Business

Sundar Connects The Fashion Industry Seamlessly

Online discovery and sourcing platform Sundar is working to connect creative professionals with quality materials and qualified vendors in an increasingly fast-paced apparel and accessories industry where consumers demand near-immediate gratification.

Rooted in the technologies of social networking, Sundar's aim is to revolutionise the fashion supply chain model by building out the world's largest wholesale marketplace. Sundar, conceived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and incubated at Techstars, realised that the apparel supply chain, a trillion dollar global industry, was ripe for disruption.

For centuries, the apparel industry has relied on antiquated, opaque and offline methods to connect fashion designers, brands and retailers to textile mills and material suppliers for silks or lace, for instance. Sundar saw the opportunity to streamline this process through a sourcing platform that relies on sophisticated search, curation and data-driven insights that connect buyers and sellers 24/7.

Seeing that the textile supply trade fair circuit was not much better off than the day-to-day manufacturer-material relationship, Sundar also plans to roll out show-specific online platforms. The first trade show to benefit from a platform exclusive to its participating vendors and guests was Milan's 24th annual Milano Unica, a textile and accessories fair targeting high-end fashion production, February 1 to 3.

For Milano Unica, Sundar created the MU365 platform to connect buyers to a customised, 365-day ecosystem representing the entire trade show network. In an industry first, Sundar's streamlined technology brought a trade fair's offerings online, thus easing the process and often overwhelming climate of a large-scale show.

"Sundar is creating private platforms for trade show exhibitors and attendees to extend the show - which take place over three days and twice a year - to a 24/7, 365 day-a-year experience - aligned with the breakdown of the traditional twice yearly sourcing season to the 'always-on' and 'see-now, buy-now' model," said Jag Gill, founder and CEO of Sundar.

"This does not replace the trade fair, which is an important face-to-face component of business for buyers and sellers," she said. "The first collaboration is with Milano Unica, the premier show in Europe for the finest Italian textiles, trim and components, as well as curated products from Japan, Korea and other growing markets.

"MU365 launched February 1, and the fair's customer base has more than 400 exhibitors and 18,000 attendees."

Say's Jag Gill, founder and CEO of Sundar, "I founded Sundar after a decade-long international banking career where, as a senior executive and trusted advisor to some of India's leading apparel industrialists, I uncovered a paradox: the complexities and inefficiencies of the fashion supply chain were in clear conflict with the fast pace of consumer demand for on-trend fashion. This became the white space from which Sundar was born."

Soon after, Jag graduated from MIT, where Sundar was incubated, and won a spot in the Boston program of Techstars, the world's leading software accelerator. The company gained the attention of New Enterprise Associates (NEA), the largest venture capital fund in the world, who became investors. So, how does Sundar transform the fashion supply chain. It does this in three major ways:

Speed: The need for speed has become critical as consumers demand is tied to the Internet - they see trends and want them instantly. The lag that existed between runway shows and production is giving way to 'see-now, buy-now' and production needs to change to accommodate. Sundar allows designers to find fabrications, trims, accessories, components and wholesale product quickly, and enables suppliers to reach designers without friction.

Transparency: Sundar brings transparency into the price, composition and source of garment components and wholesale product, for better compliance, price and quality.

Supply chain transparency - Social and environmental compliance is increasingly demanded from consumers (especially millennials), and public companies have required this and passed it off through the supply-side where this information is obfuscated from the design and creative professional.

Now, Sundar will be a global benchmark and forcing function that ensures this data will be available, shared and later, ranked.

Aesthetic: Designers will have the world at their fingertips when it comes to finding the components that make up a garment, as well as gain access to finished product that can be easily customised, manufactured and shipped for faster turnaround times.

Imagine having every button style categorised by type and size; or designs of 'off-the-shoulder' tops that can be pulled and put on the production line in a matter of minutes. Imagine being able to source both from the most prestigious mills and also from local artisans.

This is critical in a world where differentiation of product, and first-to-market is key to creating desire amongst consumers. Sundar also shortens the supply chain by doing away with third parties and agents. Agents are hired by fabric mills and garment manufacturers to meet with designers and sourcing professionals in their markets. Usually agents have an understanding of a label's aesthetic and they bring a pre-selected group of products and designs to the apparel companies.

The 'agency' model is diminishing as brands and manufacturers need to cut costs (agents can charge between 5% and 15% upwards of order volume in commissions) and take ownership and control of their product and design; and suppliers move sales and marketing in-house to better serve their customers in an increasingly faster and leaner supply chain.

Benefits to small manufacturers

Small suppliers remain analogue and have limited expertise of marketing their products beyond lugging a suitcase of samples to their customer's office on infrequent and costly business trips - a digital customer is served by analogue supply.

Their websites look like they are from the 1980s and their product catalogues are offline. With Sundar's flexible web tools and service, they will have an equal opportunity for exposure so they can be discovered alongside the better and larger suppliers who have already caught onto digital by developing ecommerce sites and B2B tools to work with their existing demand.

The Sundar process

1. Sundar vets and verifies each member of the platform.

2. In all of its markets, it looks for quality products, innovation, and performance.

3. Fashion business is built on relationships. Sundar team works directly with the factories, visiting their facilities, and asking the right questions.

4. Data is also verified using 3rd party sources such as US Customs, legal records, & industry trade organisation studies.

Vendor Code of Conduct lends transparency to the process

Sundar has established a Vendor Code of Conduct, which reflect ethical sourcing, protecting the interests of workers. These principles have been informed by, and in many instances incorporate, human rights, labour rights and anti-corruption standards enunciated by the United Nations, the International Labor Organisation and other respected international bodies. By signing up with Sundar, Sundar Suppliers agree to comply with the Sundar Vendor Code of Conduct. Facilities will comply with laws and regulations in all locations where they conduct business.

1. No Child Labour

2. No Forced Labour

3. No Coercion or Harassment

4. No Discrimination

5. Freedom of Association

6. Health & Safety

7. Wages

8. Working Hours

9. Environmental Protection