Journalism of Courage
Panchkula-based graphic designer Rohan Advani,25,and freelance designer Saksham Kumar,32,have struck up a business marriage of convenience. They went through two years of researching,planning and implementation,to start Hornoktees (‘the pomp-pomp destinations for tees’) this October. But they have never met! “We initially connected through email and later made all the decisions through Skype,” laughs Advani. This duo is the latest entrant in that very popular segment of cyberspace – the online tee-shirt business. Over the past five years,many youngsters,most without any prior experience of enterprise,have realised their entrepreneurial dreams by setting up portals that sell affordable,but fashionable tees. The names Inkfruit,Myntra,and Tantra may have stuck by because of their aggressive promotional push,but many debutantes are ready to push the limits of this business.
Hyderabad-based Hoozinc is one such outfit. Started two-and-a-half months ago,this group of four,21-year-old engineers rolled up its sleeves when they couldn’t find tees of their choice. “No one tee brand can cater to everyone – some sport abstract designs,while others are just plain. So we started with six basic prints that would reach out to a wider base,” says Nikhil Kapur of Hoozinc. From this stable came tees with cheeky prints like ‘Addicted to music’ and ‘Chai,Chillum,Chappati’. From the research to the first batch of 500 tees took just three months,and the sales have been good so far. “Across sizes and designs,our tees cost Rs 349 each. We want youngsters to buy these out of their pocket money,not by asking their parents for funds,” he adds.
Two main things egg this tee-shirt gang on – the need to produce crazy designs,and the ease with which they can realise this online. “Saksham and I fight over the designs,over every small detail. We want the customer to have the best products and feel proud of it when he receives it, says Advani.
Apart from producing cocky slogans,these tee-shirts have also got some interesting art closer to people. Hornoktees stocks up on many pop art-inspired motifs,while Pune-based SheepStop channelises the owners’ love for art and environmental consciousness and produces organic cotton fare. Hoozinc’s two founder-designers are deeply interested in canvas art and have a one-design-a-day rule,from which they shortlist 7-8 for final prints.
But with so many chasing the online tee dream,a glut of inexpensive designer tees seems imminent. But the entrepreneurs are not worried,yet. “We sell 20-30 tees in a day,when we advertise. Facebook helps us a lot in that sense,” says Mumbai-based Pranav Kapur of Blue Bus Tees,started in 2007. “Online tee-shirts are now attracting a lot of investors too.”
