Be honest. How often do you reach for shorts in your wardrobe, only to find that they are too loose or too tight, but never just right? Durga Chiranjeevi, the founder of The Short Store, wanted a solution for this problem to allow more women to wear shorts comfortably and in style.
Durga always wondered why shorts were overlooked in fashion. Why were they rarely a woman’s first choice? After pursuing a degree in Visual Communication, she moved to Sound Engineering, working on over 15 movies. During COVID, she decided that she would fulfil her lifelong dream of starting her own business. “It got me thinking: what is something I’m passionate about that I will be able to do for the foreseeable future without getting bored? I naturally gravitated towards sports and fitness, which have been a huge part of my life as I was an athlete in school. I initially wanted to start an active wear brand, but the market is so full of them, I pivoted towards something different,” Durga says.
Compared to cities like Bangalore and Mumbai, Chennai is still relatively conservative in terms of fashion. Durga explains how the brand came about, “When I’d go to the gym, I’d usually be the only woman in shorts. Everyone else would be in leggings. I realised, we’ve been ridiculously sold on the idea that leggings are the best and only option for working out. We’ve been fed that it feels like a second skin and that it’s “modest”, but think about it. It’s such a body-defining outfit that a lot of women aren’t comfortable in but are forced to wear because of a lack of alternatives. The Short Store launched in 2021 to combat these problems and bring the underrated shorts to the limelight.”
To Durga, women who wear shorts are the definition of free and confident. If men aren’t conscious about wearing shorts, why should women be? “I resolved to make great quality shorts suited to Indian body types, price them affordably, and stand out from name brands that charge 4000-5000 for one pair of shorts and cater to American or European body types. People compromise on features like length, pockets, or material just for the logo. I wanted to address all these issues, but I knew this was either the craziest idea or had the potential to turn into a brand with value. Thankfully, COVID had everyone on their phones, in bed, and in shorts,” she smiles.
When it came to designing the shorts and locking in aspects that were uncompromisable, Durga details their process, “My main point of contention with pants for women is the negligible attention to pockets. All of our shorts have multiple pockets. Also, most Indian women don’t have flat stomachs, so we made all our designs high-waisted to make them feel secure. We’ve gotten suggestions to make t-shirts or pants, but we’re not going to do that. We’re here to promote the idea of shorts, and we’ve done that by adding thoughtfully placed elements in our pieces.”
One of their bestsellers is the running shorts, in which they added a pocket for phones. The shorts don’t sag while running, and the phone doesn’t move. Another bestseller with a big issue is denim shorts—they either ride up when you sit down, or there’s gapping in the waist. The Short Store is attempting to come up with solutions for these problems by creating a size chart of its own. The same medium size could fit two body types differently, so the team worked hard to make a size system that veers away from the standard measurements and works specifically for Indian body types.
For the first three and a half years, Durga handled it all: designing, sourcing, talking to vendors, packaging, shipping, social media, the works. Now, the brand has a team of five. Lean, but efficient, Durga beams. She reflects upon the challenges of running a brand. “Since I started during COVID, everything was a challenge,” she chuckles. “I couldn’t see physical samples or visit manufacturing units to test quality. I did it all over Zoom. I would purchase shorts from different brands and tell my manufacturers I wanted the waistline of X, the length of Y, or the zipper of Z, and we would courier the samples back and forth whenever there was an ease in restrictions. Running ads was pointless during lockdown since courier services were suspended. Most importantly, no one believed in me or my brand. Everybody thought it was ridiculous. Whoever gave me a little money did it for the sake of it, but assumed that it would just go down the drain. I was firm on my idea from day one, however, and I was committed to putting in all my efforts.”
The first year was hard, but by the second, the brand was gaining traction, especially at stalls and events. “Doing a pop-up was the first time we got real, actual feedback. Until then, all my friends were supporting my brand, which is great, but here, I got to interact with strangers and see their live reactions to the products. Using the customers’ feedback and ideas, we’ve gone from 15 products to about 100, just in shorts! There’s a lot we want to do in the future, like expanding our catalogue and catering to men and kids as well. But first, I want to offer as many options for women as possible before venturing into those segments. I want The Short Store to be a one-stop shop for shorts, no matter who it’s for. Holidays, swimming, working out, brunch; we have you covered,” Durga smiles.
She mentions some of the lessons she has learned over the years, running a brand. “It’s the most cliché quote in the book, but believe in yourself. If you strongly believe that there is a need for something and you can do something, just go for it. Everyone sells shorts, but it’s always a small part of their catalogue; there’s no real value to it. The clothing market is saturated, and it’s hard to make a name for yourself. Carving out a niche and doing it well is one of the best ways to do that. I thought focusing on shorts was a good idea, despite the lack of support, and I ran with it.”
On the topic of memorable customer stories, Durga remembers fondly, “A customer at a pop-up purchased shorts for her mother, who was suffering from cancer. The only thing she was able to wear and be free in were shorts, and they were so happy to have found us. I never thought of this scenario. I was focusing on people who exercise or go on trips, but with this, I realised how patients with terminal illnesses need comfortable clothes to go about their day. She bought 10 pairs for her mother that day. That moment felt so validating, like I was doing something useful.”
To conclude, Durga talks about what drives her, “This job doesn’t feel like work. It just feels like I’m living my life, and I get to do fun things every day. I get to create clothes for people to have fun and live in, what more could I ask for? Bottom line: before giving up on something, try everything possible to make it work. At least then you have the satisfaction of knowing that you tried.”
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