Proudly Indian and PeTA approved Vegan brand Zouk launched their India-inspired cruelty-free footwear today. Run by IIM Ahmedabad alumni duo Disha Singh and Pradeep Krishnakumar, Zouk has over 2,00,000 happy customers in the Bags category already. Zouk also unveiled its new brand identity, with the brand name written in English and Hindi, signifying their Proudly Indian roots and the modern global ambitions.
Last year, Zouk had raised over $1.5 million from Stellaris Venture Partners, Titan Capital and the founders of D2C brands Mamaearth, Wow Skin Science and Beardo. The brand had stated that it would launch products in newer categories at that point and is eyeing to hit Rs. 100 crore in annualized revenue run rate.
Speaking about the footwear launch, founder and CEO Disha said, “When we asked our customers what was the second category Zouk should offer, the top request was footwear. So, today we are very happy to offer India-inspired styles and super comfortable footwear that women deserve. As always with Zouk, the footwear is cruelty-free.”
The brand also unveiled a new identity to signify its proudly Indian roots with global ambitions. The new logo has a distinctly bold font with angled pen strokes. The brand also decided to write its brand name in Devanagari script as part of the logo. Further, the logo has a leaf motif embedded in the K to signify the Cruelty-free mission and a full-stop to symbolize the modern Indian classic that Zouk effortlessly defines.
Talking more about the why of the new brand identity, co-founder Pradeep said, “The initial brand identity was something we had quickly put together to start off. But we felt we have now reached a stage where the brand and its customers deserved something better. Something that stood for what we as a brand and what our products stand for. Hence we decided to go back to the drawing board.”
For the new identity, the brand did extensive research, talking to multiple stakeholders. Two key focus groups were existing customers on one side and the product designers, artisans on other side.
Elaborating more about the takeaways of this research, Disha added, “We first captured how our product designers and artisans come up with a new product. We realized we tap into the rich heritage of India. However, as a brand for the people by the people, we never made something that looked designer. Instead, we went for something that has subtle elegance. On the other hand, when we spoke to lots of customers, they shared exactly the same. We thus realized that we wanted the new identity to be Proud but Humble, just like the modern Indian. Proud about our achievements yet humble about where we are and hence driven to achieve lot more very soon.”
On these lines, the brand has also launched a new campaign called Proud but Humble. In this, Zouk’s customers, employees and influencers talk about their humble roots and their life’s achievements with pride. The brand hopes it can play its part in empowering their consumers journey of achieving more by offering stylish and functional lifestyle products.
With this new brand identity, Zouk looks to venture into multiple new categories and geographies in the coming few years with their India-inspired and Cruelty-free mission. The new identity was conceptualized by Mumbai-based design firm LOCAL.
About Zouk
Zouk effortlessly defines a modern Indian classic. Bringing together the contemporary and the traditional, Zouk weaves subtle elegance into your lifestyle. Handcrafted, Cruelty-free and Proudly Indian, Zouk brings the vibrant Indian culture to the modern world.
Zouk was founded by IIM Ahmedabad batchmates and husband-wife duo, Disha Singh and Pradeep Krishnakumar. The idea of Zouk was born when Disha visited Kutch for an IIMA course. She saw that her friends loved the local handicraft items but did not buy any, given they were not functional.
Zouk is building a large D2C lifestyle brand from India for the world. So far, they have over 2,00,000 happy customers who have bought from their D2C website and other marketplaces. Customers love their Proudly Indian and 100% PeTA approved Vegan products.
Zouk won the PeTA India Fashion Award for the Best Vegan Wallets brand in 2021. Their bags have also organically appeared in movies and series. It has also been taken as gifts from India by Indian dignitaries visiting abroad. The company has upskilled and supported 400+ expert artisans who make Zouk’s handicraft products.
