'Totle' Diving Into the Oasis of the Kidswear Market
A few years back, the kidswear industry’s existence was not prominent in the apparel market. But today, the Indian kidswear market holds colossal potential globally. Apart from the major retailers ruling the market, there has been a noticeable surge in homegrown premium brands. The population ratio of kids is approximately 444 million, ranging from age 0 to 14 years. That represents the lucrativeness of the industry and why several startups and well-established retailers are all set to explore and grow in the coming years.
Apart from the industry value, the other factor that will allow these brands to grow is the shift in the mindset of parents. Modern parents are highly cognizant of the products they use for their kids. From apparel to skincare products, they try to be as careful as possible. Additionally, they also try to opt for brands and products that are good for their kids and in vogue. There has been a visible increase in the kidswear fashion industry, with numerous brands catering to specific niches like haute couture, pret-a-porter, and mass market. There is everything readily available as per the kids’ requirements.
Totle is one of the modish kidswear brands, all set to conquer the market. The brand is the brainchild of House of Nama founders - Prithvi Nama and Nanditha Prasad. Their journey started in 2020 when the world was amidst a pandemic. Prithvi and Nanditha came across the harsh reality of the impact we, as humans, had on the environment during the lockdown. As aspiring entrepreneurs in the fashion industry, their primary goal was to understand and minimize the contribution of the industry to environmental pollution in India and the world. As the world is aware, landfill pollution caused by fashion industry waste has been a leading health hazard promoting climate change. Both Prithvi and Nanditha wanted to play their small part in changing this issue when stepping into the business.
After meticulous research, in January 2021, they started House of Nama with a vision of creating a fashion brand for the future. They locked their core value to be environmentally friendly in every step they went ahead with. They envisioned creating two brands - one kidswear brand and one for adults. Coming from a non-fashion background, they initially hired six graduates from NIFT to help them with the design strategies and soon approached factories that were Fairtrade-certified for manufacturing. At present, Meghna Benson is the key designer of Totle. She is an alumna of NIFT Hyderabad, who specializes in Knitwear design. Her expertise is utilized to strategize kidswear fashion at Totle. After two years of multiple challenges, Totle launched as a children's designer clothes label online in 2023. The brand aims to make its physical presence in multiple stores across the country in the future and become one of the best kid's wear stores.
Vision and Mission of the Brand
The brand believed in the strength of storytelling and wanted to explore uncharted territories through its collections. They want to portray art that is vibrant, playful, and creative. House of Nama visions a sustainable tomorrow. Ethical sourcing and production are the heart of the brand. It helps them embrace sustainability without compromising form, functionality, and aesthetics.
The brand’s mission is to be synonymous with premium and playful kids’ fashion. They aim to create a global presence and be the first choice for future generations looking for high-quality, sustainable, and fashionable options.
What sets them Apart?
Totle is building a brand that is - Better for the Child, Better for the Farmer, and Better for the Earth. Their dedication to creating a holistic experience for parents and kids through their values and products sets them apart from other brands. While sustainable can be mistaken as dull when it comes to fashion, Totle aims to provide vibrant, unique, and interactive designs made with natural skin-friendly fabrics. Apart from being India’s first Fairtrade-certified kidswear brand, they have exceptionally competitive prices from the market.
The Proud Visionaries Behind Totle
Privthi Nama comes from an engineering and management background. He completed his civil engineering degree and acquired a master's in project management at Skema Business School in Paris. He is a second-generation family member involved in various family businesses like construction, granite, sugar, etc. Nanditha Prasad, on the other hand, completed her electrical engineering and secured a master's degree in innovation, entrepreneurship, and management from Imperial College London. She is also a fifth-generation business family member involved in education. Both dreamt of starting a venture of their own, a scalable business that embraced their passion and core beliefs and stepped foot into the kids' fashion wear market.
Totle Interactive Collection & Storytelling initiative
Storytelling and interactive designs used during the initial ages of kids, from their toys to their clothes, have several psychological and educational rewards. It helps them amplify their imagination. That enhances their vocabulary, visualization, and communication skills. Totle has focused on this aspect constructively and utilized interactive design and storytelling with their PJ collections.
Some products that contribute to this initiative are Bumpo’s Epic Dance PJ, Penguin Family PJ, Ranjie’s Dream Come True PJ, and more.
While the children's designer wear industry is highly profitable, the competition is equally fierce. Totle aims to create a scalable brand that stays true to its values till the end. They aspire to be positioned as a fashion-forward and planet-friendly brand.
