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Demand for South Asian fashion is growing globally as more South Asians are migrating and square off in Modern markets , then corrupt ethnic habiliment for occasions like local festivals and hymeneals .
However , not many online platforms today deal an extensive catalog of apparel and footwear from local South Indian sellers to global markets . Those that do often have set design choice , and are usually focused on a particular age group or grammatical gender .
Arif Iqbal is trying to work this problem with a Lahore - based on-line marketplace calledLaam , which just landed $ 5.5 million in a new all - equity seed one shot led by Disrupt.com and Zayn VC .
Iqbal spend over a decade in the U.S. at various tech companies including Meta , Pinterest , Microsoft , and eBay . While living in Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area , Iqbal remained relate with Pakistani - Native American communities . He found that although there were places to feed South Asian cuisines and some background to toy cricket , a sportswoman that Indians and Pakistanis sexual love to dally and talk about , ethnic fashion was not accessible in all the position he lived . At family , he comment that while the technical school moved quite ahead of its fourth dimension , fashion was not largely technical school - get , and sellers swear on traditional way to ascertain demand and fulfill supply .
After the first wave of the Covid pandemic hit the world , Iqbal moved back to Pakistan . That move became a blessing in disguise , giving him the impetus to make it easier for South Asians abroad to buy fashions . He founded Laam in January 2021 , enlisting his former Microsoft colleague Ahmed Muneeb to develop the product for consumer and sellers , and his younger chum Amir Iqbal , who antecedently make with local dress sellers and brands , to create a supply chain . Fashion enthusiast Sahar Arif bring together as the fourth co - laminitis .
“ When we started , not many sellers did online business enterprise in Pakistan . But today , a major part of their sale comes from their online presence . We have seen sellers grow from two or three to 200 - 300 people team in this journeying , ” Iqbal said in an exclusive interview with TechCrunch .
Currently , Laam offers a curated catalog of over 100,000 items , including casual , cultural , and formal habiliment , footwear , and accessories for men , woman , and kids , from closely to 1,200 sellers , all based in Pakistan . The startup ’s sales span over 100 country , with the U.S. , Canada , the U.K. , and the Middle East as its top five grocery store by gross . Pakistan still has the most emptor — more than 300,000 , out of the inauguration ’s half a million in total — but is nowhere tight to Laam ’s top globular markets in terms of revenue .
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The inauguration use a commixture of data and machine acquisition to provide personalization to consumers . It has deploy machine learning algorithms to extract information such as intersection description , the quantity available , fabric , and size . The inauguration also provides a chatbot and a lookup mapping using integrated data to ease discovery .
For sellers , Laam cater logistics , supply chain infrastructure , and warehouse alongside its tech that helps them empathise what variety of inventory they need , the estimated breed command , and what product will go for “ Express ” delivery .
Iqbal tell TechCrunch that sellers can use its app to tie with the on-line marketplace without any human interaction . The startup provide services let in physical and AI photograph shoots for the article that are ready to be sold , barcodes to get the products ready to embark , and a button on the app to order a fomite to transport point from their warehouse or manufactory to Laam ’s storage warehouse .
The startup also offers customization for high - end formal wear . In that case , it provides instructions to customer to upload their requirements and direct send the data to the seller . The startup also has an additional verification cognitive operation to ensure the product fit the specifications kick in by the client before dispatch .
Alongside its marketplace for consumer , Laam extend infrastructure as a platform call up Octane to sellers to help local businesses build their on-line front and enlarge globally . presently , the political platform serves over 50 businesses that also trade product via Laam ’s on-line mart .
Laam has some competition in Pakistan , as SanaullaStore , Bagallery , and Clicky are among the country ’s come forth local online marketplace and platforms . Retail brands such as ETHNC and Sapphire sell their products through their online sites . Similarly , some D2C players have commence using Spotify in the country to have an on-line presence , while Temu entered Pakistan in September , and Alibaba - have Daraz also live in the slipstream .
Nevertheless , Iqbal asserted that Laam has a unequaled proposal of selling different point from distinct brands in Pakistan and worldwide .
Laam ’s $ 5.5 million seed circle also admit participation from Graph Ventures , Mentors Fund , and technical school executives at Oracle , Microsoft , Google , and Salesforce , among others . The funding aims to expand Laam ’s footmark and get trafficker beyond Pakistan — from other South Asiatic regions . The inauguration also plan to set up its presence in its significant markets outdoors of Pakistan . Iqbal say Laam is setting up its part in the UAE to get down its expansion and is looking to establish a U.S. presence after that .
Laam ’s financing follow amid an ongoing slowdown in the overall Pakistan startup ecosystem . The funding into Pakistani startups dropped by 65 % twelvemonth - on - year to $ 12.3 million in 2024 YTD from $ 35 million in 2023 , concord to the Tracxn data point shared with TechCrunch . The number of funding rounds in the land also decline to 7 from 16 .
