ZYOD is a rapidly growing tech-enabled clothing manufacturing company in India. Founded in 2023 by Ankit Jaipuria and Ritesh Khandelwal, ZYOD is known for its innovative approach, offering comprehensive design-to-delivery solutions for fashion brands. They focus on fast turnaround times, flexible minimum order quantities, and a diverse catalogue of the latest trends.
TVC Media Team had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Ritesh Khandelwal, Co-Founder of ZYOD. Mr. Khandelwal oversees Operations and Finance, ensuring smooth production processes and helping brands stay competitive. A true visionary, he believes ZYOD is a sustainable and trend-focused fashion manufacturing pioneer. His vision extends beyond ZYOD, as he actively works to create manufacturing clusters that will transform the entire Indian apparel industry. With a focus on advanced technology, Mr Khandelwal sees India becoming a global leader in apparel exports.
Can you elaborate on ZYOD’s vision of “shaping the future of the fashion industry” and the core values that drive your mission?
ZYOD was established with a vision to make apparel manufacturing hassle-free and offer quality fashion that is more accessible and affordable. As a tech-enabled fashion manufacturing platform, ZYOD delivers seamless solutions from design to delivery for global fashion brands. The brand’s approach envisions shaping the future of the fashion industry, by integrating style, eco-friendliness, and responsible production practices. Driven by a commitment to innovation, sustainability, customer-centricity, and global collaboration, the company prioritises advanced technologies and methodologies to enhance efficiency and product quality. Additionally, ZYOD leverages diverse insights from customers and taps into international markets to foster innovation and expand its reach.
ZYOD is recognized as a disruptor in the fashion manufacturing space. How did you identify the need for disruption and what are the key pillars of your approach?
ZYOD identified the need for disruption in the fashion manufacturing space by addressing key challenges such as significant inventory losses, supply chain inefficiencies, and high order quantities that created barriers for smaller brands. Recognizing the industry’s unorganised nature and the resulting problems, ZYOD saw an opportunity to implement a more structured and innovative approach to drive change and efficiency.
The key pillars of ZYOD’s approach include offering flexible minimum order quantities (MOQs) to make the market accessible to brands of all sizes, utilising AI-driven fashion forecasting to minimise overproduction and inventory losses, and employing real-time ERP systems to enhance supply chain efficiency and transparency.
ZYOD is a leader in AI-powered fashion forecasting. Can you explain how your AI algorithms work and the impact they have on design and production?
ZYOD uses AI algorithms to analyse market data, consumer preferences, and fashion trends, enabling precise trend forecasts and design recommendations. By breaking fashion into attributes and mapping designs from an extensive library, these AI algorithms enhance design standards, predict trends accurately, and streamline production processes. For example, ZYOD’s AI accurately predicted the popularity of pastel colours for a summer collection, leading to high sales and positive customer feedback. This unique use of AI positions ZYOD as a leader in fashion forecasting.
Beyond AI, how is ZYOD leveraging technology to streamline the design-to-delivery process for brands?
ZYOD employs a real-time Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to enhance operational efficiency and transparency. This system enables brands to closely monitor production status instantaneously, reducing the complications involved with traditional manufacturing procedures. This resulted in a more streamlined workflow from design to delivery, considerably improving operational efficiency and ensuring timely order fulfilment.
Additionally, ZYOD’s quality control procedure involves more than 20 checkpoints throughout the manufacturing process. This multi-layered quality control system ensures that all garments meet the highest quality standards. The ERP system enables real-time oversight, allowing for swift corrective actions if any deviations are detected, resulting in consistently good product quality.
Balancing growth with environmental responsibility is crucial. How does ZYOD address sustainability concerns in its manufacturing processes?
ZYOD prioritises quick turnaround times and waste reduction, by sourcing materials from certified suppliers, utilising eco-friendly production methods, and minimising production wastage and risks of dead stock through its ERP system. By integrating sustainable materials and practices throughout its production processes, ZYOD minimises environmental impact and appeals to brands that prioritise ethical manufacturing. This commitment to sustainability enhances ZYOD’s market position.
With a Goal of Producing 100,0000 styles monthly, how is ZYOD ensuring scalability while maintaining quality and ethical production?
ZYOD actively engages in partnerships with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), seamlessly integrating them into its supply chain network. This collaboration grants SMEs access to advanced manufacturing technologies and lucrative market opportunities, fostering an environment of mutual growth and development. ZYOD’s stringent quality control systems, including regular audits, ensure comprehensive solutions for its customers. Offering end-to-end services from design to delivery, ZYOD filters products through a rigorous, multi-layered quality control system. With the current monthly output exceeding 10,000 unique styles, ZYOD demonstrates scalability and precision, serving industry giants and cementing its status as a forerunner in the fashion domain.
Your vision emphasises taking Indian fashion manufacturing global. Can you detail your expansion plans and strategies for achieving this goal?
With the vision of taking ‘India to the globe,’ ZYOD plans to expand its business across 40+ countries, collaborating with over 500 SMEs to unveil 100,000 styles monthly. ZYOD is committed to positioning India as a leading global fashion hub by highlighting its capabilities in rapid production. Our approach focuses on harnessing innovative technologies and efficient production processes to achieve high efficiency and precision. This technology integration allows the brand to offer short turnaround times and the flexibility to respond to changing market demands, attracting more international brands and showcasing India’s significant potential in the global fashion industry.
Partnering with leading apparel brands, ZYOD aims to become the ultimate one-stop shop for all fashion needs, from design to delivery, thereby significantly contributing to India’s global market share in apparel manufacturing.
ZYOD has partnered with leading apparel brands. How do these partnerships contribute to ZYOD’s growth and the broader goals of the Indian fashion industry?
Partnerships with top brands enhance ZYOD’s credibility, expand its market reach, and showcase India’s manufacturing capabilities to the world. By expanding globally, the brand aims to position India as a leading fashion manufacturing hub, creating an agile and innovative industry. In the past year, the brand has partnered with a variety of leading apparel brands and labels like Reliance, FirstCry, Rare Rabbit, Anthropologie, NEXT, Boohoo, and Landmark Group, among others. These collaborations support the growth of the Indian fashion industry and highlight ZYOD’s innovative approach.
Creating a unique ecosystem for new-age brands and retailers is a key focus. Can you explain how ZYOD facilitates connections between global SMBs and Indian SMEs?
ZYOD serves as a bridge between global small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and Indian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),. leveraging advanced technology to enable smooth connections and partnerships. The flexible production processes are tailored to meet the diverse needs of SMBs, allowing for scalable and efficient manufacturing solutions. Additionally, ZYOD invests in training programs to upskill Indian SMEs, enabling them to adhere to global standards and drive ongoing innovation. This approach promotes mutual growth while cultivating a culture centred on innovation, sustainability, and international collaboration.
How can brands leverage ZYOD’s innovative manufacturing processes to expand their product categories strategically?
Brands partnering with ZYOD capitalise on the company’s capabilities, enabling strategic expansion of their product categories and mitigating risks. ZYOD’s rapid turnaround times allow brands to quickly respond to market trends and consumer demands, ensuring they stay competitive and relevant. By integrating AI-driven insights into manufacturing, brands gain valuable data-driven guidance for improved decision-making, trend prediction, and inventory management. Moreover, ZYOD’s flexible minimum order quantities (MOQs) enable brands to experiment with new product lines without the burden of large upfront investments. This flexibility reduces financial risk and allows for more agile and adaptive business strategies, ultimately driving growth and innovation in the fashion industry.
What are your predictions for the future of fashion manufacturing, and how will ZYOD continue to be at the forefront of innovation?
The fashion industry’s trajectory will increasingly emphasise sustainability, technological integration, and circular fashion practices. Sustainability will become a core priority, with brands and manufacturers striving to minimise their environmental impact through eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient processes, and reduced waste. Technology integration will revolutionise the industry, with advancements in AI, and data analytics driving efficiency, personalization, and innovation in product development and supply chain management. Circular fashion practices will gain prominence, emphasising the reuse, recycling, and repurposing of materials to create a closed-loop system that significantly reduces waste and promotes a more sustainable industry.
As the industry evolves, ZYOD is committed to leading innovation in these transformative domains. The brand will continue to harness the power of AI to innovate and enhance its product design capabilities, trend forecasting, and inventory management. By leveraging AI, ZYOD will drive greater efficiency and accuracy across the supply chain, enabling quicker responses to market demands and reducing excess production. Furthermore, the brand will intensify its efforts to promote eco-friendly practices by integrating sustainable materials, adopting green manufacturing processes, and supporting initiatives that reduce the environmental footprint of fashion production. By staying at the forefront of these advancements, ZYOD aims to set new standards in the industry, ensuring its role as a pioneer in sustainable and technology-driven fashion manufacturing.
