When saffron grew in Kerala; Building smart mirrors for fashion retail

Hello,

All great journeys must come to an end.

A week after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket, Virat Kohli too brought down the curtains on his 14-year-long career in the red ball format. But he leaves behind a stunning legacy: 123 Tests, 9,230 runs, 30 centuries.

He flourished as captain, with 40 wins in 68 tests. He led Team India to the top of the ICC Test rankings, won a series against Australia, and had an unbeaten home streak for eight years.

O Captain! My Captain!

Meanwhile, we’re in the midst of an earnings season. 

EV maker Ather Energy, which listed on public bourses last week, narrowed its losses and grew its revenue by 29% YoY in Q4 FY25. Buoyed by the sales of Ather Rizta, the company is counting on expanding its distribution centres.

Also, fintech platform Zaggle posted a 67% rise in net profit to Rs 32 crore for the fourth quarter, supported by deeper wallet share from existing clients and new partnerships.

Speaking of partnerships, the one between humans and animals is unparalleled.

The Arctic fox, whose population had dropped to a few dozen in the early 2000s due to climate change and hunting, is back in the wild thanks to human interventions.

Little snow-white survivors.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Indoor saffron farming in Kerala
• Building smart mirrors for fashion retail
• Mannequins made from paper

Here’s your trivia for today: Which island nation doesn’t have its own natural source of fresh water and instead relies on rainwater collection?

Startup

Cultivating saffron in Kerala

Founded in 2024 by Seshadri Shivakumar, LNS AgriTech is Kerala’s first indoor saffron farm. The 35-year-old civil engineer left his decade-long job to grow saffron in Wayanad.

Shivakumar offers a word of caution to those considering entering the field. The industry may seem lucrative with stories of saffron selling at over Rs 5 lakh per kg, but the reality is much more complex. 

Sweet success:

• Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world, and its cultivation has always been geographically restricted to certain cold regions, primarily Kashmir.
• The journey from idea to execution for Shivakumar wasn’t easy. Saffron cultivation demands the precise control of four key environmental factors—temperature, humidity, light, and carbon dioxide. 
• Shivakumar built a cold storage room typically used for food preservation and transformed it into a high-tech cultivation chamber. He then installed refrigeration units to mimic Kashmir’s fluctuating temperatures, which range from 1°C to 27°C depending on the saffron growth stage. 

Funding Alert

Startup: Farmley

Amount: $40M

Round: Series C

Startup: Celebal

Amount: $15M

Round: Series B

Startup

Building smart mirrors for fashion retail

Founded in 2022 by entrepreneur Naveen Kumar, Dharpan.ai brings smart mirrors and virtual trial rooms to fashion retail, helping brands deliver instant, immersive try-on experiences—both in-store and online. 

“Customers can now try any colour, size, or style available in the store, just by standing in front of our smart mirror. It takes just 2.5 seconds,” Kumar says. “They even get notified when new stock arrives—they can try it from home, from wherever they are sitting.”

Perfect fit:

• Dharpan.ai is a B2B fashion tech startup that has built both its hardware and software in-house, including sleek six-foot mirrors which are installed in retail stores, typically in prime locations near entrances.
• The mirror uses a custom-built algorithm (not third-party AI) to scan and render garments virtually, allowing customers to select styles, switch colours, and see the perfect fit without entering a physical trial room.
• Dharpan’s breakthrough came in 2023 when it launched its first smart mirror installations with brands like Monte Carlo and My Perfect Fit. Since then, the company has grown to serve 17 clients, including retailers in Australia and Singapore. 

Sustainability

Mannequins made from paper

Erode-based Jothi Specialty Papers offers a sustainable alternative to the fashion industry’s reliance on fibreglass and plastic displays with a groundbreaking invention—mannequins made out of paper.

The mannequins are made using a low-impact process that blends traditional techniques. It begins with the collection of fabric scraps—mostly cotton offcuts sourced from apparel and toy manufacturing units in Tiruppur’s industrial hubs.

Key takeaways:

• Jothi Specialty Papers is now a Global Recycled Standard (GRS is an international, voluntary certification for products made from recycled materials)-certified cotton paper, board, and mannequin manufacturer.
• It employs a team of 55 women from nearby villages on a contract basis in Pallipalayam municipality, where they are located.
• Reports show that traditional fibreglass mannequins involve the use of hazardous chemicals and resins, posing risks to both the environment and manufacturing workers. In contrast, mannequins made from recycled fabric materials typically avoid these toxic substances, leading to safer production processes.

News & updates

• Paytm: China’s Ant Group will sell a 4% stake in Indian payments firm Paytm for $242 million, Reuters reported, citing a term sheet. Ant, an affiliate of Chinese conglomerate Alibaba Group, will sell the stake at Rs 809.75 per share, a discount of 6.5% to Paytm's closing price on Monday.
• Job cuts: Nissan Motor will additionally slash more than 10,000 jobs globally, bringing the total cuts, including previously announced layoffs to about 20,000 or 15% of its workforce, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday.
• Price hike: Apple is weighing price increases for its fall iPhone lineup, a step it is seeking to couple with new features and design changes, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Which island nation doesn’t have its own natural source of fresh water and instead relies on rainwater collection?

Answer: Bermuda.

We would love to hear from you! To let us know what you liked and disliked about our newsletter, please mail nslfeedback@yourstory.com. 

If you don’t already get this newsletter in your inbox, sign up here. For past editions of the YourStory Buzz, you can check our Daily Capsule page here.