By Praveen Gundala, Founder & CEO, PANCH Apparel
A garment is the last visible step in a much longer process
When someone picks up a hoodie, they can feel its weight, examine the stitching, and judge its shape. They cannot see the fibre’s journey, the yarn specification, the dyeing and finishing decisions, or the records that connect one stage to the next. Those hidden stages influence the product just as surely as its silhouette does.
Building PANCH in India means taking that complexity seriously. India has deep textile knowledge and a connected ecosystem of fibre, yarn, fabric, processing, and garment-making expertise. But proximity to a manufacturing ecosystem does not automatically make a product transparent. The work is to document the steps, define the standards, and make sure the claims match the records.
Start with the product—not a sustainability headline
Our intended approach starts with product requirements. What fibre is specified? What yarn construction is needed? What fabric weight and structure deliver the intended hand-feel and durability? Which seams and stress points need particular attention? What shrinkage, colourfastness, pH, or harmful-substance checks are appropriate for the product?
These are not glamorous questions, but they are the basis of a garment that can be assessed. A fabric specification should describe the material rather than simply calling it premium. A quality gate should define a test or inspection and an acceptance threshold. A certification claim should be supported by documents that apply to the actual product and transaction.
Traceability must connect the stages
For PANCH, traceability is more than adding a QR code to a hang tag. A code is useful only if it leads to meaningful, maintained information. A credible record system should distinguish what is known, what has been verified, who supplied the evidence, and what remains unavailable.
In a textile chain, records may be needed at multiple points: fibre or raw-material documentation, spinning and fabric records, processing details, garment production information, relevant test reports, and applicable certification documents. These records do not all prove the same thing. They need to be linked carefully, with batch or transaction references where available.
A digital product passport can make that information easier to access, but the interface cannot create evidence that the supply chain has not provided. The system is only as reliable as its source records, verification process, and willingness to show limitations.
Made in India should mean more than a label
We see the Indian manufacturing context as an opportunity to build with technical discipline and clearer accountability. That requires asking suppliers precise questions, agreeing specifications before bulk production, documenting approvals, and checking whether finished goods meet the defined requirements.
It also requires being careful with public language. A plan to work with a particular region, cooperative, mill, dye house, or laboratory should not be described as an established relationship until it is confirmed. A test should not be described as passed until a valid result exists. A future traceability feature should not be presented as a complete live system before it is ready.
Scarcity is a production decision, not a substitute for proof
PANCH’s drop-led approach is intended to keep production controlled and give each release a clear identity. Smaller batches can create an opportunity for closer attention to specifications and batch records. But a limited quantity is not automatically more responsible, and scarcity alone does not establish quality. The product still has to meet its standards, and any impact claim still needs evidence.
What we are trying to build
We want PANCH to bring together premium streetwear design, material clarity, considered construction, and traceability that is useful rather than decorative. We want customers to understand why a garment is made the way it is, what evidence supports the claims attached to it, and where the limits of that evidence remain.
This is an ongoing standard, not a declaration that every part of the journey is already solved. Building it means asking better questions, keeping better records, and making the product answerable to more than its marketing.
The supply chain is not background information. It is part of the product.
Praveen Gundala
Founder & CEO, PANCH Apparel