“The journey will have its share of ups and downs. You cannot expect to start a business and see constant growth from day one. Setbacks are inevitable, and learning to navigate them is part of the process. Looking back, I only wish I had started earlier.”
From supplying India’s largest fashion retailers to building a ₹110-crore multi-vertical enterprise, Piyoosh Mohnani has spent the last decade building businesses across the full fashion value chain.
Academically, Piyoosh completed his schooling at Modern School, Vasant Vihar, followed by a bachelor’s degree from Jai Hind College, Mumbai, and a master’s degree from NIFT Delhi.
He further built upon his formal education through advanced pattern-making training at Savile Row, London. This blend of fashion education and early industry exposure gave Piyoosh the foundation to navigate both the creative and commercial sides of the business.
The Making of a Fashion Entrepreneur
The journey started with wholesaling men’s ethnic wear before branching out into contract manufacturing for brands such as Blackberrys, Raymond Ethnix, and Pantaloons. Over time, he built experience across both mass and premium segments, shaping a career rooted in scale, product, and distribution.
For Piyoosh, the path to entrepreneurship began long before launching his own ventures. He recalls,
“In the initial stages, I worked as a fashion consultant, or you could call it a salesperson, at Diesel Black Gold in Emporio. That was the only standalone Diesel Black Gold store in the world at the time, and I worked there for two months because there was a gap between Jai Hind and NIFT. I had some free time, so I thought, why not do something?”
Piyoosh’s entrepreneurial ambitions came from seeing where the real scale in fashion lay.
Early on, he realised that mass brands offered a far bigger and more consistent business opportunity than premium labels, and that idea shaped the direction of his work.
It paved the way for manufacturing partnerships with industry giants like Pantaloons, Aditya Birla, Reliance, Tata, and Raymond, while also giving him the confidence to launch his own retail brand, ASUKA, in 2022 under Tessile Clothing Private Limited.
With a strong foothold in menswear, Piyoosh gradually turned his attention to women’s wear, viewing it as the next natural step in his vision to build a larger and more diversified fashion business.
Behind the growth of the business is a strong family foundation. Rather than building alone, Piyoosh has grown the venture alongside his five brothers, each handling a different part of the ecosystem. Gaurav leads design, Varun manages ASUKA’s made-to-order business, Piyoosh oversees marketing, finance, operations, business development, merchandising, and factory production, while Aryan handles the online business and multi-designer store operations.
Although the businesses were largely self-funded in the early years, support from banks and government initiatives provided the momentum needed to scale operations and pursue larger opportunities.
Building Beyond One Brand
Today, Piyoosh oversees five business verticals that together form a diversified fashion and lifestyle ecosystem spanning manufacturing, retail, institutional apparel, wholesale, and home furnishings.
At the heart of the business is a large-scale manufacturing operation that supplies garments to some of India’s leading fashion retailers and brands, including Pantaloons, Aditya Birla Fashion brands such as Louis Philippe, Peter England, and Linen Club, Reliance’s Azorte, Tata’s Westside, and Raymond. This division operates through three factories in Udyog Vihar with a combined production capacity of around one lakh pieces.
The second venture is Asuka, the group’s retail menswear brand, which has stores in Hyderabad’s Banjara Hills, Mumbai’s Santacruz West, and Ahmedabad’s CG Road, while also reaching customers through multi-designer stores in India and overseas markets. Beyond its own stores, ASUKA has expanded its reach through leading multi-designer platforms and retailers, including Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop, Aza, Ogaan, and So International. The brand has also established an international presence through multi-designer stores and customers in markets such as Dubai, London, Melbourne, New Jersey, and California, reflecting the growing recognition of its products overseas.
The third adjacent vertical focuses on uniforms and institutional apparel, supplying clients such as Air India, JLL, Fortis, Emaar, DLF, GMR, Taj Hotels, and several hospitals.
The fourth is a wholesale ethnic wear business, Vesalius, that supplies premium retailers across the country, while the fifth is Khaabka, a home furnishings brand that operates through both online and offline channels.
Together, these businesses have grown into a ₹110-crore enterprise, with women’s wear emerging as the group’s next major area of expansion.
A Day in the Life of Piyoosh
Running multiple ventures means wearing many hats. For Piyoosh, that means staying on the move and staying close to the business at every level. He explains,
“If I am in Delhi, where my head office is, I wake up in the morning, go to the gym, come back, have a heavy breakfast, and then head to the office. I take care of whatever is required there: meetings with the team, new shoots, new campaigns, and regular coordination with the finance team, marketing team, and backend team. It is constant back-and-forth throughout the day.”
Given the breadth of his responsibilities, Piyoosh describes himself as a hands-on entrepreneur, so the day rarely slows down.
There is always something moving across one of the many divisions, whether it is manufacturing, retail, wholesale, uniforms, or the home furnishing business. By evening, he usually makes time for a second gym session, this time focused more on cardio, before heading home for dinner with family. Nights are generally quieter, with some light reading or a recent film before sleep.
Outside of work, Piyoosh finds balance through fitness, sports, and travel. Some weekends are spent playing table tennis, football, or paddle, while Sundays are usually reserved for recovery with ice baths and swimming at the club.
Travel is also part of how he stays connected to fashion at an international level. At the same time, he enjoys spiritual trips that allow him to disconnect from the demands of business, reflect, and recharge. With a glint of excitement, he says,
“If I am travelling, I visit stores, meet new people in different cities, hang out with them, understand the market, and explore what more we can do. I like building relationships and doing PR as well. I also enjoy trips to waterfalls and hills. This year, overseas travel has been a little less because of the war situation, but travel has always been my forte. I love travelling and understanding fashion at an international level, as well as sourcing fabrics from places like Turkey, China, and Japan.”
The Hard Reality of Scaling Fashion
Like many entrepreneurs in manufacturing, Piyoosh quickly learned that growth rarely comes easy. Piyoosh talks about the realities of a capital-intensive business where growth takes time, money, and patience.
He acknowledges that fashion, especially in volume-led manufacturing, requires constant reinvestment, and there were days when he had to keep going even when losses were part of the process. He also had to build a clear niche and USP in a highly competitive market, because without something distinctive, standing out becomes difficult.
As the business expanded, so did the challenges. Scaling a business of this size meant years of building infrastructure, machinery, systems, and SOPs, while also dealing with managing people, rising raw material costs, and shifts in demand.
Piyoosh is quick to point out that entrepreneurship often looks easier from the outside than it feels from within. Behind the growth figures and achievements are years of pressure, persistence, and hands-on execution.
Milestones That Define the Journey
Piyoosh’s achievements so far include receiving an entrepreneurship award, getting ASUKA featured in Shahid Kapoor’s latest film shoot, and styling around 70 celebrities over the past three years.
ASUKA’s growing presence in the fashion industry is reflected in the diverse range of personalities who have worn the brand, including Diljit Dosanjh, Armaan Malik, Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, and Tiger Shroff.
On the business front, being the biggest vendor for Pantaloons again this year is another major milestone, especially since it keeps the factories running at full capacity and supports many livelihoods. For him, that ability to create business and employment is just as important as the recognition itself. Reflecting on the milestones, he further asserts,
“Most importantly, we are able to keep our stakeholders happy, generate business, and create livelihoods for many households. When you think about how many families you are supporting through employment, that in itself feels like an achievement. I genuinely believe God has blessed us with the privilege to provide for people, and that is a virtue I deeply value.”
What Comes Next
Looking ahead, Piyoosh is focused on taking ASUKA into its next phase of growth. Piyoosh plans to expand ASUKA’s retail footprint by opening new stores in Delhi and Mumbai, with South Extension or Mehrauli being the preferred locations for the next Delhi outlet.
The brand is also actively exploring franchise partnerships to accelerate growth and increase market share in Tier 1 cities.
Internationally, ASUKA is taking a measured approach, focusing on selling through multi-designer stores overseas before considering standalone expansion in markets such as the Middle East.
At a personal level, he also aspires to launch a fashion campaign featuring himself as the face of a collection of linen jackets, blazers, and formal suits, ideally shot in a global fashion hub such as Milan or New York.
The Mindset Behind the Growth
Looking back on his journey, Piyoosh believes that one of his biggest mistakes was waiting too long to take the leap.
He feels he spent too much time calculating and overthinking potential risks instead of acting on opportunities. His advice to his younger self would be to start sooner and commit fully once a decision has been made.
If there is one truth Piyoosh has learned through entrepreneurship, it is that success does not come through constant upward growth, and it involves setbacks, challenges, and periods of uncertainty. These ups and downs are a natural part of building a business. What’s important is resilience, patience, and persistence.
Above all, Piyoosh believes,
“When pursuing a venture, one should go all in rather than hold back. Starting early and embracing the learning process can create more opportunities for growth and long-term success.”
