Click, fit and ready to wear

If you're the kind of guy who sulks at the thought of shirt shopping or having to trudge to your neighbourhood darzi to get them stitched, your prayers have just been answered. Peprismine's algorithm is your time saving, online ticket to buying neat-fit shirts

Random incidents often fuel the imagination and lead to significant discoveries. Such was the case with Bengaluru-based Anuj Ramachandra (28) who went shopping for shirts one day when he realised that he disliked the time and effort it required. "I wanted a shirt that would fit me perfectly without having to spend too much money or time giving measurements. Most of the readymade shirts would also require adjustments while the international brands follow different size measurement scales," he said.

Illustration/ Satish Acharya

Male domain
This incident spurred Ramachandra to start Peprismine, an online service that could cater to young male professionals who are tied up with work but seek comfortable formal wear. Along with his twin brother Anup (both have management and engineering backgrounds), he devised a simple online algorithm whereby people could key in their measurements and get neat-fit 'Made For Me' shirts in a variety of designs. The best part: it offers various options and eliminates the need for giving measurements to the tailor and enduring lengthy fitting sessions.

The Ramachandra brothers did a trial run in January and kickstarted full-time operations in March. "We handle all the operations. I look after operations and manufacturing, while Anup handles sales and marketing while our mother Girija ensures quality control and customer support," he added. The task of manufacturing the shirts is outsourced to a unit while all other operations, including devising new designs for the shirts is done by the brothers. The name Peprismine is a play on the word 'pep', which means lively and trendy while the word 'mine' was added since these shirts are customised according to every individual's measurements.

Shirt talk
Peprismine shirts are made from 100% cotton, super soft cotton, Egyptian cotton and cotton blends ranging from dobby, twills, prints and plains. If you are wary of online transactions, you can call their customer service 'Rockerz' team and place an order. "When Anup and me were in college, our chat IDs was Rockerz, so we stuck to that name," he shares, adding that since there are no retail and minimal personnel costs involved, the pricing is affordable.

The site also offers gift certificates and free delivery service across India as well as free samples for people who like to touch and feel the product before investing in it. In case you aren't satisfied with the product, you can return it within five days and Peprismine will bear the shipping costs. While they only offer shirts at the moment, the plan is to diversify with accessories including ties, cuff links, socks and handkerchiefs.u00a0

Call: 918032016726
Log on to: www.peprismine.com
Cost: Rs 999 onwards