A small sign stands out along Ganesh Temple Road, in the heart of Dharavi, Days for Clothing (DFC). Tucked away on the first floor of a modest tool-house, the store reveals itself as a carefully curated streetwear boutique. As you browse the racks, it’s hard to miss the bold blue tag on every piece, proudly declaring, “Made in Dharavi.”

True to that message, DFC was founded in Dharavi in 2017 by Rohan Mane and his friend and business partner, Arjun. Over the past eight years, Rohan has grown the brand from humble beginnings into one with national and even global recognition, all while staying true to its homegrown roots. Despite his success, Rohan remains grounded, often deflecting praise. When asked about his journey, he speaks first of his childhood, crediting those years for shaping who he is today.

Rohan has spent most of his life in Dharavi. He belongs to the Kunchikorve community. His father, now a successful entrepreneur, once worked as a broom-maker, an early example of craftsmanship and hard work that left a lasting impression on Rohan.

He began his education at Little Angels School in Sion (a neighbourhood close to Dharavi), before moving to a boarding school in the hill station of Panchgani, southeast of Mumbai, where he spent six years. Rohan struggled with homesickness and pushed himself to form connections, making friends from diverse places. This exposure to different cultures and backgrounds broadened his worldview, something he believes gives him a unique edge.

Rohan later enrolled in an engineering college in Pune, but dropped out in his first year due to a lack of interest in academics. There, he met Arjun, who, by fate or coincidence, lived in the room opposite his. Their mutual love for streetwear, hats, and sneakers quickly forged a strong bond. Avid sneakerheads, the two would spend hours scouring Flipkart and Amazon for high-quality sneakers at bargain prices. Rohan’s love for designer sneakers was so evident that his classmates would anticipate his latest pair and seek his fashion advice.

Their first entrepreneurial experiment involved selling wholesale T-shirts, which they would customise for their college dance crew, priced between ₹120 and ₹160. With monthly sales reaching 110 pieces, the duo saw promise, but when profit margins proved unsustainable, they shifted to manufacturing their own T-shirts, choosing to move away from wholesalers.

Rohan eventually returned to Mumbai to complete his higher secondary education at R. A. Podar College in Matunga. Simultaneously, he began building his clothing business. However, their first two collections flopped, the response was underwhelming. Refusing to give up, they opened their first physical store in 2019.

It’s fair to say that Dharavi’s entrepreneurial spirit inspired Rohan’s journey. His story has been defined by jugaad, a resourceful, improvisational approach to creation. Working with minimal resources and an instinct to make do with whatever was available, Rohan continued creating relentlessly. His use of unconventional materials and inspirations often led to bold, innovative designs. 

When asked why streetwear, Rohan finds the question almost redundant, as it’s a genuine interest, part of his identity. Globally, streetwear is a subversive, authentic response to constraint. Streetwear as a category in fashion became popular with its counter-cultural approach and focus on comfort and self-expression, and eventually it diffused into mainstream fashion. Rohan’s brand and story amplify the DIY(Do it yourself) atmosphere of this subculture. Dharavi reflects a DIY form of urbanity and also integrates a mode of production that is countercultural to large-scale manufacturing units. Thus, in Dharavi, where people have thriving businesses despite limited resources and systemic neglect, streetwear becomes a form of expression - raw, unfiltered, and deeply resonant with urban youth. 

DFC was born in this environment. Rohan would visit the chindi (textile waste) market to source materials. The fabrics, costing just ₹50 to ₹100, rivalled the quality of much pricier materials found elsewhere. Arjun, Rohan’s business partner, acknowledges that their success is deeply tied to Dharavi itself, saying “the business took this shape because of how Dharavi is."

One pivotal encounter in DFC’s journey was with Pravin from Urban Monkey, a streetwear brand known for its caps. Pravin told Rohan, “If you don’t show your clothes to the people, how will they buy them?” He then filmed an ad at the DFC store, turning it into a hub of activity for the next six to seven days. The exposure dramatically increased their visibility, with their Instagram following jumping from 250 to 1,100 in just a week. From there, momentum picked up. They engaged with digital marketing agencies, collaborated with influencers, and partnered with 7 Bantaiz, a rapper group from Dharavi, harnessing the power of collaboration to amplify their reach.

But DFC’s rise wasn't a solo effort, it was a collective movement. Rohan fondly remembers Anand, his house help’s son, as the first to join the brand. The team later grew to include Karan, whom Rohan met through Anand, and Vignesh, a customer whose personal style impressed Rohan enough to bring him on board. Sarfaraz, a tailor master with 15 to 20 sewing machines in Dharavi, also became an integral part of the DFC family, resonating deeply with their mission.

" The business took this shape because of how Dharavi is."

Rohan reflects on a time when his father was deeply upset about his decision to pursue entrepreneurship, a small price to pay for choosing an unconventional path. His father had once told him, “Do whatever you want to do, but think twice before doing it.” Rohan says he is extremely grateful to his parents and acknowledges the privilege their support has given him. He dreams of the day when his parents encounter someone wearing a piece from his very own brand.

Initially, people discouraged Rohan from entering the fashion industry because of the stigma attached to Dharavi. He openly discusses the negative stereotypes people associate with Dharavi. “Someone in Canada or Japan might be wearing clothes made in Dharavi and not even know it,” he says. Dharavi has contributed to the fashion industry worldwide for decades, with its intricate Jari and Embroidery industry, the leather manufacturing units, the denim factories and many more, but because of the stigma attached to it, the fashion industry often chooses to ignore Dharavi's contributions.

" Someone in Canada or Japan might be wearing clothes made in Dharavi and not even know it."

However, he sees a change in perception. He has noticed a shift in how people address him, from simply “Rohan” to “Rohan bhai,” which is a mark of respect according to the societal standards. While many are inspired by his journey to spotlight Dharavi, others still feel insecure about the Dharavi tag.

“Dharavi has everything a person needs. It's rich and resourceful. If something isn’t available, people here will make it themselves. We can dominate Flipkart and Amazon,” Rohan says with conviction.

" Dharavi has everything a person needs. It's rich and resourceful. If something isn’t available, people here will make it themselves. We can dominate Flipkart and Amazon."

Dharavi is centrally located, surrounded by four railway stations and a well-connected road network. It takes only 20 to 25 minutes to reach any part of Mumbai, making it one of the city’s most cost-effective neighbourhoods. Often referred to as a mini-India, Dharavi is home to people seeking livelihood opportunities from all states and artisanal communities across the country. It is culturally rich and thrives on strong community networks. Not only this, Dharavi is also a hub for manufacturing, with goods produced here exported worldwide. It becomes a junction for several networks of the service industry which the entire city and even the country are dependent. People and commodities both diverge from here to different parts of the city to fulfill needs in people's lives. It can, therefore, be called the heart of Mumbai. “Now imagine,” Rohan asks,“what happens when you take the city’s heart away?” 

" What happens when you take the city’s heart away?"

Living in such a dense and diverse area comes with challenges. Rohan acknowledges that while Dharavi has organically thrived for decades, it still needs improvements, like upgrading the civic infrastructure and better enforcement of laws. 

When asked what he would do differently if he were the architect of Dharavi’s redevelopment, Rohan suggests categorising and organising industries. “Take the leather industry, why not consolidate all the leather markets in one space? It would make business more accessible and efficient.”

He proudly notes that organisations and brands representing Dharavi on global stages are making both big and small contributions. Today, tourists visit Dharavi more than almost any other part of Mumbai. “This is the only place where locals are minding their own business, and foreigners are watching them,” he laughs.

" This is the only place where locals are minding their own business, and foreigners are watching them."

If Dharavi is redeveloped and scrutinised by regulations that were never made to support it’s unique manufacturing typology, the question remains, who does the redevelopment really benefit? Dharavi works because of its community led, bottom-up structure. It was built by it’s people, brick by brick, to meet real needs, jugaadu, resilient, and proud.

Rohan’s ultimate vision is to open many more stores across other cities in the country and worldwide, but only in homegrown neighbourhoods like Dharavi. Spaces that stay true to the spirit of DFC - relying both on the resourcefulness of locality and the promise of the global connections that sustain it.