leagues. Then launched our first AirTech Collection in the month of October 2018. Initially, we sold the majority of our products with word of mouth and social media marketing.
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What was the most challenging part of your journey till now?
The most challenging part has been to introduce more technical garments at affordable pricing. Our products will always be sold below INR 999 and meeting this pricing with our quality has been difficult. Secondly, educating people about what is right to be worn for their sport/physical activities. Still, people wear garments based on heavy gsm or 100% cotton, which affects their performance. We would like to change this mindset.
What are your plans for the next 3 years?
Our plan is to expand our E-commerce presence. We launched our store on Amazon in June 2021. We are about to launch our products on Flipkart. The next step for us is to sell our products on Myntra, Tata Cliq, and Nykaa Fashion. We will be launching our first Football Club Jerseys and Basketball Kit in 2022. In the next 3 years, we are planning to establish a domestic D2C brand and create a community of customers and like-minded people, who all are working towards their health and fitness-oriented goals.
How did you manage to fund your startup?
It’s been boot-strapped till now. We are looking for angel investors and Venture capitalists for future growth and expansion.
What are the industry metrics and scope?
Mckinsey’s Fashion Scope report pegged the industry to be worth $59.8 billion by 2022. A growing trend within the industry is sportswear. The sector experienced a boom specifically during the COVID-19 crisis, as there was a collective rise in the number of health-conscious consumers.
What problems are you solving?
Educate people about performance-enhancing activewear and create a community for young athletes to showcase their skills and get noticed at an initial stage of their sports/fitness journey. Revolutionizing how domestic customized kits are being manufactured and providing good quality jerseys at the college and state levels.
How did you get the idea?
I used to play football in my school and college days. There were very few brands that were manufacturing good quality customized jerseys for the young players. So, we noticed a gap in this segment and that’s when we decided to provide good quality customized jerseys to our young athletes/players at very reasonable pricing, INR 750 onwards.
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What marketing techniques are you using?
We use social media marketing like Ad’s campaigns on Instagram, Facebook, Google Ads, SEO techniques, PPC campaigns on Amazon and Flipkart, Influencer collaborations. For offline marketing, we conduct sports events wherein we gather various players and give them a platform to showcase their talent and skills. At such events, we launch our latest collections as well.
Any other detail you want to share?
We have also launched our grassroots level sponsorship program last year, in which we sponsor the jerseys to clubs in remote areas and promote their story on our media pages. Our first Grassroot collaboration was Siachen FC.