How to Start a Clothing Brand in 2025 (Full guide) | Sikandar Ali | SS005

🎧 Stream Startup Seekho episodes on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1LxFmySQrnYZvD3x82BSNl In this episode, we sit down with Sikandar Ali, the founder of Wear Duds, a homegrown streetwear brand that has carved its space in India’s fashion scene. From starting with white-labelled products to building a culturally rooted label worn by creators and celebrities, Sikandar shares the gritty, real journey of building a fashion business in India without owning a factory. Before Wear Duds became a known name, Sikandar faced multiple failures, deadstock issues, team struggles, and the tough decision of going offline to online. He breaks down how he found product-market fit, grew a high-ROAS D2C brand, cracked marketplaces like Myntra, and why OTP verification and a video content system changed their game. We also talk about the behind-the-scenes hustle of the Namas’cray festival, government schemes for funding, avoiding common fashion startup mistakes, and the true size and potential of India’s streetwear market. Whether you're a fashion enthusiast, D2C founder, or just exploring business ideas — this episode is full of practical insights, relatable stories, and startup gold. Tune in to learn how Sikandar built a lean, creative team (with his brothers!), got celebrities to wear his brand, and managed to scale without burning out. If you’re thinking of launching a product brand in 2025 — this one’s a must-watch. Subscribe for more no-fluff founder journeys! TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 1:40 – The reality of white labelling no one tells you 6:35 – How he found the product-market fit for Wear Duds 11:30 – Why is the brand called Wear Duds? 13:50 – How they proved the idea actually works (proof of concept) 17:32 – How they finally got online after so many struggles 23:20 – 1-day roadmap to start learning digital marketing 29:20 – Why Wear Duds gets such high returns on ad spend (ROAS) 31:11 – Crazy story behind the Namas’cray streetwear festival 34:50 – When should you lau