It is a known conundrum that any NRI bride or bridesmaid or their family based out of the US, Canada, UK, or the Middle East has been facing since the onset of the pandemic. Even before that, the search for that perfect Indian outfit always leads to frustration and sleepless nights due to either too many choices or too little customization. But with one brand aiming to end this struggle, the wait for owning a deeply desired wedding trousseau is over. Lashkaraa.com promises to satiate the needs of the whole family for Wedding wear and Festive shopping with the introduction of multiple collections and super customization according to both design and size. Whether it is the to-be married couple, children, parents, grandparents, or relatives, everyone will find an outfit or accessories that they need.
COVID-19 has had a catastrophic impact on businesses worldwide. Especially industries related to wedding events and mid-sized as well as large celebratory gatherings. People mostly purchase Indian or other such opulent ethnic wear when it’s required for an event or festival, and with everything coming to a standstill in 2020 and 2021, the effect on the businesses was detrimental.
However, the brand took this opportunity to track and identify the trends with the key drivers behind these recent market changes. They realized that the pandemic has also spurred the adoption of online retailing in the world. This has led a young entrepreneur-driven Lashkaraa.com, an operationally ‘Make In India’ product, with the US established roots, to carve an unparalleled niche in the large market of Indian ethnic wear shoppers abroad. Especially those Indians missing their country, who are searching for their ‘Mitti ki Khushboo (fragrance of their soil)’ in the rich heritage, centuries-old traditions, and cultural attire.
Ms. Sumeer Kaur, Founder/Director Lashkaraa Inc., states, “It has become very difficult for NRI brides whether in NY, Chicago, SF, Atlanta, San Jose, Washington, LA, Toronto, Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, etc. to get their hands on well-priced and custom-designed traditional occasion wear as they could not travel to India. Long-distance shopping done by relatives in India left brides and bridesmaids feeling frustrated. We saw the demand and aggressively expanded this 5-year young company to cater to modern, style-savvy Indian brides. It was pure economics that made me choose the way forward. We have gone ahead and enriched our user experience by providing increased variety and have empowered them with an unmatched ability to custom design their wedding outfits from the comfort of their home! Not only did we give the ease of selection, but we focused on customization with quality, keeping in mind friendly pricing for these exclusive designs.”
A major part of their consumer base is Indians based out of the United States, Canada, UK, and the Middle East. When it’s time for wedding shopping, the bride/groom and/or their families usually visit India to shop for the wedding trousseau. Due to the pandemic lockdowns, couples came online to complete their wedding trousseau shopping. This led to an increase in their custom bridal orders. More and more couples have now started opting for their wedding outfits online, and why not?
The story of how Lashkaraa Inc. began is not less than a movie script in its own respect. The absolute starting point for Lashkaraa came to Ms. Kaur during a phase of depression in her life. Her parents had separated, as her father left with basically nothing for her mother, and she could not work due to health issues– leaving the financial responsibility on Sumeer’s shoulders at the young age of 18. She knew that she could not raise her family in Los Angeles, working a part-time minimum wage job and attending college full time. Driven by her passion for clothing and while holding on to a job at her uncle’s restaurant, she began Lashkaraa so that she could earn a few hundred extra bucks a month while fueling her passion. She then began the business with merely $1200 that she had saved up working.
Lashkaraa markets itself as an affordable luxury brand that provides discerning consumers with exclusive in-house designs of high quality at affordable pricing with quick, safe deliveries. There has been an increase in mix-n-match pieces under custom orders. According to Lashkaraa, in bridesmaid outfits’ customization, a $200 lehenga is being offered with a $60 blouse, and so a bridesmaid can later buy many blouses at a lower cost to pair with the existing expensive lehenga.
During the COVID lockdowns, when others were focusing on cost-cutting and decreasing their teams, Lashkaraa did the opposite and doubled their design team. They are working full-time on their in-house lines and also expanding the ranges in kids, men’s, and bridal-wear. Due to these changes, now the brand launches 3-4 new collections every month as compared to the same in 2 months, pre-pandemic.
Lashkaraa has always believed in the Indian ethnic spirit and aims to spread its wings across the globe and share it with the world. With a unique blend of vintage and new-age, occasion-based or ceremonial wear and an ever-increasing range from Sarees, Salwar Suits, Anarkali Suits, Punjabi Suits, Churidar Suits, Palazzo Style, High Slit, Gown Anarkalis, Lehenga Cholis, Kurtis, etc. available in a wide variety of fabrics like Cotton, Cotton Blend, Silk, Tussar Silk, Net, Georgette, as well as covering elaborate but elegant work including but not limited to zari, beads, stone-works, thread-works, or other motifs for your every need, Lashkaraa.com is set to become one of the most trusted, easy to use and loved online ethnic wear shopping store for South Asian clothes in the world.
Ms. Kaur concludes with confidence, “Our aim is to leave a global imprint, to expand the business to its full potential, and to be accessible to both, a discerning woman or man in a small town in any part of the world or a fashionista in a fashion capital like NYC, Toronto, Milan, London or Tokyo. They should be able to shop for Indian clothes online in the USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa, Mauritius, UAE, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, India, and any other country. We already have a happy client base across more than 50 countries and will keep increasing our reach.”
With an ever-increasing demand post-pandemic for quality online shopping, the brand’s young team emphasizes that it is time to share this exciting news with family or friends getting married outside of India and are confused about where to shop. Having so few options available online for quality designs at reasonable prices with quick delivery, their website can be the ultimate Indian ethnic wear online shopping destination that has eluded many families thus far.