Buttercups.in plans to expand in Tier I Cities

Please share your entrepreneurial journey.

In 2008, I discovered the Lingerie styling, after a bra fitting in New York. That one fitting changed the way I felt about myself and gave me the self confidence boost, I had always lacked. I came back from the holiday with a sole aim in mind - to make more women feel comfortable and confident in their own bodies. Small learning classes with an international brand on bra fitting which lead me, introduce the “Bra Fitting” concept in India. My journey began in 2009, with the opening Buttercups.in, a luxury lingerie boutique in Hyderabad, which exclusively retailed international brands such as Chantelle and Trinny & Susannah years ago.

As Indian women owing to their lack of knowledge about bras and a perfect fit, were not willing to pay for either a fitting session or willing to shell INR 5000 for just a bra, no matter how good it made them feel. So, the model was clearly flawed and I had to shut down the store after 3 years with huge losses. As someone who never gives up, and having understood that there is a need, I decided to take the challenge to educate women about bras and also launched an app ABTF, India’s first bra sizing app in 2013. Not a single woman left the fitting session without a word of praise and only the cost factor stopped them from buying. Subsequently, my personal experience of bras in India not being up to a quality that I was used to, made me decide to launch a brand which would make bras both comfortable and affordable. Thus, Buttercups.in was reinvented as a brand. We raised funds through a crowdfunding campaign, which in turn lead to angel investment.

Please share the USP of your business? What are the factors that pull you back while expanding your business?

Buttercups’ brand philosophy is strong on educating women about perfect fitting and helping women get their perfect bra! They operate through offline fitting rooms and interactive online size guide. Our intent to reshape the way women view intimate wear and their own bodies is something that forms the epicentre of our business.

Certain preset notions about bras and lingerie are principle hindrances for our business. We truly believe that every body shape deserves a perfect fit and we help our customers find it. Our interactive workshops are ideal to bring change in perceptions across all age groups about body shapes, size and styles.

Please elaborate about your business model?

We are an online lingerie brand bringing high quality product portfolio. Our business model is supplemented with integrated customer experience through offline fitting rooms and interactive online ‘perfect fit’ quiz.

What are your expansion plans?

We are planning to expand to Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and other major Ties 1 Cities.