Inside Fashion Vol.19 No.6 by InsideFashion

VOL 19 NO. 6

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Courtesy: Shoppers Stop

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FaSHiON SCOPe

Bangalore Fashion Week to organise 22nd edition in February 2020

Contents 06 08 18 30 32 36 40 52 55 56 63 65 66 74 79 80

VOL.19 NO. 3

FASHION & LIFESTYLE BRAND WATCH BRAND RETAIL COLLECTIONS COVER STORY LEAD STORY IF EXCLUSIVE BRAND UPDATE IF INSIGHT E-TAIL FASHION POST PREVIEW REVIEW BUSINESS NEWS INDUSTRY BYTES MEDIA QUOTES

angalore Fashion Week will hold its 22nd edition from February 06-09, 2020, in partnership with Wear. Style. The event will feature collections for the spring/ summer 2020 season. Along with runway shows from a range of Indian designers, the event will also feature seminars, workshops, and other interactive events, according to its official website. The 21st edition of the fashion week was held from Aug 29- Sep 01, 2019 at The Oterra Bangalore Hotel in partnership with Ozone Group. The event featured a range of brands including finale designer Amit GT, Pria Kataaria Puri, Parole, Swapnil Shinde, and Pushpa Thianhoih , etc who presented their winter/ festive designs on the runway. Bangalore Fashion Week is promoted and produced by the events management company Dream Merchants. The business focuses on fashion and music events and also organises World Music Week.

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FaSHiON & liFeSTYle

Lenskart raises funds from Kedaara Capital

yewear brand Lenskart is in the process of raising funds from the Indian private equity business Kedaara Capital. The brand will be valued at Rs 8200 crores after the funding goes through. The funding will be part of an ongoing, larger funding round for Lenskart. The funding will include both secondary share purchases and fresh investment. Lenskart, which launched in 2008, currently has over 500 brick-and-mortar stores in India with the aim of reaching a total of 650 stores by March 2020. The business aims to put some of its upcoming funding towards expanding internationally, including in Singapore. Lenskart recently entered Singapore and the plan is to open 50 or 60 stores over the next three years in the island city, before expanding to markets such as the Philippines, Taiwan and the Middle East. Lenskart is among a group of specialised web retailers that have grown to adopt an omnichannel strategy. Lenskart’s strategy to scale up manufacturing has allowed the company to double its production cycle,

Fizzy Goblet partners Tribe Amrapali for shoes Fizzy Goblet has partnered Tribe Amrapali to launch a collection of juttis. The collection is created by incorporating jewelry pieces in

ensure faster inventory turnarounds and offer a greater array of products through entering new product categories. It has also helped the company control pricing

shoes and is targeted at the bridal footwear segment in India. Founded in 2014, Fizzy Goblet is a Mumbaibased footwear brand that specialises in modern juttis and also retails loafers and

of products, critical in an underserved and fragmented market that’s dominated by offline players. Its rapid offline rollout has helped in brand building.

sneakers for women. Artisans create the jutti using centuries-old techniques that embody heritage and craftsmanship. The combination of traditional techniques and contemporary motifs and colors makes Fizzy Goblet unique. It has launched loafers and sliders which are perfect for beach vacations and exploring cities. Tribe Amrapali, based in Jaipur, makes contemporary jewelry in heritage designs, making it accessible to the modern Indian woman. Even as other jewelers move to machine-oriented processes to mass manufacture, each piece of jewelry produced at Amrapali is still handcrafted and put through strict quality checks for material, craftsmanship, detailing, creativity, and exclusivity. Yet, even as the brand holds on to its traditional designing roots, its overall vision has evolved significantly to cater to a constantly changing world. Tribe Amrapali has designed jewelry for the Hollywood mega production Troy and was commissioned by Harrods, London, to design an exquisite crown in celebration of the Queen’s diamond jubilee in 2012.

DFU PUBLICATIONS Editor-in Chief & Publisher & CEO - Sanjay Chawla Director - Salil Chawla Mangaging Editor - Sujata Dutta Sachdeva VP-Corporate Communications - Shraboni Mukherjee Editorial

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European brand Selected Homme signs on Saif Ali Khan as its new face in India

aif Ali Khan is brand ambassador for Selected Homme. The brand sees the actor as an extension of itself – sharp, understated and striking. The European men’s wear brand plans to expand to multiple markets across India. The brand is committed to making every collection as sustainable as possible. Selected Homme is all about premium fabrics and classic styling with a strong focus on quality. The brand offers a subtle and interesting addition to the premium men’s wear segment with its impeccable tailoring. The collection complements the modern lifestyle and seamlessly adapts to the fashion preferences of men. Selected Homme is owned by Bestseller, the Danish clothing company, which operates brands like Jack & Jones, Only and Vero Moda. The brand is present in 15 countries through more than 2500 wholesalers worldwide. The brand opened in 1997. Selected Homme is present in

Fila partners with pop band Fila has selected pop band BTS as its global endorsement model to help increase recognition among young consumers around the world. Fila sees a synergy between the healthy and energetic image of the sevenmember band and its own brand identity. Fila and BTS will roll out a global communication promotion campaign. Fila was originally established in Italy in 1911 as a sporting goods brand. In 2007 the

was looking for a partner to help it incresase foothold in the men’s and boy’s segment while creating an engaging audience base on its social platforms. With competition from aggressive new players increasing, the brand has an opportunity to create a strong base of loyalists close besides catering to the growing demand from a new generation of people entering the workforce. The brand has an integrated team of employers who are just as passionate about results as they did about creativity. Joono Simon, Founder and CCO of Brave New World elaborated on the association by saying as the current e-com clutter is causing a certain degree of commoditisation of retail fashion. This is compelling discerning customers to seek out brands that are more meaningful and substantive. Bangalore, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and New Delhi and at leading department stores throughout the country. While Jack and Jones, Vero Moda and Only target a slightly young audience, Selected Homme addresses the fashion preferences of young as well as mature men. The premium men’s wear category in India is on the rise with men desiring to sharpen their personalities with bespoke styling.

South Korean branch of the apparel brand acquired its mother company and the right to sell Fila brand products in some 70 countries including the United States and Japan. The fashion brand’s global popularity soared a few years ago when Fila released a lineup of retrodesign apparels targeting young trend-savvy consumers who favor casual sportswear with bold and colorful designs. Fila’s marketing strategy is based on customization, towards either a story, product or launch of a new range. So if it launches a new product exclusively online, it will create a digital marketing strategy, and within this will use those verticals where it believes its key customers are present. Cravatex has a longterm exclusive licensing agreement with Fila for markets such as India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan. For Cravatex, the focus area this year will be to drive distribution of its products across its own shops, multi-brand retail outlets and online.

Brave New World bags creative mandate for Indian Terrain Brave New World has bagged the creative mandate for retail clothing brand, Indian Terrain. The mandate includes mainline advertising, store communication, online presence and social media. Incepted 20 years ago, Indian Terrain

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Label Gauri and Nainika make a mark beyond India

The sisters launched the evening wear brand 15 years ago. The brand offers styles ranging from cocktail dresses to elaborate bespoke gowns, the label offers glamorous, elegant and chic clothing for women. With a design philosophy that is distinctly feminine and European, their collections are being retailed at exclusive boutiques in India and the Middle East. Inspired by European fashion history, art, music, books, personalities, theatre, old Hollywood and red carpet glamour, the brand has always had an extremely feminine and romantic design philosophy with styles that are luxurious yet understated. With a strong emphasis on fabric, cut and color, the designs focus on shape and flattering silhouettes. By combining tailoring with drapery, the garments are meticulously crafted and have a timeless appeal where old world charm, fantasy and elegance are brought bang up to date. Femininity forms the essence of the label where the paradoxical combination of drama and subtlety can be seen in even its simplest styles. The label caters to those who like to dress with a sense of occasion. The styles are for a self-determining woman who is sophisticated, elegant and embraces femininity in fashion. Indian fashion is being globally recognised now more than ever.

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Tiger Shroff named as the new brand ambassador for ASICS India

ollywood actor Tiger Shroff will be the new brand ambassador of Japanbased footwear brand ASICS, which is expanding into sportstyle and athleisure segments in India. The association will include the launch of the global #IMoveMe campaign - a contemporary expression of the company`s “founding philosophy `Anima Sana In Corpore Sano` - a sound mind in a sound body” in India.

Aurelia launches first TVC to showcase new festive collection Contemporary ethnic wear brand Aurelia has launched its first TV campaign starring Bollywood actress Disha Patani. The campaign features the brand’s new festive collection tilted ‘Celebwear starring Disha,’ which offers casual wear, office wear, dresses and festive sets. Conceptualised by Grey Worldwide, the television commercial embraces the different flavors of the festive season. Targeting women looking for great design, fit and quality this festive season, the campaign showcases how Aurelia’s newly launched collection is designed to transform every woman into the celeb of every celebration. It showcases Patani in multiple avatars that are both fun-loving and relatable. These avatars represent various festive activities such as making check lists, decorating the house, gifting, dancing etc. The TVC depicts the unique range of colors and designs that the brand’s new collection offers. It reaffirms the belief of its female customers that which outfit theyopt for; the spotlight will

always be theirs. The 60-degree marketing campaign includes print, outdoor, digital and in-store visual merchandising.

Cure.fit launches sportswear brand Cultsport

Integrated platform cure.fit, has launched

Seven to provide accessible fitness

Cultsport-a premium sports and workout brand that targets the Indian fitness enthusiast. The brand offers apparel which is functional for workout formats like running, field training and gym. The brand is now available on the cure.fit app and website. The integrated platform cure.fit has four verticals - namely eat.fit for meal box delivery, mind.fit - for mental wellness, cult.fit - for gym and physical workout chains and care.fit which offers online doctor consultations.

Giordano selects Kiara as brand ambassador Kiara Advani is the new brand ambassador for Giordano. This is part of Giordano’s plan to reach India’s millennials. Kiara Advani will feature in print, outdoor, digital, and in-store communication campaigns for the brand’s fall collection. Giordano known for handbags operates 2,400 shops in more than 30 countries and regions worldwide. The Giordano handbags collection is stylish, functional and carries great utility. These Italian inspired handbags serve as a fashion statement that every girl would love to flaunt. These are trendy handbags with the right dash of color. The fall 2019 collection is versatile as it includes a shopping tote, stylish satchels, hobos and duffle. The collection is unique, but as a whole

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is less whimsical than bags from the previous season. Colors and prints are a little more serious, and function is key. Brandzstorm India Marketing holds the exclusive rights to manufacture, distribute, and retail Giordano in India. Brandzstorm is a privately owned company that specializes in manufacturing, sourcing, designing, distributing, marketing and selling premium watch brands, private label handbags and sunglasses along with other accessories through its retail chain of partners, through its wide network of department stores and direct- to-consumer through its e-commerce platforms. It has an in-house dedicated team of design and merchandising, sourcing and production capabilities.

Seven aims at providing accessible fitness not just to sportspeople but anyone who wants to have an active and health-conscious lifestyle. Seven, which opened in 2016, has MS Dhoni as brand curator and ambassador. Seven aims at revolutionising and democratising sports and sportsmanship. Among the products are sports jerseys, training gears, shoes T-shirts, apparel and accessories. Currently Seven sells via online and offline, across India and globally in the Middle East, Africa, South East Asia, Australia, among others. It is present across major e-commerce platforms and multi stores and franchises. Its current pan India presence is primarily through distribution and online partners and also its own website. Apart from its expanding footprint in metros and Tier I cities, Seven is looking at reaching Tier II and III markets in India as these cities have a large untapped potential as also the willingness to spend reasonably on quality products. The Indian sportswear market is growing 22 per cent year on year. With an increase in income people are becoming health and fitness conscious. The lifestyle of the millennial generation is seeing a sea change with the urban Gen-X populace clued in to what is essential for a healthy and stylish lifestyle.

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BraND WATCH

Easies launches stain resistant clothing ewal Kiran Group’s brand Easies has launched formal and casual clothing for men, which is both water repellent and stain resistant. Clothing is usually prone to stain and there is no way to get rid of it easily. This collection also helps conserve water as there are lower chances of soiling one’s clothes. The collection is smart formals for young professionals. The collection uses a range which has smart styles and colors and which is super comfortable to fit in and lets one breathe easily. Easies is synonymous with innovative styles and design. This is the first mainstream denim brand to come out with such an innovative range of clothes. Easies is a part of Kewal Kiran, which also has brands like Killer, LawmanPg3, Integriti and Desi Belle. Kewal Kiran Clothing began operations in 1992. Killer is the flagship denim brand and caters to the 16 to 24 olds. 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

Brands under fire for tactless ads

In the age of social media, brands that do insensitive advertising or have a poor understanding of consumer perceptions face an immediate outrage. Knix, an underwear brand which champions all women to live unapologetically free, released an ad on Twitter and Facebook showing a pair of black underpants discarded alongside a pair of shoes in what appears to be a dirty, unkempt suburban alleyway. The ad spawned widespread backlash and rage among consumers online. H&M recently came under fire after it loaned apparel to a Kazakhstan magazine which featured the brand on a model apparently lying lifeless near a blood-covered knife. Another model was featured lying lifeless on a bed having her stilettos tagged and bagged by forensic scientists. Consumers reacted swiftly, denouncing the magazine, and indirectly H&M, for eroticising violence against women. Online fashion giant Asos sparked outrage last month when it released a key ring

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is to acquire a children’s wear brand and provide a complete shopping experience for the entire family.

labeled stalker. Poor brand decisions, which lack both tact and taste, spell sales death spirals for brands. Worse still, they turn a once positive and benign consumer into a highly activated and motivated justice-seeking warrior, capable of single-handedly spreading negative brand information to an almost limitless social media audience. Revenge-seeking consumers, for example, hold extremely strong, negative emotions toward a brand. These emotions prompt hostile thoughts, malice and brand sabotage.

Armani sells Indian ethnic wear

Italian luxury group Giorgio Armani’s boutique in New Delhi now stocks ethnic men’s wear. The achkans that are perfect for end-of-the year festivities are a blend of Italian tailoring and Indian cuts and have a focus on India’s rich culture and distinctive

spirit. Staying in sync with brand’s minimal and classic aesthetic, the capsule collection plays with a neutral color palette of crisp hues such as white, black, navy and blue, which sit alongside a classic grey melange. There are perfect choices for a cocktail or sangeet party. A pair of pants can be coordinated with a bold contrasting colored pocket square, either solid or printed. A classic pair of oxford shoes in a solid color can complete the look. Armani was slow to embrace social media. From mid September it will have separate dedicated accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani and Armani Exchange. From spring/ summer 2018 Giorgio Armani redesigned its corporate portfolio around these three main labels. Indian consumers are increasingly spending more on ethnic wear. Indian wear, initially largely restricted to the old-age segment, has also found acceptance among younger consumers as companies widen their portfolio to sell fusion clothing — a mix of modern and traditional wear — instead of just ethnic, which is reserved for special occasions.

Football continues to be Adidas forte

Adidas is celebrating 70 years. The sports giant is in the fourth year of its strategy cycle but could only expand the top line in the first half by about four per cent. In India, the brand has a very strong business in football and running. Adidas is the clear market leader in India, it is not just the biggest sportswear company but has also established the most sustainable and profitable business model that operates in India. Over time, Adidas sees India as having the same competitive set found in other markets. Today, Adidas has access to roughly 25 million consumers in India and is optimistic these 25 million consumers over the next few years will become many more. As a company Adidas spends €3 billion a year to create brand demand or brand heat. Of which, roughly half is against sponsorships, athletes, collaborations with federations and clubs, and the other half is used to activate its innovations. Of the half on athletes and clubs, a lion’s share is still football. Other than that the company invests in basketball, Olympic sports, tennis, and continues to sponsor marathons. But football has defined the brand and major investments in terms of endorsements will continue to be in the football space.

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Van Heusen launches TVC to showcase new airport collection

an Heusen, India’s premium menswear brand from Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail has launched a new TV campaign to showcase the Airport range of its Move Labs Collection, a uniquely engineered line for the contemporary man. Set inside a busy airport the fast-paced TV Campaign focuses on Chase Armitage who helps an aide worker retrieve her travel documents in the nick of time. He exhibits powerful parkour stunts, crossing hurdles making his way through the meandering crowd thus displaying determination and resilience. He is sporting the latest collection from Move Labs with the Van Heusen motif emblazoned on his cuff. The campaign will debut nationally across multiple mediums – television, cinema, social media and out of home. Conceptualised by Famous Innovations, the 45 seconds film will be aired nationally across 1300+ movie screens, digital, electronics and will be supported through a diverse promotion strategy in the upcoming months. The Airport range from the Move Labs collection of Van Heusen has been crafted from new-age blends of ultra- stretchable fabric. It is lightweight, wrinkle-free and allows ease of movement that makes travelling seamlessly comfortable which resonates with the fast-paced lifestyle of consumers today.

Indian Terrain launches new campaign with brand ambassador Dhoni

The range includes knitted trousers and blazers in a color palette of modern blues, dusty olives, corals and neutrals. The bi-stretch suit which is a fashion marvel is equipped with auto-flex waist band, elbow stretch and gripper for unrestricted movement.

The campaign is being rolled out across a 360 degree media campaign including print, TV, cinema and multiple social and digital platforms. The TV campaign has been conceptualised by Indian Terrain’s advertising agency Brave New World, directed by Manoj Pillai along with the production House, Think Pot. It portrays the faces and lives of a cross section of men from the country acknowledging their contribution towards building the nation.

Raymond wins PCIAW award To mark its 20th anniversary, India’s leading menswear brand, Indian Terrain is set to launch its latest campaign ‘The Spirit of Man, with brand ambassador cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The campaign balances style with substance to recognise the lives and aspirations of the brand’s audience. To set the pace for a new decade in its journey, the campaign showcases Dhoni highlighting the brand’s Autumn/Winter ’19 collection. The campaign showcases how every person in the country, just by living his daily life and chasing personal ambition can contribute to the growth of a nation. Targeted towards the youth and millennials, the campaign encourages youngsters to pursue their dreams.

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Raymond has won an award from the Professional Clothing Industry Association Worldwide (PCIAW). The award is for best product manufacturer and distributor. Raymond is a powerhouse in institution wear and offers design to delivery uniform solutions across various industries and the Indian armed forces. In close consultation with clients, the business works to understand the essence of the institution’s brand, organizational values and its cultural ethos. The business is also the foremost name in providing technical textiles, including manufacture of specialty fabrics to match the purpose of a distinct profession, for instance, fireproof or fire-resistant fabric for fire brigade staff or cut-resistant fabric for staff working at steel plants.

Raymond adopts a first-of-its-kind industryspecific approach to cater to the unique uniform requirements of industries spanning airlines, IT, hotels, automobiles, infrastructure, education and police. With unmatched capability in mass customisation of high quality products and backward integration with garmenting and tailoring facilities, Raymond has taken a quantum leap in operational performance beyond the industry benchmark through deployment of solutions and design thinking. PCIAW is considered the topmost benchmark globally for B2B business in professional clothing. Competitors included Incorporate wear, Cintas, Dickies, Hunter, and iconic brands like Virgin Galactic.

Toonz Retail to sell Indian Terrain, Nauti Nati merchandise India’s leading kid’s retail chain Toonz Retail has partnered apparel brands Indian Terrain and Nauti Nati to sell their merchandise at its outlets across the country. The brand will initially sell Indian Terrain and Nauti Nati products at 28 of its outlets in India and later take these brands to all its 100 plus outlets. Toonz Retail expects to widen its customer base with its association with these brands and expects to generate strong sales during the festive season. The association has come at the most appropriate time as the festive season has started and parents have begun shopping for their kids. Toonz Retail currently has more than 100 outlets across 64 cities with a strong presence in tier 2 and 3 cities. It plans to add around 200 stores in the next three years.

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BraND WATCH

Trends signs up Vicky Kaushal, Janhvi Kapoor as brand ambassadors

pparel and accessories specialty chain of Reliance Retail, Trends has appointed bollywood actors Vicky Kaushal and Janhvi Kapoor as its new brand ambassadors. Trends’ new national festive TV campaign featuring Kaushal and Kapoor is currently on air on all leading channels across genres like general entertainment channels, movie channels, news channels & sports and will go on until Diwali. The TV campaign, featuring both the actors for the East/Durga Puja markets, will be supported by an outdoor campaign also featuring them in the Trends festive collection. Trends is India’s largest apparel destination that serves the latest in fashion to a vast majority of customers. One of the biggest and the fastest growing apparel

Cultsport sportswear names cricketer Jasprit Bumrah as brand ambassador

Virat Kohli’s brand One8 launches athleisure for boys

retail chains in India, its key objective is to establish a strong connect with the youth across the country. Its new festive campaign positions the brand as a desirable apparel destination that enables today’s fashion conscious generation to make a confident fashion statement.

and Myntra. Curefit was launched in 2016 by Myntra co-founder Mukesh Bansal and exchief business officer at Flipkart Ankit Nagori, it is currently valued at over $500 million (Rs 3,326 crore).

Avon brings lingerie to India

Sportswear brand Cultsport owned by Curefit has named Indian cricketer Jasprit Bumrah as the brand ambassador for the Indian market.The Indian pacer will endorse the brand’s apparel and footwear. Cultssport was launched earlier this year is looking to strengthen its brand presence with this association. The Indian pacer will endorse the brand’s apparel and footwear. Commenting on the association with the brand, Bumrah in a statement said, “I am excited to associate with a brand like cultsport that is innovating in quality sportswear and footgear made for everyday active athletes like you and me.” Gautam Kotamraju, Head at Cultsport added, “We are happy to embark on this collaborative journey with Jasprit Bumrah. Together, we are confident of not only enhancing our brand presence across the country but also creating high-quality products that help the everyday athlete look good and perform better every day. Bumrah was a natural choice for us as he is an epitome of our brand traits of precision, performance, and perfection.” Cultsport currently sells in India through the Curefit app and e-commerce platforms Flipkart

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revenue for Avon, followed by skin care, jewelry and fragrance. Avon is planning digital campaigns for its jewelry category around the festive season. Avon Intense is a fragrance range. For the brand, the east and the northeast are the most revenue-generating markets.

One8 has launched athleisure for boys in collaboration with Puma. The collection comprises a range of sneakers, tees, shorts, active pants and accessories such as backpacks and beanies for boys aged 4 to14 years. One8 is a brand run by Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli. Puma is a German sportswear brand. The collection will be sold both on offline and online channels of Puma across the country. 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. With this collaboration, One8 which sells adult apparel, footwear, fragrances, packaged water and energy drinks has forayed into the children’s category with the intention of encouraging children to play more and remain physically fit. And with this launch, Puma looks at building this segment for younger consumers. Puma One8, co-owned by Kohli and Puma, grossed over Rs 100 crores in the Indian market within a year of its launch in 2018. Other Indian cricketers such as MS Dhoni with the brand Seven, Sachin Tendulkar with SRT and Yuvraj Singh with YouWeCan have their own range of sports and athleisure wear. Athletes like tennis player Roger Federer, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and former basketball legend Michael Jordan have rolled out their brands too.

Avon has launched its lingerie range in India. The brand feels India has a huge expansive potential for the inner wear market due to the maturing minds of Indian audience, who are receptive to international trends and brands. The target group is working women in the age group of 28 to 40 years. Avon caters to the premium segment in the lingerie market. Avon is looking at innerwear becoming an integral part of the portfolio in India with a substantial business contribution in the coming years from the segment. The intimate wear market is expected to grow at ten per cent over the next decade. Avon is a direct selling organisation and is focused on cultivating its pool of beauty representatives to reach more consumers and eventually become a household name. It also uses social media to reach out to consumers who are already looking for the brand’s content. The color category is a major source of

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BraND reTail

Tiffany to open in New Delhi

eliance Brands is bringing jewelry brand Tiffany to India. The first store will open in January 2020 in New Delhi to be followed a few months later by a store in Mumbai. Tiffany is a global luxury jeweler with stores in many of the world’s most important cities. It operates more than 320 stores in more than 25 countries with over 80 in AsiaPacific, as well as e-commerce websites in 14 markets. Worldwide net sales in the first quarter of 2019 declined three per cent year on year and its net earnings were 12 per cent lower than that a year ago. The company’s first quarter results reflect significant foreign exchange headwinds and dramatically lower

HSE launches 20th store Indya store in Kolkata

worldwide spending attributed to foreign tourists. In Asia Pacific, the company’s total net sales declined one per cent. For Reliance Brands it’s Christmas rather than Diwali that fetches business. Reliance Brands is a part of Reliance Industries and manufactures and markets jewelry, watches and luxury accessories. Reliance Industries operates its retail business through Reliance Retail Ventures, the holding company for Reliance Retail and Reliance Brands. Reliance Retail has a portfolio of more than 40 international brands that span luxury, bridge to luxury, high premium and high street lifestyle. The company operates 661

and aesthetics of the modern Indian woman. The brand emphasises on new-age silhouettes that incorporate traditional embroideries, prints and motifs. Apart from a thriving online store, the brand currently has over 200 offline retail touchpoints, including EBOs and MBOs.

FabAlley and Indya open joint store in Chennai High Street Essentials (HSE) recently launched its 12th Indya store and this one in New Town, Kolkata. It is the brand’s first store in the city. Spread across 750 sq. ft., the store houses an exciting and extensive range of fusion separates – tunics that span from traditional kurtas to new-age draped designs, pants and skirts with classic cuts along with fashion-forward styles with attached sari drapes and tops to suit every mood and occasion. The store also marks the launch of Indya’s Autumn/Winter ’19 collection – Shades of Autumn. The collection employs contemporary detailing in a tapestry of bold, autumnal hues. Classic, elegant, edgy and bohemian, this collection serves effortlessly stylish designs to take you from morning to night. Indya, an omnichannel fast fashion brand, was born out of a thought to re-look at ethnic fashion and design by considering the lifestyle

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FabAlley and Indya have set up a joint store in Chennai. The idea is to focus on trendcentric fashion for women in their mid-20s and early 30s. FabAlley and Indya are brands belonging to High Street Essentials. Boasting minimalistic and uncluttered interiors, the store features gold and copper accents that spell a sense of luxury. With the festival season fast approaching, gold prints, bold greens and subdued mustards outline Indya’s autumn/ winter collection. A variety of textures like art silk, chanderi and georgettes and unique styles like the attached dupatta top and cigarette

pants offer mix and match options. The Western section has a range of peplum tops and maxi dresses dipped in autumnal hues of dreamy blues, deep wine and classic neutrals. Floral crop tops along with jumpsuits and wrap tops are rendered through skin friendly and breathable fabric. The market for fashion for Indian women is dominated by Western and Chinese brands that do not consider the various body types and climatic conditions in the country. FabAlley aims to compete with these global brands by offering trend centric fashion in an affordable price range. Indya offers fusion Indian clothing. High Street Essentials was set up in 2012. Its brands are available at outlets such as Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop and Central, the company felt the need to bring an exclusive touch-and-feel experience to customers.

Online brand Turn Black opens store

E-commerce brand Turn Black sells only black clothing. The aim is to de-stigmatise the color in Indian fashion. From sketch to prototype to final product, Turn Black crafts its pieces with the same approach as the world’s design houses. A shopping destination for the busy, dynamic woman, it creates timeless pieces in all things black since this is a color that encapsulates the contradictions and complexities of human beings and is capable of being both severe and demure, chic and antifashion, seductive and conservative, common and avant-garde, all at the same time. Turn Black launched in 2018 retails its men’s and women’s wear from its dedicated e-commerce store. The brand has opened its first brick-and-mortar store and this is in South Delhi. The store has a minimalist white interior with simple metal furnishings which, filled with the brand’s all-black ensembles, creates a striking aesthetic. The store launched with the brand’s latest women’s wear collection. The collection features a range of simple and versatile pieces such as the Black Mirage Chanderi silk co-ord, Midnight Flame linen bodice, Sojourn loose top, and Primavera gathered dress. The store will also be a space in which the brand can hold events, the first of which will be a in-black session, which will be a stage for creative minds to come and express themselves.

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Brand Retail

Bestseller India to add 25 stores a year

lothing retailer Bestseller India will continue with its expansion plan by adding at least 25 stores every year despite the current slowdown in the Indian market. The company witnessed a drop in its overall sales over the last few quarters but is confident of a revival post the reduction in corporate tax by the government. Its sales picked up in the current quarter and the company expects strong sales in the upcoming festive season. This will enable to close the fiscal with a double digit growth. A leading fashion company, Bestseller’s portfolio of brands includes Only, Vero Moda, Jack & Jones among many others. It sells through exclusive brand outlets, multibrand outlets and various e-commerce platforms in India.

Wills Lifestyle to shut shop

Amit Aggarwal opens flagship in New Delhi

tax also affected ITC’s lifestyle business adversely. Presently, Wills Lifestyle runs 350 outlets across multiple channels, including e-commerce. But its stores are gradually shutting down due to high real estate prices and increasing operating costs. ITC entered the lifestyle apparel business in 2000 through the Wills Lifestyle stores and launched John Players targeted at youth in 2002. However, the firm could not build the brand and it emerged in the recent restructuring exercise that it had no synergy with the premium lifestyle retail business.

East Asian retailers in India face price challenge

ITC reportedly will soon shut down its premium brand Wills Lifestyle. This step is in line with the company’s wider strategy to restructure and remodel the loss-making lifestyle retailing vertical. The company earlier this year had re-launched Wills Lifestyle as WLS. Its other retail brand John Players has been sold to Reliance Retail. Reliance has acquired the assets of John Players, which includes the brand and distribution rights through 750 stores, including 65 exclusive franchise outlets. The acquisition will help Reliance bolster its own-brand apparel business, which will be an important element of its upcoming e-commerce business. It will strengthen Reliance Retail’s readymade garments and accessories portfolio in the fashion and lifestyle retail space. Wills Lifestyle has been hit by competition from value fashion retailers and e-commerce companies offering aggressive discounts. The rollout of the goods and services

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Furthermore, sourcing from outside India and having local partners drive prices up. Miniso is based in China. Ximiso is a Korean lifestyle brand. Muji is a Japanese retailer of household and consumer goods. Miniso and Ximiso sell everything from nail paints and earphones to stuffed toys. These retailers are addressing an untapped market in India. They offer a host of products in the range of Rs 100 to Rs 500, similar to the neighborhood kirana and stationery stores, but in a better retail environment.

For East Asian retailers like Miniso, Ximiso and Muji who have set foot in India, price positioning will be tricky. They are known as low-cost retailers but carrying forth the mass market and low cost positioning from their home countries to India will be a challenge. Muji is hardly a low cost brand by Indian standards. A 24-sheet notepad at Muji costs around Rs 100 while a pair of ankle-length socks costs Rs 390. Any international fashion brand tends to have a premium tinge in India even if it is a mass/mid market brand in its home country. There are multiple reasons for this. Average household incomes in India are far lower than those in markets like Europe.

Designer Amit Aggarwal has opened his first flagship store at The Kila, New Delhi. It houses his latest couture collection. The store has been designed to reflect his futuristic couture and the boutique features iridescent walls and sculptural furniture to create a 1960s-esque space age aesthetic. Aggarwal launched his eponymous brand in 2012 after working for designer Tarun Tahiliani. The designer also launched his ready-to-wear brand Am.It in 2015. He is known for adding shape and structure to fabrics. His couture label’s mainstay identity lies in the fashion fantasy of architecture and structure. With the brand focused on sustainable development, Amit has been also been successful in showcasing repurposed patola saris and vintage Benarasi weaves on the ramp. He has focused on engineering modern and innovative silhouettes inspired by nature’s forms and blended with India’s rich textile heritage. The design process has been inspired by the making of crystal. Unique materials are forged together to create a singular unit and then repeated to create complex patterns, textiles and embroidery. The form and texture are also in sync and are designed to be sharp, angular and crystalline in appearance. The metallic encasing around the butterfly cocoon has also been the aesthetic influence behind the collection.

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BraND reTail

Uniqlo opens first India store in New Delhi’s Ambience Mall

niqlo has come to India with a store in New Delhi. If this fetches good business, the Japanese fashion retailer will look at other cities in India. Uniqlo sees brick and mortar stores as its strength and the place where it offers real world services. Uniqlo is not interested in buying any business online but is prepared to invest in the right IT infrastructure and wants to uncover a good partnership opportunity. Uniqlo is not looking at online in the immediate future but in the near future is interested in launching online in India. But the priority is to be educated about the Indian market. The Japanese fashion brand, which opened in 1984, is one of the world’s most recognized and successful clothing

Fusionwear brand W opens new store in Ahmedabad

W, a premium fusion wear brand recently opened its new store in Ahmedabad. Spread across 687 sq. ft, the store is located at One Mall, a popular retail destination in the city. The store displays 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 fusion wear and stays a step ahead of the fashion curve. In their Festive’19 collection, W offers different designs and silhouettes; providing a complete wardrobe solution for women. Keeping with tradition, this season W goes sustainable and fashionable yet again with its latest ‘Pop Sets’, catering to a class of consumers who prefer stylish and sustainable products. Presenting

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companies with a presence in 22 markets across Europe, the US, and Asia. It has about 2,200 stores across the world. One of the distinctive elements of Uniqlo’s designs is that it doesn’t conform to any trend. Uniqlo is always checking, researching and studying trends: what’s happening, what’s continuing, what’s going down. It believes people should have their individuality and its design philosophy is how it can provide support in creating that individuality with its clothes. In a lot of cases, the designs work for all. That means, even if the brand comes to a completely new market like India, where there are different cultures and visions, there is no pressure on the brand.

the perfect union of pop colors & trendy silhouettes, the brand takes an unconventional approach to the festive dressing. The highlight of the store is the new 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 colour that helps better focus on colours 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.

add five more stores in the east in the next few months. The value fashion retailer has pan India expansion plans, which include entering new states like Delhi NCR, Uttarakhand, and Assam. V Bazaar is one of north India’s largest retail chains and has over 60 stores in the region in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh. V Bazaar offers superior merchandise, service and an international shopping experience. Considering the value retail format the major collection consists of basic knit wear. Its ratio of fashion to basic is 1:4. The retailer does have high street fashion and other fashionable designs but to a smaller extent. Men’s wear fashion is rugby polo T-shirts, cut n sew T-shirts, active raglan T-shirts, cut n sew bermudas, pajamas, among others. Women’s fashion is peplum tops, boat neck tops, cut n sew bottom wear and many more. The value retail format contributes majorly to knitwear sales due to the very affordable cost of knitted garments and the variety of styles available. High street fast fashion is majorly about knitwear and denim. Knitwear has a big role to play in the casual wear category and is readily accepted among the masses.

Gaurav Gupta opens first store in Hyderabad As a celebration of his brand’s 15th anniversary, designer Gaurav Gupta opened his first Hyderabad store recently. The store features the designer’s latest couture collection. Located in Banjara Hills it houses royal furniture which contrasts with its simple and metal poles. The store brings together the romance of the regal old and new in a harmonious contrast. Its interiors are painted in white, grey, and gold tones which further accentuate his latest jewel toned couture collection. Gupta was recently presented with the GQ “Designer of the Year” award at an event at the JW Marriott in Juhu, Mumbai. The designer launched his eponymous brand in 2005 in New Delhi after graduating from Central Saint Martin’s College, London. Along with its new Kolkata and Hyderabad stores, the brand also has two flagships in New Delhi and one in Mumbai.

V Bazaar Retail opens first store in Orissa V Bazaar Retail has entered the eastern region with a store in Orissa. The plan is to

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Brand Retail

Raymond plans to open more brand stores

aymond plans to have 1,500 branded stores across India in the next two years. As of now there are 1000 such stores. Most of the new Raymond stores will be opened through franchises. Raymond currently operates a network of 1,500 stores across all the brands in 600 cities. Of these 1,500 stores, 1000 are Raymond stores and rest are from other brands which include Park Avenue, Color Plus and Parx. The average size of a Raymond store is around 2000 sq feet, but the company has opened 300 mini TRS (The Raymond Shop) in the last 18 months with sizes ranging between 800 sq ft to 1200 sq feet. Most of the expansion is happening in Tier IV, V and VI, where Raymond has close to 550 stores.

Groversons launches new store in New Delhi

Lingerie brand Groversons Paris Beauty has launched its new store in New Delhi. The store offers visually appealing category wise merchandising, an exclusive collection with international designs and a special category allotted to plus size lingerie. Its design offers a right combination of fixtures and colors and its visually appealing merchandise enables its customer to browse through the collection and find the right style and size. The window display highlights the products available on display. These products also act as the opening pages of a brochure, which prepares the reader of what to expect inside.

Celio launches 50th store in India

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The iconic brand, with a legacy spanning over 90 years, started its retail journey in 1958 by opening its first shop in Mumbai. Raymond has the largest branded fashion retail network in the country. Raymond also operates 18 stores in Bangladesh, four stores in Nepal and around ten stores in the Middle East and Pakistan. It plans to have 50 stores in Bangladesh, where it is investing substantially, and is also evaluating entering the US market.

Celio, the French menswear brand, recently launched its 50th store in India. This move is part of the brand’s ambitious and aggressive expansion strategy in the country. Spread across 800 sq ft, the new Celio Store is located on the Frazer Road in Patna. The brand has 49 more stores in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Jaipur, Dehradun, Vadodara, Mysore, Nagpur, Noida, Kolkata, Chennai, Kochi, Tirupati, Khozhikode, Pondicherry and Belgavi. Believing EBOs to be a significant part of its growth strategy, the brand aims to make French fashion accessible and available to all by setting up more stores across the country. The brand also has a strong presence on major e-commerce channels such as Myntra, Amazon, Jabong and Flipkart.

however, continue to operate its stores in Latin America and Mexico. In the US, the brand could shut as many as 178 stores. The retailer has 815 stores in 57 countries. Competition from online retail and existing fast fashion brands has weighed heavy on its popularity. Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, which acquired the license for Forever 21 from DLF Brands and Diana Retail in 2016, also operates brands such as Allen Solly and Van Heusen in India.

The House of Angadi to launch multi-designer store in Bengaluru The House of Angadi will soon launch a multi-designer retail space, Angadi Heritage in Bengaluru. The 18,000 sq ft store will feature Indian textiles and handlooms. Its exterior façade and structure has been created by architect Brinda Somaya. From repurposed heritage furniture to an ikat-inspired light installation by Klove Studio, the interiors are designed by Abha Narain Lambah, who seamlessly combines traditional accents with India’s textile aesthetic. The terrace of the store displays a tiny sample of the exhaustive archive of Kanjeevarams and textiles preserved across generations of Radharaman’s family—from Kadhua in a Benarasi silk handwoven georgette to the world’s first-ever Khadi Kanjeevaram.

Forever 21 to continue in India Stores of the brand Forever 21 in India will not be impacted in any way by its restructuring underway now in the United States, says Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, which runs Forever 21 in India as a franchise operation. However, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail may downsize the brand’s stores, cut costs and focus on opening new but smaller stores for Forever 21. Forever 21 has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US. The American fast fashion retailer known for its cheap and trendy apparel and accessories plans to shut as many as 350 stores across the world, largely in the United States and exit from some markets in Asia and Europe as part of its restructuring. It will,

The collection displayed at the store has been completely handcrafted from designers across India. It features leather accessories by Nappa Dori; personal care from Pure Earth; fragrances by The Perfume Library; apparel labels such as Anavila, Urvashi Kaur, 11.11, Injiri, Rimzim Dadu, Akaaro; menswear by Suket Dhir and Rajesh Pratap Singh; as well as children’s wear by Love The World Today alongwith The House of Angadi’s own inhouse ready to wear and sari labels.

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Brand Retail

Elahe to celebrate 20th birthday with a new multi-brand boutique in Kolkata

ulti-brand luxury Indian fashion retailer Elahe opened a boutique in Kolkata on September 30 as it gears up to celebrate its 20th birthday. The designers whose creations feature in the new store include: Amit Aggarwal, Anavila, Kora, Myoho, Raw Mango, Payal Khandwala, Chola, Eka, Kaveri, Jayanti Reddy, Nakul Sen, Payal Pratap, Vipul Shah, and Vivek

Nike slashes store count in India

Narang among others. The boutique carries a similar brand selection in its original Hyderabad store. The new store’s interior is light and modern, mixing off white walls and flooring with an open, natural wood staircase. Textile art adorns the walls and large chandeliers hang from the store’s high ceiling. An array of opulent traditional wear for the

products into the domestic market. The US-headquartered company hit $10.7 billion in global revenue lifted by its sales in China during the first quarter ended August 31.

Retailers assess small towns

Nike has cut the number of stores in India to around 150. The world’s largest sportswear maker has all but withdrawn from most of its franchise agreements in India, and has decided to go along with only one strategic partner, which will operate its offline stores. Nike will directly focus on online sales in India. The move is part of a global restructuring process where the company is focusing on 12 key global cities including New York, Shanghai, London, Tokyo, Paris and Mexico City to achieve 80 per cent of its projected growth by 2020. No Indian city features on that list. Nike started consolidating its business in India in 2016 when it shuttered 35 per cent of its stores. During its peak, the owner of the iconic Swoosh logo operated around 350 stores across the country. Subsequently, the company downsized its workforce in India, asking many to join its operations in southeast Asia. Before Nike officially forayed into India with its subsidiary around 15 years ago, SSIPL (formerly known as Moja Shoes), brought Nike

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Major retailers are taking an interest in India’s lower tier cities. For one real estate costs are up to 40 per cent lower than in metros and Tier I cities. Helped by increasingly brand aware consumers, the fashion retail industry in these areas is expected to increase business threefold by 2025.

Most retailers haven’t yet figured out how to grow and maintain brick and mortar profitability while trying to keep up with online retail. And as retailers have cut costs by opting for smaller stores, they are having to rethink what they do with excess stock. Once they would have shifted this via secondary channels such as discounters, but with suppliers reluctant to see the perception of their brands eroded in this way many retailers are instead looking to open in Tier II and III markets. But there are challenges even in these

current festive season takes centre stage and the space houses the full spectrum of contemporary Indian fashion design. Elahe was founded by Elahe Hiptoolah and opened in its first incarnation Hyderabad in the mid-1990s. After Hiptoolah moved on to become a film producer, the boutique was taken over by current owners Smita and Rajiv Shroff in 2000.

markets. Consumers may initially welcome the new arrivals, but retailers will have to carefully assess what they offer and the price they charge. Prices might be too high for small towns, which will make it difficult for retailers to survive in these markets. Also high-end fashion available in cities may not appeal to customers residing in smaller towns.

Status Quo launches store in Ludhiana Known as one of the fastest-growing fashion retailers known for their quality and affordable styles, Status Quo, recently opened its first store on Malhar Road, Ludhiana. The store was inaugurated by Punjabi actor, Sonam Bajwa who welcomed the customers along with brand owner Bobby Arora. Spread over 1,000 sq. ft, in Saraba Nagar, the store, which has a rustic and an edgy look, will offer an exhaustive range of fashion muse as well as essentials for men, teenagers, and kids. It aims to be the fashion destination for Ludhiana customers with its tasteful yet reliable winter collection. The brand kickstarted its stores with Punjab as North India has always been a strong region for it. The brand plans to launch more stores across India in future

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Brand Retail

Fabindia aims at 40 experience centers

alongwith The House of Angadi’s own inhouse ready to wear and sari labels.

Pantaloons splashed all over Kolkata

abindia plans to have some 40 experience centers before the end of the current financial year. The company expects strong sales during the upcoming festive season despite the slowdown and expects a rise in revenue on the back of its retail expansion this fiscal. The ethnic lifestyle retailer is also working with 60,000 artisans from 25 states for its products and recently extended its product portfolio across categories. Fabindia is India’s largest private platform for products that are made from traditional techniques, skills and hand-based processes. It believes in giving employment to craftsmen where they can do their work

The White Crow plans four more stores The House of Angadi will soon launch a multi-designer retail space, Angadi Heritage in Bengaluru. The 18,000 sq ft store will feature Indian textiles and handlooms. Its exterior façade and structure has been created by architect Brinda Somaya. From repurposed heritage furniture to an ikat-inspired light installation by Klove Studio, the interiors are designed by Abha Narain Lambah, who seamlessly combines traditional accents with India’s textile aesthetic. The terrace of the store displays a tiny sample

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in their own environment. Ethnic fashion is a major segment in the total fashion sales of Fabindia. Besides apparels, Fabindia has home furnishings, furniture, gifts, jewelry, organic food and personal care products. The brand has a total of 301 stores spread across the country, of which 230 are owned by the company. Fabindia is emphasizing on e-commerce and will expand its omnichannel capability to all its stores from just 100 now. Online sales as of now account for less than five per cent of its total sales. Fabindia has opened a store in the northeast that deals in garments, jewelry, organic foods and personal care products. This is the brand’s tenth store in the northeast.

of the exhaustive archive of Kanjeevarams and textiles preserved across generations of Radharaman’s family—from Kadhua in a Benarasi silk handwoven georgette to the world’s first-ever Khadi Kanjeevaram. The collection displayed at the store has been completely handcrafted from designers across India. It features leather accessories by Nappa Dori; personal care from Pure Earth; fragrances by The Perfume Library; apparel labels such as Anavila, Urvashi Kaur, 11.11, Injiri, Rimzim Dadu, Akaaro; menswear by Suket Dhir and Rajesh Pratap Singh; as well as children’s wear by Love The World Today

Kinetic India, a part of the WPP entity, has helped Pantaloons create a buzz around its festive collection in West Bengal and the Northeast. Fashion retailer Pantaloons has 67 destinations spread across the East. The ethnic collection curated especially for Durga Puja was unveiled at all stores across West Bengal and the Northeastern states. Considering the enormous turnouts of customers that occurs during West Bengal’s most awaited and grandly celebrated festival, Kinetic selected impactful sites and placed bigsized billboards along the routes that lead to Pantaloons stores via market areas. Engaging the audience via the medium of digital media, digital TV screens were placed along Metro stations in Kolkata. The creative campaign effectively conveys and highlights the culture and celebrations of Puja. They showcase Pantaloons as the stylish fashion destination for shopping with friends and loved ones during festivities. Since a lot of native residents return home to celebrate the festival with their families, digital media has been implemented at Kolkata airport. Complete AC metro wraps added to the impact. Kolkata is the city where Pantaloons first made its presence in the country. The metro comes alive during Durga Puja, which makes it the perfect time for retail brands to showcase their ethnic collections.

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COlleCTiONS

Arrow develops smart shirt

rrow has developed a smart shirt with a chip. It lets one share their LinkedIn and Facebook account details and even their visiting card details with just a tap. It lets one play their favorite music on their smart phone or via bluetooth connecting speakers. During a meeting, a tap on the cuff ensures the phone goes on silent mode. When a calls comes, it automatically sends a message saying the call will be answered later. Arrow has been at the forefront of several innovations like the detachable collar, the first pre-shrunk cotton short, and the stitchless shirt. It took Arrow a year and a half to develop this range. It has been through various tests to make sure that it is free of harmful radiation, beep-free under metal detectors and will withstand washing as well as ironing. The company will extend the wearable technology to other areas such as women’s wear and athleisure wear. US-based Arrow, is better known for its

Designer Anju Modi unveils new Biba collection in Kolkata

Designer AnjuModi recently unveiled an exclusive collection titled ‘Biba by AnjuModi’, at its store in South City Mall, Kolkata. The collection aims to tap the niche premium ethnic wear segment in the country. It offers metallic and floral prints, intricate hand embroidery and fine zari work on pure fine fabrics like silk, chanderi, velvet and modal. The collection caters to the needs of those consumers who wish to avail the brand’s designs at discounted rates. It fulfills their need for premium designer occasion wear. The collection will be retailed at select BIBA stores in India.

Clovia launches moisturewicking active wear Clovia a lingerie brand owned by Purple Panda Fashions has launched a range of active wear with moisture-wicking properties. The new collection includes workout pants with a high waistband to support tummy and sports bras. After tapping

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formal menswear collection for office-goers. Offerings under the Arrow brand include a broad assortment of apparel, including dress shirts, neckwear, sportswear, and accessories. There are two collections a year, spring/summer and fall/winter. The target consumer is 24 to 40.

a large chunk of the online lingerie market in India, Clovia is now looking make a mark in the active wear segment with new offerings. With portfolio expansion, Clovia has been growing at 100 per cent every quarter and currently ships over 6,00,000 units monthly. Maternity wear is also in the offing. Clovia is looking at the women’s apparel market for growth. Along with the expansion of its product portfolio, the company has also planned retail expansion across India. Clovia currently has around 15 exclusive stores and is also available in around 250 multi-brand outlets and shop-in-shops. Clovia will open another 15 exclusive brand outlets this year coupled with an additional 200 touch points in multibrand outlets and shop-in-shops. Plans are on to expand its footprint across the country, both through offline stores and by strengthening its presence on the online platform Offline now accounts for around 15 per cent to 20 per cent of its total sales while the balance 80 per cent happens online.

Pero opts for neutral colors

to a new audience. The characteristic of the brand lies in the weaving process, where fabric and materials transfer from the hands of one artisan to another, bringing alive the Indian culture of handcrafting and designing pieces that are different. Pero reinvents classical styles to contemporary buyer’s aesthetics; its sensitivities evoke an impeccable statement in daily dressing. Every season is a spoonful of selections that vocalize comfort in hand-stitched natural materials, exquisitely crafted pieces that not only empower women behind it but append significance for the wearer as well. The brand is deep-rooted in the ideology of upcycling. The label recreates recyclable materials and molds them into chic, wearable merchandise.

Ishaavi launches new collection from recycled and organic textiles New brand Ishaavi is using recycled fabric scraps and organic textiles for its first collection titled “Glass Bamboo”. The collection is made from fabric scraps, cuttings, headers, mockups, overstock bolts, and other unwanted excess fabric to reduce waste in the industry. It features loose tunics and kurtas in neutral tones, reds, and navy blues. The brand’s products range in from Rs 2,000 ($28.21) to Rs 14,000, which makes them affordable for everyone. The brand uses popup shops and events to promote its operations, and is currently expanding its retail presence. It is also gearing up to launch a dedicated e-commerce site in around six weeks. This e-commerce site will expand its customer reach besides allowing its shoppers across India to purchase its sustainable designs.

Fashion brand Pero’s autumn/ winter 2019 women’s collection features a neutral color palette of navy blues and greys. The androgynous collection mixes classic western wear tailoring with traditional Indian dying techniques and small flourishes of brightly colored embroidery. The 10 year old brand is known for its innovative embroidery and sustainable design. Péro will hold two pop-up events on September 27, one in collaboration with Cinnamon in Bengaluru and one in collaboration with Elahe Urban in Hyderabad. The event will give Hyderabad’s shoppers a chance to see Péro’s current collection in person and take the brand

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COVer STOrY

Pragati Srivastava Director

“Designed to feed the comfort and style quotient of the millennial, our AW 19 collection is characterised by great functionality and sustainability.”

Parx: Turns its focus to millennial women with a trendy collection Parx, the premium fashion casual lifestyle brand from the House of Raymond, recently completed 20 years of its operations in India. Over the years, the brand has successfully captured the attention of young Indian men. It now turns its attention to Indian women with the launch of its Parx Woman range.

part of the brand’s AW 19 Collection, the recently launched Parx Woman range is designed for the young millennial girls. Edgy, trendy and super affordable, the collection is characterised by a full range of woven and knit tops, shirts, dresses, sweatshirt, pullover, outerwear, bottoms and, denim. “Its delicate floral motifs,

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• Parx recently launched a women’s range as a part of its AW 19 Collection • This range focuses on athleisure • Parx’s AW 19 Collection is based on the theme of ‘The Winter Game’ • It incorporates novel design elements such as color blocks and tapes • The brand plans to launch 8-10 EBOs by the end of this financial year.

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COVER STORY prints and embroideries give the entire range a cool and casual look while the intrinsic tape detailing and cut and sew placements add a sporty touch to it,” notes Pragati Srivastava, Director of the brand. The use of pearls and studs across this collection gives it a perfect amount of bling with luxrex and crystal tape detailing adding a touch of shimmer. Focusing on atleisure, the range blends functionality with ease to offer clothes that are not just trendy but also affordable.

Menswear focuses on sports and athleisure Similar to the women’s range, the menswear range of the collection reﬂects the attitude and vibrancy of the new millennial. “Inspired by the sports and athleisure, the collection incorporates novel design elements such as color blocks and tapes. Its color palette ranges from earthy mid tones to winter darks. Its heavy brush fabrics, acrylic blends and pre winter polos further enhance its style quotient while the eco-friendly ﬁnishes promote sustainability,” adds Srivastava. The collection uses super stretch and high functional fabrics for achieving a two-way stretch in shirts and denims and a 4-way stretch in knits and trousers. “These fabrics

Innovations over the years Incepted in 1999, Parx has launched several innovative concepts like reversible shirts and t-shirts over the last 20 years of its operations. One of these innovations includes yoga denims and chinos made from super stretch fabrics. “Designed to suit one’s active lifestyle, these denims provide a great amount of comfort to person wearing them besides allowing him to move freely,” notes Srivastava. The brand also offers a range of aroma t-shirts that uses the fragrance encapsulation technique to keep these t-shirts fresh and fragrant for a long time. Its eco range embraces sustainability at all levels of yarns, finishes, and washes including recycled cotton, organic cotton, BCI, Cotton bamboo, tencel blends, recycled PET, PCW, etc. “Similarly, our Smart range is made from performance fabrics and finishes that include modal fibers, anti stain and wrinkle free finishes while the cool range uses engineered fabrics and finishes to regulate the body temperature,” adds Srivastava.

“The use of delicate ﬂoral motifs, prints and embroideries in this collection give it a cool and casual look, with intrinsic tape detailing and cut and sew placements adding a sporty touch.” Expanding its reach Currently, Parx’s collections are available in certain selected EBOs only. However, the brand plans to expand its reach across India by setting up 8-10 more EBOs by the end of this ﬁnancial year. “We also plan to retail our collections through all leading large format stores and e-commerce portals such as RaymondNext,” adds Srivastava.

are designed to meet the active lifestyle of new millennial generation,” adds Srivastava. Another important part of this collection is the Dura range of denims made from high twist yarns and weaves. “Engineered to endure and deliver high performance, these denims are made from colored and printed wefts which add style and vibrancy to the entire look,” adds Srivastava.

“We plan to retail our collection in all leading LFSs and e-commerce portals such as RaymondNext.”

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LEad Story

Stori Fashions continues with its tradition of innovations in all collections For over two decades, Stori Fashions has stayed ahead through fabric, style and product innovations in all its three sub-brands; Stori, RedFlame and Dagerrfly. The brand continues with this tradition with new collections and retail expansion.

he journey of Stori Fashions began in 1998 with a dream to create India’s most renowned garment company that also caters to the international market. Over these 21 years, the brand has built upon its core values to offer innovative and superior quality products with the support of its design, production and sales teams.

Combining classic with current The brand continues with this tradition in its latest A/W ’19 collection that introduces many innovative concepts like performance -blended fibers, merged floral prints and

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• Stori Fashions’ A/W ’19 collection introduces innovative concepts • For S/S ’20 season, casual brand RedFlame plans to launch a collection called Urban Street • Denim brand Dagerrfly launching a range of women’s denim in S/S’20 • Will also expand retail network by adding 1,000 MBOs and 25 EBOs by 2020 dense checks in the men’s shirt range. The washed casual blazers and T-shirts in this collection have already set new trends in India’s ready to wear market. “The collection is modern with a universal essence and local

connect. It combines the classic with the current, and is colourful, fun, easy, confident and also very accessible,” says Manoj Bhaiya, Managing Director of the brand. “It is designed for someone who understands quality and

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LEad Story accepted within a short span of time and currently constitutes 15 per cent of our business,” Bhaiya avers.

Customisation and cost-efficiency to ensure success

Manoj Bhaiya Managing Director

“Our expertise in sourcing, process-oriented manufacturing, branding strategy, etc, enables us to provide cost effective and high quality garments to our customers.” appreciates genuine value of the product,” adds Bhaiya.

High quality garments at competitive rates Always keeping its end goals in mind over the last 20 years, Stori Fashions has emerged as the most trusted and sought after apparel brands in the country. “Our expertise in sourcing, process oriented manufacturing, branding strategy etc, enables us to provide cost effective and high quality garments,” notes Bhaiya. “Our products are appreciated not only in the metros but also in smaller towns,” he adds. The brand offers classic formals men’s wear, smart casuals and party wear in superior fabrics and at the most competitive price. Its sub-brand Stori caters to the classic formals men’s wear, smart casuals and party wear. “It offers superior fabrics at competitive prices that contribute 25 per cent to our total sales. The collection includes shirts, crisp formal and modern cotton trousers,” Bhaiya informs. Similarly, Red Flame, which forms the largest share of the brand’s sales offers affordable men’s casual wear that includes shirts, trousers, T-shirts, casual blazers, track pants and cargo pants to suit every pocket. On the other hand, Dagerrfly offers finest denim for men. “This range has been well

“Brands need to combine productivity with new innovations such as automised production, analytics-driven decision making, and reorganisation for greater agility.”

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Together, all these three brands offer the latest style trends that are likely to have a deep impact India’s current menswear market. “New trends indicate that it’s time for brands to seek new opportunities in the market. “Only those brands that accurately understand, respect and react to the customer’s requirements and, have the courage to change will emerge winners,” notes Bhaiya. He believes that in order to survive in this competitive market, brands need to boost productivity through greater efficiency and cutting costs. “They need to combine productivity with new innovations such as automised production, analyticsdriven decision making, and reorganisation for greater agility.” Only those who can successfully achieve will reap rewards in terms of outsize performance.

Focus on opportunities

“Value brands will continue to grow rapidly in all categories as brand awareness has increased substantially and the consumer is increasingly demanding value for money. Growing urbanisation and corporate culture will further catalyse growth with casual wear brands going beyond the boundaries of urban markets and picking up pace in mini metros, Tier II and III.” India besides expanding business overseas. It is present in over 5,200 MBO’s across the country and plans to add 500 to 1,000 MBOs in the coming years. “We recently ventured into EBOs and opened 18 of them across India and plan to take this number to 25 EBOs by March 2020,” Bhaiya sums up.

Bhaiya also advises his counterparts to look at the available opportunities instead of the challenges. According to him, the causualisation effect will continue to prevail in the market over the next few years. “Value brands will continue to grow rapidly in all categories as brand awareness has increased substantially and the consumer is increasingly demanding value for money. Growing urbanisation and corporate culture will further catalyse growth with casual wear brands going beyond the boundaries of urban markets and picking up pace in mini metros, Tier II and III,” he adds. To leverage this growth in casualwear, RedFlame-the casualwear brand from Stori plans to introduce a new collection ‘Urban Street’ for S/S ’20 season. “This collection will offer international fashion for youth. Carrying the vibes of city life through its vibrant colors, detailing and embellishments, the collection will become a point of discussion amongst youth of India,” states Bhaiya. Dagerrfly is also going to introduce a women’s denim range in S/S’20. “In India, denim is a big trend among women, and we stand for the best in denim,” notes Bhaiya. He promises that the range will offer the best fitting jeans in the market at affordable rates.

Retail expansion to fuel growth To achieve these goals, the brand plans to expand its retail network in

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STORI LANE, VAISHNODEVI INDUSTRIAL ESTATE - PHASE 2, BOMMANAHALLI VILLAGE, BIDADI HOBLI, BENGALURU, KARNATAKA 562109

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IF EXCLUSIVE

Spykar’s A/W ’19 denim collection redefines vintage vibes for youth

pykar’s new Vintage & Rare denim collection redefines vintage vibes for today’s young generation. “These denims give young fashionistas a taste of the vintage besides reflecting their individualistic styles,” notes Sanjay Vakharia, CEO, Spykar. Launched in limited edition as a part of the A/W ’19 collection, these denims are designed for consumers below 18 years. “Each piece in this limited edition collection is handcrafted to deliver a distressed, mended and long preserved look. The denims have been made to go through various dry and wet processes to achieve their natural fading and distress vintage effect,” Vakharia explains. They have been made in factories that follow environmental conservation norms. “Our use solar energy, water recycling, zero liquid discharge (ZLD), cloud wash, laser and ozone technologies not only make them environmentally friendly, but also welldesigned and commercially viable, states Vakharia.

One stop shop for casual wear Established in 1992, Spykar has come a long way to redefine the rules of fashion. “Starting solely as a men’s denim brand, we have expanded our portfolio to become a one stop shop for casual wear ensemble for both men and women. Our collections are available pan India across 240 exclusive outlets, 900+ multi-brand outlets, all key large format stores and e-commerce portals,” he adds. The brand recently launched an exclusive brand store in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh taking its total number of outlets in the country to 240. Vakharia notes, “With growing internet

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penetration, fashion lovers across India are becoming more and more trend conscious. This makes it an ideal move for us to capture markets like Kangra that have a huge potential.” The brand aims to be a one-stop shop for trend setting denims, trousers, tees, shirts, jackets and accessories like belts, wallets, socks, flip flops and much more. Vakharia notes, “Our collection embodies our global

inspirations that match our insatiable search for world-class style.” Since 2014, Spykar has also been a part of the Lord Bagri promoted Metdist Group, a diversified portfolio of companies. Headquartered in UK, the Metdist group is a global conglomerate with interests in metal and diverse industries like fashion, hospitality & technology.

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IF EXCLUSIVE

Corneliani revamps style with a new collection

orneliani’s new ‘Style & Freedom’ range for Fall/Winter 2019, presents a sophisticated, quintessential masculine and luxurious style through a contemporary filter to create the perfect balance of beauty, comfort and practicality. “Enriched with new designs, the new leisuregym range offers cashmere sweatshirts, garment dyed silk-wool hoodies, bombers and high-end tri-acetate tracksuits enriched with crests and developed in an elegant color palette of gray, blue and green,” explains Prem Dewan, Retail Head, OSL Luxury Collections, the force behind the brand. The brand has also introduced leather sneakers and bag as a part of this collection.

Superior materials give slender look Made with superior materials, the range

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creates supple lines on the garment. “This gives a slim and slender look to the person who wears these garments. Jackets just skim over the body of the person with light shoulders bringing out the essential harmony of proportions,” adds Dewan. The range uses hand-finishes and cutting-edge techniques to soften the structure of the garment. The color range includes: black, asphalt grey, graphite and ivory, as well as deep midnight and royal blue. “The brilliance of each of shades brighten the solid prints, offering new interpretations with distinctive tone-on-tone, shiny/matte or subtle raised geometric effects,” Dewan opines.

Fabric and product innovations A constant innovator of new fabrics, Corneliani is now launching nano-technology fabrics. “These fabrics are strain, sweat and

wrinkle free. They naturally regulate heat and breathability, providing superior fit and comfort to the wearer,” adds Dewan. Besides, the brand is also launching a new product, ‘Connected Style’ which includes a car coat and a field jacket. “These are accessorised with wireless headphones and a customized power bank enabling to charge the phone. In addition, a trolley crafted from a semi-rigid high-tech material shows a practical built-in USB charger port and a GPS tracking device,” Dewan says. He feels technological changes always remain an untapped opportunity and also the biggest challenge. “Brands have to constantly upgrade and update to have an edge over competition,” he says. The brand, which currently has two retail stores in Delhi and Bengaluru, now plans to launch more stores in Mumbai and some Tier II cities.

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IF EXCLUSIVE

Duke focuses on combinations of garments, colours and textures 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.

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 a 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

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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,

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IF EXCLUSIVE

UCB’s new A/W collection amalgamates fashion with style

he Autumn/Winter collection of United Colors of Benetton is an mix of fashionable and colorful apparels and accessories. High on style, the collection offers exciting prints, an alluring color palette and contemporary silhouettes. It is based on three themes: Foundation, Work in Progress and New Wave and is aimed at both men and women. “The Foundation collection is available in a mix of bold and bright colors with saturated hue; Work in Progress offers utility elements, patch pockets and construction site tape prints that radiate a streetwear vibe; New Wave rightly captures the festive spirit with shine, shimmer and fancy trims,” notes the brand spokesperson.

Floral and neon colors with distorted patterns dominate women’s wear The women’s wear range in the Foundation collection includes palazzos, shorts, free flowing shirts, easy to wear basics, dresses, denims and jackets, etc. It offers classic logo prints and power slogans along with other offbeat elements like towel embroidery and HD technique,” he adds. Work in Progress collection adds a new twist with florals and

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neon colors The key highlights includes parkas, crossover tops, basic vests, windbreaker jackets and denim apparels like dress, dungarees and jackets. New Wave collection, celebrates festivity with distorted patterns and fabrics such as velvet, corduroy and Sherpa.

Style statement with panache Each piece of menswear is a statement of style and panache. The Foundation collection introduces heavier fabric for polos along with basic shirts in solid colors and checks. “It also offers statement corduroy shirts with utility pockets, all over printed knitted shirts, flannel shirts, basic shirts with images printed on them,” notes the spokesperson. The Work in Progress collection offers branded prints with a special focus on the shoulder. The track pants with contrast pockets, coordinated sets in corduroy, jacquard polos and flannel shirts with check print stitching contribute to the under construction vibe. Also available in this collection are trousers with edgy patch pockets and basic washed corduroy’s with side tapes, bomber jackets made from suede, basic V and round neck sweatshirts, knit blazers and sets, denim jacket with multi color embroidery on

the shoulders and chest, sherpa jackets and half sleeve hoodies. New Wave collection gives a colorful twist to wavy patterns. It offers T-shirts with laser cut patterns and the pique weave; half sleeve hoodies in the color block pattern, solid and textured stripes; plutch and towel embroidered t shirts; knit jackets and blazers; terry sweat shirts, embroidered denim trucker jackets; corduroy shirts with utility pockets; knitted light weight flannel shirts and linen chequered shirts with tape detailing, etc.

An exciting accessory range to compliment the apparels The Autumn/Winter collection has an exciting accessory line in modern and sophisticated styles to compliment the apparels. These include easy convertible bags, sling bags start, small coin pouches, purses in true Benetton colors, Nylon and PU bags, classic work bags, laptop bags. Available in neutral colors with pop color accents, metallic and patent shines, these bags can accessorise any look. The range is in sync with the theme of the apparels with color blocking and bold branding for recall and nostalgia.

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IF EXCLUSIVE

W launches new festive collection

omen’s brand W by TCNS Clothing has launched its festive collection ’19 called ‘Pop Sets’. Made from unique fabric combinations like chanderies, denims and the eco-friendly Livaeco fabrics, the collection employs traditional Indian weaving techniques that hit the right chord with its consumers. Celebrating the bold vibrant colors of the season, the collection offers an amazing range of kurtas, long gowns, top-to-toe sets, straight kurtas with dhoti pants, gilets and festive ensembles. Anant Daga, Managing Director, TCNS says, “The collection perfectly amalgamates festivity with sustainability

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through its vibrant hues & silhouettes.”

Mirroring the new age woman W mirrors the New Age Indian woman, who though firmly rooted at home, takes on the world with panache and plays myriad roles with élan. The brand, which believes in delivering design functionality with mix n match combinations, provides contemporary Indian wear for the working woman and home makers. The brand sells through 326 exclusive brand outlets. Besides India, it has outlets in Nepal, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. The brand also sells its products through its own website and other online retailers such as Myntra, Jabong and Amazon.

For all wardrobe needs India’s leading women’s branded apparel company TCNS designs, manufactures, markets and retails a wide portfolio of women’s branded apparel across multiple brands. Product portfolio includes top-wear, bottom-wear, drapes, combination-sets and accessories that cater to a wide variety of the wardrobe requirements of the Indian woman, including every-day wear, casual wear, work wear and occasion wear. The company sells across India and through multiple distribution channels. As of June 30, 2019, it sold through 552 exclusive brand outlets, 1,661 large format store doors and 1,454 multi-brand outlets, located in 29 states and two union territories in India.

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IF EXCLUSIVE

Blackberrys keeps a strong focus on men’s wardrobe

lackberrys is known for its fits. Started in 1991, Blackberrys does formals, casuals, denims, accessories and footwear. Formals is sold under the brand name Blackberrys; khakis, T-shirts, jackets and shirts are under Blackberrys Casual; and denim wear is under Urban Blackberrys. “When it comes to dress line trousers or suits we would definitely be the leading brand in India,” says Ramesh Kaushik. The brand has many firsts to its credit, whether it is the whitest of white shirt or the first use of imported fabric in India.

New Innovations, logo change Blackberrys has just introduced Knitalia, India’s first 100 per cent knitted cotton trousers. The collection has tops and bottoms. The product allows stretch. There is no feel of heavy fabric. It is breathable hence, extremely conducive to the Indian climate. It keeps one ready for multiple occasions throughout the day. In April 2018, the brand’s logo was changed. “We changed the entire identity of our stores, to make it more intune with today’s consumers and the kind of environment they operate and live in,” says Kaushik.

Sourcing from India and Bangladesh “Though a fair chunk of our production is in India, we import from Bangladesh as well,” says Kaushik. “Bangladesh has its pluses

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and minuses. So far we have been pretty comfortable dealing with players there. We are getting good service. We look at them in terms of how effectively they service our consumer. Anything that helps me reduce lead time and enables me to approach the consumer faster with a better solution, is welcome.”

The rise of casual wear Kaushik points out wardrobes are becoming casual, especially, among the younger generation. “Formals are restricted to specific occasions. Everything else is largely casual wear. The generation that we are dealing with today believes in their own rules. They are not rebellious but non conformists. So this had

an effect on wardrobes. Yes, our stronghold is the formal segment but the consumer is evolving. Obviously the brand has to be a part of his journey. We have extended these attributes into our denim wear, accessories and footwear.”

Retail Network Blackberrys has around 175 EBOs. About 85 to 90 franchises, so that would amount to nearly 260 EBOs and MBOs are about 650. The brand is in some 195 large formats and online it retails through Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra and Jabong. In percentage terms, e-commerce is about six per cent of the business. Blackberrys is growing at a CAGR of 23 per cent.

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IF EXCLUSIVE

Uniqlo steps into Indian market with new collections and fabric innovations on its labor front. The company registered labor rights violations at its factory in China. In June, its factory workers went on strike. A year later, a report titled ‘This Way to Dystopia: Exposing Uniqlo’s Abuse of Chinese Garment Workers’ by SACOM and War on Want highlighted problems such as “low pay, dangerous working conditions and oppressive management in the company’s factories. In response, the company collaborated the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the UN’s specialised agency for promoting decent work for all. According to this partnership, Uniqlo’s parent company Fast Retailing will provide US$1.8 million in funding over a twoyear period (2019-2021), to be invested in ILO research on labor markets and social security systems in Asian countries.

ften referred to as the fast fashion brand like Zara and H&M, Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo opens first store today in India in New Delhi’s Ambience Mall followed by two more in different cities. It has already collaborated with Delhi-based designer Rina Singh to launch the ‘Kurta Collection’, as part of the 2019 Fall/ Winter offering The brand believes this is the right time to enter the Indian market in terms of the current market scenario and its own growth strategy. It offers timeless styles, irrespective of runway trends. Their price points are also similar to those of other brands. For instance, Uniqlo T-shirts are priced between Rs 990-Rs1,990 while those by HeatTech and AIRism range from Rs 990 and knitwear from Rs 2,990.

New collections single layer, preventing bulk, and converting moisture into heat. The two companies’ long-standing collaboration also led to several other innovations including the AIRism (breathable textile) and Blocktech (that blocks UV radiation). Their latest commitment to circular fashion includes clothing made from recycled down. Stores across the world collect used down items from customers, and a Toray-developed system extracts materials to be cleansed and used in new products. These companies are also developing clothes made with DRY-EX, a material that incorporates polyester fibres derived from reclaimed PET bottles.

Dealing with labor issues In 2015, Uniqlo had to face many challenges

Committed to improve not just the environment but also people’s lives in future Uniqlo plans to launch four new collections that include: New Form Follows Functions: Inspired by 20th-century modernism, this collection showcases how the future might dress, with workwear that transforms from day to night. Uniqlo U: This collection includes essentials like chequered coats made of Blocktech and reversible boa fleece jackets from Christophe Lemaire Ines De La Fressange: This offers an ode to Parisian chic with relaxing fits a la 1970s sportswear JW Anderson: Drawing inspiration from the Great British Outdoors, this collection uses tartan fabrics

Pioneering sustainable textiles An ardent environmentalist, Uniqlo realised its environmental and capitalist capacities long before sustainability started driving the retail industry. Its 19-year partnership with Toray Industries, a textile conglomerate, resulted in the successful creation of HeatTech –an innerwear fabric that has sold more than a billion products all over the world. The fabric — which is now also used in jeans, socks, shorts and camisoles — delivers warmth in a

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IF EXCLUSIVE

FabAlley’s new collection to make a lasting impression

he Fall/Winter ’19 collection of online fast fashion brand FabAlley promises to offer customers coveted looks for every occasion. The collection, titled ‘Free Fallin’, offers a mix of timeless prints, feminine designs and bright colors that add more versatility to the consumer’s closet. It is emblazoned with jumpsuits, maxis, off-shoulder tops, lacy dresses and midis in timeless and chic styles such as stripes, floral prints and polka dots. “Beautifully dipped in autumn hues of dreamy blue, deep wine, soft pastels and striking grey, black and mustard, each outfit of the collection has a personality of its own,” explains Shivani Poddar, Founder of the brand. “Whether bold, modern, glamorous or minimalistic, the collection offers something for every customer of the brand, tapping into all of their moods and leaving behind a wonderful memory of the occasion they are worn for,” she adds. Feeling blue gets a whole new meaning with the brand’s new fall collection as it’s cheeky off shoulder tops and effortless jumpsuits

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served with all-season denims give the entire collection a playful blue spin. “It combines the elegance of the 50’s with the red coolness of the 70’s and the pop cuteness of the 90’s,” Poddar says. “Inspired from the runways and blended with the brand’s directional signature, the collection is apt for the multi-tasking woman who seeks versatility in her every day fashion choices,” she states further.

Making online shopping convenient As it is physically impossible to check out all latest fashion trends from various brands in the same day, online shopping has gained much popularity. “It’s more convenient, timesaving and offers a wider variety. It also lets you compare prices across websites. From Instagram and Facebook to Google and scanning through several online fashion stores, the options for browsing are endless,” she says. To make online shopping easy and convenient, Faballey door step delivery and cash on delivery. “In case a customer does not like the product purchased or has size issues, he can easily avail of our ‘Return, Refund and

Exchange’ facilities,” she adds.

Exclusive ranges by designers Masaba and Alia One of the best online fashion stores in India, FabAlley also offers an exclusive range of ensembles designed by the renowned designer Masaba. “The Misprint collection by Masaba exhibits eye-grabbing tops, bracelets, flared trousers, Bodycon dresses, and sandals in offbeat prints and designs that will surely sweep our customers off their feet. Similarly, the Alia collection, imbued with classic and contemporary detailing, is perfect for the new age women,” adds Poddar. However, the brand’s offerings are not just restricted to clothing. It also offers a cool range of accessories. “From stylish bags to beautiful scarves, cool sunglasses cute hair accessories and swanky jewelry, we offer the best accessories for you,” says Poddar. Apart from these amazing products, the brand has a smart collection of shoes for women that include peep-toes, flat sandals, lace-up sandals, strappy flat sandals, block heeled sandals and wedge sandals.

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IF EXCLUSIVE

Indya’s festive collection encourages women to step out confidently

stunning amalgamation of the brand’s grandeur and designer Nikhil Thampi’s sexy and new-design aesthetic make up Indya’s new festive collection. Nikhil Thampi X Indya is adorned with artistic motifs, pearl embellishments and fluid silhouettes. “The collection is about being effortlessly stylish and stepping out with confidence,” says Tanvi Malik, Co-Founder of the brand.

Fuss-free and stylish festive wear The collection offers 45 styles across categories like skirts, tops, strappy tunics, anarkalis and dupattas. “Its full-bodied skirts matched with flowing short tops, palazzo pants paired with draped dupattas, voluminous tunics, and maximal sleeves offer a fluid and versatile design language,” adds Malik. The colour palette ranges from ivory and vintage rose to mustards and a deeper midnight

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blue. But what differentiates it from other collection is its inclusivity. The collection offers something for every fashion-forward woman irrespective of her age, body-type or skin tone. “Its beauty lies in its classic and practical luxury which perfect for all contemporary Indian women who wish to opt for a fuss-free and chic occasion wear,” she explains.

Accessible designs for all modern women For this collection, the brand collaborated with Designer Nikhil Thampi who aimed to make his designs accessible to all modern women across India. “This collaboration challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and do something commercial but with a modern twist,” he says. Speaking about collaboration Malik says, “Thampi conforms to our value of offering fuss free yet stylish clothes. Our collaborative range is sexy and includes everything you would want

your festive wardrobe to comprise.” The price too makes it accessible and a step forward in democratising designer fashion for the Indian woman.” It’s being retailed at all Indya’s stores and the brand’s website.

Blending Indian sensibilities with western styles Indya-the ethno-fusion brand from High Street Essentials (HSE) was launched in 2016. The brand toes a fine line between the ethnic and western schools of dressing. Selling from 55 retail touch points across the country, it recently forayed into 20 exclusive brand outlets across India. Besides Indya, HSE also owns FabAlley a rapid fashion western wear brand offering trendy apparels and accessories; and Curve - a western wear brand for plus-sized women. “All these brands have an inimitable signature style and are attuned to the women of today,” Malik sums up.

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IN DI AN th

PRESENTS

4 e d it io n o f

IN DI AN

PRESENTS

4 e d it io n o f

CONFERENCE 2 19 th

November 10 2019, Gurgaon

Benefits of Attending

Networking

Create Business Opportunities

Knowledge Sharing

ICC 2019 - CHIEF GUEST & GUEST OF HONOUR

On behalf of Indian Cotton Association Limited (ICAL), It gives me immense pleasure for inviting all stakeholders of cotton value chain to this year’s Indian Cotton Conference (ICC 2019) which will be held on Sunday, November 10th, 2019 at The Leela Ambience, Gurgaon NCR. ICC 2019 will be the 4th edition of the International Cotton Conference; an endeavour which was initiated during the Golden Jubilee year of our association. The theme for this year’s conference will be “THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE” . Many will find this theme interesting as many new, unexpected challenges have come up for cotton traders in last two years.

“THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE” Nov

2019

VENUE Hotel Leela Ambience, Gurgaon, India

Support From

Knowledge Partner

Principal Associate

IN DI AN th

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CONFERENCE 2 19 th

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brand UpdatE

Shilpa Shetty to endorse Bodycare International’s new thermal range

odycare International has roped in Bollywood actressproducer Shilpa Shetty Kundra as its new brand ambassador for promoting the brand’s stylish and comfortable range of anti-bacterial thermals made out of quilt knit technology. Incorporated in 1992, Bodycare International is a leading manufacturer and supplier of intimate apparels in India. Since its inception, the brand has been revolutionising the thermal wear apparel industry by providing stylish yet comfortable products to fashion savvy consumers. It currently offers kids undergarments, infant wear, thermals and loungewear for women, men and kids.

New campaign for Bodycare Thermals The brand recently shot a 360-degree media campaign for Bodycare Thermals with Shetty. This campaign will be launched in the coming months. Speaking on this occasion, Mithun Gupta, Director of the brand said, “Bodycare International believes in persistent innovation and being the leaders in the category, it is our prime responsibility to keep striving for innovations and offer stylish yet comfortable products to their consumers. Our association with Shetty will help us to convey our message to Indian mothers to choose bodyfriendly anti-bacterial best thermals for their family. As a

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brand, we seek to reach the top of the industry and conquer the market with our advanced product range,”

Bringing a positive change to the industry On her part, Shetty believes that her association with the brand comes naturally as the brand promotes style and comfort, which she herself believes in real life. She said, “Bodycare thermals appealed to me due to its vision to bring a positive change to the apparel industry with innovative products. I especially admire the anti-bacterial range and the idea behind it. I can see this partnership growing to create new milestones in the future.” Besides basic, Bodycare International also offers trendy, stylish, premium and colorful thermals to meet the season’s requirements and fashion needs of consumers. The brand focuses on specifications such as heat retention, feel, style and design and offers varied choices to catch the fancy of more Indian consumers.

10/23/2019 5:46:32 PM

brand update

Liva aims for green textile solutions through its new innovations

iva, the new age fabric brand from the Aditya Birla Group, has always focused on new innovations to excel in the market. The brand recently launched its eco-enhanced version known as the Livaeco. This fiber, made from wood pulp sourced from FSC certified forests, is produced using a highly efficient closed loop production process that helps reuse chemicals and water used in the process. It saves up to 900 liters of water and reduces 300g of CO2 per garment. In addition, its production process ensures traceability of the product, which enables the consumer to know where the fiber was produced. Livaeco was presented in Premiere Vison Paris Sept 2019 edition where it was appreciated for its its sustainability credentials. The fabric through its world class quality, blends fashion with eco-friendliness and enables its customers to be a part of its global sustainability initiative.

Overwhelming response to Autumn/ Winter 20/21 trends Liva recently also launched its Autumn Winter 20/21 trends at the Liva Accredited Partner Forum (LAPF) Studio in Noida. The trends received an overwhelmingly response from over 100 buyers including Zara, Varner, Carrefour Global Sourcing, Impulse, Best Seller, Madame, Jc Penny, Benetton, Next Sourcing, Vamani Overseas, Radnik Exports, Triburg, Century Overseas, and RachitApprels. In addition to the seasonal collection, the studio showcased over 250 new arrivals from the over 40 LAPF Partners. Visiting buyers appreciated the new fabrics developed by the partners. With more than 700 swatches being given away for buyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s immediate reference, desired yardages are in! the process of being arranged for partners to make proto garment.

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Appreciation from Yarnex visitors Livaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s application in lounge wear, camisoles, leggings, menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s briefs and vests was also highlighted at the Yarnex event in Tirupur. The

brand and its esteemed partner brands Krishna Textile Processes, Matrix Enterprises, EXIM Knits, Mercury Fabrics, Feathersoft, Jeyavishnu Clothing, Mevaba received an overwhelmingly positive response at the exhibition which unveils new innovations in the industry. The parent company of Liva, Birla Cellulose recently launched a new method to manufacture viscose fibre by using preconsumer cotton fabric waste. Birla Cellulose has been in active collaboration with brands, technology providers and textile chain actors to integrate and enhance value. The viscose launched by the company uses a minimum of 20 per cent pre-consumer industrial fabric waste. Fabrics made from this fiber offer attributes similar to that of virgin fibre. Going forward, Birla Cellulose plans to intensify and strengthen its specialty portfolio by offering value-added green textile solutions in the future.

10/23/2019 5:46:34 PM

brand UpdatE

‘Think lingerie, think Mansi’ The brand The year 2020 will be mark the silver jubilee of the lingerie brand’s Mansi’s operations in India. The brand was launched in 1995 in Indore with a tagline saying ‘Think Lingerie, Think Mansi.’ Incepted under the umbrella of Yash Hosiery India, the brand is administered by family and began its operations with men’s innerwear before it ventured into women’s lingerie. The production unit of Mansi is spread over 50,000 sq. ft in Indore. The unit houses advanced machines from Japan and Italy that produce around 12,00 to 15,000 pieces. The types of bras produced in this unit include padded, moulded, t-shirt bras, etc. The fabrics for these bras are procured mainly Mumbai Delhi and Surat. Their pads are procured from Mumbai, especially silicon pads. The fabrics used for these bras include cotton, hosiery class, textile class and narrow woven fabrics.

Retail spread Mansi has a pan India presence with 5 to 6 retail stores in Maharashtra and Indore. It also has its own website www.mansi.com and is also into talks with the major online players like

Flip cart, Amazon and Udaan. It now intends to step into the EBO, MBO and LFS platforms by the end of 2020. The brand caters more to the two tier cities as the business is much more viable and the labour charges are reasonable. They are prominent in states like Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Gujrat , Rajasthan and to an extent North Bengal. The brand team is preparing to step into the MBO LFS format by 20232025. Thereafter the will start with their stores. The brand caters to all age groups from 13 years. Its products are reasonably priced in the range of Rs. 80- 600. The brand is very careful regarding the skin comfort of the lingerie and the best of fabric is used for it. Talking of the present market scenario, Chabariya said, the market is currently going through correction. “The unorganised market is getting organised which is benefitting the entire industry. The market is likely to pick up in a year’s time.”

4th Solapur Garment Association Fair to be held in Mumbai

ALL AT ONE PLATFORM, AT ONE GO

olapur Garment Manufacturers Association to organise its fourth uniform garment manufactures fair. The Textile Ministry of Maharashtra has assertively shown its trust in the

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association for organizing the fair this year consecutively. The association has gained a massive response by getting more than 150 brands confirmed with their participation. The three days fair will be organized from 17th to

19th December 2019 in the premium exhibition property BEC, NESCO Goregaon, Mumbai. There will be multiple exhibitors participating in the exhibition. From uniform manufacturers like work wear, corporate, industrial, institutional, hospital, and hotel wear, etc. Garment manufacturers working on kids and men’s wear. Uniform fabrics manufacturers. The exhibition will also have manufacturers presenting accessories related to school students like shoes, socks, tie & belt, school bags, travel bags, etc. The exhibition is further going to have participation from garments machine & technology dealers. Solapur Garments Manufacturers Association has already organized road shows in India as well in countries like Mauritius, Kenya, Dubai, Bahrain, Nepal, etc for the marketing of this exhibition. Well known fabric brands from India like Raymond, Siyaram, Valji, Sparsh, Qmax, Wocky Tocky, Skumar, Subhtex, Gangotri, PrabhuG, A.J.Textile, Swaraj, Sangam etc, have confirmed their presence at exhibition. Simultaneously door to door invitations for retailers, dealer’s distributors for this expo has been shared all over India.

10/23/2019 5:46:37 PM

IF InSIght

Tier II, III cities to witness organised retail growth: RAI

umar Rajagopalan, Chief Executive Officer, Retailers Association of India (RAI) feels, the next leg of growth in organised retail going will come from Tier II and III cities as most store additions are likely to take place in these towns. Most of these

stores will be run by franchisees as locals have a better understanding of buyersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; preferences in the hinterland. He also believes the next two to three months will be particularly crucial for the retail sector as the upcoming festive season will help revive growth in the second half of the current financial year (FY20).

He also commended the government for relaxing the sourcing norms as it will allow mergers and acquisitions to take place at regular intervals. Allowing foreign retailers to commence online sales before setting up offline stores will help international brands to tie up with Indian retailers or e-commerce marketplaces.

Retail garment brands emerging from Tirupur

he textile and garment industry in Tirupur is launching garment brands. In the last two years at least a 100 garment brands have come up. Eonomically sound both large and small group of companies are launching own brands for the domestic market and have started selling online. They are indulging in branding exercises like positioning the product and targeting the gap in the market. The advantage of having own brand is that industries can create value and get higher realisations. When manufacturers supply to other brands, realisations are relatively lower. For example, The Blue Dahlia range of bed linen products was launched about a decade ago. As demand increased, the company decided to have a Blue Dahlia outlet. Currently, just a small

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proportion of consumers in the domestic market opt for branded products. But brand awareness among younger consumers is growing and clearly the future is in branding. Companies that have integrated production facilities have an advantage as they can go

in for special processing and it is possible to monitor production at every stage. The availability of e-commerce portals has helped businesses brand their products. They need to make minimum investments to launch their brand online.

10/23/2019 5:46:39 PM

IF Insight

Indian streetwear finally comes out of shadows

s is evident from a luxury shopping festival currently underway at the DLF Emporio Mall in New Delhi, the luxury goods sector is facing a definite chill this festive season. However, some brands continue to do well. In recent years, the luxury sector has been at the receiving end of various policy changes but it hopes to register strong sales this year. As Dinaz Madhukar, Executive Vice President of DLF’s luxury retail and hospitality vertical reveals, some of his brands are doing exceedingly well others are seeing tepid sales. The brand hopes to get a clearer picture of the situation in the next couple of weeks. Gayatri Ruia, Director of Phoneix Mills that runs Palladium, also expects to grow 5-6 per cent this year as consumers are still spending on luxury goods. As Statista estimates, the Indian luxury goods segment is expected to grow by a 6.6 per cent CAGR growth during 2019-23. Market research firm Euromonitor forecasts the Indian luxury goods segment will

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grow at 18.1 per cent during 2019-23. It counts luxury eyewear, jewellery, leather goods, time pieces, writing instruments and consumer electronics for its estimates. Though India is emerging as a major luxury market due to the massive expansion of Indian economy in the post-liberalisation decades, the country is yet to live up to its potential compared to China.

Slowdown in some luxury segments Luxury segments such as watches and air charters are witnessing a perceptible slowdown. As the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, a leading trade association reveals, the export of Swiss watches to India between January and August this year declined to 96.3 million Swiss Franc, or CHF (approximately Rs 685 crore), from 98.7 million CHF during the same period last year. Air charters too are witnessing a slump as the 18 per cent GST levied on them is preventing corporate clients from chartering jets for travel. Also, the government made PAN

card mandatory for all purchases above Rs 2 lakh. This alongwith the rise of online channels makes it difficult to arrive at an accurate picture of luxury consumption in the country.

Brands witnessing strong growth Recent reports suggest, some of luxury brands have demonstrated strong growth. For example, Reliance Brands, reported an operating profit of Rs 378 crore in FY19, up from Rs 336 crore the previous fiscal. Similarly, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail’s retail chain’s The Collective plans to expand through two more stores in the next 8-9 months in Pune, and one more store in Delhi. The company witnessed double-digit like-to-like growth this year. It has also expanded its network by adding brands like Ralph Lauren and Ted Baker to its kitty this year. As ‘Global Powers of Luxury Goods 2019’ report by Deloitte had said, these companies are betting on the ‘high earners, not rich yet’ (HENRY) consumers that have a significant discretionary income and a strong chance of being wealthy in the future.

10/23/2019 5:46:40 PM

IF Insight

Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innerwear market faces slackening demand

he performance of the top Indian innerwear firms this quarter has been the weakest in a decade. At 2 per cent Jockey run by Page Industries witnessed its slowest expansion since 2008. Page Industries controls a fifth of the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innerwear market. Sales of Dollar Industries dipped by 4 per cent and that of VIP Clothing by 20 per cent. Those of Lux Industries were flat. Footfall has been very slow across the markets. Business has been hit by the financial crisis, inventory de-stocking because of GST and demonetisation. The main reason for Indian consumers to pull back from new purchases in essential categories and staples is the shrinking disposable incomes. The valuation of innerwear companies reflects the slowdown and both Page Industries and Lux have fallen by 46 per cent and Dollar Industries has witnessed an erosion of 33 per cent in its share price over the past year. Of the total apparel market, the innerwear category accounts for 10 per cent. And, over the next ten years, it is expected to grow at an annual rate of 10 per cent. Innerwear

is evolving from being only a functional segment to a fashion one, while also shifting

to be a brand-sensitive category from a pricesensitive one.

Fitness clothing gains popularity in India

he athleisure segment is exploding in India and the category is booming at an annual rate of 25 per cent, almost double the growth rate of regular apparel brands.

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One reason is the growing obsession with fitness. Indians are taking up fitness activities such as aerobics, yoga, running, swimming and cycling. This has translated to an increase in consumer expenditure on health and wellness,

which has contributed significantly to the growth of the athleisure segment. The massive discount offered by fitness studio chains is also an important reason why sales are peaking in metros. With fitness becoming an integral part of everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives, people are opting for athleisure wear rather than everyday clothing. The lines between traditional sportswear and fashion apparel are blurring. Retro fashion mixed with athleisure style is expected to become a huge trend. Also sustainable fashion such as using recycled plastics as a core production material can be an expected brand trend in the near future. The upcoming trend in the category may focus on performance technology and iconic style aesthetics. Even though growth is steadfast, India still has a long way to go when compared to international markets. India has just a two per cent share of the global athleisure market.

10/23/2019 5:46:42 PM

IF Insight

Women’s wear: Growing choices, higher brand play catalyst for growth basics and work-wear being fine-tuned with assortments like subverted design details and concept cuts,” Our brand has come up with Gymjns -- a pair of jeans with features of athleisure bottom wear. These jeans with their super stretch fabric and ergonomic construction offer unrestricted freedom of movement, making them ideal clothing for today’s fast life,” says Sanjay Vakharia, CEO, Spykar.

Innerwear shapes up segment significantly

he women’s apparel industry in India is riding a wave of momentum accelerated by relaxed dress codes, fabric innovations, and fusion dressing. Indian women are lucky to have a choice of both western wear and ethnic wear as and when their mood decides. Basically, it’s all about her sense of style as Yves Saint Laurent says, “Fashions fade, style is eternal.”So whether it’s dressing up or dressing down, style is a way to say who you are without having to shout it aloud from the rooftops. This style sense percolates down from outerwear into innerwear, giving her a sense of confidence like never before.

Western wear growing rapidly A Technopak study highlighted western wear takes about 25 percent of the Rs 78,500 crores worth women’s wear market in India. In fact, the growth of this market is much higher than menswear which is growing at 9 percent in comparison. The market is flooded with unbranded smaller players with the share of brands in women’s western wear segment estimated below 25 percent. However, the segment is expected to grow by a whopping 20 percent to eventually cross 40 percent by 2025. “The market would see a six-fold increase over the next decade. It is faring well owing to the push provided by various e-commerce platforms. This negates the misconception that branded market, owing to its price range, has no takers,” points out Ashish Gurnani, CoFounder, PostFold.

Fusion wear is the bestseller Along with western wear, denim, especially jeans have gained popularity amongst women of all ages, shapes, and sizes because of their comfort, functional aspects and durability. Women comfortable with western wear have taken to wearing jeans pairing them with both tops, T-shirts as well as kurtis. Indo-western

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style was just the beginning of everything fusion. Earlier known as the aspirational subcategory of ethnic wear, fusion wear has evolved into a separate category by itself. The basic idea of fusion wear is to combine two different cultures as it fills the gap between ethnic and western clothing. “In recent times, fusion wear segment has been flooded by international brands that have slowly pushed up the aspiration and purchasing pattern of Indians. However, the presence of these brands is restricted to western wear. Increasing purchasing power of the mid to premium segment is leading to many high-end designers launching their retail prêt sub-brands to push overall sales,” points out Sreyashee Haldar, Design Head of women’s brand W. Kirti Shah, Director, Zola believes fusion fashion’s growth has just begun. “It still has a long way to go. With teenagers being highly inspired by western culture, fusion wear is likely to play a vital role in the future,” he adds. The brand has created a niche for itself in the segment by providing a premium feel to its customers.

Nothing sells like a good pair of denim jeans One of the most popular apparel segment is western wear is denim jeans. Denim wear is evolving as a unique apparel category, largely driven by high fashion quotient along with durability and low maintenance costs. “The denim segment has captured not just big cities but also Tier I and II towns. These markets allow you to expand your customer base as not all competitor brands may be present in these cities,” says Neha Shah, Assistant General Manager-Marketing, Pepe Jeans London. Growing demand for fresh styles and designs has redefined the denim market in India. The traditional blue denim has now been reinvented into a new avatar with more options in colors, finishes, looks and washes. “Classic jeans are being revamped this season with denim

Modern Indian woman’s openness to indulge in premium innerwear and her sense of style slowly filtering from outerwear into innerwear has given a huge push to the innerwear segment. There have been phases in the Indian apparel industry that have changed the way we dress up. Now is the time for the lingerie segment. Many premium brands are now rocking this niche segment with massive advertising and marketing propaganda. While some Indian women just want to feel comfortable wearing the right lingerie, others want to feel sexy and confident. Whatever the reason, spending on innerwear is now as important as outerwear. One of the world’s largest intimate apparel companies, Triumph International recently expanded its Triaction Sports bra range with the launch of a new global high-performance collection. “Boasting of the best bounce control levels besides offering versatile fits and ensuring superior comfort, this range supports women effortlessly throughout the day,” affirms Shweta Verma, Head-Marketing of the brand.

Ethnic wear remains popular choice Traditionally, ethnic wear has remained one of the top categories in women’s apparel segment. However, it has undergone a sea change and taken on a totally new identity with new form-fitting cuts and styles in a wide variety of materials and colors. The ethnic wear market is largely ruled by unorganized players. Each region has strong players but at the same time, few brands have managed to build a strong presence across India on the basis of ethnic wear alone. “With an increasing move in this segment from unbranded to the branded segment and its resurgence as a garment of choice, I see this segment only growing from strength to strength. We believe we have not penetrated a large geographical spread and we also intend to increase touch-points where our consumers can experience and buy, across online and offline formats,’’ observes Manohar Chatlani, Managing Director of Soch, a leading ethnic wear manufacturer.

10/23/2019 5:46:43 PM

E-Tail Online fashion sales flourish in small towns

Flipkart sees high demand from Tier-II, III cities for ongoing sale

Horizontal e-commerce marketplaces are headed to smaller towns in India, where the fashion category offers lucrative opportunities. In 2018, Tier II markets and beyond accounted for only a 40 per cent share of the overall e-tailing gross merchandise value. By 2023, that is expected to go up to 70 per cent. E-commerce behemoths in India are sprucing up their fashion offerings to appeal to consumers in the hinterlands. Apart from being an attractive entry point for online marketplaces to expand their reach in the smaller towns, fashion, as a category, offers very high margins. These margins go even higher when marketplaces launch private labels. Further, the low price points help lure first-time users. But marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart need to walk the tightrope between the latest fashion and affordability. Standardising size and quality is a key aspect when operating in smaller towns, since consumers are used to touching and trying on products before buying. Since these markets house a large number of first-time online shoppers, a focus on customer support, availability in multiple languages and better user interface is crucial. Customers in these cities are much more value-conscious than price-conscious. And because they have limited options available offline, they are willing to pay more if they see value.

lipkart is witnessing a robust demand for its products such as mobiles phones and other appliances from tier II and III cities at the ongoing Big Billion Days sale. According to Redseer, the event is expected to clock gross sales of $3.7 billion (Rs 24,000 crore) from September 29 to October 4, a year-on-year (y-o-y) growth of 60-65 per cent. Total online shoppers during the event are expected to increase by 60 per cent to 32 million. These too will

adapt to the online shift. Afound, launched in 2018, sells markeddown clothes from many external brands as well as from its own brands, in stores and online in home market Sweden. As a part of its long-term

be primarily driven by shoppers from tier-II and III cities. This year, the electronics category witnessed a growth of over 70 per cent from tier-II cities, with a 100 per cent increase in women shoppers from smaller towns.

strategy to expand in the European market the brand plans to enter the Netherlands this year by launching an online store in the country. The brand also plans to reduce staff in its physical stores to around 100.

H&Mâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outlet brand Afound to focus on online expansion

H&Mâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest independent business, outlet brand Afound, will focus more on online expansion and less on physical store expansion than previously planned. H&M in recent years has launched several separate brands such as Arket and H&M Home to broaden its customer base as its core H&M brand has struggled to

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10/23/2019 5:46:47 PM

E-Tail

Flipkart adds customers during festive sale

lipkart’s festive sale in 2019 saw a 50 per cent growth in the number of new customers compared to the previous year’s edition. These were from Tier II and beyond locations. The sale was from September 29 to October 4 and it brought Flipkart’s entire ecosystem together from its seller partners to artisans, weavers and consumers. This was Flipkart’s biggest festive season for mobiles till date. In the fashion category, there was a 70 per cent growth in sales compared to last year and 40 per cent of the new customers to Flipkart came through this segment. Women customers contributed 45

Snapdeal garners record volumes

Snapdeal’s first Diwali sale of 2019 received record orders. There was a massive growth of 52 per cent over last Diwali volumes. The number of first time users on the platform more than doubled from the last Diwali season. Nine out of every ten orders received were from non-metro towns across India. Orders from cities like Nagpur, Surat, Vijayawada, Chandigarh, Panaji, Jamshedpur, Shimla and Guwahati surged at least four-fold over the previous year. The online marketplace has a focus on value-priced merchandise. In the last two years, Snapdeal has added 60,000 new seller partners, who have added over 50 million new listings through a structured engagement aimed at building a deep assortment of products relevant for value-savvy buyers. Snapdeal now has more than 5,00,000 registered sellers, who have more than 200 million listings on the marketplace. All the sellers on Snapdeal are

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per cent to the overall fashion sales in terms of units sold. Artisans and weaver partners through Flipkart’s Samarth program saw a 100 per cent growth in sales. The key thrust area of the e-commerce major in this year’s festive sale edition was to bring sellers and buyers from Tier II cities and beyond location. More than 50 per cent of Flipkart Plus shoppers are from Tier II cities and beyond, and units from Tier III cities grew by 100 per cent on a year-onyear basis. Over 40 per cent of transacting sellers during the festive season was from Tier II and beyond.

independent, third-party sellers and hence the growing volumes on the marketplace translate directly into greater opportunities for India’s small and medium businesses. Most of the listings on Snapdeal are by small businesses and existing retailers from the physical bazaars in India, who are well conversant with the latest products - both Indian and imported. Snapdeal’s second Diwali sale will be live on October 11 and run till October 13.

Myntra sales up 60 per cent during recent sale period

sale event. Myntra’s private labels such as Roadster, House of Pataudi, HRX, Anouk, Mast & Harbour and Taavi contributed about 28 per cent to the sale. Myntra is a fashion e-commerce platform owned by Flipkart. With a mix of large global brands and small domestic boutiques, Myntra’s range offers value for money and quality to shoppers in India. Myntra is transitioning from a catalogue-heavy browsing experience to a content-heavy online experience. It has launched a reality show, Fashion Superstar, a digital fashion influencer talent hunt, which will go live on its app. Through content-driven activities it is looking to double the engagement and time spent on the app over the next three to four years. It is constantly working on making its product catalogue video-heavy and this has helped in increasing the engagement on the app.

Myntra delivers tailor fit clothes on demand Tailors will deliver clothes ordered on Myntra. This will enable them to alter products at the customer’s doorstep and help reduce return on sale. This has been prompted by the fact that garments are returned mainly because of minor alterations required like the length reduction of jeans or top sleeves. The Flipkart-owned fashion portal has piloted the initiative in Delhi-NCR and will roll it out across India, especially in Tier II and III cities. While partnering local tailors isn’t new for fixing fitting flaws, this is the first time they will pick up packages and act as delivery agents. Return on sale makes up for nearly 15 per cent to 20 per cent of all merchandise sold by the online industry. In the fashion e-commerce space, size is a big concern as no two brands map measurements the same way. Online platforms have to urgently look for solutions to recover costs. Offering return policy is a business need for online fashion portals, but since they also have to sell at the best price, they cannot add the cost to the product cost, which can make or break profitability, since reverse logistics cost is very high. While fashion and apparel are the most revenue generating categories online, they also have the highest return rate, followed by the large appliances category, FMCG and mobiles.

During this year’s shopping event Myntra’s sales grew by 60 per cent compared to the last edition. There was a 33 per cent increase in orders over last year. The sale was from September 29 to October 4, 2019. Tier II and III cities across the country contributed over 56 per cent to the company’s overall sales. Men’s apparel, ethnic wear, children’s wear, beauty and personal care were some of the highestselling categories on the platform during the

10/23/2019 5:46:49 PM

E-Tail Zivame revenue soars 50 per cent

Flipkart partners with Miniso

alue platform 2GUD has partnered with Miniso in India. The value platform is a part of the e-commerce marketplace Flipkart. Miniso is a Japanese designer consumer products brand. The agreement offers 2GUD online distribution rights for Miniso’s products in India effective from this month-end and will enable the brand to reach 2GUD’s million-plus consumer base across the country. The partnership will allow Miniso to extend its reach beyond its existing brick-and-mortar stores and into Tier II and III cities. Miniso will bring its merchandise ranging from household and consumer goods and other non-durables to the 2GUD platform, with an initial strategy of going live with 60 curated products and scaling up the selection over the next few months. Flipkart has ramped up its offerings ahead of the festive season. The vision

Zivame’s revenue has grown 50 per cent. The brand offers innovations and collections across lingerie, shape wear, sleepwear, and active wear. It offers women innovations like the wonder wire bra, the shaper bra, the super soft Marshmallow collection and festive musthaves like the strapless bra, the ultra-low-back bra, the backless bra and the mermaid sari shape wear. Focusing on an omni-channel strategy, the brand plans to double its store count as well as expand its presence on online fashion portals in the next eight months. Zivame expects sales to jump ahead of the festive season and has launched exclusive collections to cater to a wider target group. Zivame ensures women have the right intimate wear available to pair with outerwear. India’s leading intimate wear platform hosted its semi-annual property The Grand Lingerie Festival across its online and offline retail channels was from September 4 to 8, 2019. Zivame was founded in 2011 as a multi-brand online platform for lingerie. The marketplace model provides between 15 per cent to 20 per cent margins to the retailer in contrast with 50 to 60 per cent margins coming from retailing private labels. The pivot to becoming an online brand requires a change in key performance indicators for the company as it is an inventory heavy model.

ShopClues narrows losses Etailer ShopClues has narrowed its losses by 40 per cent. The Gurugram-based e-commerce platform fired around 200 employees as a part of its downsizing activity to trim losses. A fresh capital infusion is expected to give it the muchneeded support to meet its operational costs and keep the company going until it finds a

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is to serve customers’ needs in ways that positively impact their lives and that closes the gaps between what they want and what is available to them. It is preparing its portfolio to match customer expectations at a crucial time for the retail industry in the country. Miniso entered India in 2017. It is known for low-cost products such as mobile phone accessories, handbags, storage boxes, stationery, perfumes etc.

seen usually in the Indian market.

Club Factory becomes third largest online shopping app in India

buyer. Shop Clues was launched in 2011 as a managed marketplace that aims to provide a unique online shopping experience to its customers. It generates about 20 per cent of its revenue from technological and operational services. Unlike other marketplaces, which tend to focus on mobile, electronics, computers and branded fashion, Shop Clues focuses on unstructured categories that contribute to two-thirds of its revenues. As a brand, Shop Clues has always been focused on partnering with the right aggregators to give customers an expansive and diverse product range at affordable prices. Shop Clues has launched an online store that specialises in global brands in categories including fashion, accessories, and home décor. The store spans 117 product categories and has valuefor-money offerings. It will bring in freshness and excitement to the product catalogue, with an interesting range of products that are not

Club Factory, the Chinese e-commerce platform, has become the third largest online shopping app in terms of monthly active users in India since June 2019. The company has also retained the No. 1 rank in Google Play Shopping App category. Its growth is driven by its focus on local SMEs. It is further empowering these SME’s with its 0 per cent commission strategy and also making a significant investment in the ecosystem to meet higher consumer demands. The company claims to have on-boarded more than 5,000 sellers already. This comes two months after announcing its scale-up strategy with plans to on-board over 10,000 sellers in 2019. Club Factory has also launched a new warehouse in Mumbai in order to meet increased demand and ensure faster product delivery. Currently, it has three warehouses and will be setting up more.

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E-Tail

E-com sales up 30 per cent this festive season

n the first phase of the festive sale, e-commerce companies in India are estimated to have registered over 30 per cent higher sales compared to last year. The first wave of the festive sale event saw a record gross merchandise value despite the challenging macroeconomic environment, indicating that consumer sentiment on online shopping remains bullish. Shopping was driven by the strong value provided from online retailers across categories. A significant share came from customers in Tier II cities and beyond. The biggest theme of the festive season was value shopping. Mobile phones, like in previous years,

Manish Arora collaborates with online fashion retailer Koovs Designer Manish Arora has collaborated with the online fashion retailer Koovs for the second time and the collaborative collection will launch on Koovs’ website on October 14. Manish Arora has created a brightly colored and gender-neutral collection for Koovs to bring his signature take on Indian culture to a wider audience through his collaboration with the high-street fashion retailer. The collection caters to a millennial and gen-z audience and aims to translate Arora’s high fashion designs for the masses. The unisex range features tops, t-shirts, jeans, jumpsuits, sweatshirts, and pyjamas as well as accessories such as passport holders and footwear. Manish Arora’s eponymous brand is based in New Delhi and he has shown collections at Paris Fashion Week since 2007. The designer has collaborated with a number of international brands including Swatch, Nivea, Good Earth, Nespresso, and Swarovski among others.

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continued to dominate sales and accounted for over 55 per cent of the gross merchandise value. This is a term used in online retailing to indicate the gross merchandise value of the products sold through the marketplace over a certain period of time. This does not include discounts, returns, cancellations and cashbacks on products sold. Flipkart and Amazon, which hosted their festive sale from September 29 to October 4, dominated the sale with an over 90 per cent share. While Flipkart had a 60 per cent share of the standalone gross GMV share during the sale event, Amazon’s GMV growth was 22 per cent.

Pernia’s to host Mumbai pop-up Pernia’s will host a pop-up in Mumbai, October 11 to 12, 2019, and showcase over 90 brands. The free business to customer exhibition will display winter/festive collections by designers including House of Masaba, Rohit Gandhi, Rahul Khanna, Gala Brothers Fine Jewels, and Rohit Bal, among others. The event will feature apparel, accessories, and jewelry with a special focus on festive and occasion attire for the current season. The event will allow visitors to take part in styling sessions and bridal customisation sessions as well as other interactive workshops. Designer Pranay Baidya will hold a styling session during the event and nutrition expert Pooja Makhija will hold a session on diet. Leena Mukhi will share her makeup tips and Vipul Bhagat will give a makeup master class. Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop is an omni-channel, multi-brand fashion retailer. First launched by designer and entrepreneur Pernia Qureshi, the business is now fully owned by Purple Style Labs, which is gearing up to launch the business internationally. It retails a wide array of Indian designer brands across its online and offline stores. Pernia’s has seven stores across India. The store in Mumbai is 3,500 sq ft and features a selection of the wide array of brands the business carries on its online store including both couture and ready-to-wear traditional and western wear clothing, bags, shoes, and jewelry.

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Fashion Post Farida Gupta launches hand block prints

Rahul Mishra partners with Zoya

D Farida Gupta has launched a collection of hand-block printed garments. The collection has a selection of kurtas, palazzos, kaftans, dupattas, and other ethnic wear staples, all of which come in different sizes, colors, styles, fabrics and prints. The designer runs the ethnic wear brand of the same name. She works to promote the art of Indian block prints and offer employment opportunities and hand-embroidery training to women from a range of backgrounds. Gupta is launching her collection in Chandigarh from September 5 to 7, at New Delhi from September 10 to 12, at Noida from September 20 to 22, and at Gurugram from September 28 to 30. Farida Gupta has over two decades of experience in the Indian fashion industry and incorporated her eponymous brand in 2011 after pursuing her post graduation at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. Some of the clothes are fusion wear for modern women. The brand connects a range of traditional crafts with a wide collection and techniques of dyeing, weaving, printing and hand embroidery. It uses traditional block prints from Bagru, bagh from Madhya Pradesh, indigo and ajrak prints from Kutch and various parts of Rajasthan, contemporary block prints from Sanganer and weaves from Bijnor and south of India.

Designer Raghavendra Rathore stays ahead of the curve Designer Raghavendra Rathore has understood the dynamics of fashion industry ahead of the curve and understood the scope of scalability. This is the only Indian fashion label to have attracted an international

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esigner Rahul Mishra will showcase his collection at Paris Fashion Week in collaboration with luxury jewelry brand Zoya. The collection takes inspiration from the evolution of cities--how barren land has been transformed into structures like buildings and those into a concrete jungle, and how people live inside these concrete boxes. The collection looks at these details and ideas. For example, a flower growing in the balcony is seen with the background of a concrete jungle. The jewelry completes the look. The collaboration looks at a completely new avatar of embroidery. Embroideries

are always thought of as age old techniques that are lost in time. But this will be a fiercely modern version of hand embroideries. The designer and Zoya are also creating shape shifting experimental embroidery, which means the posture will decide how the garment will look, how itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to fall, what is the form itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to take. So the embroidery will create a look with this element. In terms of tailoring and shape, there is a beautiful play of controlled volume, accessorizing in terms of fluid fabric as well as stiff fabric. There is an interplay of organza, sheer, tulle, cotton, silk. Rahul Mishra is a Woolmark prize winner.

investor, Zegna. The legacy that the brand has achieved with its focus and a trusted bespoke menswear clientele are a good value proposition for an investment. Moreover, the brand though steeped in heritage has a product offering which resonates a global appeal. This, coupled with its classic and timeless ethics, allows stability for like-minded partners. The 25-year-old brand has an unconventional approach due to the nature of its bespoke business. The focus presently is on providing an exclusive experience to the customer anywhere in the world. It stands out for understated style, superior quality and bespoke tailoring. The designer believes building a brand is a constant process and that the architecture and the core value system of the marquee needs to have long-term vision. He keeps a good balance between the creative and the business hemisphere, encouraging team leadership, and most importantly creating a business model that is not dependent on one individual and at the same time is scalable.

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Fashion Post and dim lighting make the space at once regal and mysterious. The New Delhi store includes handmade bridal ensembles with the brand’s signature heavy embellishment and personalised take on traditional wear. The store has been designed to resemble an old haveli and has mood lighting to illuminate the display mannequins from below and show off their fine detailing. The store also features a comfortable seating area for consultations with brown armchairs and baroque inspired tables.

Mumbai edition of IIFW NXT-The Intimate Fashion Tour focuses on sustainability

JJ Valaya holds couture runway show for new collection

esigner JJ Valaya recently held a couture runway show for his new Tabriz couture collection that marked the designer’s return to the world of couture after taking a break in 2016. The new men’s and women’s couture collection is inspired by 16th to 19th century Persia and is named after the old capital of the Persian empire. The collection is made up of three lines, each with their own theme.

Shyamal and Bhumika make heritage relevant

Shyamal and Bhumika’s collections reflect a passion for craft and heritage. The duo opened their eponymously brand in 2003 and the collections reflect a passion for craft and heritage. The designers are also involved in

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“Farsh” mixes designs from Persian hunting themed carpets with Art Deco influences, “Naqshband” showcases opulent crafting techniques, and “Khayyam” is inspired by Persian nomads and the brand’s own tagline “The Royal Nomad”. JJ Valaya began his fashion label in 1992. Valaya is now based in New Delhi and is a founding member of the Fashion Design Council on India.

the research and revival of various dying arts and crafts. Their design philosophy is to make Indian artisan techniques, craft and textile heritage of the era bygone relevant to modern day fashion. They use fashion as a medium that connects continents and has a global language. Shyamal and Bhumika has four flagships in India in Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Ahmedabad. The Hyderabad store that has just opened showcases the brand’s new festive men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collection. Collections that feature in the store include Memoirs of a Maharani and The Renaissance Muse. Carved wood, gold,

IIFW NXT - The Intimate Fashion Tour, which kick-started from Pune, held its Mumbai edition on SeptembeWr 14. The tour presented an amazing mix of Indian brands and designer shows. The tour was opened by ace designer Shriti Pratap, who owns a bespoke label that designs casual gowns, kaftans, jumpsuits, tunics, jackets and swimwear. Her latest collection offers a mix of summer dresses, bralettes, maxis and blouses in organic cotton with minimalistic use of metallic sequins, tassels and crochet. It focuses on sustainability and uses organic cotton and recycled- up-cycled clothing. Pratap also supports ethical fashion by excluding the use of any kind of silk, leather, fur or any other raw materials sourced from killing animals. The grand finale of IIFW NXT- the intimate tour Mumbai edition was presented by Rajasthan based designer Sharad Raghav who showcased his latest collection called ‘Kalidoskope.’ The collection uses lots of bright colours like white, yellow, pink, green, blue and other hues shades. It is made of hosiery silk, used georgette and net fabrics to add layers and sheer to the garment. Raghav delineates his design philosophy as “Sui Generis Personalised Perfection”. He produces pieces that reflect his savoir-faire in design, for both men & women. Using fine detailing, with heritage fabrics and the use of embroidery for textural enhancement Sharad Raghav creates fashion with strong flavour.

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Preview

International Sourcing Expo to weave new path for jute lifestyle products

his year, the International Sourcing Expo Australia will welcome the Jute Product Development and Export Promotion Council (JPDEPC) and around 10 of their member organisations who will showcase the benefits of jute to the Australian market. The expo, co-located with Footwear and Leather Show Australia and China Clothing Accessories Textiles Expo, is Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier international sourcing show for apparel, textiles, fashion accessories, footwear and leather products. Into its tenth year, the three-day trade only event will open at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on November 12, 2019 and will be restricted to bonafide trade professionals.

Over 4,000 visitors and 700 exhibitors to attend Over 4,000 trade visitors will visit International Sourcing Expo and its combined events which will bring together 700 textile, apparel and footwear manufacturers and agents from 16 countries at the Melbourne Convention &

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Exhibition Centre from November 12-14 2019. The trade-only event will showcase the product and service offerings of exhibitors drawn from China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Fiji, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, Australia, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, USA, Serbia and Nepal. Organiser IEC Group believes this show will benefit from JPDEPCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s participation. Created in 2010 with the principal purpose of driving forward initiatives for the sustainable growth of jute exports from India, the council is managed by a 14-member committee of administration. Currently, the council has about 225 registered members covering various segments of manufacturing and trading of jute products.

plan future imports and marketing strategies. The Jute Pavilion boasts of latest trends and styles, and buyers can expect to see colourful shopping bags, beach bags, fashion carriers, footwear and promotional totes.

Jute pavilion to feature latest trends and styles The Jute Pavilion will feature renowned exporters attending the International Sourcing Expo Australia in Melbourne aiming to test the Australian market. Australian buyers will get an opportunity to meet manufacturers and exporters of jute lifestyle products and

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Review

ITSA-The most trusted platform for industry leaders celebrates 25 years

he recently concluded Autumn Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics marked the 25th year of the launch of this trading platform. With 89,662 visitors from over 120 countries and regions, the exhibition proved to be an ideal platform for them to meet global partners. “Exhibitors use this platform to unveil their latest collections,” said Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager, Messe Frankfurt |(HK). “This in turn attracts more visitors from all over the world. At this edition, we welcomed trade buyers from more countries and regions. The fair’s diverse network of suppliers and buyers ensured definite business for its visitors,” Wen added. The fair was held concurrently with Yarn Expo Autumn, CHIC and PH Value from 25 – 27 September, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). It was co-

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organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Textile Information Centre

A one-stop shop for apparel products Over 4,422 exhibitors from 33 countries and regions exhibited at 2019 edition of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics. These also included buyers participating for the last 10 to 20 years. The fair’s product zones, such as Functional Lab and Beyond Denim, offered an easier way to its exhibitors to meet their target buyers.

Roundtable meeting with industry leaders of different countries For the first time during the inaugural day at Intertextile Shanghai, a roundtable meeting consisted of association and trade body heads from various countries. Zhao Hong, China Textile magazine, who moderated the

roundtable conference, explained “The theme of this roundtable meeting is sharing and getting insights on the future of apparel and textile industry, sustainability and opening to the possibilities of international cooperation.” It is interesting to note here that this comes at a time when China is grappling with an ongoing trade war situation with the US. China seems to be opening up and looking for more cooperation in the region to keep its position strong and working out with more and more countries through its existing initiatives like One Belt One Rope (OBOR). While making a detailed presentation about China’s textile and apparel industry, its technology, R&D and designing drive , Xu Yingxin, VP, CNTAC and President, The SubCouncil of Textile Industry CCPIT, expressed deep concern about the China-US escalating trade conflict over last one year. The USA is China’s biggest importer with a 38 per cent share through wide ranging products.

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Review After 12 rounds of negotiations already concluded between the world’s two largest economies, the friction is likely to impact exports of China if the conflict continues. Small and medium enterprises are more vulnerable, resulting in unemployment and dwindling investments in the textile industry. Summarizing the situation, he said, “We are seeing an era of uncertainty where we will have to face a Sino-US trade war and we have to be very patient and resistant, but we are simultaneously opening to all markets and we believe in cross country development. “ Though a few of the association heads representing their respective countries were upfront in admitting that the trade war between the two countries is helping them to grow in exports to the US, at the same time, it was widely agreed that the conflict is not good as it is bringing in a lot of uncertainties in global trade and should soon be resolved. Also OBOR is a great initiative and will help all the countries who are participating in it with logistic solutions, lowering prices. It will bring in a lot of growth in global trade.

Country pavilions forecast future trends The fair also organised country pavilions for visitors interested in more Asia-Pacific trend forecasts. The Japan pavilion featured many Japanese companies which brought the global industry together. One such exhibitor included Asahi Kasei Corporation which was represented by Kiichiro Kobayashi the Manager of its Fibres & Textiles Marketing Dept. Kobayashi views the

fair as “the best platform to access the Chinese market as it offers its buyers an opportunity to partner with some of these visitors later.” The Korea Pavilion achieved remarkable business results just from the first two days of the fair, thanks to their high quality products. “This fair provided us with an opportunity to introduce Korean textiles to an international market effectively,” said Young Sang Yoon, Vice President of Korea Fashion Textile Association, Korea. Leading European and US trading companies at the sustainability zone: The All about Sustainability Zone featured Testex AG, an independent Swiss testing and certification organisation which was the official representative for OEKO-TEX. Led by its group CMO, Marc Sidller, the company has been hosting a pavilion for the last five years. “This year, we had the opportunity to interact

with some of the best European and US trading companies and brands,” Sidler reveals SalonEurope: The SalonEurope zone also recorded a good visitor turnout. Paul Alger, International Business Director, UK Fashion & Textile Association noted, “We were extremely happy with the visitor turnout.” Premium Wool Zone: The Premium Wool Zone was attended by companies like Dormeuil who have been exhibiting in this zone for the last 10 years. “China is a very important for us and we want it to become our top market in the next few years,” noted Aline Galimberti, the Product Manager of the France-based company. Verve for Design: The Verve for Design zone was a great hit with visitors thronging the stall on the first day itself. Joe Moreline, Sales, Camilla Frances revealed, “We had buyers mostly from China and Australia. We were surprised to see some of our existing Australian customers too.” The fringe programme included Asia’s first ever Fashionsustain conference; a roundtable meeting focused on international trade and sustainability; the Intertextile Consumer & Lifestyle Trend, themed FutureCast 2021: New Consumer Rules; the Smart Factory Forum, a panel discussion focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications and trends; and an industry crossover with Messe Frankfurt’s new fair Licensing China which included a licensing seminar and display area. The key to business in China is a face-to-face interaction with the textile industry. Intertextile Shanghai’s 25 years of experience have made this a trusted platform, for both exhibitors and trade buyers in China, to trade textiles.

FashionatingWorld from DFU Publications receives media award at Intertextile

ashionatingWorld, the leading global network of webplatforms, steered by DFU Publications, was graced with Media Contribution Award at the Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics show in Shanghai. The global media company that has been associated with Intertextile Shanghai events

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for a long time. Sanjay Chawla, Global Convener, Publisher & Editor in Chief received the awards among few other media dignitaries. This comes as a high recognition being conferred by the biggest apparel fabrics exhibition in the world.

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics celebrated its 25th anniversary on September 25, 2019, The trade show awarded leading industry players, experts, trade bodies, exhibitors as well as buyers , who have had a prominent association with Intertextile Shanghai exhibition, all these years.

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Review

Yarn Expo paves the way for an optimistic future

ith a record-breaking 543 exhibitors from 14 countries and regions, Yarn Expo Autumn 2019 offered an unparalleled range of quality and product diversity. Held from September 25-27, 2019 at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre in Shanghai, the expo showcased an array of fancy, specialty and regenerated yarns, as well as high quality cotton, wool, silk and linen. Its new display zone, Fancy Yarn Vision, proved to be popular stop for buyers to quickly and efficiently see samples from highlighted fancy yarn exhibitors on offer. Sustainability remained a key trend at event with fringe events by the European and Chinese exhibitors focusing on sustainable products.

Exhibitors note an optimistic future outlook Despite economic uncertainty within the Chinese market, many exhibitors at the event noted optimistic outlook for their future. This optimism was mainly credited to the resilience of China’s dominant purchasing power. The fair also received a good feedback from its Southeast Asian exhibitors, one of whom included Ravindranathan Narayanasamy, Director of the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council, India. Elaborating on this expo, Naryanasamy, “Yarn Expo is growing larger and becoming more international each year. This year, our exhibitors met visitors from Korea, Egypt and Europe. We also received 40 onsite orders at the India Pavilion. Similarly, the Cotton Council International of USA recorded over 140 visitors at its booth. “We met visitors from Indonesia, Thailand and other Asian countries,” said Shoapiing Li, Senior Manager, China Supply Chain Marketing of the Yarn and Home Textiles Department of the company. “These visitors

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spanned different industry roles. Some of these have already started contacting our sales team to place orders.”

a short time,” said Joon Son, Sales Manager, HJLite, Korea. r Steven Shen, Textured Yarn Dept. Director, Everest Textile, Taiwan

An effective getaway for brand promotion

A must-attend for visitors

The fair resulted in several new business deals being signed amongst its visitors and exhibitors. A prime example of this was the Uztex Group, which signed over three deals at the fair.” These deals will take our company to the next level in the Chinese market,” said Ravshan Kambarov, Commercial Director of the company. “We had orders not only from China but also Turkey and Iran. There are lots of different markets here, mostly from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China,” he added.” The fair also proved to be an effective gateway for Korean companies like HJLite for promoting its products and brand image. “The buyers in this fair are diverse which helps us to explore the Chinese and European markets. People can explore numerous products in one place in

Yarn Expo is ‘must attend’ event for its visitors as it has a significant influence on their company’s business strategy. “The new Fancy Yarn display area at the expo is very handy to find good quality fancy yarn exhibitors and I can find whatever I want here,” says Bonnie Chan, Manager of Raw Materials, Pacific Textiles, one of the visitors at the show. The expo also serves as a platform for networking and partnership exploration. “I sought out 30 potential suppliers that I am interested in, and I look forward to establishing business with them,” said Marcin Kolasa, Product Development, Legs Sp. z o.o, Poland. Going beyond a sourcing channel, this show acts like a stage for displaying highquality products and innovative concepts,” Rajiv Srivastava, Manager, Neman Brothers & Assoc., USA, summed up.

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Review

Texworld Paris asserts its dominance as an undisputed industry leader

ith 1014 exhibitors from 25 countries, Texworld Paris once again asserted their dominance as undisputed leaders of sourcing for fabrics, components, trimmings and materials for the clothing industry. Spread across three halls in September, these remarkable events for anyone involved in creating fashion proved to be a real hub for finding inspiration and for procurement aimed at European and global buyers as a whole. The commitments made by Messe Frankfurt to encourage expressions of creativity in the major producing countries of Asia or its endeavours to provide greater exposure for companies, which are adopting new approaches as regards sustainable development, have been rewarded this year. The ranges for sustainable sourcing, especially noticeable this year at Texworld Paris, represented a selection, which is growing in size, of almost 80 suppliers, who offered fabrics with GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), Organic Exchange, Bluesign, SA8000 or WRAP certifications, as part of a very comprehensive choice of lines and materials. Special signage this year allowed visitors to identify added environmental value offered by exhibitors, depending on whether it related to eco-friendly or bio-based materials, environmentally friendly processes or certified social standards and fair trade, or all of these advantages together (eco-friendly materials and procedures plus social standards). Similarly, following the “Artisan” circuit, which was first introduced in February and which was packed during this autumn’s show,

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allowed buyers on the lookout for short runs to find suppliers whose offers matched their requirements and were frequently based on traditional craftsmanship. As ever, Texworld‘s artistic directors showcased the current styles at the show in two Trends areas, the general Trends

purely creative angle in just one place. The major players in the clothing sector for their part targeted their searches towards the additional services offered by the 29 exhibitors in the Elite segment. This area once again was a resounding success with buyers, in particular European ones, who recognised the quality offered by the selected exhibitors. These firms, known for their quality, competitiveness, responsiveness and services, are able to provide a response for the most cutting-edge and discerning markets for global fashion designer labels. There were seven newcomers, including six Turkish firms and one Chinese company. This did not go unnoticed by contractors. They were very busy in this area that is particular appreciated by ready-to-wear labels: “a consistent and interesting space that is very suitable for making for high-calibre contacts” explains Omar Kaskas, manager at Kaskas Co. This blend of competitive and creative approaches was rounded off this year by a series of exhibitions, such as that devoted to the Dinan International Festival for Fashion Designers, where prize winners (Anaël Paris, Daniela Schmid and Damko) showed their collections in a fashion area located between Hall 2 and 3. This extremely busy area also

Forum and the Sustainable Trends Forum, in order to demonstrate the creative capacity of exhibitors at Texworld Paris. Going by the name Réenchantement, the trends focussed on four themes: Apocalyptic Fascination, Immemorial Spell, Synthetic Dazzle and Astral Ecstasy. Both visitors and exhibitors signalled their approval. It allowed everyone to be organised and to explore the different trends presented at Texworld Paris from a

hosted the Replica exhibition, organised around a creative dialogue between students at HEAR and Chinese clothing manufacturers. Supported by the Messe Frankfurt France trade fairs, the design students at Haute École des Arts du Rhin (HEAR) presented the results of their discussions and their work with five Chinese clothing manufacturers, weavers and embroiderers, who were exhibitors at the Apparel Sourcing and Texworld Paris shows.

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GARMENT FAIR

INDIA INTERNATIONAL

GARMENT FAIR ASSOCIATION

INTERNATIONAL

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THE CLOTHING MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION OF INDIA

in Association with

Garment Exporters & Manufacturers Association

Supported by

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For more information, please contact

Showcasing Autumn/Winter 2020-21

Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

INDIA INTERNATIONAL GARMENT FAIR 20 - 22 January, 2020

th www.indiaapparelfair.com

Download the Application Form

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10/23/2019 5:47:20 PM

Review

15th Interfilière Shanghai welcomes exhilarating number of visitors

he 15th edition of Interfilière Shanghai, which concluded on Sept 27th, 2019, welcomed an exhilarating record numbers of visitors. The two-day trade fair also welcomed 150 exhibitors, representing 15 countries and regions, with wider range of offerings from fibers, fabrics, lace, accessories, embroidery, OEM & ODM, machinery, textile designers, trend agencies to testing and certification institutions.

Sustainability with its focus on ecofriendly materials A meeting point of all global players in the lingerie and swimwear industry, Interfiliere Shanghai offered a China-based view of textiles and textile accessories for lingerie and swimwear industry. Organised in the Chinese capital city, the event reflected the current fashion trends in China. It featured one of the most comprehensive displays of the best in apparel, textiles, and machinery pertaining to this sector. One of the main focus areas of the exhibition included technological developments in the lingerie industry. Xianming- a luxury brand

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operating for the last 20 years mapped these developments over the years. Its spokesperson noted, “3D printing technology reinvents the traditional way of making a bra. It enables us to create a seamless bra. People with health issues can wear this lingerie or active wear.”

Colors and fabrics trends Vanessa Causse, a fashion forecaster predicted the lingerie fashion and social micro trends for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2020 season. “This season will focus on the brown and white colors. This black will be different from the usual black color. Fabrics will be made from new fibers like bamboo or bean or a mix of polyamide with spuntech,” she said further adding that “the global slowdown is certainly affecting the lingerie industry. To tackle this, we need to improve our efforts on sustainability.”

Addressing sustainability with new materials and fibers The importance of sustainability in the Chinese fashion industry was emphasised upon by Martin Lehpur, a fashion consultant for trends and strategies for brands.” China

gives importance to green. It is an ecoconscious country and poised to be the first green country in the world. Also, the lingerie brands in China are quick to adapt to changing trends as they do not have any baggage of the past,” Lehpur said. Marina Chaboune, a sustainability manager based in Indonesia, looked a ways to create new materials and fibers. “There are materials derived from food and agricultural waste such as mushroom leather, pineapple leather, banana fibers, bioplastics, food waste from oil, cooking oil, the meat industry, potato from the chips industry,” Chabone revealed. However, according to her, all these fibers need a certain amount of time to be introduced into the market until they can meet customer demands and needs. Their performance has to be tested by research and development,” she said. There has to be proper lifecycle assessments of materials. If we process something we need less water and energy and release lower carbon emissions. “A lot of spinning mills are converting to include recycled materials in their production space. This is something already quite big and will be much bigger in future,” Chabone summed up.

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Review

Sustainability continued to be the focal point of the show particularly highlighted by a new area – the Green Village sponsored by Testex, showcasing eco-products and eco -manufacturing processes presented by a selection of suppliers and four Indonesian partner manufacturers who are engaging in a Public Private Partnership project initiated by Eurovet, and developed and funded hand in hand with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Visitors from Mainland China and Hong Kong China continued to top attendance at the show followed by Japan, South Korea and Taiwan Area China. Thailand bagged the sixth position in terms of visitor attendance, while United Stated experienced a slight decrease. Around 50 per cent of these visitors were from brands and the rest comprised of OEM, distributions, design offices, agents and media.

Interfeel’Award.

Accolades for upcoming designer labels The 2nd edition of Young Label Awarded rewarded the up-and-coming young designer labels from Asia Pacific. On Sept 26th, 2019, the international jury announced the winners of the year which included the Chinese brands The Blender and Yalanka Newlife at the first

and second position and Maimia at the third position. For the very first time, Interfilière Shanghai introduced The Essence, a curated area showcasing impressive collections by five domestic Chinese brands including Neiwai, Crème, Kuva, Coutoss And Sincere Heart. The “It’s Our Era” fashion show generated quite a buzz attracting KOLs, bloggers, media, industry players and the general public.

Interfeel Awards applauds material and manufacturing innovations The sixth edition of Interfeel’Awards recognised the excellence and innovation of six material and manufacturing specialists who included Gayou International which was awarded with the Interfeel Award Lace; Asahi Kasei which bagged the Interfeel Award Natural; Seiren which won the Interfeel Award Interfeel’Award Solution Design. Libertytex which bagged the Interfeel’Award Surface Decoration; Hongxin Knitting which won the Interfeel’Award Shapewear and 3T Transfers which bagged the Jury’S Favourite

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10/23/2019 5:47:33 PM

Business news

Fabindia sales up seven per cent

abindia sales grew seven per cent in fiscal ’19. Net profit nearly doubled after the retailer of ethnic products focused on premium merchandise across categories — apparel, food and personal-care items and decorative furniture. Fabindia is popular for selling ethnic products. A year ago, sales growth had fallen to its lowest in over a decade. Business for the company that sources a bulk of its products from rural markets was hit after the note ban, as it saw restricted supplies from craftsmen for the next several months. Since then it has seen good overall recovery with many new initiatives yielding results. It is rapidly scaling its experience

Zara restructures mall deals in India

centers and these have helped increase store productivity and profitability. The push behind fusion and western wear assortments and more on-trend styles was well received. Optimisation of cost structures after GST also helped bring down costs. Fabindia, founded in 1960, started as an exporter of home furnishings. Nearly two years ago, the brand launched four strategic business units: home and lifestyle, personal care, FabCafe and e-commerce. Fabindia is India’s largest private platform for products that are made from traditional techniques, skills and hand-based processes. It believes in giving employment to craftsmen where they can do their work in their own environment.

revenue rise 17 per cent in fiscal ’19. Zara is still a strong performer even after mounting competition over the last five or seven years – and the arrival of more foreign brands and an explosion of web commerce.

Zivame raises equity funds from Zodius and Avendus

Zara is renegotiating rental terms with malls in India. This includes a reduction in revenueshare deals and either a lower or a total waiver of common area maintenance (CAM) charges that tenants pay landlords. Zara wants the CAM it pays be linked to sales. Zara has revenue-sharing agreements with most malls, and landlords get about seven or eight per cent of Zara’s revenues – one of the lowest revenue-sharing rates in the industry. Zara has established itself among the strongest fast fashion brands in India and has posed a stiff challenge to homegrown department store chains as the anchor tenant in tony shopping centers. It has helped malls by bringing in footfalls and revenue that the competition has found difficult to match or overhaul. The Spanish fashion retailer entered India a decade back and has 22 outlets. Inditex Trent, a joint venture between India’s salt-to-software Tata Group and Zara’s global owner Inditex, runs Zara stores in India. The venture saw its

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Bengaluru-based online lingerie retailer Zivame has raised equity funding from existing investors Zodius Capital and Avendus Capital. In August 2019, Zodius Capital via Indiblu Investment Advisors (Mauritius) bought 12,334 and 14,715 equity shares in two tranches worth Rs 6.7 crore and Rs 8 crore, respectively. The issue was made at a nominal value of Rs 10 and a premium of Rs 5,426.85 per share. In the same month, Avendus Capital also bought 9,916 equity shares worth Rs 4,99crore at a nominal value of Rs 10 and premium of Rs 5,426.85 per share.In May 2019, Avezo Advisors bought 5,442 Series C6B CCPS worth Rs 2.43 crore at a nominal value of Rs 100 and premium of Rs 4,370.71 per share. In April 2019, Zodius Capital via Indiblu Investment Advisors (Mauritius) bought 11,160 Series C6A CCPS worth Rs 4.98 crore at a nominal value of Rs 100 and premium of Rs 4,370.71 per share. In March 2019, Allana Investment and Trading Company picked up 22,368 Series C6A CCPS worth Rs 10 crore at a nominal value of Rs 100 and premium of Rs 4,370.71 per share.

In the same month, the company raised Rs 60 crore funding as part of a bridge Series C funding round led by Zodius Technology Fund and group of HNIs. The company had said that aligning with its growth strategy, Zivame plans to raise a larger round later in 2019. The funding was to be used for the ongoing and future retail expansion, augmentation of technology, product development and strengthening Zivame’ somnichannel strategy.

Provogue set for liquidation Readymade garment maker Provogue may be liquidated. Lenders did not agree on the offers put forward by the company. The only outside offer that was presented was not acceptable to the committee of creditors. There was one from the promoters as well, which was also rejected and that meant that the company is now headed for liquidation. The liquidation is a culmination of more than a year of insolvency proceedings in the National Company Law Tribunal after the case was admitted on July 25, 2018. The committee of creditors was headed by Andhra Bank, which was the lead lender to the company with loans of Rs 81 crores. Other banks in the consortium were Bank of India, Corporation Bank, Punjab National Bank, IndusInd Bank and Central Bank of India. Provogue was launched in 1998. The brand rose to prominence on the back of its stylish clothing and high decibel marketing. It offered fashion apparel products and accessories for men and women. Its designs were cutting edge and radical. The first exclusive brand outlet opened in Mumbai in 2000. However, sales dropped in the last few years as the company faced competition from new brands and cut throat price competition from online retailing.

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Business news

H&M India records second highest growth after China

&M in India has recorded a 29 per cent growth in last 9 months from December 1, 2018 – August 31, 2019. This growth is the highest for the brand after China which witnessed a growth of 32 per cent. India growth holds relevance considering H&M has just completed four years of opening its first store in India and has 42 stores across 16 cities in the country. In the same period, globally the H&M group’s net sales increased by 11 per cent to SEK 171,061 million (153,986). In local

Forever 21’s Europe business interests Turkish buyer

currencies, its net sales increased by 6 per cent. H&M was successfully launched on leading ecommerce platform Myntra in August and the global retailer’s reception has exceeded the company’s high expectations. Its ongoing transformation has contributed to continued positive sales development with more full-price sales, lower markdowns and increased market share. With recent store opening in Belarus, H&M is operational in 73 world markets.

Perkins, Tesco and Evans. He acquired Select in 2007 and managed to get the company back on its feet by closing inefficient stores and strengthening the organization. In addition to the UK, Select has some 7,000 employees, including 1,500 Turks, in its production facilities and chains of stores in Turkey, Romania, Vietnam, China and India. Select, which has close to 200 branches across the UK, continues to grow. Mahiroğlu feels that acquiring Forever 21 would be a very important step for the Turkish textile world.

Ikea sales up six per cent A Turkish businessman who purchased one of Britain’s largest women’s apparel retail chains Select about 12 years ago is now planning to acquire the European operations of US fashion retailer Forever 21, which has filed for bankruptcy. Founded in 1984, Forever 21 has approximately 815 stores in 57 countries and has a total of 50 stores across Europe. The US fashion retailer has filed for bankruptcy protection, joining a growing list of brick and mortar retailers succumbing to heavy competition from e-commerce sites and high rent. The company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, available to every business under the laws of the United States. Cafer Mahiroğlu is a manufacturer of brands such as Top Shop, New Look, Dorothy,

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Ikea’s yearly sales have jumped six per cent. Opening of new stores boosted sales. The Swedish furniture group’s push into e-commerce produced a surge in online revenue which jumped 43 per cent. Ikea was slow to embrace online retail but since 2017, the world’s biggest furniture retailer has

invested heavily to adapt to new shopping habits and competition from digital rivals. Besides developing digital and other services such as furniture delivery and assembly, Ikea has set up stores in the heart of cities like Paris which serve as showrooms, also helping to drive more online orders once shoppers return home. Ikea rolled out e-commerce to nine more markets in its latest fiscal year and by the end of August next year the three or four markets yet to go digital will get online services. Ikea is testing several new store formats and services such as furniture rental too. Ikea ‘s bedroom and kitchen ranges have been important drivers of sales growth while its relatively new smart home product range - products connected to the internet – have grown rapidly from low levels. Ikea plans to invest heavily in smart products in coming years. Ikea stores are owned by 12 franchisees in more than 50 markets.

Winter wear brand Kosha acquires seed funding

Kosha, a specialised winter wear brand, has raised an undisclosed amount in seed funding from a clutch of individual and financial investors including Tres Monos Capital and Narendra Hiranandani, founder of Enhira Software. The brand has sold over 10,000 thermals and 600 jackets in the last two years and hopes to scale up its business with the new fund infusion. Kosha, launched in 2017 by Yuktie Jhangiani, offers technically designed garments ideal for adventure travel and fashionable trench coats, accessories and sweaters. In the last three years, the brand has built on a decades-old family business to create a contemporary brand and offer state-of-the-art outerwear and travel gear to Indian customers. The firm claims that 90 per cent of its products are biodegradable. They are customised according to customers’ needs without compromising on their quality and adhering to all the manufacturing operations in India. In the broader segment, women’s apparel brands Biba (Warburg Pincus and Faering Capital), AND (General Atlantic) and W (TA Associates), among others, have raised private equity funding in the past. In May, Mumbai-based private investment firm Alpha Capital invested Rs 80 crore ($11.5 million) in women’s ethnic and casual wear label Shree.

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Industry Bytes Marcella Wartenbergh is new CEO of Pepe Jeans

artenbergh is replacing Carlos Ortega, founder and shareholder of the Pepe Jeans Group. Most recently, she was chief

merchandising officer at Calvin Klein, a role she took up just four months ago. But she spent many years at PVH, the American

group behind global brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Arrow, Van Heusen, Izod, Speedo and Calvin Klein. Before being promoted to chief merchandising officer, Wartenbergh held many roles at the retail group, including group president of global licensing and strategic initiatives at Calvin Klein. She cut her teeth in the merchandising division of Tommy Hilfiger in the Netherlands in 1999. Pepe Jeans owns the Pepe Jeans London, Hackett and Façonnable brands and distributes Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein in Spain. The group is majority owned by L Capital Asia, a private equity unit backed by LVMH, and M1, a subsidiary of Lebanese investment firm M1 Group. Pepe Jeans has 355 stores, including 219 Pepe Jeans locations, 105 Hackett shops, 29 Tommy Hilfiger outlets, two Norton stores and 16 Façonnable sites. The company is looking at closing a number of Façonnable stores as part of a wider restructure to turn around its finances.

LimeRoad hires senior executives LimeRoad has appointed Ragini Singh as vice president for community and Adesh Kumar as director engineering. Both Singh and Kumar have decades of experience in their respective fields. The two will be part of LimeRoad’s leadership team and will be responsible for driving the company’s content and engineering departments respectively. Ragini Singh joins LimeRoad from Cosmopolitan. Ragini will be driving LimeRoad’s content and expected to play a critical role in adding video to commerce. Adesh Kumar has joined the company from the e-commerce platform Snapdeal. Kumar has been entrusted with the role of boosting customer experience via technology. Fashion platform LimeRoad has been on a hiring spree as it plans to add 20 stores this year and aims to achieve profitability by the end of this financial year. LimeRoad was founded in 2012 as a fashion discovery portal curating products from various brands along with a product feature that allows users to create outfit looks on the platform by picking up products from different brands. Its machine algorithms rank order and display the highest quality scrapbooks for users to find products and styles. LimeRoad has been steadily nurturing a unique hyperactive community that takes products from thousands of sellers from across the country and shows users how to transform even the most basic white T-shirt into a style statement.

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We take immense pride in making ecommercemore inclusive through the introduction of some top categories, which during this festive season, have been able to cater to the needs of Tier II markets and beyond. Kalyan Krishnamurthy

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