Bengaluru-based yoga wear startup Proyog has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from former Cafe Coffee Day chief executive Naresh Malhotra, and from Ajay Malhotra, managing director at Dubai-based Vamm Capital.
The firm, which is launching its products on Sunday, the first International Day of Yoga, is also in the process of raising its first-round funding of about Rs. 44 crore. Proyog said that unlike synthetic garments from global brands, their products were made from ‘naturally-breathable’ materials.
“More than 90 per cent of the market consists of polyester and nylon products that are essentially plastic which are not at all conducive to the practice of yoga,” said Malika Baruah, co-founder and product head at Proyog.
A former head of design at apparel company Levi's Strauss, Baruah co-founded the firm along with her colleague Priyanktha Iyengar. Sanjay Nayak, former India president at advertising firm McCann Erickson Worldwide, and serial entrepreneur Dave Banerjee are other cofounders of the firm.
“Unfortunately, the market is dominated by players who are simply passing off synthetic fitness-wear as yoga wear,” said Sanjay Nayak, chief executive of Proyog.
The startup consulted yoga teachers and textile engineers and spent two years in extensive research before developing the fabrics and styles of garments. It also took insights from yoga practitioners from 11 nationalities. Their findings showed that most practitioners are not even aware that they are practicing yoga in nylon and polyester clothing.
“Indian yogis traditionally wore natural, unstitched clothes which were neither too tight, nor too loose,” said Priyanktha Iyengar. “If yoga comes from India, surely the onus of true yoga wear cannot be on the world.”
Proyog said that it is the only company in the world to use core-spun technology in yoga wear. In this, lycra yarn is wrapped with organic cotton before knitting, ensuring that it doesn’t come close to the skin.
“We are as committed to yoga as Speedo is to swimming, or Everlast is to boxing,” said Dave Banerjee, Proyog co-founder and marketing head.
Estimates say that over 200 million people around the world practice yoga. The estimated market for yoga apparel in the US alone is over $13 billion (Rs. 82,000 crore) annually.
