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Contents 34
Content
35
Fashionscope
36
Fashion Post
38
Budget Story
40
If Insight
42
Brand Watch
44
Brand Retail
56
Business Outlook
60 62
Retail Story
66
Lead Story Stori
70
If Exclusive
Cover Story - Bodycare Creations
112 Preview 122 Business News 124 Business News 127 Industry Byte 128 Media Quote/ Subscription
DFU PUBLICATIONS Editor-in Chief & Publisher & CEO - Sanjay Chawla
Advisor
Director - Salil Chawla
Customer Relations - Sanchita Banerjee Team Bipasha Bhattacharya
Mangaging Editor - Sujata Dutta Sachdeva VP-Corporate Communications - Shraboni Mukherjee Editorial
- Narayan Subramaniam Shubhangi Bidwe
Editorial Asst. - Ranjit Kaur Correspondent - Ajay Kumar Goswami Sales Team
- Sagar Sardar Reena Prajapati
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- T. K. Sengupta
Production & Admn. - Dinesh Poojary Graphic Designer
- Sanjeev D. Sonavane Subhash Gade Manohar S. Rajgurav Kenneth Menezes
MUMBAI OFFICE: 38/314, Unnat Nagar 4, Off M. G. Road, MHADA Colony, Goregaon (W), Mumbai - 400 062. Ph: 022 2875 5181, 2877 2282, 3001 4700. e-mail: dfuif@yahoo.co.in / dfu@rediffmail.com DEHLI OFFICE: Salil Chawla, Business & Mktg: New Delhi - 110 017, Mobile: +9193503 18639 e-mail: salildfu@gmail.com, salil@dfupublications.com All reproductions rights reserved. Owned & published by: Sanjay Chawla and printed by him at DFU printing division. Published and Edited by Sanjay Chawla at: 38/314, Unnat Nagar 4, Off M. G. Road, MHADA Colony, Goregaon (W), Mumbai 400 062.
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fashiOn sCOPE
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Garo to feature at LFW
aro will be featured at the upcoming winter/ festive edition of Lakmé Fashion Week in Mumbai at the end of August. Garo uses heritage textiles from Northeast India to create women’s couture and ready-to-wear. It is named after the largest Meghalaya tribe and the aim is to use the brand to celebrate and showcase the Garos of Meghalaya. It is a luxury brand for women using heritage textiles and handcrafted techniques in remote parts of India with a contemporary vision. The brand’s upcoming collection will feature bold prints, motifs and color combinations inspired by traditional clothing from the northeastern region. Garo is meant to contribute towards building a range of sustainable, affordable and comfortable organic clothing suitable for a tropical country like India. The brand’s main customer base is aged between 25 and 45. Garo showcased its designs at a variety of runway shows across India since its launch in 2013. Celebrities like Madhuri Dixit Nene, Sania Mirza, Zareen Khan, Divya Khosla Kumar and Rakul Preet Singh have walked the ramp wearing Garo at different fashion
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shows during the last six years. Garo is retailed through a handful of multi-
brand boutiques across New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Raipur, and Ahmedabad.
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36 fashiOn POsT Jatin Malik couture showcases F/W collection at Milan fashion week 2019
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atin Malik Couture, the men’s ethnic wear brand showcased its Fall/Winter collection at the Milan Fashion Week 2019’s Emerging Talent Platform held from June 14 to 17, 2019. The baroque-inspired collection features contemporary silhouettes depicted through the convergence of traditional Indian embroideries such as zardozi and aari. Each creation represents the rich heritage of Indian fashion interwoven into the grandeur of baroque architecture. The story behind the collection is a fluid movement from the regal history of India to the novelty of the European era and the present-day global fashion movements. Emerging Talents is one of Milan’s first creative platform dedicated to brilliant designers. The experienced team aims to support skilled designers to create the right network that leads to fashion business development, enlarging sales or even to reach the very first sell-points. Since 2016
Clove hosts Lankan festival the platform has discovered and supported around 50 brands from 17 countries.
Japanese designers collaborate with Indian designers for traditional outfits
Japanese textile designers Chiaki Maki and Parva Tanaka have collaborated with the Indian artisans to manufacture traditional hand-woven Japanese outfits in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. These designers opened their
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hardworking weavers and artisans. These designers started by exporting hand-woven fabrics from India to Maki Textile Studio Ltd in Japan. Gradually they constructed a more comfortable workplace for the Indian artisans in Bhogpur, Uttarakhand. Gradually they started cultivating their fields to grow materials for natural dyes and fibres. They cultivate natural dye plants such as Indigo, Henna, Marigold, Harshingar, Anar, etc in their own fields. Currently, about 50 workers, including, 10 weavers, five tailors, women workers for various hand-woven tasks, caretakers, and farmers are working at Ganga Maki Textile Studio. Their products range from woollen coats, jackets, silk scarves, silk shawls, silk dresses, bed covers, table clothes, fabrics to rugs and much more. They conduct exhibitions twice a year, displaying their handwoven outfits for the visitors.
Clove is hosting Heart of Sri Lanka- a pop-show in Mumbai that showcases eight emerging and established Sri Lankan jewelry and clothing designers. Among the labels on display include Sonali Dharmawardena, whose signature silk Batik prints have a cult following; Anuk by Samaadhi Weerasing he, with silk slip dresses; Kûr by Kasuni Rathnasuriya, which uses Sri Lankan lace; swim and lingerie brand La Pard by Dinushi Pamanuwa; Lois London by Radhika Perera-Hernandez; as well as jewelry brands Papillon du thé, and Cher by Chevonne. For many of these designers, this is their first ever India showcase. For the pop-up, Clove has been transformed into a verdant tropical gateway. The large centre table holds a crate piled high with bananas, guavas and other local fruit. Palm leaves are suspended from the ceiling, lending the store a lush island vibe. In keeping with the Sri Lankan theme, on opening day, guests were served jackfruit and mutton patties.
own work station in 2017, Ganga Maki Textile Studio in Bhogpur, Uttarakhand. Rakesh Singh is the Indian director for their textile studio. The studio makes beautiful and distinctive Japanese outfits with the help of
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38 BUDGET
Budget 2019-20 reduces textile allocation
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n her recent budget speech, Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, proposed to further relax foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in the single brand retail sector with a view to attract more overseas investments. This announcement assumes special significance as several foreign entities had raised their concerns over the mandatory local souring norms from India. This included the high-end technology companies who had expressed their reluctance to procure goods from India due to the difficulty in meeting the 30 per cent condition. The Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal trade had mooted a proposal earlier this year to ease these norms. According to that proposal, these relaxations would allows these retailers more time to comply with this regulation. The proposal also sought permissions for such firms to start their online operations even before setting up brick-and-mortar shops, provided they are able to attract over USD million of FDI. However, the proposal also mandated these firms to set up their brick-andmortar shops within two years of starting their online sales.
Proposal to boost foreign investment According to Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Hong Kong based Counterpoint Research. India’s plans to ease rules in single brand retail is likely to help many foreign companies such as Apple, Xiaomi and OnePlus, to expand their operations by setting their own stores in the country. Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman of the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association that represents handset makers including Apple and others also believes that single brand retail adds to the country’s economy by enhancing retailing standards, keeping the sanctity of price which does not exert predatory pressure on our small retailers intact it grows the market by creating additional demand for small retailers where value conscious customers fall back on.
Focus on promoting Khadi globally The government has also focused on promoting Khadi globally, urging its missions abroad to come up with ideas to project Khadi as an employment generation solution and not merely a garment. As part of the National Democratic Alliance government’s focus on bringing micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) under the
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formal economy’s fold, a payment platform for the MSMEs will be set up. This comes in the backdrop of the government’s plan to start an e-commerce platform on the lines of “Amazon and Alibaba” to sell products from MSMEs and the Khadi and Village Industries Commission. Given its focus on MSMEs, the government has also announced a pension scheme for 30 million small traders, recognising the plight of shopkeepers, small traders and the self-employed hurt by the November 2016 decision to demonetize high-value currency notes, and the much-debated roll-out of the goods and services tax (GST) in July 2017. All small shopkeepers and self-employed persons as well as the retail traders with GST turnover below Rs1.5 crore and age between 18-40 years, can enrol for this scheme. The scheme would benefit more than 3 crore small shopkeepers and traders. Reacting to the Budget the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) stated it is a mixed bag for the textile and apparel industry. Rahul Mehta, President, CMAI, stated that the extension of lower rate of 25 per cent corporate tax with an annual turnover up to Rs 400 crores is a welcome step. Currently, this rate is only applicable
to companies having annual turnover up to Rs 250 crore. Moreover the infusion of Rs 70,000 crore capital into public sector banks will ease the current credit squeeze. Also, Rs 350 crore allocated for 2 per cent interest subvention for all GST-registered MSMEs on fresh or incremental loans will give a big thrust to MSMEs. Considering that over 80 per cent of the domestic apparel industry is in the MSME sector, all these measures could provide a boost to the sector.
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40 if insight
Ethnic market continues to grow
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espite globalisation it is difficult to take ‘Indianness’ out of Indians. In similar spirit, it is difficult for Indian women to let go of traditional Indian attire like saris, lehengas, etc. And despite the lure of fast fashion, millennials cannot resist the attraction of ethnic wear during festive occasions or family functions. With the advent of global brands, Indian fashion market has become very crowded. Yet, the market for ethnic fashion continues to grow with more working women opting for ethnic clothes for day-to-day wear. As per Technopak, ethnic wear holds 71 per cent share in the entire Indian women’s wear market. Puneet Jain and Yatin Jain, Directors of ethnic wear brand Odhni say the market has grown tremendously over the past five years. The luxury and designer ethnic wear segments, in particular, has grown exponentially due to the rise in number of middle class and working women. The market currently pegged at Rs 82,000 crore, is expected to grow to Rs 126, 210 crore by the end of current year. The main reasons for this impressive growth are the growing popularity of Indian and western fusion wear and e-commerce bandwagon shopping.
chemical free dyes and material, etc. For instance, Ancestry, an ethnicwear brand from Future Style Lab offers a variety of fashionable clothing, home decor, footwear and accessories that constantly evolve with international trends, yet are rooted in Indian heritage and crafts. However, not many brands on the supply side cater to such sensibilities, thereby offering a huge market opportunity. A major reason for this that the creation of slow-fashion is a time consuming and expensive process and the Indian consumers are not used to this. In recent years, the ethnic wear was given a new look by designers who incorporated western designs and styles into Indian clothes. Known as Fusion wear, this fashion trend has been well received by Indian consumers and is becoming the obvious choice of young India.
A push from e-commerce platforms The ethnic wear market has also received a push from e-commerce companies such as Myntra, Jabong, etc. Ethnic wear brands like Anouk, AKS lothing, Varanga, which started their journey from these platforms, have become highly successful today. For example, AKS Clothings, an online apparel brand of Yuvdhi Apparels has crossed to Rs 100 cr revenue mark in the Q3 of fiscal year 2018-19. A growing trend, ethnic wear market is India is sure to reach new heights if it continues to evolve with changing product and distribution trends.
Responsible fashion order of day Conscious fashion is the latest evolving trend in ethnic wear as brands are becoming more conscious towards issues like making their products environment-friendly, using
Brick and mortar needs to get snazzier
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ounger shoppers may be interested in in-store shopping, but the bricksand-mortar experience needs to be adapted to modern technology. Generation Z and millennial consumers are the age groups most likely to shop at bricksand-mortar stores, but they are also the most interested in retail stores incorporating emerging technology. According to a study conducted by Oracle Net Suite, Wakefield Research and The Retail Doctor baby boomers are both the least likely to shop in-store and the most likely to describe the retail environment as less inviting. They are also the least apt to be influenced by in-store technology such as virtual reality, while Gen Z shoppers are the most likely to have purchase decisions impacted by such tools. About half of those surveyed prefer to shop with a brand that has a physical store. But when it comes to luxury items such as high-end clothing, watches and jewelry shoppers prefer to buy directly from a brand’s website. Wunderman Thompson Commerce drew
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these conclusions from a survey of 15,000 consumers who shop online through the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, Belgium and the Netherlands. The study says, Amazon may be regarded as the biggest disrupter in retail, but luxury marketers and retailers may have a chance to attract younger consumers
away from the platform based on brand values. As e-commerce sales of luxury goods soar, an overwhelming number of consumers remain disappointed by their experiences with online shopping, particularly when it comes to speed and efficiency. Ninety per cent of shoppers have left an e-commerce website because it did not load as quickly as expected.
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42 BranD WaTCh Pantaloons builds consumer connect
Aurelia redefines ethnic wear Aurelia, launched in 2009, caters to women’s ethnic wear segment. The brand was launched in view of the evolving casual and work wear requirements in ethnic wear, targeting women looking for great design, fit and quality. Part of TCNS Clothing, Aurelia has re-defined the Indian ethnic wear market by striking a fine balance between traditional and modernity. The brand has 215 standalone stores across India in 100 cities as well as a presence in a 1000 large formats and MBO doors. Aurelia also has an outlet in Sri Lanka
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ashion retailer Pantaloons is going the extra mile to build a greater personal connect with the consumer. The brand changed its Green Card loyalty program to the Blue Card program on the day of the India-Pakistan match during the World Cup. It mapped out consumer purchases and gave them an indication of what percentage of their purchases were blue in color across the different categories they generally buy. The recommendations to each consumer were specifically tailored, based not only on the kind of clothing items that they bought, but also on the associated attributes. Though less than five per cent of
Pantaloon’s sales are driven through e-commerce, it’s growing considerably faster than the rest of the business. The brand is building up its website, which is also used for e-commerce. Most of Pantaloon’s e-commerce sales are driven through partners like Myntra, Flipkart and Amazon. The Pantaloons website was launched in September last year. Pantaloons also runs digital campaigns to drive traffic to its site largely through social media campaigns and tie-ups with influencers. Pantaloons is currently present in more than 150 towns and cities. The plan is to expand at a much faster rate than was done last year.
Ranveer Singh to endorse footwear brand Flite
Relaxo Footwears has signed Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as brand ambassador for its footwear brand ‘Flite’. The brand will leverage Singh’s versatility as an actor to strengthen its leadership position in the open footwear category. Flite has planned a new 360 degree campaign with Ranveer. The new campaign
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will build the brand’s connection with the emerging middle class. It will position Flite as a choice of India. According to the company, Ranveer will be actively involved in a host of innovative marketing and customer experience initiatives encompassing across mediums such as print / TV / outdoor / activations / online and retail mediums.
and new launches across geographies are in the pipeline. The brand’s sales revenue accounts for 34 per cent of TCNS’s revenue. TCNS has been opening 70 to 80 exclusive brand outlets year on year. Apart from increasing its retail footprint, its growth strategy also involves expansion of its product offerings. This year onwards its focus is on increasing revenues through sales of sustainable products as well. Just like every year, it is also working towards a new fashion concept with sustainability at its core. The ethnic wear market in India has been on an upward trajectory, driven by designs in indo-western or Indian contemporary designs. Men’s wear has a 6.6 per cent share of the ethnic wear segment whereas women’s wear has a 70.6 per cent share.
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44 Brand Retail H&M India to set up 50 stores by 2020
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wedish fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz, which opens a store every month, plans to reach a count of 50 stores in India by 2020. The brand will also launch its collection on Myntra by autumn 2019. The brand’s sales in India during the second quarter ended May 2019 rose by 39 per cent, helped by new store additions and increasing push for full priced merchandise. In over three years since its India entry, the retailer has clocked over Rs1,100 crore in annual sales becoming the fastest growing lifestyle brand in the country.
Brand factory opens first store in Thrissur
Brand Factory, India’s leading fashion discount chain, a part of Future Lifestyle Fashions, opened its first store in Thrissur. Brand Factory is based on a unique concept of offering discounts on leading original brands all 365 days in a year. Consumers can choose from over 200 plus popular brands like Levis, Spykar, Lee Cooper, Jealous 21, Caprese, Wrong, US Polo, Adidas, Skechers, Converse and much more at a minimum 20 per cent and maximum 70 per cent discount any time throughout the year. The new store is designed on two levels and covers a huge plot of around 25,000 sq. ft. Each floor is carefully created to showcase all fashion trends from clothing, footwear, bags, handbags, luggage, accessories and much more for men, women, youth and kids too. Beginning with the ground floor, this level includes stylish ethnic, western wear, footwear for women and kids, trendy formal wear for men and handbags. The second floor has men’s casual wear, fashion wear for youth, footwear, sports fashion, accessories and luggage.
H&M stocks fast fashion items created in-house and teams up with designers for one-time collections. It keeps a large inventory of basic, everyday items sourced from places including India and Bangladesh that carry a lower price tag than most of its rivals.
the country. Since its inception, CaratLane has revolutionised how Indian women buy and wear fine jewellery, by making modern, beautiful designs accessible to all. Situated at City Center 1, Salt Lake, a prominent residential area in Kolkata, this store is designed to bring in a seamless jewellery buying experience. It has a virtual try on ‘magic-mirror’, a solitaire corner and an extremely helpful team of experts, that makes the shopping experience exceptional. The bestselling designs from brand’s latest collections - Pero and Jhanak will be showcased at the store. CaratLane now has 61 brand stores across the country. The stores bring a seamless jewellery buying experience with access to all jewellery, along with Magic Mirrors for virtual try-
ons. CaratLane also pioneered a unique Try@ Home feature for jewelry buyers in the country, where customers can book an appointment to get their desired jewellery delivered at their doorsteps, and try them at their comfort, with no-obligation to buy Further more.
Caratlane launches its fourth store in Kolkata
Purple style Labs to expand Pernia retail chain
CaratLane - A Tanishq partnership, India’s leading omni-channel jeweller has launched its 4th store in Kolkata, taking the store count to 8 in the Eastern region of India and 61 across
Purple style Labs plans to expand its Pernia retail chain by opening new stores across India and in London, New York and Dubai. The multi-brand fashion chain’s pop-up shop
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recently opened its eighth store in India. The 2,500 sq ft store is located in Bengaluru and offers an omni-channel shopping experience. The new store features 25 of the brands from Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop’s online selection including Anamika Khanna, Varun Bahl, Anita Dongre, Deme by Gabriella, Samant Chauhan, and Pranay Baidya. The store offers private styling consultations to shoppers and online-to-offline technology such as touch screens that allow shoppers to see the brand’s online selection in-store. The open-plan interior displays an array of garments along its walls and has a sizeable lounge area for shoppers.
Chokore opens first store in Delhi Chokore, a premium accessories brand from Rangreza Retail, established in 2015 has opened its maiden store in Delhi at the tony Select City Walk Mall, Saket. The brand offers accessories for men and women. The men’s collection includes pocket squares, ties, cravats, bandanas, cuff links, collar links, tie tags, shirts and kurtas for men, while women’s range includes stoles, scarves, and clutch bags. Chokore currently sells online through its own website and other e-commerce platforms. It also sells offline through its exclusive brand outlets and multi-brand stores. The intent is to offer customers latest and best-in-class fashion lifestyle products that are at par with most premium quality standards offered by other premium brands. Chokore encompasses a blend of Indian traditional designs, yet having the potential to appeal to global consumers. High quality Chokore accessories are manufactured from 100 per cent silk. The product range is wide enough to appeal to consumers across age groups. With 700 SKUs selling online as well as offline at present, the brand aims to constantly work towards adding new and appealing accessory categories for fashion-conscious consumers. It is occasionfriendly hence offers a diversified portfolio for consumers to make the most of each moment. Its fantastic array of customized designs complements one’s unique personality.
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46 BranD rETail Raymond to open more Mini TRS
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aymond has so far opened some 300 Mini TRS (The Raymond Shop) across the country. TRS are a mini store format especially targeting Tier III and Tier IV towns. The Mini TRS is aimed at providing the immersive Raymond retail experience across all emerging markets and towns to the discerning customer. Every franchisee is supported by an area manager who builds local calendarized activation and marketing plans for each outlet depending on the local festivals as well as key talking points. Through a cooperative marketing pool, the activation calendar is implemented through the local franchisee and store so that they may leverage their local knowledge to maximize the
Teatro Dhora launches new store in Mumbai
efficiency of all such activities. Each city/ market develops and drives activations and promotions that are best suited for its market and customers. Raymond is expecting around one-fifth of its textile and apparel retail business to come from small towns, where it is opening Mini TRS stores. The company has identified around 800 small towns with a population above 50,000 for such mini stores. While a regular TRS covers 2500 sq feet, a Mini TRS is spread over 800 sq feet. Textile and apparel major Raymond will invest Rs 350 crores in capacity and retail expansion this year. This will help ramp up its apparel sales and grow the fabric business over the next few years.
cotton cool again. Whether it’s classic, epoch or boho or casual, it has a range of apparels and accessories like short kurtas, kurtis, skirts, wraparounds, salwars, churidars, patialas, pyjamas, and saris. The product range for women and men is specially handcrafted and available in colorful hand block prints and handloom weaves in cottons and silk. Cotton Cottage brings together the charm of the folk print, the comfort of natural fabrics and the love of contemporary look with its range of readymade garments for women and men. The garments spell comfort, visual appeal, durability, and value for money. Every piece is crafted to suit the occasion. Cotton Cottage’s new 535 sq ft store is a harbinger of innovation in design and visual merchandising. The layout of merchandise is firmly based on the functionality of a storage based display involving stacking of clothing bearing varied colors and prints across a sizing bracket.
Minizmo to open five outlets in two years
Ethnic wear brand Cotton Cottage targets 50 stores by 2021 By 2021 Cotton Cottage plans to have 50 stores across India. As of now, there are 22 stores. By August 2019, three more stores will come up, taking the tally to 25. Cotton Cottage is a handcrafted clothing brand. Every fabric is hand processed and so the production is limited. Established in 2005, Cotton Cottage is a standalone ethnic wear store. It aims at making
The Jaipur-based multi-brand boutique Teatro Dhora has opened its second store in Mumbai. The store mixes fashion with contemporary art. It has a warm interior and features clothing, jewellery, accessories, sculptures, homewares, and other curiousities. The décor has been kept natural in keeping with the rustic aesthetic of the store’s product selection. The boutique’s clothing selection focuses on handloom textiles with Khadi kurtas in offwhite hanging from simple rails throughout the store. As the concept store was founded by the owner of the jewellery brand Dhora, Aavriti R Jain, it also features a wide selection of Dhora pieces. Simple gold chokers and bangles mix with statement, nature-inspired pieces and add a luxury element to the store. Dhora also retails its jewellery from its dedicated e-commerce store.
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Premium menswear and accessories brand Minizmo aims to open five outlets in the next 2 years. After the successful launch of its flagship store at DLF Promenade last year; Minizmo, a premium menswear and accessories brand, opened its second store in Gurgaon. The brand is bullish about the number of categories it offers to its customers, ranging from suits, blazers, band gala, Nehru jackets, shirts, T-shirts and Chinos, with a full-fledged bespoke experience that includes made-tomeasure and design assistance. At Rs 124,423 crore, men’s wear is the largest segment in apparel market and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9 per cent for next 10 years.
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48 Brand Retail Landmark’s fast fashion brand Splash to shut shop in India
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ast fashion brand Splash is shutting down in India. Splash has 18 stores currently operational in the country. Splash offers a range of products across categories like women’s wear, men’s wear, accessories and footwear. As a brand, Splash never really took off in India because of its slightly premium pricing. Fast fashion is clothing mass-produced by retailers in response to runway trends. Splash was launched in India as shop-in-shops within Landmark’s Lifestyle store in 2009. Earlier, basic and essentials accounted for almost 70 per cent of the merchandise in Splash stores. Now fashion occupies half the merchandise. The brand has 11 stores in the south. But it has seen better growth in the western and northern markets of late. Cities like Mumbai, Pune and Delhi have
The Label Life to open more stores, bond with customers
W unveils its new store in Jammu W, the premium fusion wear brand from TCNS, which merges Indian and western sensibilities with an emphasis on distinctive design and styling, opened a new store at Jammu’s Palm Island Mall. With this launch,
done better than southern cities. The Landmark Group, based in Dubai, currently operates several retail chains in the country, including Splash, Home Centre, Max and Lifestyle. Currently, affordable fashion brands are doing well for most retailers as a large majority of Indian consumers are following global fashion trends but are unable to spend big money at the store. That’s the reason Landmark has turned its attention on brands such as EasyBuy, which has a cheaper price tag.
premium, which didn’t commensurate well with the price points offered. Therefore, upcoming stores will have elements like postcards from customers, hashtags etc. Events are planned to bond with store customers more deeply.
Ridhi Mehra plans her flagship store in New Delhi
The Label Life embarked on its retail journey through the online channel and later stepped on to the brick and mortar space. The brand’s engagement with customers through pop-ins countrywide since 2016, has inspired and empowered it to believe in the much-debated brick and mortar strategy. A Mumbai-based celebrity-promoted online fashion and lifestyle brand The Label Life is styled by celebrities like Suzanne Khan, Bipasha Basu and Malaika Arora. Its customer-centric approach to brand building and unique Style Editor-led manner of acquiring customers online through its millionstrong social media following across channels has made it a true differentiator in the rapidly evolving fashion retail business in India. A few stores old, the retailer is now poised for rapid expansion. The Label Life has stores in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. In its expansion plans, was eyeing the top 10 markets while cities like Indore, Ahmedabad etc, have emerged as promising markets. The Label Life’s debut store was launched last year in Mumbai. Then came the realisation the space looked too
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vintage European aesthetics and her Indian heritage to create a vibrant and eclectic mix. The brand currently retails from its dedicated e-commerce store and a number of multibrand boutiques across India’s metros.
Designer Ridhi Mehra is set to launch her first flagship store in New Delhi’s Seven Style Mile in Mehrauli. Mehra will launch her brand’s maiden flagship store inside the luxury fashion mall The Kila. The mall, launched in 2015, also features other Indian luxury brands including Amit Aggarwal, Nikasha, Namrata Joshipura, and Am:pm. The store opening will coincide with the launch of the brand’s upcoming collection, “Pearl”. The collection features embellished sarees and gowns for the upcoming festive season and has a color palette of ivory, beige, blue, and pink. A n a r k a l i s , lehengas, and sarees with jacketstyle blouses will also feature in this collection. Mehra launched her eponymous brand in 2012 and the brand won the FICCI YFLO High Flyers Award in 2018. She derives her inspiration from
the brand has moved ahead with its expansion catering to the needs of the entire city. Spread across 520 sq.ft, the new store is located at a popular retail destination in the city. The store displays the latest and vibrant collection with a complete range of styles featuring an extensive mix of kurtas, fashion bottoms like palazzos, skirts, trousers, dupattas and accessories to match every occasion, mood and personality. W offers Indian contemporary wear and stays a step ahead of the fashion curve. In their spring summer’19 collection, W offers different designs and silhouettes; providing a complete wardrobe solution for women. However, this season W goes sustainable yet fashionable with its latest ‘Yolo Dress’, catering to a class of consumers who prefer stylish yet sustainable products. The latest collection is inspired from sustainability that brings the bold and the beautiful to the forefront by challenging the old and elevates the new. The Yolo signifies, when you live only once, this is the dress to live by. The summery livaeco collection is a delight for shoppers. Customers can also check out work essentials by W and occasion wear by Wishful that gives a plethora of options to choose from. The highlight of the new store is the new retail store design adopted by W to display the new categories of merchandises differently. The most prominent feature is the usage of white as the principal color that helps better focus on colors of the merchandise. The new format highlights the brand better displaying all the styles of the season. There is an interesting window display to attract customers’ attention as well as the key styles of the season are highlighted at the centre of the store. The store showcases the merchandise through podiums of display fixtures, lighting fixtures and taller display units thus providing the customers a delightful shopping experience.
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26 BRAND RETAIL 50 Puma plans to open 20 stores in India
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uma will open 20 new stores in India before the end of this year. The brand currently has 365 exclusive stores in 125 cities and 3100 points of sale in India. It also sells online through its own website and other leading e-commerce platforms. Puma’s brand presence is extremely compelling, achieving strong double-digit growth in the last two or three years. It has continued the growth trajectory in 2018 with a strong 21 per cent growth. The direct-to-consumer e-commerce business has also grown the fastest in the same year. Puma’s success comes against the backdrop of the athleisure trend that has gripped the sportswear market. While other companies flaunt performance and technology, Puma focuses on style that makes its products attractive to the casual dresser. Globally there has been a huge momentum for the brand, which is making strong progress in the sports performance
Lifestyle to expand operations
alternative to international fast-fashion brands. The brand reported sales of Rs 51 crore for the financial year 2018 and expects its sales to double to Rs 100 crore for fiscal 2019.
Ethnic wear brand Onaya to enter northeastern market
and sport style categories. Puma has been witnessing strong growth in the Indian market and will be investing to expand its retail presence across India to maintain its dominant position. Puma sees India as an important market with huge growth potential. The brand will also expand its presence in neighboring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal. Bangladesh has a flagship, one of the biggest in southeast Asia. Nepal has three stores.
more comfortable for the customers. It will also focus on enhancing the in-store facilities and spreading the facility to more outlets. Apart from this, the brand is upgrading its in-store ambience. The fashion retailer has added features such as ‘Self-Checkout Kiosk’, ‘Mobile POS’ and ‘Fitting Room Assistance’ to augment its in-store experience.
Karl Lagerfeld to expand India presence
Lifestyle, a part of the Dubai-based retail and hospitality conglomerate The Landmark Group, plans to expand its footprint by adding 10 more stores in India. The brands, which has nine private labels, plans to launch new categories under these private labels. The brand recently made omni-channel presence to make a stronger reach to its consumer. With features like ‘Click & Collect’ and ‘In-store Endless Aisle’, Lifestyle is offering an omnichannel experience to its customers. The ‘Click & Collect’ feature allows customers to order online and collect merchandise from a Lifestyle store of their choice. ‘In-store Endless Aisle’ helps customers find missing in-store sizes on the e-commerce channel. Lifestyle’s focus areas for FY 19-20 will include enhancing its omni-channel capability, providing an upgraded seamless shopping experience to the customers and ensuring smooth technology to make online shopping
International fashion brand Karl Lagerfeld plans to expand its presence in India and has partnered with Future Group’s Cover Story for this venture. The brand will also launch a special-edition collection of women’s readyto-wear and accessories exclusively in India which will be sold at select Cover Story stores across the country. The collection will celebrate Lagerfeld’s trademark aesthetic that’s timeless and sophisticated with a rock-chic edge. Karl Lagerfeld constantly works to introduce its iconic styles in new territories and regions. Its expansion in India will provide an opportunity to the brand to engage with new consumers. Cover Story was launched by Kishore Biyani’s Future Group in April 2016 as an Indian
Women’s ethnic-wear brand Onaya is planning to enter the northeastern states and will be hosting its first exclusive exhibition in Guwahati in the state of Assam on June 29 and 30. The two-day exhibition will feature garments such as sarees, salwar suits, lehengas, gowns, drape sarees and many more. The Kolkata-based brand is hoping for strong sales during the exhibition ahead of the wedding season. Onaya specialises in fulfilling the requirement of various Indian occasions. The brand provides ethnic wear for women. The garments sold at Onaya are exclusive as they are produced by the brand itself and these designs are one-of-a-kind. Onaya had recently collaborated with Bollywood movie “Gold,” starring Akshay Kumar and Mouni Roy which gave the brand much-needed visibility across the country. The brand has retail stores in Kolkata and a team of designers that work especially for them. It will continue to host exhibitions in different markets for growth as of now before expanding its retail presence in other markets.
28 BRAND RETAIL 52 Kewal Kiran Clothing plans store additions
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ewal Kiran Clothing is planning to add 30 to 35 stores a year. The store count as of now is 336 and the plan is to reach 500 stores in the next five years. Out of the 500 stores, about 75 would be mediumsize stores. The company has achieved a net worth of Rs 500 crores and cash in books is in the range of Rs 280 crores. With strong financials, and good and sustained profitability, the company is aiming for a Rs 1000 crore revenue in the next five years. Kewal Kiran retails through 125 distributors, 3500 MBOs and 336 EBOs with a presence in 25 states and 209 cities in the country.
Rangreza retail forays into the Delhi-NCR market
Kewal Kiran Clothing is a multi-fashion retailer catering to men’s wear with brands like Killer, Integriti, Lawman, Pg3 and Easies. It began operations in 1992. Killer is the flagship denim brand and caters to the 16 to 24 year old demographic. The format stores called K-Lounge have all these brands under one roof. Kewal Kiran recently ventured into women’s wear by acquiring Desi Belle, an Indian fusion wear brand. The next step is to acquire a children’s wear brand and provide a complete shopping experience for the entire family.
accessories for men and women, encompassing a blend of Indian traditional designs, yet having a potential to appeal to global consumers. High quality Chokore accessories are manufactured from 100 per cent silk. The product range is wide enough to appeal to consumers across age groups. With 700+ SKU’s selling online as well as offline at present, the brand aims to constantly work towards adding new and appealing accessory categories for the fashionconscious consumers.
W & Aurelia opens new store in Hosur Rangreza Retail, a leading manufacturer of premium fashion accessories and clothing forayed into the Delhi-NCR with a brand name Chokore. Located in Select City Walk, New Delhi, Chokore’s flagship store is the first retail store from the brand that will offer curated range fashion accessories and clothing for men and women. The collection will include wide array of products from pocket squares, ties, cravats, bandanas, cuff links, collar links, tie tags, shirts and kurtas for men and stoles, scarves and clutch bags for women. Chokore is a completely design led range of
TCNS Clothing, opened its new store in Hosur. Spread over 1,400 sq ft, the store features clothing from W and Aurelia brands. One part of the store displays the W collection which is an extensive mix of kurtas, fashion bottoms like palazzos, skirts, trousers,
dupattas and accessories to match every occasion. W also offers stylish yet eco-friendly clothes through its latest ‘Yolo’ collection. The other part of the store exhibits the Aurelia collection that highlights bollywood diva Disha Patani’s latest ‘That Disha Look.’. The collection offers dreamy flowy dresses with traditional motifs, easy-to-carry but elegant work wear and gorgeous festive ensembles which are perfectly displayed in the centre ramp on the mannequins inside the store. The store also offers classic and contemporary designs in kurta, Kurti, tops, fashion bottoms, drapes and ensembles with an extensive range of styles, colours, fabrics, silhouettes, prints, patterns and embroidery to choose from. Delighted by the acceptance and success of both the brands, TCNS is expanding its geographic presence to cater to the demands of its loyal customer base. The store adopts a unified communication style for the brand, reinforcing brand authenticity, enabling a seamless customer journey at the store.
Fashionova opens design studio in Surat
This is India’s first design development center. The main objective of the studio is to provide a strong platform to all those who have a flair for the apparel business. It fulfills all business needs, from co-working space, technicians, expert advice to cognitive workshops and exposure to the industry. Brands can connect with emerging designers of the country. The objective is not just to teach fashion design but to promote creativity and provide designers market assistance so they can sell their creative design and earn money. Fashionova will provide industry-based experience in the field of textile designing, fashion and fashion technology through acceleration programs for young entrepreneurs. It will provide low cost studio space, business mentoring, seminars and networking opportunities. The aim is to provide an eco-system which will increase the chances of success for a start-up and decrease the time and costs required to start a business. Incubation support will be provided to young aspiring talents. Fashion incubators are not an alternative to fashion schools. They primarily focus on developing business growth. Surat is renowned as a textile hub but is dependent on Mumbai or Delhi for design trends. This design development center will help bridge this gap.
30 BRAND RETAIL 54 1-India Family Mart plans 350 stores
Decathlon opens in Bangladesh
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alue fashion retail chain 1-India Family Mart plans to have 350 stores in the next five years. As of now it has 92 stores and mainly in eastern and northern India. The category of stores in Tier IV cities has a profile different from Tier III in terms of sustainable consumption. The company is now aligning a relevant model for such stores which will make it easier for it to progress towards its ultimate vision of addressing the fashion needs of 75 per cent of the country’s population. Other plans are to clock in a revenue of Rs 2300 crores within the next five years and going public in the next two years.
The company has attracted top leadership talent as a part of capability building to match its growth plans and is also investing in processes and technology while maintaining high standards of corporate governance. The first external funding was raised in 2018 for investing in expansion, technology, customer relationship management, warehousing and storefront training. It recently raised its second round of external debt funding, which is part of a larger fundraise in process, including a mix of debt and equity, that will fund the scaling of the business and culminate in a public issue.
Puma to digitally upgrade Bengaluru store
Sportswear brand Puma will upgrade its flagship store in Indiranagar, Bengaluru, to its second digitally enabled design ID store as it starts to increase technology in its India metro stores. Puma plans to transform its current Bengaluru flagship store into a 4,000 sq ft, technology driven store. The new store will have interactive screens for customers, a new store design, and new lounge areas. The move sees the brand prioritise technology and invest in the Indian market.
Other technological features that will be added in store include endless aisle screens and omni-channel integration so customers can make online purchases in-store and vice versa. The store design will be based on that of Puma’s upcoming Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York, USA, which is scheduled to launch in August. The brand launched its first technologyenabled store in India in New Delhi’s South Extension market three years ago.
France-based Decathlon has opened a flagship in Bangladesh. Decathlon is one of the largest sports goods retailers in the world and has a presence in nearly 50 countries. The company offers all levels of sports goods that are affordable, ranging from cycling, running, and snowboarding, to fishing, basketballs, and golf. It also provides innovative products for physical exercise. Decathlon has lower-end price positioning and targets consumers who see value for money as more important than brand image. In doing so, it appeals to a wide range of age groups, and more to participants in sporting and outdoor activities, as opposed to consumers buying sportswear as fashion statement. In India, the company sells more than 500 products catering to 70 sporting disciplines. By contrast, most other retailers sell merchandise restricted to popular sports such as cricket and soccer. With 70 large, warehouse-like stores, Decathlon’s product pricing is about 30 per cent to 40 per cent lower than competing products since it sells everything from running shoes to mountaineering equipment under its own brands. This also helps the retailer earn higher operating margins. By selling only private labels, Decathlon controls almost every bit of operations, from pricing and design to distribution, and keeps its costs and selling prices low.
VOI jeans to expand store network in India
Denim brand VOI Jeans recently formed a joint venture with its UK Counterpart for expanding its store network across the country. The brand will open around 18-20 EBOs over the next two years. It currently has 20 EBOs. It is also present in 90 per cent of the Central stores. Besides, the brand is also negotiating with Shoppers Stop for a potential association. It currently has 116 shop-in-shops which will be increased to 260 in tier II and III cities. VOI Jeans has a global presence with outlets in UK, Germany, Russia, Holland and Austria with retail sales of US$2 billion. The brand functions through exclusive stores, large-format and multi-brand outlets. It also has online presence on major e-commerce channels like Ajio, Myntra and Amazon.
92 BUSINESS OUTLOOK 56
Fashion industry looks at new strategies for growth The market has been a little unstable in the past few months due to various reasons. However, brands are hoping autumn/winter sales pick up and targets are met. Chalking out new growth strategies, brands/retailers are looking forward to higher sales, write Shubhangi Bidwe and Ajay Kumar Goswami
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‡ Many brands expect money flow to increase for their autumn/winter collections. ‡ Have formulated their own strategies for growth ‡ The brand Macho Hint aims to generate a revenue of Rs 1,500 crore by 2019-end ‡ TT signed the Indian wrestler, Bajrang Punia as its new brand ambassador ‡ Dollar Industries offers an extra 5 per cent discount on the normal discount percentage ‡ The Indian apparel market is expected to reach US$ 124 billion by 2020. 77 /WG 7KH EUDQG UHFHQWO\ VLJQHG XS ,QGLDQ ZUHVWOHU %DMUDQJ 3XQLD DV LWV QHZ IDFH ³:H ZDQWHG D ¾5HDO +HURœ DQG QRW D ¿OP DFWRU DV our brand ambassador like other brands in the LQQHUZHDU FDWHJRU\ %DMUDQJ 3XQLD KDV ZRQ the Asian Games and World Championship DQG LV RQH RI EHVW SURVSHFWV IRU DQ 2O\PSLF *ROG 0HGDO ´ DGGV -DLQ Taking a rather practical view of the entire VLWXDWLRQ 6DQGHHS 6DNVHULD 'LUHFWRU 0DFKR
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Sanjay K Jain
Managing Director, TT Ltd
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BUSINESS OUTLOOK
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Changing consumer demand a challenge 'HVSLWH D EULJKW RXWORRN IRU WKH IXWXUH WKH DSSDUHO LQGXVWU\ FRQWLQXHV WR IDFH PDQ\ challenges. Lack of trained work force is one of the big ones. Increasing mass media penetration and growing disposable income is making Indian consumers more demanding and DGDSWDEOH WR FKDQJH LQ IDVKLRQ ³,W KDV EHFRPH challenging for retailers and manufacturers to keep up with shifting shopping demands and FDWHU WR FXVWRPHUV¶ HYROYLQJ SUHIHUHQFHV ´ >SRLQWV RXW .XQWDO 5DM -DLQ 'LUHFWRU 'XNH Fashions India. &RXSOHG ZLWK WKLV WKH KLJK UDWH RI LQÀDWLRQ also forces customers with tight pockets to defer purchases till the end of season sale. 6DOH SURYHV DV D JROGHQ RSSRUWXQLW\ IRU UHWDLOHUV DV LW QRW RQO\ FOHDUV ROG VWRFNV EXW DOVR PDNHV URRP IRU QHZ DUULYDOV ³2Q RQH KDQG LW helps customers to get their desired clothes at discounted rates, on the other, it helps retailers LQFUHDVH IRRWIDOOV LQ D VKRUW VSDQ ´ DGGV -DLQ
Being a latecomer proves detrimental The biggest challenge that Indian fashion IDFHV WRGD\ LV WKH ODWH DUULYDO RI JOREDO IDVKLRQ WUHQGV LQ WKH FRXQWU\ ³:H DUH DOZD\V RQH season or a fashion trend behind the rest of the ZRUOG ´ QRWHV $NVKDW &KXJ 0DQDJLQJ 'LUHFWRU 6ZLVV 0LOLWDU\ 7KRXJK EUDQGV ZDQW WR H[SORUH QHZ GHVLJQV WKH\ ZDLW IRU WKH (XURSHDQ FRQVXPHU WR DFFHSW WKHVH GHVLJQV ¿UVW EHIRUH launching them in the Indian market. Swiss 0LOLWDU\¶V GHVLJQV DUH DOVR LQVSLUHG E\ WKH (XURSHDQ FXOWXUH 7KH EUDQG¶V $XWXPQ :LQWHU range covers different camos and fabrics. ³:H DOVR SOD\ DURXQG ZLWK GLIIHUHQW SULQWV DQG designs. Its intricate design details add a wow IDFWRU WR WKH HQWLUH FROOHFWLRQ ´ DGGV &KXJ
Discount to brighten up the mood To deal with these challenges, some brands
Ranjiv Ramchandani Director, Tantra
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Sandeep Sakseria
Kuntal Raj Jain
Director, Macho Hint
Director, Duke Fashions India.
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are resorting to discounting strategies. A FDVH LQ SRLQW LV 'ROODU ,QGXVWULHV ZKLFK RIIHUV DQ H[WUD SHU FHQW GLVFRXQW RQ WKH QRUPDO discount percentage. This increases the entire discount percentage to 15 per cent. ³0RUHRYHU LI RXU SURGXFWV DUH VROG IURP RWKHU H FRPPHUFH SRUWDOV VXFK DV 0\QWUD )OLSNDUW DQG PRUH WKHVH UG SDUW\ H FRPPHUFH
portals give their own discount on products. 7KLV KHOSV LQ IXUWKHU DXJPHQWLQJ RXU VDOHV ´ adds Jain. The bottomline is, the overall outlook for WKH ,QGLDQ IDVKLRQ LQGXVWU\ LV GH¿QLWHO\ EULJKW &XUUHQWO\ JURZLQJ DW D &$*5 RI SHU FHQW WKH PDUNHW LV H[SHFWHG WR UHDFK ELOOLRQ E\
74 RETAIL 60
Seamless growth experience with right mix of retail It’s not just about spreading retail for a brand today rather it’s about adopting the right mix of physical stores and online retail. Most brands have hopped onto the online bandwagon to spread their reach and attract the New Age young consumer to their fold, find out Shubhangi Bidwe and Ajay Kumar Goswami
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single retail channel is no longer sufficient for a brand/retailer anymore. Omni-channel retail is the new reality. Brands are adding mobile sales and e-tail operations to their conventional bricks-andmortar stores. One of the fastest adapter of this trend, European brand Celio has seen tremendous growth in its market owning to the successful adaption of omni-channel retailing strategy “Young Indians are using digital channels to research about a product before buying it. However, their decisions are not necessarily purely based on one channel. They are based on availability and convenience— any channel that offers them the right kind of convenience and fulfils other criteria such as touch, feel and service help make their purchase decisions,” says Vinit Doshi, HeadProduct, Sourcing & Retail Planning, Celio. Present across all retailing formats, Celio
• Brands are adding mobiles sales and e-tail operations to their conventional stores • Omni-channel retail is not an option it’s a necessity for brands today • While adopting omni channel retail, focus on physical stores continue • Celio has physical stores in 108 cities of India • Derby Jeans plans to launch loafer Socks for the Festive 19 season. • Dollar launched its e-commerce portal in 2015 has a physical presence in 108 Indian India besides online on most major ecommerce channels such as Myntra, Jabong, Amazon, Flipkart, etc. “We are witnessing healthy growth in online channels and are able to reach markets where we don’t have a physical presence,” he adds. The brand delivered its strongest retail performance in 2018-19 and aims to reach newer heights in coming years.
The good and bad of omni-channel retail Another brand that strongly advocates omni-channel retail is Derby Jeans. Vijay Kapoor, Managing Director equates omnichannel selling to “Creating a holistic customer experience across every interaction and touch point customers have with a brand.” However, he is cautions that whilst
RETAIL
Vinit Doshi
Head- Product, Sourcing & Retail Planning, Celio
“Young Indians prefer retail channels that offer the right kind of convenience and fulfill other criteria such as touch, feel and service level.”
Vijay Kapoor
Vinod Kumar Gupta
“Brands should put-in a lot of efforts to develop a new set of business processes rather than tinkering with existing ones.”
“An increase in customer interaction and their ease in buying the products are some of the biggest benefits of omnichannel retail.”
Managing Director, Derby Jeans
“expanding omni-channel is great for business it can also disrupt existing business processes.” He advocates brands to put-in a lot of efforts to develop a new set of business processes rather than tinkering with existing ones. His brand Derby Jeans currently has 63 EBOs across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. It plans to launch loafer socks for the oncoming festive season.
A seamless experience across channels Ashok Singal, CEO, Callino links omnichannel retail to “viewing the experience through the eyes of your customer and orchestrating customer experience across all channels so that it is seamless, integrated, and consistent.” He feels omni-channel anticipates customers to start in one channel and move to another as they progress to a resolution. “Making these complex ‘hand-offs’ between channels must be fluid for the customer,” Singal opines. The brand however is currently present only through MBOs in Northern
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Ashok Singal CEO, Callino
“Shifting from one channel to another must be made easy for the customer.” India. “Our exclusive store retail and online expansion are expected to happen in the next two years,” he adds.
Managing Director, Dollar
A brand which has adopted omni-channel retail since long, Dollar lists an increase in customer interaction and ease in buying products as some of the biggest benefits of omni-channel retail. “We have pushed our products through various social media pages and display networks, taking the consumers directly to various e-selling platforms. Our growing business in e-commerce for the past four years is an evident point towards the success of our omni-channels,” states Vinod Kumar Gupta, Managing Director of Dollar. The brand has an online presence on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. It is also present on e-commerce portals such as Myntra, Flipkart, Amazon, Paytm, Jabong, etc. “For the last four years, we have seen sales in e-commerce portals increase from Rs 80 lakh to Rs 10 crore,” Gupta informs. The brand also has its own e-commerce portal since 2015 and has witnessed growth there as well. Another brand developing its own online portal is Toonz Retail. The brand’s products are already available on multiple e-commerce websites such as Amazon, Baby Chakra. However, the focus remains on offline expansion. “We are currently present in over 100 stores and plan to expand into the LFS format,” observes Sharad Venkta, Managing Director &CEO. Its targeting Northern & Western regions with new stores launched in Bijnor, Noida, Jaipur, the brand plans to launch stores in Jalandhar and Bhilwara by the end of this year. With 2019 half way through, brands need to take proactive steps to ensure that they are ready to accommodate changes in consumer behavior. It’s not online versus physical retail anymore. Forward-thinking retailers need to make both work together seamlessly to stay ahead of the game.
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Bodycare Creations rides high with new ventures and product expansions Specialising in stylish innerwear, Bodycare Creations expands its horizons with new offerings and a foray into the athleisure segment
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he women’s innerwear segment is poised to grow at an impressive growth rate of 12 percent over the next decade to reach Rs 56,364 crore by 2027 from current market size of Rs 18,454 crore. According to Sanjay Dawar, Director, Bodycare Creations, the segment has changed a lot especially in the tier A and B cities. “Customers have become much more aware about these products. They are aware of both their needs and demands,” he says. Specialising in offering stylish innerwear since 2008, Bodycare Creations offers a complete range of bra, panties, Camisoles, shorts, bikinis, Leggings, Capris etc, “We also provide a few utility products as tummy control panty, feeding bra, maternity panty and Teflon coating sanitary panty,” adds Dawar. The brand’s style statement is seamless comfort. “We focus on bright colors with seamless technology besides including innovative fabrics apart from cotton such as polyamide to create new products,” adds Dawar.
• Bodycare Creations offers a complete range of bra, panties, camisoles, shorts, bikinis, leggings, capris etc, • The brand adopts bright colors and innovative fabrics like cotton and polymide in its innerwear range • The brand recently forayed into the athleisure segment with a new range called Body X • The range offers everything from track pants, Capris, pajama’s, tees, shorts, besides stylish innerwear for men • These are available in a mix of Cotton Spandex, Cotton Polyester and 100 per cent Polyester fabrics • It has appointed cricketer Hardik Pandya as the brand ambassador for this range A huge opportunity According to Dawar, the Indian innerwear segment provides a huge opportunity to grasp the growing demands of the fashionable young women. “There are very few players in this industry who are well organised. Most of them are unorganised and don’t even have the proper infrastructure to run the business,” adds Dawar.
He predicts a bright outlook for sector in future despite its challenges including cut throat competition from the unorganised players in the segment. “There will always be hunger provide innovative products,” he says. Elaborating on the emerging retailing trends in this segment, he says, “online retailing is trending and many people are looking forward to it but it will take a very long period of time to come up to its potential.”
Athleisure foray
Sanjay Dawar
Director, Bodycare Creations
“A customer buying a Bodyactive product will never have to worry its quality and comfort.”
The Indian athleisure market has grown by more than 50 percent over the past two years. The market, which grew from Rs 24,000 crore in 2014 to Rs 37,000 crore in 2016, is likely to further grow by 11.3 per cent during the 20162021 period. This growing potential of the athleisure market urged Bodycare Creations to foray into the segment with its new athleisure range BodyX The range offers a varied collection that includes everything
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“Though not completely mature like other global markets, athleisure is slowly inching towards this goal.” from track pants, Capris, pajama’s, tees, shorts for women and track pants, tees, shorts and bermudas in solid colors and print for men. Its prices range from Rs 349 to 1,299/-. These garments are available in a mix of Cotton Spandex, Cotton Polyester and 100 per cent Polyester fabrics. “We undertake a thorough study of the segment trends before finalising a range. We also employ the best sourcing strategies. A customer buying a Bodyactive product will never have to worry its quality and comfort,” adds Dawar. The brand recently appointed cricketer Hardik Pandya to endorse this new range.
Establishing its identity through a new range “Changing lifestyle preferences and a promising economy are compelling Indian
“We undertake a thorough study of the segment trends before finalising a range.” consumers to add new health and fitness routines to their already hectic lifestyle, primarily benefiting the sportswear industry in India,” notes Sanjay Dawar, Director, Bodycare Creations The athleisure market in India is highly price sensitive. “However, the higher per capita income of Indian and growing middle class is propelling growth in this segment Though not completely mature like other global markets, it is slowly inching towards this goal,” adds Dawar. Still a fairly new entrant in this segment, Bodycare Creations’first and foremost challenge is to establish itself in the
market. The brand’s recently launched Body-X range also offers stylish innerwear including vests, briefs and boxers for men. Appointing Pandya as the brand ambassador was a masterstroke employed by the brand to capitalise on the current cricket fever in the country. “We wanted someone who would stand out from the existing clutter, hence we opted for a sports personality,” adds Dawar.
Association to increase brand value Hardik Pandya was a natural choice as he is very stylish and attracts almost all youngsters. “We wanted someone who would gel with our tag line seriously x-rated. Sportspersons, especially cricketers have a strong presence in the people’s mind. Their association with any brand increases its value and market share. It will also help us reach our desired milestone,” adds Dawar.
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Feel forest depths with Urban Street from RedFlame Stori Fashions is also introducing a range of denims for women under its brand Dagerrfly. Staying updated with interational trends, the brand offers best fitting jeans at affordable rates.
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ccording to Manoj Bhaiya, MD, Stori Fashions, fashion is one of the most important things in life. The brand recently launched a stunning collection known as Urban Street through its casualwear brand Redflame. “The collection captures the vibes of city life through its vibrant colors, detailing and embellishments. Standing apart from the rest of the brand, the collection will definitely be the talk of the town,” states Bhaiya. Stori is also introducing a range of denims for women through its brand Dagerrfly. “Keeping ourselves updated with the interational trends, we offer the best fitting jeans in the market. Our Dagerrfly range will offer best fitting jeans at affordable rates.
• A nature-inspired stimulating color palette adapted by the brand reflects the different winter and festive tones inspired from forest depths and the attitudes of festive celebration • The brand has launched stretch fabrics in its various categories like shirts, trousers and blazers. • The brand has received robust bookings for its festive AW 19 collections.
Stimulating color palette and stretch fabrics Believing that fashion is the packaging of your overall personality, Stori adapts to changing fashion trends of the nation. Recognised as the country’s most preferred apparel brand in this segment, the brand aims to attract young, fashion-focused customers. It draws its inspiration from the everyday surroundings
Manoj Bhaiya
Managing Director, Stori Fashions
“The Urban Street collection captures the vibes of city life through its vibrant colors, detailing and embellishments.”
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both in terms of style and fashion. A nature-inspired stimulating color palette adapted by the brand reflects the different winter and festive tones that are inspired from forest depths and the attitudes of festive celebration. The brand undertakes immense research for the creation of designs and concepts of each of its collections. Another of the brand’s innovations includes the launch of stretch fabrics in its various categories like shirts, trousers and blazers. “We are also launching fabrics with interesting textures and “different” looks. These better performance blended fibres are gaining huge popularity,” adds Bhaiya further nothing that “Merged floral prints and dense checks will continue to rule in men’s shirts.” The washed casual blazers and t-shirts range of the brand has already grown to be the trendsetters in the Indian ready to wear market.
Positive feedback from retailers Stori Fashions is upbeat about its upcoming season as the bookings for its festive AW 19 collections are in line with its target. “Our retailers have shown good confidence in our collection which is reflected in the orders placed by them,” adds Bhaiya. The market slowdown, witnessed after the introduction of GST , continued last year also as it took some time for the market to understand the process and influences. “However, the scenario has changed considerably and the new season seems very promising,” says Bhaiya.
Right prices help the brand grow Stori aims to provide an elegant but affordable clothing range. Consumers recognise unfairly priced brands and stay away from them.
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“Our Dagerrfly range will offer these best fitting jeans at affordable rates.” “The young, aspiring educated youth of India is extremely aware of its fashion needs and appreciates realistic prices,” adds Bhaiya. Stori attributes its success to its right prices. “We do not believe in discounting as we are not an online sale driven company. Our commitments are more focused on our brick and mortar channel partners,” adds Bhaiya.
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Pepe Jeans leads in denim personalisation
Neha Shah
Assistant General Manager-Marketing, Pepe Jeans
“Customisation service empowers customers and gives them an opportunity for personalisation; and therein lays a powerful tool that revolutionises denim
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epe Jeans London was the first brand in India to introduce a denim customization service that allows customers to step in to the design seat and personalize denim in a few easy steps. “Pick a laser print to be tattooed on the denim,” says Neha Shah, Assistant General Manager-Marketing. “Next, choose the fastenings – be it buttons, rivets or tacks. Then select the brush of the garment and where exactly you want it. Lastly, choose the colors you want your print to be in. Pepe Jeans’ customization service empowers customers and gives them an opportunity for personalization; and therein lays a powerful tool that will revolutionize denim fashion in India. This service can be availed at our flagship stores in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore and Kolkata.”
Sustainability in focus Keeping in mind the need for sustainable clothing and innovation, Pepe Jeans has introduced a range of environmentally conscious denims. The Tru-Blu range is created using technology that utilizes zero chemicals in the wash process thereby dramatically reducing water consumption. The True-fresh range uses a revolutionary technology that neutralizes odor-causing bacteria on contact, keeping denims fresh for longer. Denims treated with this technology can be worn more often without washing. Even after days of continuous use, the denim retains its freshness.
Pepe Jeans has also introduced latest weaving technology and fabric innovation with Powerflex denims. “These revolutionary denims come in a unique fabric with a dualcore technology – Lycra and polyester yarns spun together to create a higher elastic fabrication with a minimum 60 per cent stretch. Boasting an impressive recovery so that it stays in perfect shape, wearers are treated to the ultimate comfort through this versatile and special elasticity. Powerflex denim is thermofixed to increase the stretch for better comfort and the denim is crafted from unique fabrics that use the latest weaving technology,” explains Shah. And there are Gymdigo denims, a technology that combines joggers comfort and jeans performance. It’s suitable for the athletic, sporty and outdoor enthusiasts.
Style trends in the denim segment “The skinny jean lasted a long time and is no longer the predominant style,” explains Shah. “While its popularity may never completely go away, we see that wider, flared, stretchable,
more relaxed-fit jeans are trending. Personalization of denims is another ongoing trend. People are looking for styles that define their personality. Sustainable fashion as a consumer preference is also slowly catching on. Pepe Jeans London has long understood the importance of customer preferences in its production process, taking its eco-conscious focus as seriously as its designs for the future of denim,” she observes.
Fashion and basic products Pepe Jeans India manufactures a wide array of chic casual wear for men, women and children. Jeans is the brand’s core and is the hottest selling product. “When it comes to women’s denim wear, around 25 per cent is a core line which has a longer lifecycle and around 75 per cent is fashion based,” says Shah. Pepe Jeans is for the young at heart. The brand caters to the fashion forward, who wants stylish and trendy denims that fit well at an affordable price. “Quality, fabric, fit, color, wash, price, feel etc, together influence customer’s purchase decision,” says Shah. Pepe Jeans London is in the forefront of international denim-led fashion with every collection season on season. This has been possible because of the brand’s commitment to create strong fashion-led collections, the hottest multimedia marketing campaigns and the most exciting retail environments while remaining sincere to its DNA and in particular to its roots in London’s Portobello Road from where the brand originated. Owing to its versatility, stylishness and comfort factor and the extensive choices which are available in fabric, colors, fits, finishes and functionality, denim is a high growth category for the brand. “Pepe Jeans is working toward innovation and creating the best in denim wear that appeals to its target audience as well as towards acquiring new customers. Another focus will be towards sustainability with its latest range of denims called Wiser Wash. The USP of these ecofriendly denims is that they minimize water consumption and don’t compromise on the overall look and feel of the denim,” says Shah.
Women’s denim a growing segment For Pepe Jeans London men’s denim segment continues to dominate and has a larger share as compared to women’s for both international and Indian markets. “However, we see the women’s denim segment growing and has a huge potential,” says Shah. “Though much of our business comes from men’s denim wear, we cater to all categories such as men’s, women’s and children’s wear.”
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109°F reflects daring woman’s attitude
new age fashion brand for women, 109°F offers finely crafted designs for the uber cool Indian woman who is young at heart, aware of international fashion trends and confident of making a statement in any situation. “Cosmopolitan, bold and carefree, she loves to travel with style and comfort. She is not afraid to experiment with her style,” states Rahul Mehta, Managing Director, 109°F. The brand’s current collection with its basic and classic cuts reflects this daring attitude of the modern age woman.
Market shifts to natural fabrics, smaller cities Currently estimated at $6 billion, the womenswear market in India continues to be dependent of polyester and other manmade fabrics even though there has been a noticeable shift towards natural fabrics. “These fabrics are preferred for their sheen and brightness and are preferred mostly in deep and muted colors,” adds Mehta. From metros and big cities, the market is moving towards smaller cities. “However, brands still need to keep the style sensitivities of this market in mind,” warns Mehta.
Rahul Mehta
Managing Director, 109°F
“Cosmopolitan, bold and carefree, she loves to travel with style and comfort. She is not afraid to experiment with her style” International brands hold an edge The advent of international brands is intensifying competition in this market, feels Mehta. “The opening of Tier II markets presents a big opportunity. However, international brands still hold an edge in this segment. The astuteness of the Indian consumers in identifying an overpriced
product will ensure the return of domestic brands in the market,” adds Mehta. He feels a woman looks more at the style, fit, and trend of a garment rather than its brand name. To cater to these needs, brand 109°F is now restrategising its channels of distribution. As Mehta informs “we are increasing our focus on the online channels.”
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Triumph gears up for ‘Dynamite Lite’
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ingerie has transitioned from being merely ‘underwear’ to a part of woman’s personality and the way she expresses herself. “Indian women are experimenting with intimate wear by adding luxury laces, new colors, vivid patterns, interesting cuts, etc,” says Shweta Verma, Head-Marketing, Triumph. The brand is launching a new range of ‘Dynamic Lite’ series of bras. “This Control Lite sports bra will offer extreme support and 78 per cent bounce control through its 3D Powertech Innovation,” she adds. The 2019 product line-up of Triumph also includes the global bestselling Amourette Spotlight and Sexy Angel Spotlight series featuring delicate floral embroidery, the adorable Lovely Micro Lace with gorgeous lace back and the delicate lace design of the Lace Spotlight series. “We also have new additions to the ‘Beauty-full’ range of bras for larger cups, like the Aqua Lily Spacer and the Beauty-full Essential series with smooth satin and feminine lace. We are launching the much loved Infinite Sensation series, with diamond mesh and bold-striped elastic trim for a contemporary twist,” states Verma.
Gobal brands changing industry dynamics The lingerie market in India can be categorised into five segments: superpremium (luxury), premium, mass-premium, economy and mass with the majority share being in the economy and mass-premium segments. “Until a few years ago, the industry was dominated by unbranded and unorganised regional players with a few home grown and international players in the premium and super-premium categories. This is slowly changing with the influx of global brands in the premium and super-premium segments. Organised retail is slowly making in-roads into untapped geographical markets, with the trend likely to continue in future too,” adds Verma. The entry of foreign players has also revamped the way the industry operates. Not as bold in terms of advertising or product display, the purchase of innerwear was limited to local stores. However, with increasing product awareness through advertisements, fashion shows, etc, brands are also changing their retail strategies by displaying them in exclusive brand outlets, malls, etc.
Building niche segments in future While demand for premium quality lingerie is growing, Triumph plans to focus on building its luxury and niche segments. “Our penetration into the Indian market is extremely strong
with presence across all sales channels. We distribute our products across 75 cities (direct supply) with more than 1,000 points of sale. We also have a significant online retail presence with all major e-commerce platforms,” adds Verma. In future, the brand plans to expand into Tier II, III cities through the franchisee route. “We will also expand our e-commerce portfolio,” Verma sums up.
Shweta Verma
Head-Marketing, Triumph
“Until a few years ago, the industry was dominated by unbranded and unorganised regional players with a few home grown and international players in the premium and superpremium categories. This is slowly changing with the influx of global brands in the premium and super-premium segments. Organised retail is slowly making in-roads into untapped geographical markets, with the trend likely to continue in future too,”
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Numero Uno’s ‘The Real Denim’
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ur style statement has always been ‘the real denim’,” claims Samresh Das, Design ManagerDenims, Shirts & Outerwear, Numero Uno. “We have created new high-waist denim with wide-leg fits that flaunt the feminine curves,” he adds.
Embroidery, embellishments enhance new collection Das says, current style trends in denim focus on high-waist skinny as well as wide legged and flared denims with open hems, damages and a bit of ripping off. “Though inspired by high street style, this trend is embellished with a touch of enhancement like side seam details, embroidery highlight, high low hem detail, rip and repair, DIY look, etc,” he adds. Numero Uno exploits this trend by incorporating a lot of side seam details in terms of printing, taping and laces in its new collection. “We enhance our collections by incorporating embroidery and other embellishments like laces and chifleys,” adds Das. “Pricing is the key as Indian customers are very price conscious. Hence, keeping the target customer in mind alongwith the prices of competition brands, our denims are priced strategically,” adds Das.
Tranforming from denim to lifestyle Though Numero Uno is recognised as a denim centric brand, over the years it has transformed into a lifestyle brand catering to 18-35 year olds. “Age is not a determinant for
Samresh Das
Design Manager-Denims, Shirts & Outerwear, Numero Uno
“Age is not a determinant for the use of our collection. It is wide enough to accommodate a big age group.”
the use of our collection. It is wide enough to accommodate a big age group,” says Das. The brand targets middle class and upper
middle class buyers who have a youthful approach towards life and spend a percentage of their earning on fashion and lifestyle. “Our fashion products have seen a phenomenal growth compared to the basic/core products as Indians always look for something extra in their purchases,” adds Das. This has led to the brand investing more in research and creation of its fashion products.
Price play in denim purchase High priced jeans by domestic brands are not accepted in India as the presence of International brands dominates this segment. “When it comes to spending money on similar products by both international and domestic brands, people adhere more to the flaunt factor,” notes Das. Economic imbalance also plays a big role as consumers who can afford to buy high-priced jeans prefer international brands. “However, consumers who can’t afford them jeans stick to domestic brands but expect similar products,” he adds. Numero Uno has a bright outlook for future as the brand believes “there are not many denim brands in the domestic market that understand the requirements of Indian women customers and offer merchandise to suit their body type, fits and sensibilities.”
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Madame reinvents every season
Ankit Sood
Head, Fashion Trend Forecasting Planning, Madame
“As seasons change, fresh concepts hit our store every forthnight.”
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ticking to its ethos of being a designahead brand, Madame continuously reinvents its multiple product categories with seasonal freshness. “Our upcoming collection boasts of multiplelayers of fabrics blended in a combination of solids and engineered structures,” notes Ankit Sood, Head-Fashion Trend, Forecasting & Planning. These fabrics, ranging from cashmere to cotton and viscose blended fabrics span over various categories of dresses, denims, winterwear and accessories. “As seasons change, fresh concepts hit our store every forthnight,” adds Sood.
International brands make market competitive The women’s western wear market continues to grow exponentially with new
labels being launched every year. “However, these brands vanish as quick as they are launched,” rues Sood. The sector is becoming very competitive with many international brands entering the market. “The discounts offered by global players, who come with deep pockets and enough funds to sustain first few years of poor EBIDTAs, is luring the consumer away from domestic brands of similar genre,” he adds.
E-commerce helps penetrate unexplored markets Aaround 30 per cent of the Indian women popular still shies away from experimenting with their clothes and is a happy with their traditional, subtle and comfortable wardrobes. “However, e-tailing has proved to be major boon as it helps brands and manufacturers in
this category to serve customers in remote or non-viable locations,” adds Sood. Thus according to Sood, the women’s western wear category is still far from saturation and the rise of fusion wear can be termed as an elongated fad. “Omni channel’s the future of retailing,” he says.
64 IF EXCLUSIVE 80 Duke’s range for no-patience generation
Kuntal Raj Jain
Director, Duke Fashions
“The innovative patterns and the appealing look of the whole collection reflect the innovative idealism of our designers, who have come up with great fashion for young people.” An unbeatable marketing network Duke has more than 4000 multi-brand outlets and more than 360 exclusive stores across major cities in India. It is present in Central, Reliance Trends, Reliance Market, Walmart, Reliance Footprints, Best Price, Aditya Birla Retail, Hypercity, Metro, Brand Factory etc. and e-commerce sites like Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra, Snapdeal and Tata Cliq and sells through its own website as well.
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or autumn/winter we have more than just style, fashion and trends,” says Kuntal Raj Jain, director. “The innovative patterns and the appealing look of the whole collection reflect the innovative idealism of our designers, who have come up with great fashion for young people. Functionality and fashion contribute equally to the product. The style statement for the upcoming collection is a clean, chic and vibrant attitude for the no-patience generation. We have the latest designs in international fashion in eye catching colors. The whole collection has a contemporary touch, with cheerful, modern fashion statements for men, women and children. We offer an unique blend of global fashion, international trends and innovative service to customers in India. We have acrylic,
viscose, rayon, fleece, cashmere, tweed and many more. These winter colors are deeper and richer in hue, shade and tone like brown, beige, copper, burgundy, red, green and blue.
Duke takes a step ahead Duke has introduced a premium lifestyle footwear collection. This has been specially designed and crafted for the utmost comfort, style and durability. It has launched casual shoes, sports shoes, loafers, joggers, running shoes, smart casuals, sneakers, moccasins, sandals, flip flops etc. Duke is known for its standardized fits, superior quality, and wide range and fashion-right styles in its segment, making it the trusted brand among consumers. The new footwear collection perfectly epitomizes the Duke brand in its style, aesthetic and production.
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82 If ExclusIvE Celio plans deeper retail penetration
Vinit Doshi
Head-Product Sourcing & Retailing
“We are quite bullish about the India market and believe that every corner of the country offers a huge potential.”
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French clothing brand that has been serving the needs of a la mode men since 1978, Celio adds a breath of newness to Indian fashion with its chic and relaxed menswear. Its latest collection is inspired by the AngloAmerican University of the yesteryears. “It is a sports inspired collection that includes a lot of bright colors with appliques etc. in plaids, sweatshirts, jackets etc. “Focused on denim and smart wear, this collection revisits the old dress codes from the Anglo-American campuses and colleges,” says Vinit Doshi. It reflects the young consumers’ yearning for the campuses of yesteryears by combining fleece, coats of arms, slogans tartans of all kinds. The green and yellow shades that enhance the frontal portion of these garments are enhanced by neutral whites, motted greys, raw denim and marine shades,” says Vinit Doshi, Head-Product Sourcing & Retailing. “Short and lively catch lines like “Oh God! It’s raining,” give these garments a add a sense of déjà vu to these garments,” adds Doshi.
in various bright and fashionable colors. The brand also offers 100 per cent cashmere and merino, real down jackets, etc, as a part of its winterwear collection. Taking from its European roots, Celio* offers effortless fashion to men with products that are urban, smart, elegant and very wearable. It offers a complete wardrobe for today’s active and urban men through four fashion lines – Free, Essentials, Urban, smart – including shoes and accessories. “Our denim and sportswear range Free offers products like t-shirts, bermudas cargos and outdoor wears, while the Urban range offers a smart, casual and chic collection including linen shirts and bottomwear, clean jeans, smart polos, chinos, leather and faux leather jackets, etc. The Smart range, on the other hand, offers business and work essentials like shirts, business jackets and some bottomwear. In the essentials range,
we offer a wide selection of well priced basics such as polos, plain tees, etc,” states Doshi. The brand also offers a line of accessories that includes essential underpants, boxers and socks as well as shoes, bags and accessories summer or winter. “These prove as an ideal gift for any man,” adds Doshi.
Retail expansion Currently present in 108 Indian cities, Celio is planning an aggressive expansion strategy that includes a deeper penetration in its current cities and a foray into new cities. “We are quite bullish about the India market and believe that every corner of the country offers a huge potential,” says Doshi. The brand also has an online presence on almost all major ecommerce channels such as Myntra, Jabong, Amazon, Flipkart, etc. It delivered its strongest retail performance in 2018-19 and plans to reach new heights in the coming years.
The collection The collection in cotton & cotton blends offers shirts, pants and denims. “It also includes skinny pants with innovative fittings, reversible jackets, non iron shirts and denims that never fade,” notes Doshi. Apart from basic and muted colors, the range is available
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Parx initiates Winter Game Pragati Srivastava Brand Director
“Our brand reflects the persona of the energetic young customer, who is not only aggressive and outgoing but dynamic and lives his life to the fullest”
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arx, a casual wear brand known for its attitude and vibrancy has launched its autumn/winter 2019 collection. Right from its inception in 1999, the brand has been the preferred choice of customers in the casual wear segment with continuous innovations and international trends and styling. It is positioned to meet the consumer needs for “beyond work” requirements and this has been addressed through categories like Urban, Sport, Excursion and Club. “Our brand reflects the persona of the energetic young customer, who is not only aggressive and outgoing but dynamic and lives his life to the fullest,” says Pragati Srivastava, Brand Director.
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A sports-inspired collection The new 2019 collection, known as Winter Game, is a sports inspired collection. The collection offers shirts, T-shirts, trousers, denims, sweatshirts, pullovers, activewear, etc. “Offering bright and retro colors, the collection reflects the mood of the season. It is divided in three ranges. “The first range known as the Warm range offers shirts, trousers and T-shirts. The Protect range offers shirts and trousers with cosmetic finishes and skin-friendly properties. The third range of the collection is known as the Eco range. This range offers organic cotton shirt and trouser along with bamboo, Better cotton initiative(BCI) fabrics,” adds Srivastava.
Offering a youth-centric wardrobe Targeting young consumers in the age range of 22-30 years, Parx offers a fashionforward youth-centric wardrobe solution for young men. “Trendy and confident, fashion and brand driven, this young high spirited individual takes initiative and is ready to face the future,” adds Srivastava. Parx is currently present across 27 Indian cities in 27 EBOs, 650 MBOs and 237 large formats across India. The brand is also present on five online platforms.
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Jack & Jones’ collection with Japanese influence Jack & Jones
Brand’s Spokesperson
“From embroideries to bold prints, distressed looks to graphics, this collection has been prudently designed to make consumers stand apart in a crowd”
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nriching the heritage of authentic jeanswear, Jack & Jones, takes jeans intelligence, a notch higher with its Autumn/Winter ’19 collection. The brand introduces Japanese influences in this collection along with myriads of enzyme, ozone wash treatments and laser technology. “From embroideries to bold prints, distressed looks to graphics, this collection has been prudently designed to make consumers stand apart in a crowd,” notes the brand spokesperson. This season, bold statements
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and badges, intrinsic details are highlighted across themes and moods.
Global fashion trends for Indian tastes A pioneer of street style and denim in India, Jack & Jones is known for its innovative styles and fashion that is on par with global trends. The brand offers latest denim trends that add a perfect mix of comfort, fashion and individuality to consumer wardrobes. It aspires to lead a denim revolution in the country through its extensive range of options. Its products are in sync with global trends in terms of colors, silhouettes and fabrics. Jack & Jones doesn’t focus only on urban markets. The brand has increased its footprint across all major Tier II and III cities in India. “These cities have a huge untapped potential, owing to evolving needs of young consumers who are influenced by pop culture and high fashion trends. As fashion is not only an industry but a lifestyle, we aim to expand our operations to as many cities and as many people as possible. Our product and brand
imageries have turned out to be the key drivers of growth in this dynamic and ultra-competitive Indian retail market.” Jack & Jones India currently has 70 stores and 482 shop-in-shops spread across the country. The brand is available with leading online partners. The brand is also available on www.jackjones.in. “Online retail has allowed us to be closer to our customers across the country. The response has been encouraging and we look forward to increasing our product range online,” adds the spokesperson.
Brands adopt the omnichannel route E-commerce helps a brand connect with its customers across the country. “This platform allows brands to be omnipresent, increases customer accessibility and remain relevant in retail. Every brand has realised over time that this industry cannot be dependent on just one channel,” says the spokesperson. Brands across all platforms in India have started focusing on incorporating technology into instore and online experiences and are making a headway in the right direction.
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Casual wear collection from Macho Hint soon
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Sandeep Seksaria Director
“The casual wear collection will comprise tracks, shorts, joggers, shorts and Bermudas. The brand will also launch a new collection of innerwear catering to the premium and mid segment categories.”
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nspired by its style statement that says, “Fashion bade aaram se,” men’s innerwear brand Macho Hint plans to launch a new casualwear collection in 2019. “The collection will comprise tracks, shorts, joggers, shorts and Bermudas,” notes Sandeep Seksaria, Director. The brand will also launch a new collection of innerwear catering to the premium and mid segment categories. “With the bold and progressive designs, both these collections will introduce effortless style, leaving behind an indelible mark in the world of new age fashion,” adds Seksaria The new innerwear range will comprise vests, trunks, briefs and boxers with stylish cuts & comfortable fit available in trendy colour combinations. Imbued with a wide range of fabrics like cotton, blends, modal and spandex, these collections boast of functional features such as moisture management system, ultrasoftness, flexi stretch & quick dry.
Fashion for every pocket Just as every brand has its own philosophy; Macho Hint aims to provide affordable fashion. “We do not operate on a loss making
proposition but design our products according to customer’s requirement,” affirms Seksaria. “The demand for our garments has increased. Earlier four pairs of inners would suffice for a whole year. However today, people opt for cost effective products having a high fashion quotient trends change every season,” he adds.
Changing industry needs pushes brands to add new products The men’s innerwear market in India is growing at the rate of 8 to 10 per cent year on year. The needs of this Rs 30,000 crore industry keeps changing fast, pushing brands/ manufacturers to add new products all the time “In the next five years, one third of the market share will be occupied by modern trade and e-commerce. Macho will generate 10 per cent of its current revenue through this modern trade to reach Rs 1,500 crore by 2019. Like its many counterparts, Macho Hint does not adopt the route of discount sales as its products offer great value for money. “In future, we plan to launch our e- commerce operations for which we have already tied up with a few e-com market places,” adds Seksaria.
7/14/2019 1:41:29 PM
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Park Avenue Woman launches collection with four themes
Sharad Walia Brand Director
“Since its inception, Park Avenue has been a core men’s brand but has organically extended its portfolio in women’s wear and has been growing at a faster pace.’’
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ccording to Sharad Walia, Brand Director, Park Avenue, “customers today emphasise more on the style and design of their clothes. They prefer readymade garments over tailored garments.” Based on these preferences, the brand recently launched its Autumn Winter 2019 collection. The collection highlights four themes with details such as their color palette, cuts, type of fabrics and occasions such as 1. Atlantic: Relaxed tailoring sits back with statement prints. Mixing floral, prints and spots in an updated nautical story adding camel, crocus and sunshine yellows to a dominant blue story. 2. Ginger Snap: Based on a pallet of gingers, corals and neutrals, the main emphasis of the story is Ginger tailoring worn back with jade ground prints, mixed scale polka dots and stripes. 3. Graphic Pop: Highlighting the
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importance of a black and white pallet whilst adding soft pastels and a clover pink highlight. A slick and graphic story with an emphasis on a softer 9 to 9 look and a mix of graphic pattern. 4. Opulent: A story aimed at an evening collection using rich fabrics and colours. Chiffons and laces mix with jacquards and richly coloured floral prints.
Brand awareness, limited number of players fuel growth Since its inception, Park Avenue has been a core men’s brand but has organically extended its portfolio in women’s wear and has been growing at a faster pace. The brand’s bigger markets include tier 2 & tier 3 cities such as Delhi, UP, Varanasi etc. “Due to increasing brand awareness and limited players in our segment, we are witnessing a huge growth across India,” adds Walia.
Women’s formal wear market grows at 17% CAGR “Today, customers do not just aspire for the brand value but also seek value for their money,” says Walia. To cater to this demand, the brand chooses affordable fabrics that help it to cater to that particular MRP segment without compromising on the quality. “We want to deliver the best to our customers. Price hike can be controlled through efficient production and effective sourcing,” he adds. The rise in disposable income and increasing sophistication of digital and other media is making consumers more aware and fashion conscious. As Walia observes, “though on the global level only few brands contribute to this segment, in India the market is growing at a CAGR of 17 per cent. This demand is further set to increase with women’s western / formal wear becoming one of the top growing segments in future,” adds Walia.
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Duke’s range for no-patience generation
Kuntal Raj Jain
Director, Duke Fashions
“The innovative patterns and the appealing look of the whole collection reflect the innovative idealism of our designers, who have come up with great fashion for young people.” An unbeatable marketing network Duke has more than 4000 multi-brand outlets and more than 360 exclusive stores across major cities in India. It is present in Central, Reliance Trends, Reliance Market, Walmart, Reliance Footprints, Best Price, Aditya Birla Retail, Hypercity, Metro, Brand Factory etc. and e-commerce sites like Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra, Snapdeal and Tata Cliq and sells through its own website as well.
“F
or autumn/winter we have more than just style, fashion and trends,” says Kuntal Raj Jain, director. “The innovative patterns and the appealing look of the whole collection reflect the innovative idealism of our designers, who have come up with great fashion for young people. Functionality and fashion contribute equally to the product. The style statement for the upcoming collection is a clean, chic and vibrant attitude for the no-patience generation. We have the latest designs in international fashion in eye catching colors. The whole collection has a contemporary touch, with cheerful, modern fashion statements for men, women and children. We offer an unique blend of global fashion, international trends and innovative service to customers in India. We have acrylic,
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viscose, rayon, fleece, cashmere, tweed and many more. These winter colors are deeper and richer in hue, shade and tone like brown, beige, copper, burgundy, red, green and blue.
Duke takes a step ahead Duke has introduced a premium lifestyle footwear collection. This has been specially designed and crafted for the utmost comfort, style and durability. It has launched casual shoes, sports shoes, loafers, joggers, running shoes, smart casuals, sneakers, moccasins, sandals, flip flops etc. Duke is known for its standardized fits, superior quality, and wide range and fashion-right styles in its segment, making it the trusted brand among consumers. The new footwear collection perfectly epitomizes the Duke brand in its style, aesthetic and production.
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Dollar all athleisure now with Force NXT and Bigboss Dollar Industries about the new Force NXT Athleisure range launched by the brand. The range includes includes T-shirt, Tank Top, Jogger, Track Pant, Bermuda, Boxer and Pyjamas. Besides, Dollar has also launched the Bigboss Athleisure collection which comprises tees, Bermudas, capris, track pants and joggers. “Both these collections are available in a wide range of colors and styles,” adds Gupta.
Vinod Kumar Gupta
Managing Director, Dollar Industries
“Committed to give its customers ultimate comfort, Dollar uses a combination of high-grade combed cotton and elastene in its athleisure collections.”
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his range of comfort wear will keep you active all day long and also help you relax while you are chilling,” says Vinod Kumar Gupta, Managing Director,
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Ensuring comfort through new styles and designs
Dollar has always been one step ahead when it comes to design and comfort. “We offer a wide range of new designs, style and cut,” notes Gupta. The new athleisure collection of the brand employs narrow cuts and cut & sews styles along with solid, dot and embroidered prints.” In the track pants collection we have introduced cuffs, which gives it a more agile look,” he adds. Committed to give its customers ultimate comfort, Dollar uses a combination of high-grade combed cotton and elastene in its athleisure collection. “Our key fabrics include single jersey, fleece, terry, lycra, single jersey with lycra, etc. We have also introduced pastel colors such as brown, olive, mélange and some darker shades like black, blue, etc. which makes this collection more trendy than any other in its class,” states Gupta further.
Adoption of green technology broadens company’s future
Dollar Industries is introducing new products in the market through the green technology. “This has enabled us to broaden the future of our company. We have been successful in combining different fabrics with cotton such as elastane, lycra, etc in a greener way,”adds Gupta. According to Gupta, e-commerce is a remarkable way to boost sales as any product update on the e-commerce portal is free of cost and can be seen across the world. “Since the last four years, our sales from e-commerce portals have increased from Rs 80 lakh to Rs 10 crore. This is a sign of our successful implementation of the omnichannel strategy,” he sums up.
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Status Quo’s exclusive styles with functional details
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elieving that ‘there’s always a scope for new innovations in the market,’ Status Quo recently launched several new ranges for its Autumn/Winter 2019 collection. The brand has currently Sports, Camouflage, Street, Game of Thrones, Minions, Fast & Furious ranges. “We have introduced exclusive styles with functional details for travelers. For night riders, we have launched a special Black collection with foil prints. Besides, we have launched an exclusive collection for Game of Thrones that is inspired by themes like travel, music, animal-love, etc,” notes Bobby Arora,
Director, Status Quo. The present product portfolio of Status Quo includes shirts, waist coats, shrugs, blazers, t-shirts, shorts, joggers, trousers, denims, sweat shirts, sweaters and jackets. “We will add Status Quo Kids this season with the same product lines,” adds Arora.
Innovations in colors and fabrics The brand’s innovations also include a new t-shirt range that glow at night. The colors it has used in this collection are bright underpinned by sophisticated mid-tones and neutrals. The types of fabrics used in this collection include
Bobby Arora
Director, Status Quo
“We have introduced exclusive styles with functional details for travelers. For night riders, we have launched a special Black collection with foil prints. Cotton jersey, Cotton Lycra, Cotton Fleece, Pique and Cotton interlock. “We have also used fashion knits fabrics such as Grindle, Scuba, Tencel and Modal,” adds Arora.
Creating a specialty brand through retail expansion According to Arora, “building a brand is always a challenge.” However, we are focused on creating a knitwear specialty brand which gives us a unique positioning in the market among other players,” he adds. The brand is available through over 2,000 MBOs across the country and has a presence across all large format stores like Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Lulu, Brand Factory and Central with 160 touch points. “We also have 135 shop-inshops which we plan to increase to 250 by the end of this year. We will also commence our EBO expansion from September 2019,” adds Arora. In all, Status Quo will open 7 EBO’s in 2019-20. The brand’s online business has evolved over years. “As today’s youth is more tech savvy than the earlier generation, e-commerce definitely has a bright future,” says Arora. On its part, Status Quo is developing strategies for the digital operations of the brand. It is currently available on e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Jabong, Snapdeal, Tata Cliq, Fynd, Limeroad, Paytm and its own website www.statusquo.in Currently growing steadily at a CAGR of 35 per cent for past three years, Status Quo foresees a further improvement in its growth figures. “We plan to grow by 40 per cent visà-vis last year.
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European styles at home, thanks to Swiss Military
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inute detailing goes into the styling and design of each product making it value for money and differentiating it from our competitiors. Swiss Military is a casual knitwear brand that offers T-shirts, polos, shirts, denims, denim jackets, sweat shirts and hoodies for winter and quilted jackets with poly nylons. There is a shawl neck, a mock neck, a half buttoned up and a half stiffed up neck. The autumn/winter ’19 collection is young, international, colorful and comfortable with highly stylised trims, innovative washes and finishes. The collection is inspired by travel, journey, outdoor activities, party, fun and youth. The color palette for the season is earthy tones, military green with a dash of blue and red. Fabrics are cotton and blends with different washes and finishes. “We are playing around with many different prints and designs,” says Akshat Chug, Managing Director.
European and jazzy designs “The brand’s designs are inspired by Europe
Akshat Chug
Managing Director
“The A/W ’19 collection is young, international, colorful and comfortable with highly stylised trims, innovative washes and finishes.” and the western culture,” says Chug. “They have the feel of a premium luxury brand. We are the first to bring in this kind of fashion into India but at an affordable price, yet these are a luxury product. They will have different kind of prints on them. We are working a lot on our R&D to jazz them up. Hoodies for men have Swarovski, when there is a feeling Swarovski is for women. But we are giving it a subtle and masculine touch, so men can actually feel that they can wear it. So getting the masculine feel in a garment that is jazzy is something that Swiss Military is going to bring to India.”
Ambitious retail plans Swiss Military’s maiden EBO opened in Ambience Mall. Five more are in the pipeline for the Northern and Eastern zones. “Brands must learn to co-exist,” says Chug. “Providing a better retail experience, servicing and personalised service will be the key differentiators. Online sales do impact our sale strategy but we are giving more value added service to our customers.”
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Grado launches a spectacular range of tweeds
Rajendra Agarwal Mentor
“Though Grado’s foundation rests on its brick & mortar stores, it is also exploring the online channels to prompt customers to purchase at local store.”
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rado’s new sought after range of Ombres in tweeds is spectacular. The range offers latest blends, colors and patterns along with unique designs in engineered fabrics. “In tune with the festive season, there is a whole range of printed fabrics in bright pop colors in PV and chalk stripes,” says Rajendra Agarwal. The brand is also innovating with its poly-viscose & TR to wool and wool blended product ranges. With its style statement inspired by nature, Grado emphasises on offering maximum comfort to its customers. The brand uses pastel and earthy shades in its collection. “Our color palette ranges from soft neutral to bright tones. All our collections are inspired by our end-customers. The royal opulence for our new ‘Ulitmate Collection’ comprises many hues and patterns in classic colors like Black, Blue, Grey, Wine and Maroon,” notes Rajendra Agarwal, Mentor, Grado. On the other hand, the hills and picturesque landscape inspire a new range of ombres and engineered fabrics while a prism of color bursts forth for the brand’s Winter/Festive range
and drape, wool and wool blended fabrics are being preferred besides staple cottons and synthetics,” says Agarwal. Preferred colors for the season include classics such as navy, grey, deep maroon, black with subtle structures and self-textures. “For casuals, tweeds are at the forefront, while for festivals, prints and jacquards are in vogue,” Agarwal explains. The brand has formed several strategic sponsorships to boost awareness. Recently Amitabh Bachchan was signed on to its list of brand ambassadors. “We also made inroads into mainline advertising by focusing on sponsoring the Asia Cup, Sun Risers Hyderabad for IPL and Lakme Fashion Week 2019. Offline, we invested in prompting purchase at the retail points by sending retail kits and an extensive in-shop branding exercise,” adds Agarwal. While there is a steady increase in the number of customers preferring ready-towear, the reverse trend is also apparent in the premium/niche segment. “Their rise in purchasing power is making customers more discerning about their appearances. They are now choosing ready-to-stitch options which present us with a golden opportunity to explore our business” he views. With a wide range of available consumer touch-points, it is becoming increasingly important for brands to be ‘present everywhere. Though Grado’s foundation rests on its brick & mortar stores, it is also exploring the online channels to prompt customers to purchase
at local store. “We are closely monitoring the online segments through a continuous presence on social media & tracking consumer behavior. The brand aims to grow in online space so that it becomes the new revenue channel in future,” adds Agarwal.
Wool and woolen blends in classic colors With the fast approaching festive season, everyone has become experimental. They want to bring a sense of uniqueness to their wardrobes and are opting for fabrics that stand out. “Indo-western styles are ruling with draped bandhgala and asymmetrical sherwanis. As people are looking for fineness
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Tantra to create a new universe
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-shirt brand Tantra launches new design ideas every month. “This year, we are experimenting with fluorescent inks, and fabric count and compositions,” notes Ranjiv Ramchandani, Director of the brand. The theme for the collection this year is India. “We’re also inspired by a host of other happenings, and incorporate these ideas into wearable T-shirt art,” adds Ramchandani.
An irresistible canvas through innovative fabrics For Tantra, cotton is the eternal and perennial favorite. “However, innovations in fabric and printing are a part of our every collection. Our T-shirt is the canvass whose art and language elevates its buying proposition to a level which makes the offering irresistible,” states Ramchandani. He believes the T-shirts category has a bright future in India. “The 1.3 billion consumers, all demanding good quality knit products, will fuel future demand making India a T-shirt country,” he adds.
Political stability, business friendly environment to fuel retail growth Ramchandani feels, “rationalisation of offline rentals and online discounts as the two major challenges that emerging brands in India face currently.” He however is optimistic that “with political stability and a businessfriendly environment, the retail industry will bounce back to meet the exponential growth and demand of the Indian middle class.” In terms of its retail strategy, omni-channel is the only way forward for Tantra. The brand, which started as an offline player, is in the process of rapid online assimilation. For this, Tantra is currently looking for a partner. “Anyone who wants to work in conjunction to create a bigger universe is more than welcome,” adds Ramchandani.
Ranjiv Ramchandani Director, Tantra
“The 1.3 billion consumers, all demanding quality knit products, will fuel future demand.”
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TT Garments looks forward to a more promising A/W season
Sanjay K Jain
Managing Director, TT Ltd
“Summer season was not up to expectations, partly due to the limited purchasing power of consumer and Lok Sabha elections disturbed the flow. The fear of poor monsoons (already 10 to 12 days late) has created an overhang on market and will be critical to consumer sales. However, with elections over, government schemes money flow is expected to increase. Hence, rural purchasing power may prop up making the autumn/ winter season better.’’
However, with elections over, government schemes money flow is expected to increase. Hence, rural purchasing power may prop up making the autumn/winter season better,’’ points out Sanjay K Jain, Managing Director of TT garments with a varied portfolio of casuals, sportswear, winter garments and innerwear for men, women, and kids. TT is following key fabric trends this season. Blends such as spandex based fabric are slowly and steadily replacing pure cotton. A more versatile portfolio of colors and prints are flooding the market as the average lifecycle of any product has come down significantly. Many are just seasonal products and go off the shelves once the season is over.
Bajrang Punia is the new brand ambassador of men’s innerwear Realizing the importance of brand ambassadors to increase sales figures, TT recently signed up World No 1 wrestler from India, Bajrang Punia as its men’s innerwear symbol. Bajrang Punia has won the Asian Games and World Championship and is one of the best prospects for an Olympic Gold Medal. The company believes in promoting its innerwear as a reliable and durable product and thus a real hero was chosen as the mascot unlike filmy heroes like other innerwear categories. Wrestling is a sport that epitomizes strength, courage, and intelligence and is one of the most popular sports amongst men, especially
in the Hindi heartland. TT garments feels that Bajrang Punia will create an instant connect with its male target audience and enhance its macho appeal. “The very image of him showing off TT innerwear on a six-pack abdomen physique is enough to get these products off the shelves,” says Jain.
Focus on both online and offline retail Established in 1952, TT Garments has built up a good reputation with a complete range of innerwear, casual wear and active wear for men, women, and kids. The company sells pan-India through both organized retail chains as well as EBOs by name of TT Bazaar and through distributors and whole-sellers. It sells its innerwear under the brand name of TT and casual/active wear under the brand HiFlyer. It currently has 25,000 MBO’s, 52 EBO’s and 6 Large Format chains who have multiple stores across the country. Although the shift post-GST has been more from unorganized to branded, products, the overall demand has been low over the last year. It focuses on online retail for a pan India reach, although it strongly believes in product acceptability offline before offering it online to ensure there is no mismatch of expectations and what you see is what you get. “We are looking at 30 per cent growth in turnover of its garment vertical as it deepens its penetration in its major markets with a wider and more appealing product range,” says Jain.
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T garments is staying well ahead of its competitors by launching new styles for autumn with cut and new technology along with varied printing options in full sleeve T-shirts. The focus this summer season is already over and new styles for autumn have been finalized. The winter collection shall be introduced this month where a similar trend shall be followed for new introductions in style trends.
Better sales expected after a bleak summer TT’s focus is to provide a varied portfolio but at value for money price points, as the customer has become very price sensitive a fact indicated by the sales records of 2019 Spring/Summer. “Summer season was not up to expectations, partly due to the limited purchasing power of consumer and Lok Sabha elections disturbed the flow. The fear of poor monsoons (already 10 to 12 days late) has created an overhang on market and will be critical to consumer sales.
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Callino to set trends through new launches, retail expansion around 80 per cent of our blazers; another 15 per cent are plain while remaining 5 per cent have stripes on them,” he adds. The three major attractions of the brand include: checks in blazers, classical prints on shirts and partywear suits.
International standards through quality features
Ashok Singal CEO
“These fabrics are sourced from the best global locations i.e. Italy, Turkey, and China in exquisite palette of designs and shades in unique weaves and textures,”
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e aim to be trendsetters in luxury menswear in the next few years,” says Ashok Singal, CEO of the formal and fashion wear brand Callino. The brand recently revamped its suits and blazers by adding a new structure and stripes. “Checks dominate
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complex ‘hand-offs’ between channels must be fluid for the customer,” Singal notes. The brand plans to venture into the LFS format in future besides opening new EBOs. “We also plan to launch a T-shirt range in 2020 besides foraying into athleisure segment,” he adds.
Callino shirts are known for their classiness featuring international quality standards. These shirts have technical features like 18 stitches per inch using Gutermann thread form Germany. “We added a unique ‘Pen and specs pocket’ concept in our blazers and suit in them,” says Singal. The colour palette includes: sky blue, green, rust, black, grey, navy, brown, khaki, etc. The brand is also using high end niche fabrics like 100 per cent Giza cotton, Egyptian cotton, fine wool, rayon, modal, linen, etc. “These fabrics are sourced from the best global locations i.e. Italy, Turkey, and China in exquisite palette of designs and shades in unique weaves and textures,” adds Singal.
A seamless retail experience Present in 200 MBOs and six EBOs across North India, Callino likens omnichannel retail to viewing the experience through the eyes of the customer. “Omni-channel anticipates that customers may start operating through one channel but move to another as they progress to a resolution. Making these
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Lubeina Shahpurwala Co-Founder
“Although attracting the audience’s attention to this segment is quite challenging, Mustang aims to create awareness though various social media platforms.”
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eeping in mind the changing needs of customers, the new collection from Mustang aims to provide maximum warmth during the winter season. “Our collection aims to keep customers comfortable and snug in the harsh weather,” says Lubeina Shahpurwala, CoFounder of the brand.
Muted and dark shades dominate new collection The colours incorporated in the new collection include: dark shades side accentuated through interesting designs and
patterns. “Inspired by the dance form of ballet, these designs go beyond our regular styles to explore new and exciting prints. This range varies from an elephant and unicorn prints to orange juice and slipper prints. Though, we have added a splash of color to some of these garments, our overall colour palette includes muted and dark shades such as blues, greys,
browns and blacks,” explains Shahpurwala. In fabric, the brand mostly prefers the cotton. It has also launched a range of super soft athletic socks “whose wonderful fiber allow the skin to breathe.”
Expecting steady rise business Maintaining an optimistic outlook for the festive and autumn season, Mustang anticipates a steady rise in business in the upcoming season. “We are looking to 25 per cent growth owing to our product innovations and growth in existing client base,” notes Shahpurwala. According to her, the socks segment in India is gaining momentum. “There is immense scope for growth in this category,” she adds. Although attracting the audience’s attention to this segment is quite challenging, Mustang aims to create awareness though various social media platforms.
Eco-friendly products, personalised solutions gain popularity “Sustainability is the new buzz word for both consumers and retailers,” notes Shahpurwala. “Consumers are opting for more eco-friendly solutions which are creating immense opportunities in the hosiery segment,” she opines. The key to being a successful brand lies in providing “personalised and customised solutions to our customers and meeting the changing demands of the market.”
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Toonz’s A/W collection with 3D elements
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he Autumn/Winter collection of Toonz Retail is all about celebrations and parties. “Colorful, vibrant and energetic, this collection focuses on a creating a comfortable party ensemble,” affirms Shard Venkta, Managing Director of the brand. “Resembling the innocent enthusiasm of a child, these garments are heavy on style but light on the body. They offer multiple options of layering and styling as per the occasion.” Venkta says, rather than just beating the
Sharad Venkta
Managing Director & CEO, Toonz Retail
“Toonz Retail has introduced many innovations this season. Some of these are: the use of plush, light weight blended fabrics and 3D elements in its designs to control the strong sensory impact on children wearing them.”
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cold, winter wear wear today aims to help consumers socialise. “The segment calls for a higher style quotient,” he says further adding, “Winter styles include more layering and warm fabrics that are light in weight, rich in look, and comfortable in feel.”
faux fur detailing, high density twills, brushed fabrics for sweatshirts and pullovers, quilted materials for intricate designs, etc. Also, laces and schifflis used on plush fabrics like stain/silk and georgette give the entire collection a rich feel of a festivity,” he further states.
3D elements, embroidery rev up new collection
Exploring the creative mind of a kid
To boost its style quotient, the brand has embellished the new collection with 3D elements and embroidery badges. “Stretch corduroys have been introduced keeping in mind the comfort level of kids. The color palette comprises more of maroons, navy, mustard, subtle grays, and bright prints,” adds Venkta. Toonz Retail has introduced many innovations this season. Some of these are: the use of plush, light weight blended fabrics and 3D elements in its designs to control the strong sensory impact on children wearing them. “Many of our designs are built upon corduroys, fleece,
Besides this collection, the brand has also launched a new concept of Superyong DIY jeans to explore the creative mind of a kid. “These jeans are available with customised embroidered patches. Kids can use these patches to design their own style by either stitching on the garment or attaching them with fabric glue,” adds Venkta. Currently developing own online portal the primary focus of Toonz Retail remains on offline sales. The brand is available on Amazon, Baby Chakra, etc. “In future, we look forward to growing our omni channel retail presence,” Venkta sums up.
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E-mail : woodjeans@hotmail.com
Aayushi Apparel
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Contect person Divyesh Mehta PREMIUM TROUSERS Add :- Shop No.9, Gopal Bhavan, K.S.G. Road, Near Ashish Ind. Est., Opp. Khed Gully, Dadar (w), Mumbai - 400 025. 7/14/2019 1:28:19 PM
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BRAND STORY
Summerline “Available on a pan-India basis” The brand Though the brand Summerline was established in 1970, it was registered in the year 1987. The brand started its operations with the marketing of shirts for different brands, and also exporting them. It later set up its production unit in India. A family business for many years, the brand is currently handled by its second and generation of owners. The shirts offered by Summerline are designed and created in-house. The brand has a production unit that has a capacity to make 2,500 pieces of garments per day. Its products are distributed through its distributors and agents across India. The brand is present with over 1,300 MBO pan India. It also has a presence in states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Mahon of kurtarashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and the North East.
The Collection
Summerline’s Autumn/ Winter collection offers a new range of cargos and capris for men. It also includes a huge range of formal, casual and party shirts and a grand collection of stripes, checks. prints and bolds. The brand mostly offers floral and motive prints. Its fittings are comfortable enough to feel like a second skin to its wearer. The brand targets customers above 25 years of age. Its prices range from Rs 895 to Rs 1495 for shirts and Rs. 1,045 to Rs.395 for the kurtas. The major USP of the brand is that it offers complete value for money. The fits and measurements are so comfortable that they ensure complete satisfaction to the consumer. Growing constantly at the rate of 15 per cent to 20 per cent per year, the brand is currently focusing on 2 tier cities like Pune, Nasik, Aurangabad,Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Allahabad. It believes that business volumes and the customer profiles are better in these cities.
Panam Fabrics “To set trends with a new weaving unit ” Ankit Seth, Managing Director, Panam Fabrics “We are among the top five players in the business of bottom wear fabrics,” says Ankit Seth, Managing Director, Panam Fabrics. He says, there are many factors which enable the brand to reach this coveted position. “We have a good eye for detail and a highly proficient designing team. As we are able to produce and launch before anyone else, we are known as trendsetters,” he adds. The brand will commence its new weaving unit in the next two-three months. “The new plant will help us to launch innovative products at cost effective prices,” states Seth adding, “The strengthening of our backward integration will also enable us deliver fast, timely and quality products.”
Panam Fabrics is renowned for the range of prints and fabrics it offers. “We offer cotton dyed fabric, cotton dobbies and fancy fabrics such as cotton micro dobbies, sulpher dyed, yarn dyed, knitting fabrics, tencel and modal etc,” notes Seth. The brand is also known as the pioneer of the Sulphur dyeing process.
Wide retail network
Product differentiation leads to brand’s success
A supplier to the mid and premium segment brands pan India, Panam Fabrics has a wide network of agents across the country. The company also focuses on the export market, mostly South American countries like Brazil, Columbia etc. “Customers are smart and rapidly changing their preferences in fashion. This compels businesses to bring their operations in line with demand,” adds Seth.
A fabrics manufacturing company established in 1981, Panam Fabrics was initially established for a different segment. “But our real popularity came with the bottomwear fabrics,” states Seth. “Differentiation is the key to our success. We put in a lot of efforts in the research and development of our products.”
Growing at 30 per cent every year, Panam Fabrics hopes to grow 35 to 40 per cent this year too. “Our innovative and quality products along with our positive attitude towards customers help us deliver successfully,” adds Seth.
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Spark Clothing The Brand
The Collection
The brand Spark adds poetic innovations to all its collections. The brand stimulates and explores its creativity through its innovative clothing line; thus inspiring the consumers artistic side.
Each collection of the brand is like a living gallery on fabric. These collections combine art and clothing to turn each of them into a masterpiece. The collections centre around the young Fashionistas and Rockstars who explore the world as their playground.
Clone Mannequin “Best quality at affordable rates” Ravi Verma, Managing Director Launched in 1988, Clone mannequin offers a diverse range of mannequins for fashion garments or lingerie For the new season, it has added different specifications to the arms, bones,thighs and knees of these mannequins. Mainly suitable for gowns, the colors of these mannequins match with the store’s interiors. The store owners also add several fashion accessories to these mannequins.
The collection The concept of mannequins is known only to 15 percent or 20 percent Indians. These mannequins help in converting window shoppers into buyers. They help in sales generation, hence have to display them correctly with proper lightings. The brand offers both readymade and customised mannequins. The sale of its readymade mannequins constitutes 40 per cent of
the total sales, while that of customised mannequins constitute 60 per cent. It also has an efficient delivery system.
Customised products at affordable rates Alongwith with its showroom in Delhi, the brand also has an online presence. As it customizes its mannequins according to customer’s requirements, they are in great demand. The brand uses the print and online media to advertise its mannequins. There is a lot of unhealthy competition in this field, especially in terms of the prices of these mannequins. The brand offers higher quality mannequins at market rates and never offer discounts. Having a retail presence across India, Clone has grown by over 15 percent higher over last year. The next five years will be crucial for the brand as it aim to grow higher and export more mannequins.
116 Preview Yarn Expo 2019 upholds transparency in textile supply chain
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ecent editions of Yarn Expo have been highlighting the growing importance of transparency in the textile chain. The spring 2019 edition of the expo highlighted shifting sourcing trends, brands’ entry into new markets and initiatives needed to achieve sustainability in the textile industry. The next edition of the fair, Yarn Expo Autumn 2019, will be held from September 25 to 27, 2019 at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (Shanghai). It will be held concurrently with the 25th Autumn Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, as well as CHIC and PH Value.
theme across each case study that included the rise in consumer demand for sustainability and transparency, and its consequent effects across the industry. And as Manohar Samuel, Senior President of Marketing & Business Development at Grasim Industries points out brands are realising the importance of fiber in creating an environment-friendly products. CCI agreed to this viewpoint by observing that trade buyers from further along the supply chain are sourcing directly from yarn & fibre suppliers. They are demanding traceability. The main advantage of using traceable cotton is that it’s easier for brands and retailers to do their due diligence, by starting right from the origin.
Brands demand transparent supply chains
Trade buyers focus on improve traceability
Organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) and the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT,the Spring edition of the Yarn Expo had a common
Exhibiting at Yarn Expo has enabled companies to attract a wider variety of trade buyers who seek to improve their traceability.
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One such company, Safilin was able to direct customers to the exact fields that grow flax for their linen. As a result, the company got enquiries directly from brands who want to improve their carbon footprint. Exhibitors say, sourcing directly from yarn and fibre companies can provide brands an access to innovative yarns and fibers, ultimately offering product differentiation. It can also reduce the risk of costly production problems such as breakage, while creating a product that commands higher premiums at retail. The success of Autumn edition of the show was reflected in its 9 per cent increase in visitor numbers. The fair also organised its first ever Media Tour that invited textile industry media to highlight the expo’s growth besides emphasing on the growing role of suppliers’ in the industry’s continuously adapting sourcing trends.
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118 PREVIEW Texworld Paris to aid the creation of fashion small volumes or to find eco-friendly or ethical suppliers. As for the new Handmade circuit, it is intended to showcase manual skills The 2019 edition of the event will feature many renowned exhibitors, including • Maxime Knitting: a manufacturer of high value-added textiles • Benswara Syntex, a vertically integrated textile factory which will offer its range of viscose fibres, polyester fibres, cotton, linen and wool. The Taiwanese Orientex, also integrated into the drapery and tailoring sector, will present its functional fabrics for suits and shirts.
Pakistani presence The trade show will showcased Pakistani exhibitors such as: • Kamal Le, renowned for both their environmental compliance and optimal lead times • Kohinoor Mills, one of Pakistan’s largest vertically integrated textile operations
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rganised by Messe Frankfurt France (MFF), Texworld Paris 2019 will be held concurrently with Apparel Sourcing, Avantex, Leatherworld and Shawls & Scarves Paris, which take place twice a year at the Le Bourget fairground and attract thousands of professional visitors from all over the world. Organised as part of The Fairyland for Fashion, Texworld Paris is aimed at prime contractors from the fashion industries who are looking for fabrics, accessories, trimmings and expertise in clothing production. A multifaceted offer that corresponds exactly to the needs of the sector, both those in ready-to-wear and independent designers and stylists.
Innovative segments at the event Elite, an innovative segment at Texworld Denim, will group together companies that emphasise on their production capacities and
South Korea Pavilion • Baeksan Jacquard, a specialistin the front of ladieswear jacquard, will display its woven jacquard and some knits and silky aspects. • Frontier Textile will offer its ladieswear (pants, skirts, etc..) in cotton, silk, jacquard and woolen materials.
Taiwan Pavilion
qualitiess. The segment will be dominated by Turkish companies with 45% of exhibitors. It will also feature the Korean weaving mill Duckwoo (W-Tex), which is already very active on Chinese, Italian, British and Mexican markets. A major Bangladeshi manufacturer for casual wear, Zaber & Zubair, Northern Linen with its linen and hemp fabrics, the Lebanese firm Kaskas offering lace and embroidery, New Heaven or Dance Worldwide showing Taiwanese knitwear will be some of the well-known exhibitors at the segment. It will also feature leading manufacturers of cotton from Pakistan, such as Kohinoor Mills, Kamal or Liberty Mills. The Services Segment powered by Mouvtex, will be located in Hall 2 at the edge of Texworld and Apparel Sourcing Paris. Like each of these six Messe Frankfurt France shows, Texworld Paris has the advantage of dedicated fashion shows and forms part of the Small Quantities and Sustainable Sourcing circuits, which are aimed at professionals wanting to place orders for
The Taiwanese pavilion with about twenty exhibitors: • HI-TEC industrial, known for their quick delivery and their considerable experience of custom-tailored fabrics, will present its knits, cotton, prints and embroidery for menswear, ladieswear, kidswear and swimwear. • Regiant Industrial joins the Knit sector with a large offer in: Knitted, Prints, Functional fabrics; many various filament, staple fiber, knitting fabrics, re-cycled yarn, bamboo yarn • Par Fame Enterprise will offer some Cotton, Woolen materials, shirting and functional fabrics. Feel free to ask them for their many eco-friendly materials For over twenty years, Texworld Paris has showcased solutions for global fashion industries. The trade fair highlights the great diversity of products, from the most basic to the most imaginative, from the best value for money to consummate quality, and produced using an enormous variety of materials and techniques. A remarkable aid for those who are involved in creating fashion.
The International Fair For Fashion: Fabrics, Trims, Accessories
16 – 19 September 2019 Paris Le Bourget France www.texworld-paris.com
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120 PREVIEW FIEO to partner the 10th edition of International Sourcing Expo Australia
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he Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) will be represented as a major partner at the 10th edition of International Sourcing Expo Australia 2019 to showcase the strength of India’s apparel and textile exporters for the seventh continuous year. The expo, to be held from November 1214, 2019 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centrem will attract some of the world’s leading apparel, accessories, textiles and footwear suppliers. More than 4,000 trade visitors from Australia’s large fashion retailers, niche fashion brands, start-up labels, online outlets and independent fashion designers are expected to attend the event. The popular runway program, the Global Runway will showcase the collections of emerging and established fashion designers. Positioned on the show floor, the runway show will feature designs from across the globe and are enjoyed by a fashion focused buying audience from Australia and beyond.
Insightful seminars for valuable market insights An insightful series of the Global Sourcing Seminars will provide valuable market insights and business tips to Australian buyers. The comprehensive three-day program led by international industry experts and keynote speakers is a major attraction for the visitors. The show will also feature seminars that will teach the exhibitors different methods to target the Australian market and understand more local trends and seasonality. The 2019 edition of the show is expected to attract a wider participation than its 2018 edition. India’s participation across both the International Sourcing Expo and Footwear & Leather Expo was the largest of all national representations in 2018 with a total participation of 130 companies across the two events.
FIEO has led the very strong participation by Indian export organisations and exhibiting companies at the show. In 2018 participation included Apparel Export Promotion Council, Wool and Woollen Export Promotion Council, and Handloom Export Promotion Council. This strong and enduring presence confirms India’s continued focus on the Australian market and opportunities. Council for Leather Exports India was a major drawcard in the co-located Footwear and Leather Show.
“FIEO is committed to facilitating exposure for its members across the globe, and International Sourcing Expo Australia provides an unrivalled opportunity for this in the growing Australian and New Zealand markets,” said Dr. Sahai India is well-regarded in Australia as a quality and reliable supplier of textiles and apparel, and with a membership body of 100,000 exporters from every goods and services sector in the country, FIEO is uniquely positioned to showcase India’s prosperous industry. We are thrilled to be returning to International Sourcing Expo Australia for the seventh time in 2019,” said Ajay Sahai, Director General & CEO, FIEO.
122 PREVIEW ITMA 2019 in Barcelona launched several new innovations Diresul Smartdenim Blue, a liquid sulphur blue dye designed to mimic indigo. The Spanish company Jeanologia exhibited the first complete production line that includes all its technologies and disruptive solutions. The process starts with G2Dynamic, which allows treatment of the fabric without using water and chemicals. Karl Mayer, a German textile machinery manufacturer, remains on a growth path with its Denim Excellence Center at Karl Mayer Rotal. At ITMA 2019, Karl Mayer launched Greendye. The nitrogen technology ensures less environmental impact and more efficiency during indigo dyeing.
Yarn technologies Loepfe Brothers, a Swiss leader in yarn clearing technology, presented a brand-new
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hemed ‘Innovating the World of Textiles,’ the 18th edition of ITMA, the world’s largest and most established textile and garment technology exhibition hosted 1,717 exhibitors from 45 countries. The event, spanning seven days attracted over 105,000 visitors from 137 countries. It featured many exciting new product launches and innovative technologies and products, including those that leverage the Internet of Things. The event launched many new technologies ranging from 3D weaving and knitting to hitech nonwovens processes, sustainable chemicals and state-of-the-art garment-making technologies, and wide range of softwarepowered automation solutions.
Knitting innovations Proposing knitting as an alternative manufacturing solution for non-fashion related industries, Japanese computerised flat knitting machinery manufacturer Shima Seiki demonstrated its innovative KNITification solutions. Another global leader in flat knitting machinery Stoll, from Germany, returned to ITMA with a focus on new knitelligence networking solution, designed to play a key role industry wide, as each software tool solidifies the entire knitting process from design to production. With a focus on digitalisation and versatility, German warp knitting machinery builder Mayer & Cie. Presents its digital offerings together under the name knitlink. The platform includes a web shop, remote maintenance options and recording and evaluation of machine data for the customer and is to be further expanded in the future.
Weaving solutions in focus Picanol, a Belgian high-tech weaving machines producer, exhibited 12 machines at the show, including the company’s brand-new airjet machine OmniPlus-i, which premiered at ITMA. Another weaving technology specialist Itema, from Italy, presented two new market launches, a never-before-seen weaving insertion concept and a series of weaving novelties.
Sustainable denim story This year’s ITMA presented a strong sustainable denim, with a number of companies from different sectors demonstrating their approach to environmentally friendly denim production processes. Headquartered in Switzerland, Archroma, a leader in colour and specialty chemicals, has launched its new
yarn clearer – the YarnMaster Prisma. The technology combines new and established sensor technologies in one device. Four sensor technologies interact intelligently to ensure fault visibility and data quality. Another Swiss company Uster Technologies launched five Value Modules for Uster Quality Expert quality management platform. The system connects, integrates, analyses and interprets vital quality information from every stage of the fibre-toyarn process. ITMA also collaborated with supporting organisations, many of which sent visiting delegations from Central Asia, South Asia, Turkey and the Mediterranean countries. The next ITMA will be held in Fiera Milano, Milan, from 8-14 June 2023.
124 Business News campaigns. It aims to de-stigmatise rental fashion, especially for the younger generation who may have less disposable income but no less desire to follow trends.
Metro shoes settles intellectual property case at Bombay high court
India eases FDI sourcing norms
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ndia has eased local sourcing norms for foreign direct investment in the sector. While there was a recent relaxation provided to offset the sourcing from India for global operations against the local sourcing, the same didn’t have the expected impact to boost FDI in the sector. There was a lot of reluctance by existing foreign JV players in the sector to increase FDI beyond 51 per cent to avoid coping with the sourcing norms and also reluctance shown by new foreign brands to enter the sector owing to the sourcing norms. Currently, the FDI policy on single-brand retail trade provides for a 30 per cent local sourcing preferably from micro, small and medium enterprises, village and cottage industries, artisans and craftsmen where the FDI exceeds 51 per cent. While there were expectations around
The Stylease to expand fashion rental business
The Stylease is looking to expand its luxury clothing rental business with an investment of around Rs 1 crore ($1.4 million) as it aims to grow by 25 percent this year. The Stylease offers a clothing rental service focusing on luxury occasion wear by over 100 brands such as Anju Modi, Mahima Mahajan, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, and Ridhi Mehra. Although the main focus is on Indian designers, the business also carries international western
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relaxing the stringent conditions in multibrand retail sector as well, this proposal should give an initial boost to the retail sector while laying a road map for further relaxations. India’s FDI inflows in 201819 marked a six per cent growth over the previous year. The gains will be further consolidated in order to make India a more attractive FDI destination. Local sourcing norms will be eased for FDI in single-brand retail sector.
wear brands including Ralph Lauren and Hugo Boss. The business delivers across India and mainly caters to a male and female audience aged 25 and up. Founded by Jheal Shah in 2016, The Stylease is expanding its business with its initial investment of just Rs 30 lakh. The business’ revenue for the 2019 financial year totaled Rs 10 lakh, The business has around 2,000 customers to date and receives close to 5,000 website visits a month. The business works with a network of designers, dry cleaners, and logistics companies to have clothes redesigned to fit current trends, fitted for the customer, and delivered across the country. It delivers across metros to Tier III locations and also allows customers in more rural areas to have their rental clothes fitted for them at a local tailor. Stylease currently invests heavily on social media and has undertaken smaller offline marketing initiatives by tying-up with other brands and companies. It also runs AdWords
Metro Shoes recently won a high court judgment to stop other retailers from selling products with a similar brand name, setting a strong precedent for online retail intellectual property cases. Metro Shoes had filed an intellectual property case against a group of online marketplaces and shoe manufacturers. The court ruled that using similar brand names “Metrox” and “Metro” was illegal and ordered all defendants to cease doing so and collectively pay Rs 15 lakh to the Society for Rehabilitation of Crippled Children. Just Dial and India Mart, both multi-brand retailers, were retailing shoes under the “Metrox” brand which were produced by the shoe manufacturers Shoe Stations and Foothold Shoes. All concerned businesses were found guilty of intellectual property violations, both manufacturers and third-party retailers.
V-mart clocks 5 per cent SSSG
V-Mart Retail recorded same-store sales growth (SSSG) of 5 per cent. The brand plans to register at least 7 per cent same-store sales growth in this year. The private label contribution is around 52 per cent. V-Mart targets something around Rs 120 per sq ft from the front end operations. V-Mart Retail has 227 stores in 178 cities across 17 states. It has 43 stores in Bihar and 10 in Madhya Pradesh. Keeping in view the competition, the retailer is bringing in brand ambassadors, film stars. The aim is to create a bit of branding in customers’ mindset so that it creates differentiation in their minds. V-Mart is trying to work on products which have higher margins, like fashion. The retailer has stopped doing FMCG for the last five years. Now it is trying to drive more sales per sq ft, trying to drive more margins from the product that it sells and keep the cost almost constant or lower in terms of percentage of sales.
7/14/2019 4:15:54 PM
INDUSTRY BYTES
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THE COMPLETE GARMENT PROCESSING UNIT Contact:
Bhagirath DIRECTOR Mobile: 9910522224 C-103, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase -1, New Delhi - 110020 Phone: 41612716 / 41612717 Works: Prithala Dhatir Road, Village Dhatir, Tehsil Palwal, Faridabad (Haryana) Ph: 01275 - 260078 / 79 e-mail: neelkanth_apparels@yahoo.co.in / naplc103@gmail.com website: www.neelkanthapparels.in
ADVERTISERS’ INDEX COVER FRONT INSIDE 2ND COVER OPENING PAGE BACK INSIDE BACK COVER BACK OUTER GATEFOLD BELLY WRAP
BODYCARE CREATIONS MOZZO STORI LIVA RAYSIL RELIANCE JUNCTION BAABLA DESIGNER
A to Z Chemicals
123
Duke
31
Officer
39
Alert Impex
103
Focus Jeans
8,9
Oner
89
Alvaro Ties
32
Force
49
Outlook
41
AMI- Sparkle
95
GARTEX
126
Present Apparels
93
Apple Plus
73
GGMA
119
Sailusberry
Baabla Designer
24,25
26,27
Gold Queen
75
Samrat Fashion
28
Bay Berry
91
Groversons
71
Samrat Fashion
29
Benaloons
83
GTE
Blue Buddha
14,15
Hallmark
Blueman
20,21
Infinity
Bodycare Creations
64,65,45
Inter Textile Shanghai
117
Senator
107
12,13
Shriff
79
99
SIGA
121
115
Smag
33
55
SPARK
Bodycare International
51
Juelle
Cairon
6,7
Just Feel
Cantabil
43
Kushal Karyalay
81
STORI
109
Status Quo
58,59 2,3 68,69
Ciara
18,19
Lady Lyka
85
Super Socks
77
Clone Manniquine
10,11
Mexico
87
Tantra
53
Concept Manniquenne
4,5
Dearly
125
Dollar
47
Dominus
22,23
Mustang
16,17
Textworld
113
Mustin
97
V K Kniting
101
Narendra Intl
30
V Mart
105
Neva
37
Wood
111