Shruti Daga Of Nasher Miles On The New Age of Indian Luggage: Colour, Identity & Disruption

In a sea of black, blue and grey suitcases, Nasher Miles emerged in 2017 as a vivid burst of colour. The brand has since become a category disruptor in the Indian luggage industry, carving a unique identity with its bold focus on colour, design and consumer-centric innovation. “Since the last eight years, we’ve managed to stick to our USP of design and colour, and managed to say that same message in new and interesting ways,” Shruti Daga, Co-Founder & Head of Marketing, Nasher Miles, tells us. 

But the story began even earlier. “We started as a company in 2014, right when e-commerce was just taking off in India,” recalls Daga. Along with two co-founders, she left a corporate job to explore online distribution. The team was soon managing over 100 brands across diverse categories, including luggage. It was this exposure that offered a key insight: most luggage still looked the same, and no one was speaking to the style-conscious, digital-first consumer.

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Riding The E-Commerce Wave

What started with books on Flipkart soon became a full-fledged e-commerce revolution. “In 2013, people couldn’t imagine buying luggage online—it’s a touch-and-feel category. But returns, damage policies, and trust changed that.” 

By 2017, the online customer had changed. They were millennials and Gen Zs who cared about how they looked. Their shoes, makeup and clothes had evolved—why not their luggage? The familiar struggle of identifying a plain suitcase on a baggage carousel became the trigger. “This was the gap—most luggage looked the same, and no one was catering to this new online customer. That’s where Nasher Miles was born, with colour, design and variety as our core.”

Building Through The Storm

While the  brand saw rapid growth between 2017 and 2020, the COVID years brought the travel industry to a halt. “We divide our journey into pre-COVID and post-COVID. From 2020 to 2023, travel had paused, so we focused on experimenting with other categories—soft cases, backpacks and accessories. Those three years helped us get the product-market fit right.”

A turning point came in February 2023, when Nasher Miles landed an all-shark deal on Shark Tank India. “That, along with our first formal fundraising round of ₹37 crores, really helped scale operations.” Post that, product development became a major area of focus. “We now offer the largest variety of colour and design options in India.” 

D2C & Everywhere 

Nasher Miles’ journey has gone from online-only to being present in over 1,300 retail stores across India, including exclusive brand outlets. “We started offline only last year, and already, 25% of our sales come from retail.” While becoming a brand acceptable to the retail shopper can take its time, Q-Commerce is a very different game. “On Q-Commerce, it’s about availability, not brand preference. But it helps new brands like us break in more easily.” They are among the top-selling luggage brands available on Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart where they not only sell Q-Commerce-friendly products like neck pillows, luggage weighing scales and other travel accessories, but even sets of three suitcases. 

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The Make In India Focus

One of the brand’s proudest transformations has been its manufacturing shift. “We were 100% made in China. Today, we’re 65% made in India, and aim to reach 85% by the end of this financial year. COVID-era investments gave a much-needed boost to India’s manufacturing infrastructure. Earlier, we couldn’t find the right quality domestically. But now, we’re working with manufacturers who have helped us achieve the quality we expect.”

While premium suitcases are still imported, the brand is confident that in the next three years, even those will be made in India. “The right investments and know-how are finally coming into the country.” 

Understanding The Consumer & The Market

Despite its digital-first DNA, Nasher Miles understands the importance of physical presence. “India still shops offline—especially in Tier 2 cities. Shopping is a recreational activity, a family outing. We have to be where our customers are, whether that’s on Instagram or in a local mall.”

And that awareness extends to branding as well. “Brand awareness is just a small part of branding. Before you even think of spending on awareness, you need to know your four Ps—product, price, place, promotion. They must all speak the same language,” she explains.

For Nasher Miles, that language is colour, confidence and individuality. The brand’s ideal customer? “Someone living in the far suburbs of a metro city, working in IT, earning ₹6–10 lakhs annually. They have around 2,000 followers on social media, and every vacation is a moment of self-expression,” says Shruti. Instagram has been the most effective way to reach out to this customer.

In a category long dominated by monotony, Nasher Miles has painted a new narrative—one that speaks to the aspirational, design-driven Indian traveller who refuses to blend in.