Australian innerwear brand aussieBum aims to become a conversation starter in India: Sean Ashby

New Delhi: Launched in 2001 in Australia, many people in the country rejected the Australian innerwear brand aussieBum for being too colourful. Despite this, aussieBum found its groove, gaining popularity and distribution in the US, UK, and European markets.  

In January 2024, the Australian innerwear brand made a splash in the Indian market.

With a presence in metropolitan areas such as Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Mumbai, the company would not just be advertising online but intends to make a presence outside of the digital world, thereby forming communities. 

Given India's tribe-driven culture and extensive social media use, Sean Ashby, Founder and Managing Director, told BestMediaInfo.com that he aims to make the brand a conversation starter. 

He emphasised the need for brand awareness through the company's e-commerce platform and presence in shopping malls, particularly in department stores facing challenges.

However, he stated that the company is already assessing the market of celebrities, influencers and sports personalities for a brand ambassador, as he intends to find someone with their own personality. 

Furthermore, it took over six months for aussieBum to establish itself in India. The company has been taking the business-to-consumer route (B2C), which has been slow. However, the company is in the process of setting up its manufacturing facility as well as partnering with a few companies.  

“Having invested over $250,000, I’m here to stay. I am a person who is driven by challenges. I’m not going anywhere for the next five years. I’m not looking to topple or take over any other business. I’m not looking to have a like-for-like brand that already exists in India. I’m looking to be different and the best thing is that no one knows what I will do next,” Ashby commented. 

As per Ashby, the COVID era has evolved sales in a way that the lines between e-commerce being one sales channel and retail stores being another sales channel have been blurred.  

According to Ashby, India emerged as a target market after Ernst and Young's (EY) research indicated that aussieBum was the top Australian brand Indian consumers would find in their local shopping centres. Although the brand has a global presence, Ashby aims to appeal to the middle-class Indian demographic.

“The motivation was more the endorsement of the everyday middle-class Indians that are often overlooked. I want to be able to present a brand that they can adopt and own but also have a brand that is unique in character,” Ashby stated.

The market’s fragmentation has led many brands to fail by attempting to cater to all consumer segments. In contrast, AussieBum leverages data analytics and is developing API applications. Additionally, the company is upgrading its website with AI-GPT technology.

The company has been developing swim shorts and underwear garments with mixed fibres and being environmentally conscious. The company uses banana-infused underwear, modal, and bamboo fibres, among other materials. 

“For the last six months, we have been developing swim shorts and underwear garments that are environmentally conscious. We also intend to move into using natural products like cashmere. However, there is also a focus on developing a garment that meets the climate conditions in India while the audience can continue identifying with their tribe,” Ashby mentioned.

The Australia-based innerwear company has introduced approximately 5000 stock-keeping units (SKUs).

Additionally, the average revenue per user (ARPU) of a pack of three is approximately $4.50. As per Ashby, the SKUs would typically be 20% below market value. However, he reiterated that he is not interested in selling into marketplaces.  

Ashby stated that he travels around the world since he wants a deeper understanding of the company’s potential audience and trends, including colour and shapes, among others. He further said that while he has set up a manufacturing facility in India, the revenue generated from the manufacturing plant is going to stay in India. 

“India is a saving grace. Any company that is selling into the US will have to pay additional import duties of 20-30%.

Anyone who is not registered will be hit with a bill from the time they started shipping into the country. India brings a lot of the challenges of inflation into a more commercialised way, hence, a saving grace,” Ashby emphasised.

As per Statista, innerwear as a segment has been on the rise, with the market expected to reach a valuation of Rs 26,952 crore by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 11.5%.