Needle Theory was born out of a desire to build a homegrown brand that offers international quality clothing to the Indian market at a reasonable price, which was an almost impossible find. As a third generation, with a backing of over 50 years in the textile industry, they have a high focus on quality in craftsmanship, materials used and customer experience with the brand. Needle Theory creates timeless designs that transcend trends and seasons. And the company believe a piece of clothing is more than just that and they aim to bring luxury to everyday wear, making every day special and comfortable - just like a warm bear hug. “We strongly believe in and admire Indian craftsmanship and wish to bring it the global recognition it deserves”, says Akanksha Agarwal, the Co-Founder of the company. And under the guidance of Akanksha, Needle Theory is striving to reach for greater heights in the industry.

In an exclusive interview with Women Entrepreneur, Akanksha talks more about Needle Theory and its evolution in the industry.

Tell Us About The Products That Needle Theory Is Largely Known For?

Currently our focus is on curating elevated essentials like shirts, dresses and shorts. Eventually we would like to provide a one stop shop for all lifestyle product needs.

At Needle Theory our design motto is simple – we curate comfortable and elevated products that ensure you feel good and confident every day. We believe how we dress can truly impact the way we feel, and we hope to create that positive experience for our customers. Fun fact – all our dresses are designed with pockets because we truly believe that style and comfort need not be mutually exclusive.

We create designs and patterns that transcend trends and become an evergreen part of your wardrobe. To us, what we wear is more than what it looks, we believe in the emotional value of a garment and hope that it will be that piece in your wardrobe that would make you nostalgic and fill you with happy memories. We also create looks for the hustlers so they can seamlessly go from their morning meetings to happy hours.

All our garments are made from natural materials, with a focus on sustainable materials, which are not only good for the environment but also look good and feel great. We produce all orders in our in-house manufacturing facility, ensuring each garment is made with care and upholds our very stringent quality standards. Our production team is made of ninjas who truly understand the art and take the care to make each piece perfect.

In today’s highly competitive fashion & apparel market, how does needle theory differentiate itself from its contemporaries in the market? What is the brand’s usp?

Needle Theory is a homegrown brand redefining timeless fashion in the age of fast moving trends. Our USP is our quality standard, timeless designs and sustainability initiatives that enable us to curate clothes you’ll reach for every day, for years to come.

Even though we are a young brand, we are backed by an overwhelming 50 years of experience in the industry, which truly sets us apart. We are investing all that knowledge and passion to create a brand that is known for products we all aspire to have as part of our wardrobe. We stand out in the market because we design timeless pieces that can be worn across occasions and through the years. We create quality that we hope will be passed down as vintage pieces through generations.

What is the brand philosophy behind needle theory? How do you incorporate sustainability in your products and processes?

We believe in quality, service and sustainability. As a brand we believe in providing products that will elevate your wardrobe at grounded pricing, without hurting the environment. This is a hard balance that we strive to achieve. We position ourselves as an affordable luxury brand.

“Needle theory is a homegrown brand working towards bringing Indian craftsmanship to the forefront in the world”

We believe sustainability is the need of the hour and as part of one of the biggest pollutant industries we have to take the initiative to work towards building a more sustainable and eco-friendly future in fashion. When we began our research, we noticed that packaging creates a lot of waste, which has caused great repercussions to the environment, so we started our efforts by incorporating a no plastic policy for our packaging and instead use a starch made packaging material that can dissolve in hot water, leading to no waste. We have also chosen to use natural materials like Linens and BCI Cotton for our products. We are also currently working on many other initiatives like using recycled fabric, fabric made from recycled plastic, planting a tree for every purchase, etc.

How has needle theory’s growth journey been so far? What is the roadmap ahead for the brand?

At Needle Theory one of our core beliefs is constant progress and improvement. Since we started, we have worked to improve and grow with each moving month, whether that was our designs, creatives, packaging, website, analytics and so much more. We also recently launched our first womenswear collection after receiving a tonne of requests from women in our community. We realized there was a gap in the market for high quality everyday womenswear shirts and were happy to listen to our community and deliver our best.

I envision Needle Theory becoming a homegrown brand recognized globally. In order to achieve that we are working relentlessly every day to create better processes, build collaborations, elevate designs and at the core of it, improve experiences for our community. We would also eventually like to expand into more verticals to provide a wholesome experience, and become a one stop shop for elevated essentials.

Akanksha Agarwal, Co-Founder, Needle Theory

This pioneering professional aspires to create a unique business organization that strives to offer the best products to their customer that are luxurious and affordable.