Women leaders are reshaping India’s fashion retail landscape with fresh ideas, strong vision, and a deep focus on customers. Whether it’s luxury, fast fashion, or D2C brands, they are leading the way in growth, sustainability, and inclusivity, while also bringing a new edge to brand storytelling and digital change.
Even with challenges like gender bias and balancing personal and professional life, these leaders are breaking barriers and making a global mark in fashion. This special feature celebrates the women who have changed the game with smart strategies, bold innovations, and strong leadership.
In this edition, we shine the spotlight on Neha Kant, Founder of Clovia.
Neha Kant identified a significant gap in India’s lingerie market, where shopping for intimate wear remained an uncomfortable experience for many women. She observed that while outerwear fashion evolved rapidly, lingerie had not kept pace.
With this vision, Clovia was founded to revolutionise the way lingerie is marketed and sold, both online and offline. As the driving force behind Clovia, Neha oversees the brand’s sales and operations across multiple channels and geographies, ensuring its continued growth and accessibility.
Her leadership has helped redefine lingerie shopping in India, making it more personalised and consumer-friendly.
Challenges & Triumphs in Leadership
Neha faced challenges in securing investors, consumers, and setting up production but turned obstacles into opportunities with a strong team. A key hurdle was the lack of awareness about bra sizing in India.
To address this, Clovia developed the Clovia Fit Test, a five-question tool helping women find the perfect fit. This, along with a seamless return policy, boosted customer confidence and redefined lingerie shopping in India.
Key Strengths & Areas for Growth
- Strengths: Courageous; Ability to learn and listen; Resilience
- Area of Improvement: Time management to enhance productivity
Game-Changing Decisions for Brand
Neha Kant along with her team redefined lingerie production by challenging industry norms. Traditionally, brands offered limited fits due to large-scale production constraints, but Clovia introduced a dynamic model, launching 100+ styles monthly to perfect fit and scale winners while maintaining tight inventory control. Convincing production partners to adapt to this agile approach was a major breakthrough.
Another challenge was helping women navigate bra sizing, particularly cup sizes. To simplify this, Clovia developed the Clovia Fit Test, an algorithm-based tool recommending the perfect size based on body shape. Today, with 5,000+ styles and 50+ sizes, Clovia sells one product every second.
Career Aspirations & Future Goals
To make Clovia the “most-favorite brand” in the Indian lingerie market with innovation, comfort, and inclusivity.
Essential Skills for Success
- Problem solving
- Critical thinking
- Attention to Detail
3 Career Learnings
- A brand is built every day, one customer at a time, and every interaction matters
- Know the finances like the back of your hand
- Build a workplace culture rooted in empathy, teamwork, and happiness
Advice for Aspiring Women Leaders
Success in entrepreneurship isn’t about gender—it’s about perseverance and strategy. Every industry presents challenges, and overcoming them requires focus and resilience. Earning respect may take extra effort, but staying committed and letting your work speak for itself ensures recognition from the right people over time. Ultimately, results define success.
Vision for the Future
The future of Indian retail is set to be a dynamic blend of technology, personalisation, and accessibility. As digital adoption deepens across Tier 2 and 3 cities, brands must leverage omnichannel strategies, and hyper-personalised shopping experiences to meet evolving consumer expectations.
Biggest Role Model & Why
Women in Clovia team; for lessons on time management, multi-tasking and work-life balance.
Life Mantra
Fortune favours the brave.
