Mulmul

Threads of Happiness

Born and raised in India but loved by the world, the Mulmul brand celebrates the country in more ways than one and is an expression of its Indian roots, starting with its name and stopping nowhere. Here, RLI spends some time with Co-Founder and CEO Harsh Hari Modi to discuss the origin of the brand and what its future plans are as it continues to grow and make its presence in the world of retail known.

One of the largest producers of embroidered fabrics and laces for international brands like Zara and H&M, the Mulmul family has always been in the business of textiles. With Indian markets becoming more organised and with the advent of e-commerce, they decided to take the leap and launch their own label. The idea behind the creation of the brand was to create a home-grown premium fashion label using its own in-house capabilities.

“Mulmul has been received with open arms by customers and we have grown exponentially in our first few years and we are very grateful for this,” explains Harsh Hari Modi, Co-Founder and CEO of Mulmul. “We aim to make Indian ethnic wear a choice for daily wear as it was slowly becoming restricted to occasion wear.”

To date the company portfolio consists of 15 co-owned and operated stores and these are situated across Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Noida and Pune.

The most recent store opening was at Banjara Hills in Hyderabad and is spread across 2,100sq ft. Like its other sites, the space has in-house qualified stylists to guide every customer through the store experience and was built as per Vastu (an ancient Indian architectural science) for positivity.

The business is extremely careful with the choice of location of its stores, as its customer profile is very specific so they are concentrated in a few centres in the country. They do not open a store anywhere unless the scope of that market is backed by data and there is a premium retail offering in the area.

“In the coming years we are looking to continue expanding our online presence consistently as well as our retail presence. We will soon be opening doors in Chandigarh and Ludhiana. In total we will be opening seven new stores in this financial year and we are also working on a franchise model for international locations. In total we want to have 50 Mulmul stores around the world within the next three years,” explains Modi.

Since its inception, the company has been revolutionising ethnic wear in a stylish and chic manner and it has been able to bring back some of the country’s heritage textiles in a contemporary way, using modern silhouettes and new age colour patterns. With each new collection they continue to find ways to further better the product, design and service which helps them to stay ahead of the curve.

Delivering exceptional customer service along with high quality product is equally important to Mulmul. Be it online or offline in stores, they ensure that each and every customer has a ‘wow’ experience – which has helped them build a family of loyalists in such a short span of time who like to keep coming back to the brand. Their repeat customer rate is more than three times that of the industry benchmark, thus proving the customer loyalty that exists towards the brand.

“As Mulmul was first launched as an e-commerce platform, this became our primary medium of marketing before we launched our offline retail stores. Thus, social media has played a huge role in our success and getting us to where we are. It is definitely our focus area and a lot of thought and energy goes into it,” Modi explains.

Sustainability is a topic that is more prevalent than ever before for brands and Mulmul plays its part in this environment and is a 100 per cent sustainable and vegan brand. The fabrics they use are sustainable and its cotton has a 50 per cent longer lifespan compared to regular cotton which makes it more durable and Earth-friendly. In addition the company also operates a zero plastic use policy in its packaging.

As the topic of conversation moves into enhanced digital strategies, Modi highlights that the brand has always been digital first and that they are one of the very few brands that transitioned from online to offline. He continues by saying that technology is constantly evolving and they try their best to keep up with relevant ones, as not all new technological innovations are as effective. Currently they are piloting a virtual trial feature on their website.

“We were lucky to get the success that we did in the nascent years after our launch and we are really grateful for that. This love and loyalty that we have received definitely has to be one of the key drivers of our success to date,” Modi highlights. “Mulmul is unique – starting from the finest Supima cotton fabric that we use, the exquisite embroidery and lace patterns that we create in-house and of course the styles that we design. In short, everything that makes up a Mulmul garment is made to order thus making the entre process unique. Along with this, our approach towards our customers is what differentiates us from the rest. We offer a wholesome experience to them, right from our social media, to stylist in stores, to after sale service. Mulmul woman are strong, independent and like to stand out but in a very subtle way. She wants to be comfortable as well as fashionable.”

The ethos which permeates through the team at Mulmul and is reflected in every aspect of their work is their endeavour to spread happiness. From the moment a customer reaches out to the brand, either online or offline, they ensure that they are not only delivering the best quality product that is out there but also the best service, which is not limited to just the sale.

Just before our time with Modi runs out, we ask him what lies ahead and what is currently the greatest challenge facing Mulmul?

“With India rapidly developing, the Indian markets and the spending power of Indians is growing too. We look forward to continue scaling our online business as well as expanding our offline presence. Rising CPC (cost-per-click) and saturation in premium retail locations is a challenge that we foresee, however I remain positive and always look at challenges as new opportunities. Along with the expansion, we are also diversifying in terms of our product lines and we are all excited to see where the future takes us,” Modi concludes.