Minu Margeret Woman On The Move

It's on an unusually warm Friday afternoon in May that I make my way to the head office of women's apparel company Blissclub in Bengaluru's HSR Layout.

- Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran

It's on an unusually warm Friday afternoon in May that I make my way to the head office of women's apparel company Blissclub in Bengaluru's HSR Layout. The office is staffed with Gen Z and young millennials and kitted with a table tennis table. The founder and CEO of the brand, Minu Margeret, looks ready to step out for a spot of badminton in her black shorts and green T-shirt.

It's pure coincidence that I am meeting Margeret, 35, a few days after the D2C company, founded in 2020, successfully raised ₹45 crore in its Pre-Series B round funding. According to multiple reports online, the round had existing investors Elevation Capital and Eight Roads Ventures participating along with debt funding from Alteria Capital. This infusion of funds comes after a shaky period in 2023-24 that saw more than a dozen employees being laid off in January. It is timely and Margeret doesn't hide her enthusiasm.

"These funds will help us take some bets on new launches. It'll help us look at expanding our offline stores as well," she says. Some of the most recent developments include Blissclub signing actor Karisma Kapoor as its brand ambassador and the launch of two new product categories: the luxury travel edit comprising jackets, tanks, pullovers and straight pants, and its AirMelt™ collection of tees, joggers, shorts, co-ord sets and zippered jackets, in a proprietary fabric.

With a market valuation of ₹600 crore—the company did not divulge its current annual earnings—Blissclub is a leading name among homegrown activewear brands such as HRX, Aastey, Silvertraq and Cava Athleisure. Being a size-inclusive brand, products such as the "Ultimate Leggings" and "Ultimate Flare Pants" have developed a cult-like following. "When I decided to launch the brand, I wasn't looking to build performance wear for athletes. I was building a brand for every woman who is constantly juggling multiple things at the same time," says Margeret.