CloudTailor: Revolutionizing Personalized Fashion with India’s First Tech-Enabled Tailoring Ecosystem

January 3, 2026 12 min read

Susmitha Lakkakula - Founder of CloudTailor

"Almost every Indian woman has a 'tailor struggle' story—the rounds to the shop, the missing delivery dates, and the designs that don't quite match the vision. I decided to solve this for every woman in Bharat." This mission, led by Susmitha Lakkakula, founder of CloudTailor, is digitizing a traditionally unorganized ₹8,000 crore market. By combining 19 years of software experience with a passion for personalized fashion, Susmitha is building India's first scalable, tech-enabled tailoring ecosystem.

CloudTailor is a D2C (Direct-to-Consumer) platform that offers personalized tailoring services for women and kids. From an app that tracks the "life journey" of a garment to 25+ physical outlets across 13 cities, the brand provides a seamless bridge between the digital convenience of an app and the high-touch necessity of a fashion designer. Whether it's bridal wear or office formals, CloudTailor is ensuring that personalized fashion is no longer a luxury reserved for the few.

The tailoring Pain Point: 80% of Indian women rely on local tailors rather than high-end designers. However, the experience is often plagued by lack of transparency, inconsistent sizing, and poor delivery timelines. CloudTailor solves this by integrating technology into the entire supply chain—from design discussion to final stitch.

The Pregnancy Spark: Solving a Personal Problem

The idea for CloudTailor was born out of personal necessity. During her pregnancy, Susmitha found it impossible to step out of the house, yet she needed custom-fit garments. The frequent follow-ups and the physical strain of visiting a boutique made her realize that millions of women—mothers with young kids, the elderly, or the specially-abled—faced the same struggle.

"Coming from a tech background (ex-Wipro, Dell), I knew that if I started a single boutique, I would be restricted to one location," Susmitha explains. "To build a scalable model, I had to integrate technology." She began by visiting over 400 customers' houses personally—often with her two-month-old baby in tow—to understand the minute data points of measurement and design expectations.

The CloudTailor Experience

Digital Design: Customers place an order via the app and have a one-on-one virtual consultation with a professional designer.
Fabric Logistics: Users can courier their fabric to a fulfillment center or choose from CloudTailor’s partner fabric vendors.
Real-Time Tracking: Every step—cutting, stitching, hemming—is logged in the app, giving the customer a live view of their garment’s progress.
Final Review: Before delivery, customers view high-resolution photos of the finished outfit for approval.
Lifetime Alterations: A unique promise where a garment stitched in one city can be altered for free in any of CloudTailor's 25+ global outlets.

Building a 55,000 Sq Ft "Fulfillment Machine"

Susmitha’s transition from a high-paying software job to visiting houses for measurements was met with skepticism. "People asked if it was really required for someone so well-educated to do this," she recalls. But her resilience paid off. What started as a 300 sq ft center with one master tailor has exploded into a 55,000 sq ft fulfillment operation.

Today, CloudTailor operates in three modes: **Branded Outlets** (standalone stores), **Store-in-Store** (partnerships with fabric retailers), and **Online** (global app-based orders). This hybrid model has allowed the brand to fulfill over 65,000 orders for customers not just in India, but in the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK.

CloudTailor by the Numbers

2.5 Lakh+: App downloads on Play Store and App Store.
65,000+: Orders successfully fulfilled across the globe.
13 Cities: Active presence with 25+ physical outlets.
₹8,000 Cr+: Estimated size of the women's tailoring market in India.
$4.3M: Total funding raised to scale the tech-enabled fashion mission.

The Customer-Investor Bond

One of the most unique aspects of CloudTailor’s growth is its funding story. Susmitha’s first significant investment came from her own customers. **Neema Rani**, an NRI and long-time customer, believed in the idea so much that she approached Susmitha to fund the company. This was followed by investments from other customers and eventually 35 North Ventures.

"Many of my customers have become my very good friends and even investors," Susmitha notes. This level of trust was built during the pandemic, when Susmitha continued to handle customer calls even while admitted to the hospital with COVID. This "Zeal" to solve the problem has become the core of the CloudTailor brand identity.

"Entrepreneurship is about solving a problem. I didn't invent a new market—the market was always there. I simply brought the technology, the designer assistance, and the transparency to a problem that women have faced for generations."
— Susmitha Lakkakula, Founder, CloudTailor

Leadership and the Resilience of a Mother

Navigating the "dual challenge" of being a new mother and a founder, Susmitha attributes her success to family support and personal perseverance. She believes that the best time to take risks is when you have the mental and financial ability to think over the long term. For her, the "trauma" of visiting houses with a small baby was an essential phase of R&D that built the polished app experience users see today.

Susmitha’s Wisdom for D2C Founders

Don't Fear the Pivot: You may start with one plan, but if the market demands another, follow the path that solves the problem.
Believe in the People: You cannot grow in isolation. You must believe in your team and your partners to achieve exponential scale.
UX over Boutique: If you want to scale, focus on the user experience of the app rather than the décor of a single physical shop.
Women's Market is Specialized: Men's tailoring is largely standardized; women's tailoring is 80% of the market because every garment is a unique design challenge.

The Future: Globalizing the Indian Tailor

CloudTailor is currently in a pre-Series A funding cycle, looking to expand its footprint even further. With a focus on high-end formals, bridal wear, and daily fashion, the brand is positioning itself as the "One-Stop Solution" for women globally. By making tailoring as convenient as ordering groceries, Susmitha Lakkakula is ensuring that the traditional Indian tailor is no longer an "unorganized" worker, but part of a world-class digital supply chain.

"There is nothing wrong in believing in yourself," Susmitha concludes. "That belief will show you the path even in the darkest days of the hospital or the early days of the warehouse."

The Lifetime alteration: CloudTailor's most popular feature is the lifetime alteration policy. It removes the fear of weight fluctuations or fitting issues, providing a safety net that traditional boutiques simply cannot offer at scale.

Key Takeaways

For Aspiring Entrepreneurs: Solve your own problems first. The most successful ventures are often born out of personal frustration with an existing system.

For Women in Tech: Your software skills are a superpower in traditional industries. Use them to bring scalability to unorganized sectors like fashion or local services.

For Fashion Enthusiasts: Custom fit is the ultimate luxury. With platforms like CloudTailor, you can access professional designers and custom tailoring from the comfort of your home.

About the Guest

Susmitha Lakkakula is the Founder of CloudTailor. With over 19 years of software experience at global firms like Wipro and Dell, she is a tech-veteran turned fashion entrepreneur. An alumna of BITS Pilani and IIM Kolkata, Susmitha is a leading voice for women’s entrepreneurship in India, recognized for her innovative approach to digitizing the personalized fashion and tailoring industry.