Prabhkiran Singh, founder and CEO of online direct-to-customer fashion brand Bewakoof, recently took to LinkedIn to recount the company’s humble beginnings as the brand turned 13. Singh said in his post that the company’s first office was on the top floor with a tin shed in a Mumbai slum.
He also mentioned that the circumstances were tough but they managed because of their unshakable will to build a big business from the ground up. He also shared a photo of himself from the very first office which was taken using a Nokia N72.
“Today, Bewakoof turns 13. Our first ‘office’ was in a slum in Mumbai — ₹6,000/month rent for a small space on the top floor with a tin shed. With plastic chairs to sit on (and no, they were not even Nilkamal) and makeshift tables, we started with full zeal. Between the Mumbai sun and the heat from our machines, it was unbearable without an AC. But our will to build? Unshakable,” Singh said in the post.
He further mentioned that in 2011, equity funding was a rare dream and Singh and his team were just graduates with no work experience.
“Equity funding in 2011 was a rare dream. And then graduates with zero work experience? Forget it. We started with just a few thousand rupees — what we could get from home. That was it. We worked out of that space for 2 years. And then we grew.”
Bewakoof founder and CEO also noted that the company’s next stop was an industrial estate in Ghatkopar which had real chairs and an AC.
“This time, we had real chairs — the ones with wheels. And an AC. I remember us playing football in the empty office, soaking in the joy of small upgrades. For two full weeks, we truly felt the perks.”
In his post, he also recalled they survived this as well due to the resilience and rebellion to prove something, following which the brand saw growth.
“And with that — the everyday fights,, the chaos, the risk, the stress, the hustle. Somewhere, celebration took a back seat. But thankfully — and maybe even intentionally — we launched on April 1st. A date that demanded we celebrate. With our customers. And with ourselves.”
Towards the end of the post, he even outlined the celebration ritual on April 1 every year, which he called his “day to breathe”. He said that he walks in the office with no agenda to sit in his cabin with no work and lean back in his office chair and be grateful for having moved beyond the plastic chair.
“You did a decent job. You deserve this day off. To everyone who’s been part of this journey — thank you.Happy Birthday, Bewakoof,You are officially a teen!”
