He Got Laid Off Twice Then Started a Fashion Brand He Knew Nothing About

Welcome to Chainet, your destination for inspiring founder stories and entrepreneurial journeys. In today's episode, we sit down with Vivek, co-founder of Nuito, a fashion brand focused on bringing innovative fabrics to India. After spending over a decade at Amazon and facing two back-to-back layoffs, Vivek decided to build something physical and AI-proof. Interestingly, he chose to enter a space he openly admits he sucked at: fashion and dressing well. Nuito focuses on premium fabrics like Supima cotton blended with bamboo charcoal, offering t-shirts with a 50-wash warranty after rigorous lab testing proved the fabric retains its anti-odor properties even after 50 washes. Vivek shares how the brand started with just 40 t-shirts sold to friends and family, and has now crossed 10 lakhs in revenue within its first year. He emphasizes that building physical products requires learning an entirely new ecosystem, from sourcing to vendor management, and notes that India's supplier ecosystem remains fragmented with no Alibaba-equivalent. His advice to struggling professionals: Instead of sulking, just start building something even if it's just for yourself. Stay tuned for more such insightful conversations, only on Chainet. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chainet.substack.com