Yepme

Yepme was an Indian online fashion retailer and private-label apparel brand headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana. It was launched in April 2011 by Vivek Gaur, Sandeep Sharma and Anand Jadhav, at a time when Indian e-commerce was expanding beyond online travel into consumer goods. The business initially operated as an online seller of apparel and accessories, but in August 2011 it changed direction and promoted Yepme primarily as a fully fledged private-label fashion brand rather than as a marketplace for established third-party labels. The founders brought complementary experience to the venture. Gaur had worked in online businesses, marketing and sales, including roles associated with Bagittoday.com, HT Media, Living Media and Hindustan Unilever. Sharma combined e-commerce, technology and operations experience from organizations including Accenture, Sapient, SBI Capital Markets and HCL Technologies. Jadhav contributed merchandising and supply-chain expertise developed in apparel retail, including work connected with Shoppers Stop, Globus, Pantaloon and Reliance Trends. Yepme’s commercial proposition centered on affordable, trend-oriented clothing for younger consumers. Its range covered men’s and women’s apparel, footwear, accessories, sportswear and related fashion products. The company sought to reach customers in India’s tier-two and tier-three towns, where physical access to major apparel chains was more limited. This distribution strategy made logistics and language localization important parts of the business model. Company statements and contemporary reporting described substantial order volumes from smaller towns, including areas served through India Post rather than conventional courier networks. The website offered Hindi and several Indian-language options, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. The company raised early venture funding from Helion Venture Partners and a California-based investor. In September 2015, it reportedly secured a further $75 million in funding led by Malaysia’s Khazanah Nasional Berhad. The business invested heavily in mass-media advertising and celebrity-led brand building. Its marketing included television, print, digital and social-media activity, with campaigns featuring personalities such as Kangana Ranaut, Farhan Akhtar, Sonu Sood, Esha Gupta and Shah Rukh Khan. Yepme also used fashion events to give an online-only retailer a more conventional fashion-brand profile. The brand expanded its assortment during its growth phase. Women’s wear was formally promoted in 2012 across office-formal, smart-casual, party-wear and fusion categories. Its activewear line included T-shirts, polos, muscle tees, workout vests, tracksuits and sports shoes. Yepme also pursued international reach, including a United States-facing website and sales through Amazon’s US platform, although the available reference material does not establish the duration or scale of that operation. The company’s later trajectory was substantially weaker. Reports from March 2018 stated that Yepme had dismissed roughly 90 percent of its staff, was considering winding down operations and was preparing for bankruptcy proceedings. Former employees and vendors reportedly alleged that payments remained outstanding; some former employees said that cheques issued after labor-related complaints later bounced. The available material does not confirm a completed bankruptcy, a formal liquidation date or the present disposition of the brand, but it supports treating Yepme as defunct or no longer operating as a meaningful retail business.

Yepme emerged during the early expansion of Indian consumer e-commerce. The company was launched in April 2011 by Vivek Gaur, Sandeep Sharma and Anand Jadhav, who combined experience in online ventures, technology, operations, merchandising and apparel supply chains. Its initial model was online retailing of men’s and women’s garments and accessories. In August 2011, however, the company repositioned itself around its own private-label brand. The founders believed that selling branded products online could create pricing and channel conflicts, particularly when retailers used the internet to clear end-of-life inventory. A proprietary-label model offered greater control over product design, pricing, merchandising and brand presentation. The business focused on younger, value-conscious shoppers and placed special emphasis on tier-two and tier-three Indian towns. This was a distinctive element of its early strategy because many major apparel chains had limited physical reach outside India’s largest cities. Contemporary accounts described a significant share of orders coming from smaller towns, including locations that conventional courier services did not cover and that therefore relied on India Post. Yepme also developed multilingual shopping capabilities, offering Hindi as well as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada options in an effort to reduce language barriers. The company expanded its assortment and visibility quickly. It organized a fashion show in New Delhi in August 2011, an unusual promotional move for an online retailer at the time. Women’s wear was introduced and promoted in 2012 across formal, casual, party and fusion categories. The company also developed activewear and sportswear, broadening its offering beyond basic casual apparel. Its marketing strategy combined television advertising, vernacular print media, performance marketing and social media. Lowe Lintas handled creative duties, Lintas Media Group handled media planning and buying, and Tyroo Direct was assigned performance-marketing responsibilities during 2012. Television advertising reportedly produced a substantial increase in daily page views. Celebrity endorsements became central to brand building. Kangana Ranaut was associated with the women’s collection, while Farhan Akhtar, Sonu Sood, Esha Gupta and Shah Rukh Khan were subsequently used to promote different parts of the brand portfolio. The company promoted itself as a fashion destination rather than merely as a discount website. It received attention in Indian business media and was identified by Forbes India as a startup to watch in 2012. It also pursued international ambitions, entering the United States through Yepmeworld.com and selling through Amazon’s US marketplace. Growth was supported by outside investment. Early financing came from Helion Venture Partners and a California-based investor, with reporting in 2012 placing cumulative funding at approximately $9 million. In September 2015, Yepme reportedly raised $75 million in a financing round led by Khazanah Nasional Berhad. These figures belong to the periods in which they were reported and do not establish the company’s later valuation, revenue or profitability. By 2018, the company’s operating position had deteriorated. Reports said that roughly 90 percent of its employees had been dismissed and that management was considering winding up the business and pursuing bankruptcy. Former employees and vendors alleged that outstanding dues had not been paid, and former employees reportedly pursued complaints through labor authorities. The available sources do not establish whether a formal bankruptcy order or legal dissolution was completed. Nevertheless, the reported workforce reduction and closure plans mark the end of Yepme’s documented period as a significant online fashion retailer.

• 2018

  Reported operational collapse

  [1]Yepmeen.wikipedia.org

  Reports describe extensive staff reductions, plans to wind down the business and possible bankruptcy proceedings.

• 2015

  Major financing round

  [1]Yepmeen.wikipedia.org

  The company reportedly raises $75 million in funding led by Khazanah Nasional Berhad.

• 2012

  Women's collection introduced

  [1]Yepmeen.wikipedia.org

  Yepme launches a women's wear collection spanning formal, casual, party and fusion categories.

• 2011

  Yepme launches in India

  [1]Yepmeen.wikipedia.org

  Yepme.com begins operations as an online retailer of apparel and accessories.

• 2011

  Private-label repositioning

  [1]Yepmeen.wikipedia.org

  The company shifts its emphasis toward Yepme-branded private-label fashion products.

• 2011

  First reported online-retailer fashion show

  [1]Yepmeen.wikipedia.org

  Yepme stages a fashion show at The Ashok Hotel in New Delhi and uses established Indian models to present the brand.

Value-oriented, youth-focused private-label fashion for Indian consumers, with particular emphasis on tier-two and tier-three cities.

• Apparel · 2011

  Men's apparel

  Yepme’s original and central merchandise category included private-label clothing for men. The range was aimed at younger, value-conscious shoppers and formed the foundation of the company’s online fashion proposition. The available sources identify men’s garments broadly but do not provide a complete catalogue of individual product styles.

• Apparel · 2012

  Women's wear

  The women’s collection was promoted in 2012 and was organized around office formals, smart casuals, party wear and fusion clothing. Its launch helped Yepme present itself as a broader fashion brand rather than a predominantly male-oriented online clothing seller.

• Sportswear · 2014

  Activewear

  Yepme’s activewear line extended the brand into sportswear and included crew-neck T-shirts, polos, muscle tees, workout vests, tracksuits and sports shoes. The range was promoted through a dedicated celebrity endorsement and was positioned as a contemporary men’s sports-fashion offering.

• Fashion accessories · 2011

  Footwear and accessories

  Footwear and fashion accessories complemented Yepme’s clothing assortment. The references establish these as core merchandise areas but do not specify the full product architecture, named sub-lines or individual hero products.

• 2018

  Allegations of unpaid employee and vendor dues

  Former employees and vendors reportedly alleged that Yepme left obligations unpaid during its operational decline. Former employees were reported to have approached labor authorities, and some cheques issued by the company were said to have bounced. The available material reports allegations and does not establish a final court finding.

  Source

Read more

• 2014Activewear endorsement campaign

  India

  Sonu Sood promoted Yepme’s activewear and sportswear line, including apparel and sports shoes.

  Outcome. The campaign gave the sportswear assortment a distinct public-facing identity within Yepme’s wider fashion portfolio.

  Source
• 2014#freshfashion Autumn-Winter campaign

  India

  Shah Rukh Khan was introduced as a brand ambassador through a television advertisement supporting Yepme’s Autumn-Winter collection and the #freshfashion positioning.

  Outcome. The campaign reinforced Yepme’s mass-market celebrity-led fashion strategy.

  Source
• 2012Women's wear launch campaign

  India

  Kangana Ranaut was associated with the launch and promotion of Yepme’s women’s wear collection, covering formal, casual, party and fusion clothing.

  Outcome. The campaign broadened the brand’s fashion proposition and supported its expansion into women’s apparel.

  Source
• 2012Mass-media and performance marketing program

  India

  Yepme assigned creative, media and performance-marketing responsibilities to Lowe Lintas, Lintas Media Group and Tyroo Direct. The program used television, vernacular print, digital marketing and social media.

  Outcome. The company reported that its television commercials nearly tripled daily page views, although the available sources do not establish the campaign’s effect on profitability.

  Source
• 2011New Delhi fashion show

  India

  Yepme organized a fashion show at The Ashok Hotel in New Delhi, using prominent male models to promote its online fashion brand.

  Outcome. The event supported Yepme’s attempt to build the image of a complete fashion label rather than a conventional online reseller.

  Source

• 2018

  Prepare to wind down operationsOther

  Background

  Reports described a severe deterioration in the company’s operating position and a reduction of approximately 90 percent of its staff.

  Action taken

  Yepme reportedly considered closing the business and filing for bankruptcy.

  Aftermath

  The sources do not confirm whether formal bankruptcy or liquidation was completed, but the reports indicate the end of Yepme’s meaningful retail operations.

  Source

• 2014

  Pursue international distributionStrategy

  Background

  After building an Indian online fashion proposition, Yepme sought additional reach outside its home market.

  Action taken

  The company launched a US-facing Yepmeworld.com operation and sold products through Amazon in the United States.

  Aftermath

  The available sources document the expansion but do not establish its scale, duration or commercial outcome.

  Source

• 2012

  Expand into women's apparelProduct launch

  Background

  Yepme initially developed a strong presence in men’s online apparel and sought to broaden its addressable fashion market.

  Action taken

  The company introduced women’s wear across formal, casual, party and fusion categories.

  Aftermath

  The launch expanded the brand’s assortment and was supported by a fashion show and celebrity marketing.

  Source

• 2011

  Adopt a private-label fashion modelStrategy

  Background

  The founders believed that online sales of established brands could involve channel and pricing conflicts, including the transfer of older inventory to internet retailers.

  Action taken

  Yepme shifted from general online apparel retail toward promoting its own private-label clothing and accessories.

  Aftermath

  The decision defined the brand’s identity and gave it greater control over assortment and pricing, while also exposing it to the inventory and operating risks of a proprietary fashion business.

  Source

1. 1Yepmeen.wikipedia.org