From viral debut to viable business: The make-or-break test for Kusha Kapila's UnderNeat

When Kusha Kapila announced her shapewear and intimate-wear label UnderNeat, the launch felt like a moment. A massive creator with 4.5 million followers entering a category deeply linked to comfort, confidence and everyday utility — the perfect cocktail for a records-breaking D2C debut. UnderNeat’s first week online was exactly that — a frenzy of conversation, virality, sell-outs and a flood of creator-led content.

But now, almost six to eight months into the journey, the real question isn’t whether UnderNeat made noise. It’s whether the brand can sustain a consumer base that discovers it through Kusha, but stays despite her.

And that is where every influencer-led brand faces its defining make-or-break year.

From Creator Push to Consumer Pull

Upasna Dash, CEO & Founder of Jajabor Brand Consultancy, calls UnderNeat a textbook example of a brand whose early adoption is driven by star power — but whose long-term engine must be everything that happens after a customer’s first unboxing.

“Kusha’s brand is a great case study,” Dash says. “Yes, the influencer’s presence helped kickstart awareness, but after that, the brand’s growth depends entirely on community building, product experience and the end-to-end journey of purchasing and using the product.”

The litmus test, she adds, is when a significant share of buyers come without knowing or caring about the founder’s fame. She cites indē wild, where consumers often discover the product before they discover Diipa Khosla.

“What UnderNeat is doing well is letting the product take centre stage,” she notes. “Only about one out of ten performance pieces features Kusha; the rest are real customers and real reviews. That’s when creator-led push gives way to genuine consumer pull.”

The Hardest Category to Win: Retention Over Reach

Shapewear and innerwear brands are not built on impulse purchases; they’re built on trust. The category has several well-entrenched players — Jockey, Triumph, Enamor, Zivame — and a highly personal relationship with users. One bad fit, one uncomfortable experience, and the brand is abandoned.

Dash warns that hype-heavy brands often burn through budgets on that first splash.

“The biggest red flag is when the sales funnel drops immediately after the creator blast,” she says. “Many brands blow 70% of their budget on a launch campaign that never sustains.”

Long-term traction, she believes, will require localisation, product innovation and relevance to Indian bodies and habits. UnderNeat’s introduction of petticoats during Diwali, she says, is a strong example of designing for Indian women rather than exporting Western ideals.

“Comfort, durability and accessibility matter far more today,” Dash emphasises. “If there’s no innovation, no community and a sudden post-campaign decline, that’s when alarm bells should ring.”

Influence Buys Attention, Product Buys Loyalty

Pranav Panpalia, Founder of OpraahFX, says that UnderNeat’s “mad launch” was inevitable due to Kusha’s reach and the hype cycle around creator brands. But he believes that most influencer-led brands — from beauty to wellness to apparel — reveal their truth around the three to six month mark.

“With shapewear and innerwear, people only buy again if the product is genuinely great,” he says. “Comfort, fit, sizing — if that’s not perfect, nobody is coming back no matter how famous the founder is.”

He breaks down the real success markers:

• Repeat rate. “Are people re-ordering?” • Organic momentum. “Do sales continue even when Kusha isn’t posting?” • Cost of customer acquisition. “If CAC shoots up, the launch audience is exhausted.”

“Influence buys attention,” he adds, “but product buys loyalty. And the right D2C operator builds the business that survives after the noise fades.”

He cites contrasting case studies: SuperYou (Ranveer Singh), which scaled due to a strong operational backbone and retention game vs 82°E, which struggled to maintain momentum after an explosive launch.

“UnderNeat could totally become big if the product is genuinely better than what people currently use,” Pranav says. “Otherwise it risks being a great story, not a great business.”

A Strong Start, But the Hard Part Begins Now

Venkat Malik Founder and CEO J7, sees UnderNeat as a brand built with diligence and genuine consideration for Indian consumers.

“They seem to have studied how Indian women’s bodies work, the climate conditions — it is a well-thought-through brand and product,” he says.

The early numbers suggest a promising beginning. Yet for Malik, sustainability hinges on whether UnderNeat can translate early affection into widespread adoption and habit.

“The first real test is repeat purchases,” he says. “What kind of reviews does it get? Does the product-market fit hold? After initial euphoria, many different components have to come together — like service, returns and overall experience.”

Malik also points to a critical metric in online-led consumer brands: 70% of new buyers in any period should be first-time customers.

“UnderNeat has to keep expanding its buyer base,” he says. “It can’t rely on Kusha’s fan community alone.”

The Kim Kardashian Lesson

Malik draws a parallel with Skims — a creator-led brand that evolved beyond a founder cult into a full-blown consumer megabrand.

“Skims moved beyond just Kardashian,” he says. “It tapped into cultural icons — Tyra Banks, Snoop Dogg and many others.”

For UnderNeat, the roadmap is clear:

Expand influence beyond the founder Invest in brand-building and distribution Anchor the brand around a hero product that shoppers repeatedly return to

So, Will UnderNeat Make It?

There are two truths that coexist:

UnderNeat has done enough right in its launch strategy to earn a legitimate chance at category relevance.

It has now entered the period where creator power no longer cushions performance.

The brand has awareness, resonance and initial traction. What it now needs — like every challenger — is obsession with fit, functionality, access and experience.

If UnderNeat’s product truly solves for Indian women better than what already exists, it has the foundation to become a long-term contender. If not, it risks becoming another brilliant launch moment with no second chapter.

UnderNeat has been heard. The next year will decide if it will be remembered.