Hello again! 😁

I never really paid much attention to the comfort of my clothes—until I did. It hit me on a long-haul flight when I found myself shifting uncomfortably in stiff denim, envious of the travelers who looked effortlessly at ease in joggers and leggings. That’s when I realized: comfort is a total game-changer.

That’s exactly why athleisure has exploded in popularity. 

Today’s women balance work, workouts, and weekend plans, and they need clothing that moves with them—without sacrificing style. From grocery runs to yoga sessions, and even casual office settings, athleisure is no longer just gym wear; it’s everyday wear.

And when it comes to women’s athleisure, Blissclub is in a league of its own. Founded with a deep understanding of what women actually need, Blissclub delivers performance with unparalleled comfort, creating pieces designed for real movement. But what truly sets them apart? 

Let’s dive in.

Alright, here’s what we will be covering in today’s deep dive

Table of Contents

• Athleisure market: A brief history in time

• How BlissClub started

  • Finding the Problem: The 4-Point Framework

  • The Experiment Phase: Selling Before Manufacturing

  • Key Takeaways from BlissClub’s Playbook

• BlissClub Positioning

  • Honest Inclusivity - Crafted for Indian Women

Athleisure market: A brief history in time

If you take the comfort and functionality of sportswear and mix it with the style and cuteness of casual wear, you get Athleisure. Clothing that is practical yet great-looking.

While the term Athleisure was first used in 1979 in a business article, it is believed that the movement started in the late 19th century in the US. In 1892, the first shoes with rubber bottoms were made. It gave men a better grip on the tennis courts, earning them the name “tennis shoes”. At around the same time, inter-college sports competitions were getting popular in universities in the US and men would wear their athletic clothes to class before or after practice.

In 1921, a notable French designer Jean Patou designed a tennis skirt to wear in Wimbledon. At the same time, Polo t-shirts were also designed for tennis players as a movement-friendly alternative to the long-sleeved designs popular then. This was eventually adopted by Polo players (and hence the name)

Throughout the late 1900s, new clothing was introduced to meet the athlete's needs and soon, they blended into regular wear. In the early 2000s, the Athleisure category grew as we know it today. Yoga pants and leggings that were once considered gym essentials, stretched themselves to everyday wardrobes. Since then, the athleisure category has witnessed massive growth and currently contributes to 20% plus of all apparel sales worldwide.

However, if we look at athleisure in India, it is still in its early days. Athleisure currently gets a little less than 3% of overall apparel sales in India but on the bright side, it is fast growing at a 20%+ YoY rate. 

But here’s the twist 🙅🏻‍♂️

Most fashion trends from the West see acceptance in women first, followed by men.  However, in Athleisure, the Indian market is 4-5X lower for women than men. This presented a unique opportunity to build an athleisure brand in India that Minu Margaret, a fitness enthusiast and a national ultimate frisbee player, took advantage of and built a brand valued at $62.6M today.

How BlissClub started

It was 2019. Minu Margaret had just spent two years in the corporate world after business school, but something was missing. She had always felt the need to start something of her own.

She had already tried launching businesses before—one never took off, and the other failed miserably. But failure wasn’t a deterrent. If anything, it was validation.

The only question left was: what problem was worth solving?

Finding the Problem: The 4-Point Framework

Minu approached entrepreneurship the way she approached everything—methodically and honestly. She knew that businesses leave a legacy and last beyond ourselves. She didn’t want to commit to solving just any problem, but one that she deeply understood, a problem large enough to justify the blood, sweat, and tears of a startup.

So, she went back to first principles. She listed down three personal pain points and systematically validated them. One stood out—finding high-quality activewear for women in India was a nightmare.

As someone who had always been active—whether playing ultimate frisbee or working out—she knew this problem first-hand. But was it just her, or was this a larger market gap?

“When I used to play ultimate, we had practice at 6.30 am. I would leave my home at 5.30 am, and I used to wear shorts. Now the problem is knee-length shorts are not available for women. And in India, going out at 5.30 in the morning in really short shorts is a problem. I would always wear boys shorts,”

Minu deployed her now-famous 4-Point Research Framework, something she still uses at BlissClub today. She examined the problem through four lenses:

The findings were clear. Women in India were frustrated with the lack of activewear designed for their bodies. Most brands treated it as an afterthought—copy-pasting designs from men’s apparel or ignoring performance aspects entirely.

That’s when it clicked. This was the problem worth solving.

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The Experiment Phase: Selling Before Manufacturing

Unlike many first-time founders who build a product first and hope demand follows, Minu took the opposite approach. She tested demand before investing in production.

The first step? Building a community before a company.

BlissClub started as an Instagram page and WhatsApp group—a space where women could talk about fitness, share experiences, and build a movement around wellness. At that point, there was no product. Just a belief that women wanted something better.

Through the community, Minu validated pain points, tested product ideas, and—most importantly—built an early customer base. When she finally launched her first product, the Ultimate Leggings, in a single color (black), there was instant love from the community.

From the get-go, the community-driven approach led to insanely high retention and word-of-mouth growth. Within a few months, BlissClub was shipping 20-25 orders a day—tiny by D2C standards but a strong signal of product-market fit.

That was enough for Elevation Capital to lead a $2.2M seed round in early 2021.

Key Takeaways from BlissClub’s Playbook

1️⃣ Find your problem before your product – Minu’s 4-Point Research Framework ensured she wasn’t just solving a perceived problem but a real one.

2️⃣ Build community before company – Most brands build first, then try to acquire customers. BlissClub built an engaged community before launching a product, leading to instant product-market fit.

3️⃣ Test demand before investing in inventory – BlissClub used Instagram polls, WhatsApp groups, and qualitative interviews to validate demand before spending money on production.

4️⃣ Customer obsession fuels retention and virality – BlissClub’s hyper-engaged community didn’t just buy products—they spread the word, lowering CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) and driving repeat purchases.

Quick Sidebar

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BlissClub Positioning

Blissclub isn’t just another D2C women activewear brand. It’s a women’s movement brand—one that understands the unique struggles women face in fitness and actively works to remove those barriers.

Unlike traditional brands that treat women’s activewear as an extension of men’s designs, BlissClub is built for women, by women, with women.

Let’s go a little bit in detail on how they bring out their uniqueness

Honest Inclusivity - Crafted for Indian Women

#BodyPositivity is a new trend that most brands piggyback half-heartedly. They get the branding, hashtags, and packaging right but don’t really rethink the product for the oversized audience.

This LinkedIn Post from Disha explains how Blissclub goes deeper into details, unlike international brands like Puma and H&M, to be honestly inclusive.

Don’t Be a bitch about it

BlissClub also launched a “BitchClub” campaign recently, which reflects their strong women movement positioning.

The campaign draws parallels between how dogs and women are trained to be submissive. It takes a very creative and sarcastic take on how common dog commands like, stay and fetch are used to control women.

Watch the video here

And find the landing page of Bitchcoins here

BlissClub GTM

BlissClub’s GTM strategy comprises growing both online and offline. They actively work on physical store expansion, performance ads, product range expansion, YouTube ads, and building a formidable social presence.

In our GTM section, we will not be going wide, but deep into two GTM motions, which makes them stand apart

1. BlissCb’s unboxing experience and 

2. BissClub’s low-budget campaign breakdown

An Unboxing Experience that turns Blissclub into more than a one-time order

Blissclub ditches the usual cardboard and paper wrap with something that makes you feel you are part of something special. Their unique packaging reflects comfort and effortless style, designed for the working women. On top of it, every new order has a handwritten founder’s note which makes you feel deeply valued.

On a side note,

If you are looking for numbers to validate whether handwritten notes are worth the effort, here’s some scientific research that shows it increases the spend by as much as 2X.

Go deeper into the impact of handwritten notes and it’s sales impact here

BissClub’s small-budget campaign breakdown

BlissClub efficiently uses its in-house team to turn campaigns into success. I created a Miro board for you to discover how they repurpose content with smart tweaks, giving their launches an all-new feel.

The board also covers how Minu provides an overarching cover to their campaigns by sometimes going to different talks and tweaking her LinkedIn profile.

Campaign Board Link here 

Personal encounter with Blissclub

My wife came across Blissclub from Instagram and we went to their HSR store in 2022. One of the unique things the receptionist did was to ask my wife’s consent to add her to a fitness community.

My wife thought it was the same cliched brand technique to send discounts and offers and said no. But I was curious. I asked her to tell me more about what joining the community would mean. She said they host walks, webinars, and talks for women in the group. 

“Can I join the group?”, I asked cheekily. 

“No sir”, she said shaking her head, “Only your wife is invited.” 

For a moment, I felt offended, but then it hit me—they're genuinely committed to building a community for women.

I liked that.

PS: Other random, interesting highlights of my last week:

1. An ad I laughed a lot on: here

2. A thought I thoroughly discussed with my wife and office colleagues: They say, The effect you have on others’ lives is the highest expression of your own. What different expressions do you think people of you?

3. A post that made me think twice: here

Until next time!

Saurabh 👋