Slikk shifts focus from speed to curation

Fashion quick-commerce startup Slikk is pivoting its growth strategy towards private labels, personalized curation, and larger dark stores, moving beyond

Till and Trolley desk 9 Sep 2026 Source: Mint

Slikk is betting on private labels, tighter curation, and bigger dark stores to unlock its next phase of growth. The Bengaluru-based fashion startup, founded by CEO Akshay Gulati, aims to move beyond its foundational 60-minute delivery proposition, according to an interview with Mint.

The strategy emerges as the quick-fashion sector faces a tougher sustainability test. Startups like Blip shut down in 2025, and Klydo closed in July, while larger platforms such as Myntra and Reliance Retail have integrated rapid delivery into their existing ecosystems.

Beyond speed

Slikk's new edge will come from sharper product selection and personalized discovery, not only speed. "Users already love the selection and love the service. But a selection is quite useless if a user is not able to discover that selection," Gulati said. The company is working to personalize its app and expand categories beyond its original western wear focus.

The startup entered the market in August 2024 and recorded ₹43.3 lakh in revenue for FY25. This was marginally ahead of rival KNOT's ₹43 lakh, according to company filings and public data.

Taste matters

The entry of major retailers has made delivery speed less of a unique selling point. Myntra's M-Now service launched in December 2024 with 10,000 styles and 30-minute delivery, expanding to over 90,000 products by June 2025. Reliance Retail followed with AJIO Rush in mid-2025.

Rahul Taneja, a partner at investor Lightspeed India, argued that relevance of selection is the key moat in fashion. "The moat in a business like this therefore has to be curation and taste. Private labels are one way of doing that," Taneja said. He added that curation is about offering relevant, trendy, and available products, not infinite choice.

Private-label play

Slikk launched its first private label, BrownButter, which has become a significant part of the business with repeat customers. However, the company does not view private labels as a standalone house-of-brands strategy. "Our job is to get that user the right black shirt at the right price point he or she can afford," Gulati explained.

The company's assortment is broadening. Western wear now accounts for less than 40% of its business, with ethnic wear, footwear, and accessories growing. Slikk plans to add watches and sports items, and eventually expand into home and decor.

Bigger stores

Category expansion is driving the need for larger dark stores. Slikk currently operates six dark stores, each between 10,000 and 20,000 square feet. It is now evaluating spaces of 15,000 to 40,000 square feet to carry deeper inventory.

"If you want to serve a large city like Bangalore, you will need up to 8 dark stores potentially." Taneja said.

Slikk remains focused on Bengaluru, covering 55-60% of the city. It plans to expand to more than 12 dark stores there and target ₹100 crore in GMV by March. Aggressive expansion into Delhi and Mumbai is planned for the first half of next year.

The startup has raised $13.5 million across three rounds. Key rivals have also attracted significant funding.