GETKIKI was launched by married couple Sidharth Das and Stefania Daranco this year after they realised the effects of fast fashion on the environment. Their online marketplace offers a range of local eco-friendly sportswear brands and they plan to expand to the rest of the UK and Europe in the future.

Name(s): Sidharth Das and Stefania Daranco

Age(s): 28 and 27

Position(s): Co-founders

WHAT IS THE BUSINESS CALLED?

Getkiki

WHERE IS IT BASED?

Glasgow

WHY DID YOU SET UP THE BUSINESS?

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Stefania: We started because I realised my favourite pair of jeans took 10,000 litres of water to create and I owned more than one pair. I realised turning off the tap when you brush your teeth will not make much difference. We educated ourselves on the environment and wanted to shop second-hand but buying activewear was hard. There are a huge number of local brands making sustainable sportswear but it was hard to find out what they do. There were a couple of brands we fell in love with in terms of the material, factory conditions and shipping. All of the brands we work with use eco-friendly material and all garments are made by someone who is paid fairly.

Sid: We didn’t plan to set up a business. I come from India and studied mechanical engineering and worked at software firms for four years before this. I did an MBA at Strathclyde in business while Stefania studied psychology at Glasgow University. We were shocked by the statistics. The fashion industry is the second most polluting. In the UK £30 billion worth of clothes in wardrobes are unworn. It inspired us. We always try to find second-hand products. In our home nearly 100% of our belongings are second hand. Shopping is a necessary evil – you can still have beautiful items made by companies who are doing something for the greater good.

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HOW DOES IT WORK?

Stefania: The vendor fills out an online form and we check their credentials – the eco aspects and the social aspects in their supply chain. We provide all the information on products on our website.

WHAT IS YOUR TARGET MARKET?

Sid: Women aged 21-45 who are physically active. We are just in Scotland for now then we will expand. When people are using and talking about our products then we can expand to England then Europe.

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM COMPETING BUSINESSES?

Stefania: Women who are looking to buy sustainable activewear are unaware of how it works. There are websites that sell but there are few marketplaces for it. Women had to do lots of research and ask friends for recommendations and had a limited sense of what the market has to offer. There’s a great variety of sustainable activewear these days. Customers have trouble and vendors have trouble finding customers. We link the two. It takes an average of £70 to set up on Shopify but we do it for free. Vendors are very happy about that.

Sid: We wanted to create a niche platform for customers to have a good experience. We are Scotland’s first online marketplace for sustainable activewear.

IS SCOTLAND A GOOD PLACE FOR THIS TYPE OF BUSINESS?

Stefania: Scotland is a great place to get started. We came here as immigrants and now consider Scotland our home. I studied here and want to give back to our community.

When you think of Scotland you think about beautiful landscapes but Scots also want to treat people fairly and care about the environment.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT RUNNING THE BUSINESS?

Stefania: Lots of things. I have learned lots about fashion. This is my first start-up venture but Sid has done two already.

Sid: Every day is a learning day. I look at the bigger picture and Stefania is detail-oriented so that works out well for both of us.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN RUNNING THE BUSINESS?

Stefania: Sustainable fashion is in its early stage and is not accessible or affordable for everyone. Vendors said sales have gone up during the pandemic but as a start-up it is hard to get customers and be sustainable at the same time. Places like H&M and Zara do 3000 product designs a week. We want to be part of a sustainable future. Lots of start-ups go bust because they keep spending money.

WHERE DO YOU HOPE THE BUSINESS WILL BE IN 10 YEARS’ TIME?

Stefania: We’re on a mission to make sustainable fashion the number one choice for consumers. We started the business with a focus on a niche market and we’re going to see where it takes us.

Sid: Never fall in love with your own start-up because you cannot expand your horizons when times are hard. You have to change your vision. Our target is to become a billion-dollar company but do it in a sustainable way. We want to be a number one tech company in Scotland.