Vivek Sivaraman

Founder Building and thinking about premium essentials for modern Indians. Obsessed about Fabrics. Fit & Finish | Parkour Enthusiast | Scuba Diver

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

@ku1deep @UddhavParab263 @varunkrish @Shankar_Srinath @ku1deep . Thanks for the kind words. We have revisited the earlier version, especially the collar for the OG crew edit and solved the crumbling problem.

[Varun Krishnan @varunkrish]

Chennai based startup Nuito is back with a Polo T-shirt 👕 and just tried it in Midnight Blue, priced at ₹1399. Love the Nulux Tencel fabric and fit is fantastic. Nice touch with a hand written note!
Their collection now starts at ₹799 and available on https://t.co/5d2wq51FwG

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

@imYadav31 @imYadav31 waiting for amul to do this soon at half the price :)

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

@The_Karthik @TheLeelaHotels @chennaicorp @reclaimchennai tagging someone who has been active in helping get the streets back to ppl. Don't know if it helps or not .let's see

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

India's Luxury Fashion Explosion 💎
India's luxury fashion market grew at 33% in 2022—the FASTEST in Asia and 2nd fastest globally.
India now ranks as the 3rd largest luxury market in Asia, surpassing Thailand, Vietnam
57% of luxury consumption now happens OUTSIDE metros.

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

a single mosquito has put me on the sidelines for 3 to 4 months and no parkour and gym. Will be missing the dive trip to Komodo as well :(

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

Malaysia leads SEA in apparel spending at $160.70 per capita/year.
But India 1 (120M people) spends an estimated $200-300/year on clothing—higher than ANY Southeast Asian country's national average.
Thailand: $93.26 Indonesia: $79.92 Vietnam: $66.43
Premium India > Mass SEA.

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

India 1 Market Size vs Southeast Asia 🎯
India's top 120M consumers (India 1) have a per capita income of $15,000—that's 1.25x Malaysia, 2x Thailand, and 3.6x Vietnam's national averages.
Their apparel market potential ($24-36B) matches Thailand + Vietnam COMBINED.
The premium segment isn't small—it's just concentrated.

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

The global apparel market is on 🔥
📊 Market size breakdown:

2018: $1.58T
2020: $1.39T (pandemic dip)
2024: $1.79T
2028*: $2T (projected)

That's a 27% growth from 2018-2028, recovering strong post-pandemic.
The fashion industry isn't shrinking—it's evolving. Sustainability, tech integration, and D2C brands are reshaping the $2 trillion opportunity.

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

If one silhouette trend that won in 2025, it was Oversized. Extremely controversial among purists but lapped by street wear fan boys and Gen Z.

I feel it is here to stay for for 2 reasons:

1. they simplify dressing across body types, less second-guessing, more forgiving.

2. “loose” is no longer read as ill-fitting. It is infact indication of coolness among youngsters.

Added bonus Oversized has been endorsed widely across Kpop, Kdrama and the so called airport looks!

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

Seeing cloud dancer as the pantone color of the year 2026, brought back lot of memories. mid 2025, we decided to recreate a Pantone shade called Cannoli Cream (similar to this shade) for our tshirt fabric.

On paper, it looked simple. Clear reference codes and straightforward. That assumption didn’t last long.
Once we started dyeing, it became obvious how deceptive “simple whites” really are.

In fashion, whites aren’t about adding colour.
They’re about muting the fibre’s natural tone and carefully balancing the absence of other colours.
Every small variable suddenly matters.

The same dye reacted differently to fabric type, knit structure, GSM, even lighting. What looked right in one context felt off in another. We went through nine iterations. Even then, it was impossible to say we had 100% nailed Cannoli Cream.

So we did a blind test. All nine swatches. No labels. No two people on our team picked the same one as the “best” match.

That’s when it clicked for us. Colour is deeply personal. People genuinely see and feel the same shade differently.

In a small, quiet way, seeing Cloud Dancer as Pantone’s 2026 pick feels symbolic. Like a reminder that our messy, patient journey with Cannoli Cream was worth it after all.

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

One thing I’ve noticed over time, good cotton and linen don’t peak on day one. They soften, relax, and start moving with your body only after you have lived in them. My sweet spot has been around 7 washes. Something about the fabric changes. Drape improves, fabric feels comfortable, Fit adapts to your movement and the piece starts looking right. And if they are high quality fabrics, they age like fine wine. You won’t feel like letting them go.

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

Research on younger consumers shows a move toward intentional, repeatable dressing. My Guess It’s because of the inherent fear of regretful purchases. In India, regret shows up faster because clothes are used harder.

https://t.co/WAMXcYjPBg?

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

Online apparel returns hover around ~25% globally. In India, estimates go up to 25–40%, largely because shoppers can’t feel fit, fabric, or silhouette before buying. 

Familiar shapes (essentials), adaptive size charts, and premium fabrics that can’t fail is one way to reduce regret. We are trying exactly this and only time will tell if we can solve this well.

https://t.co/umxB8PCPYK

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

I believe Travel is a stress test. If a piece works there, it usually works in daily life too. NUITO entirely was born out of this germ of an Idea. What deserves a place in my suitcase if I travel for 1 whole year?

https://t.co/7ckrDDfwEG

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

@imYadav31 Its a great start for us together. Looking forward for more :)

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

@imYadav31 Just got mine a few days back have a major gst payment coming up :) @imYadav31

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

Recent US consumer data shows people buying fewer clothes but wearing each piece more. In India, clothes have always worked harder: longer days, more sweat, inconsistent washes. Solving for quality that survives this is the real challenge and the real opportunity.

https://t.co/Mg1dArgKYA

[Vivek Sivaraman @viky_paws]

My view is that Uniqlo works in India because it is designed around routine. Designing clothes around routine is quite hard and has to be intentional. It is a tough intersection of quality + aesthetics + comfort. A great white space for brands to build long term in India

https://t.co/mNzDO6VkfL