The Before Story

In the final-year uncertainties of college, every gang cooks up some ideas to start their own company. But in our case, we were a little more enthusiastic about it. We were passionate about our concepts and believed that every individual should have the freedom to pursue their dreams, no matter what!
We were eager, we were hungry, we had nothing to lose.
After a lot of research and some quick decision-making, our first venture, GOFO was born.
We noticed that founders, artists, and other visionaries like Steve Jobs preferred minimal colors. They did not bother with flaunting brand identities. Their individuality was not connected to the brand names they used. Hence GOFO focused solely on black and white, but the best of black and white. We were out to make a statement and some money in the process of doing it.
With GOFO, we were a little blinded by the idea and its potential. It seemed like the perfect concept. Since the little contacts we had were in the textile industry, we thought, well, how hard could it be?
As it turned out, it was very tricky. Yearning for our taste of success, we wanted to do everything possible with the brand. We tried to address existing issues in the textile industry, empower artists and passionate people, and invited them to be a part of our movement (Kalaman Collective, Pritika Krishnakumar, Rajeev ! We See You!). Ultimately, we wanted to be the best in Black and White clothing production. Since none of us were from the textile industry, we sourced our products along the lines of ZARA, Pepe, Tommy Hilfiger, etc.
Once we found the perfect t-shirt, we pooled our own funds, sourced the right kind of fabric (the type used by major brands), and soon enough, we were selling our t-shirts, at Rs. 599 a piece!
What we didn’t realize was the exact scale of what we were doing. Our customers were receiving quality clothing, minus the high pricing markup of the big brands. Every individual who purchased our products fell in love with the softness of the fabric and how well it fit. With GOFO we were able to unveil the reality of how the major brands in our country were overcharging the Aam Aadmi. People loved the availability of supreme quality clothing at affordable pricing.
However, as every struggle story goes, we met with our doom when COVID-19 swept over the world, and our small start-up fell with it. With a business model that needed cash upfront and a sizable inventory, it was tough to carry GOFO on. Hence, we said goodbye to our first venture.