The Founders
"We don't follow the mood. We set the standard."
Four Medical Science students who walked into a restaurant with a dream and walked out building India's boldest culture-first streetwear label.
From Medical Textbooks to Streetwear Culture
Every iconic brand begins with an unexpected spark. Ours didn't start in a corporate boardroom—it started over food, friendship, and an unstoppable urge to build something of our own.
4 Medical Science Students at a Restaurant
We were just four students of Medical Science sitting together at a local restaurant after classes. While talking about life and ambition, we made a pact right at that table: we didn't want to wait years to make an impact—we decided we should start a startup together.
Mehboob's Vision for a Clothing Brand
As ideas flew across the table, Mehboob Anshri looked at what young India was wearing and sparked the defining idea: "Why don't we build our own clothing brand?" A label that wasn't just fabric, but raw identity and unapologetic self-expression.
Frontend Meets Backend Power
With zero hesitation, every founder locked into their zone. Adarsh Singh stepped up and declared, "I will create the entire website frontend." Right beside him, Shoyab Khan and Agastya Sonawane took command of the engine room: "We will manage the entire backend & operations."
Naming COTHLY & Claiming Cothly.com
From that restaurant table, the real grind began. We spent sleepless nights researching names that felt modern, sharp, and timeless until we found COTHLY. The moment we bought the official domain cothly.com, the dream became real.
Four Founders. Equal Partners.
At Cothly, there is no boss and no hierarchy. All four founders stand side-by-side as Equal Partners—because when the vision, sleepless nights, and sacrifice are shared equally, the empire belongs to all four of us.
The Struggle Behind Every Stitch
People see the finished oversized tees on cothly.com, but they rarely see what it took to get here. Balancing heavy Medical Science lectures and exams during the day while building a startup from scratch at night pushed us to our limits.
This photo was taken during our rawest days—when we were out on the streets, going door-to-door searching for products, fabrics, and manufacturers. We had no industry connections. We walked through crowded textile markets, inspected hundreds of cotton GSM samples by hand, faced vendors who didn't take student founders seriously, and rejected batch after batch until the drop-shoulder fit and print quality met our exact standard.
While we were out sourcing the finest garments on the ground, Adarsh was coding the storefront late into the night, Mehboob was curating designs that speak to youth culture, and Shoyab & Agastya were building the backend logistics from the ground up.
Meet The Creators of Cothly
Four co-founders. Equal Partners. One relentless mission to redefine Indian streetwear. Hover over each founder to reveal their portrait.
@iamadarsh_1903
Adarsh Singh
"Style is the loudest voice we have. Make it deafening."
Co-Founder & Frontend Architect. Turned the restaurant vision into a digital reality by designing and coding the entire cothly.com storefront experience.
@shoby_00_1
Shoyab Khan
"Perfection isn't an accident. It's a deliberate disruption of the ordinary."
Co-Founder & Backend Lead. Powers Cothly's core backend infrastructure, order systems, and operational precision so every drop runs seamlessly.
@82_mehboob_
Mehboob Anshri
"We don't just create clothes; we curate the culture."
Co-Founder & Creative Visionary. Sparked the original idea of launching a clothing brand at the restaurant table and leads Cothly's streetwear direction.
@yk.agastyaa
Agastya Sonawane
"Pushing boundaries isn't a choice, it's our only baseline."
Co-Founder & Backend Operations Architect. Co-manages the backend ecosystem, manufacturer coordination, and fulfillment pipeline across India.
Want to Start Your Own Startup? Let's Build Together.
We know how overwhelming it feels when you're a student sitting on an idea and don't know where to find manufacturers, how to build a website, or how to launch. If you also want to start your own startup, need guidance, or want to collaborate—DM us on Instagram or mail us directly!
100% Secure Payment
