Kazakhstani sustainable commerce startup The Fashion People, led by founder and CEO Dias Nurlanov, has closed a $2.5 million Seed funding round. The syndicate includes regional venture firm White Hill Capital, European tech accelerator Startup Wise Guys, Bask International Group, and prominent private angel syndicates. In earlier financing rounds, the enterprise achieved an $8 million valuation backed by Ultra Ventures.
From a Local C2C Marketplace to a European B2B SaaS Engine
The journey commenced in Almaty with Garderob—a peer-to-peer marketplace dedicated to verified authenticated pre-owned luxury and designer fashion. In Kazakhstan, the platform quickly rallied over 180,000 active users, cultivating an eco-conscious culture of verified re-commerce.
However, the company’s core exponential value driver lies in its strategic pivot toward European enterprise B2B White Label SaaS:
- New European Union circular economy directives mandate that global fashion retailers implement verified textile recycling, resale, and lifecycle tracking mechanisms;
- The Fashion People delivers a turnkey, out-of-the-box infrastructure engine: apparel brands and high-end department stores can deploy their own branded resale and trade-in storefront in days;
- The startup provides an end-to-end backend handling AI authentication, logistics coordination, item condition scoring, and automated customer escrow payouts.
The newly secured $2.5 million capital fuels expansion across Germany, France, and the Nordic-Baltic retail corridors.
