About Us

Koskii- Celebrating The Girl In you! 

The name “Koskii” is synonymous with fashion, quality, and affordable Indian wear. Koskii, the term for ‘girl’ in the Navayati language, stands tall on a 150-year tradition in the textile industry. Despite conservative beginnings, we’ve forged an unusual path to success. Today, we have nine stores across bustling shopping centres in the cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, and a thriving online community.
 
Worth far more is the fact that we have become the destination of choice for young fashion-conscious women who want vibrant, trendy Indian occasion wear that is as quirky as their individual sense of style. Catering to a range of occasions, our collection includes lehengas, gowns, sarees, fusion ensembles, such as harem pants and crop tops and more.
Koskii and bridal wear, are a match made in heaven! From outfits for the bride to outfits for someone attending a wedding, we have it all. Racks of engagement, haldi, sangeet attire and more, greet visitors who come to our physical and online stores. Apart from the sheer range that we carry, our customers love that our designs are based on a deep understanding of our clientele and what looks good on them. At Koskii, the problem isn’t finding the perfect outfit. That’s the easy part. The difficulty is in choosing one or two from the large stack of favourites you’ve discovered.

The Koskii Promise

When you buy a Koskii, you don’t just buy an outfit. You buy a piece of traditional artisanship that is months in the making, and that had you, the customer, at the heart of the process. The Koskii promise is:

  • Personal style: We believe that following a trend is great, but personalizing the trend is even better. We carry the latest styles and trends with the addition of quirky Koskii details that elevate the collection and make the trend entirely yours.
  • High fashion: We have a wide range that includes super trendy garments, updated styles and the ethereal classics that never go out of style. Whatever your personal style, you will find something that reflects your personality at Koskii.
  • Crafted with perfection: Every garment is inspected to ensure that the quality of the garment is top-notch. From stitching and enclosures used to the lining and quality of embroidery, every aspect of the garment is inspected. It goes on our racks only after passing these inspections.
  • Customisation: We provide multiple levels of customisation. From minor changes to ensure the best fit, to designing from scratch using our in-house karigari studio.
  • Ethical practices: Our product sourcing team ensures that the manufacturers and artisans that we work with, maintain a high level of quality. We source from the best. We follow ethical practices in our transactions with them and with our staff. In our world, suppliers are our employees and our staff are family.
  • Customer-friendly return policy: Koskii has a customer-friendly return policy, no questions asked. 

Leadership Team 

UMAR AKHTAR

CEO,  Co-Founder, Koskii

Persevering is a word that best describes Umar. He started working at the young age of 17, simultaneously juggling his studies while working at his father's store. On completing his PUC, he went ahead to top his college, post which he acquired a Master's degree in Commerce while still being fully involved with managing their business. On completing his masters, he ventured into IT where he worked consulting on different assignments in India, Canada, US, UK, Central Europe and Singapore. His 18-year career culminated in helping set up and head the Singapore operations of ThoughtWorks, a leading technology-driven consultancy. He was simultaneously steering the retail business for Mina Bazaar, with a farsighted vision that accelerated the expansion into multiple outlets. In 2016, he returned to India to fulfil his lifelong dream of owning a successful retail chain, giving rise to Koskii. Ever since there has been no stopping him as Koskii slowly but steadily expands to more and more cities in the country!

 

 

SAMEEN EAJAZ 

COO, Co-Founder, Koskii

Sameen acquired a Masters degree in Computer Applications and worked for over a decade at Phillips on cutting edge technology and building world-class products ranging from audio and video coding to robotics and embedded software as well as thermoregulation for neonates. He quit his successful technology career in 2014 to apply his management skills and exposure to international best practices to further grow the business. He spearheaded the brands Commercial Street expansion and also set up their online presence. He leads operations and manages the brand's strategies for new marketplaces.

 

HAROON RASHID

CPO, Co-Founder, Koskii

The mastermind Product Officer behind the brand, Haroon, has been rooted in retail since the ripe age of twelve when he helped out with the business in Kolar after school. While completing his graduation with a Bachelors degree in Commerce, he grew into overseeing all retail operations for the brand. He also began travelling extensively to craft centres across the length and breadth of the country to manage the supply chain and source exquisite products for the stores collection. As Chief Product Officer, his extensive insights and observations acquired over the years help the brand offer the best of Indian apparel, textile and embroidery at the store.

 

Early years

Looking back, Koskii’s journey started in the 1900s when Abdul Rahman Badsha started to sell artisanal textiles, going from shanty to shanty and bazaar to bazaar. He opened his first store, Badsha Stores, in Madikeri (Coorg) in 1914. Over the years, his sons and grandsons have continued the tradition. This legacy of hard work, a keen eye for style trends, customer service-mindedness, and the ability to predict trends is the foundation on which Koskii stands today.  

 Abdul Rahman Badsha is the great-grandfather of our Founder and CEO, Umar Akhtar. Umar took the non-traditional route to start Mina Bazaar, which was later rebranded Koskii. In his early teen years, Umar worked at his father’s store in Kolar full-time and also completed his education simultaneously. With a desire to broadening his horizons, Umar got into software development and the corporate sector, a stint that lasted 18 years. Umar retired from the corporate sector as Managing Director, Singapore of ThoughtWorks, a global IT consultancy. Despite a long lucrative career in software that was on an upward trend, Umar never gave up on his dream of starting a chain of unique retail stores. 

The Dawn Of A New Era

While still deeply entrenched in the software world, Umar had saved enough money to open his first store in 2009. The store, Mina Bazaar, was in the bridal shopping area of Chickpet, and despite stiff competition, began to thrive. While Umar was busy earning his stripes in the software world travelling between countries, the running of this store was left in the able hands of his brother, Haroon Rashid. The business was doing well on all fronts. In 2011, the brand opened a second store with 1000 sq. ft. retail space on Kamaraj Road. In 2012, came the next store, and the fourth in 2014.  At this time, Umar was still working in the IT sector, something he did till 2016. Meanwhile, the business had flourished sufficiently that his brother, Sameen Eajaz had quit his corporate job with Philips and had come onboard the family business. While Haroon continued to take care of the product side of the business, Sameen streamlined business operations and took the company online.

 In June 2016, Umar came on board full-time and the business was rebranded ‘Koskii’. There’s been no looking back since. The brand has grown from strength to strength. What was once a floundering family business is today a thriving, professional business of immense repute and considerable standing in the industry and a trusted brand for its customers.