Inside Fashion Vol. 23 No. 2

Indian fashion designers retail on metaverse

Blenders Pride Glassware Fashion Tour in partnership with the Fashion Design Council of India launched India’s first-ever exclusive fashion tour on the metaverse.

The landmark event provided a platform for the latest Indian fashion brands to showcase their collections to the world.

With the help of the web3 platform Decentraland, users were able to purchase virtual properties using NFTs, which allowed them to try on and buy unique wearable NFTs. This marked a significant shift from the previous physical events that took place in cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Gurugram, and Hyderabad. The virtual tour showcased 60 unique designer outfits, featuring well-known designers such as Gauri & Nainika, Satya Paul, and JJ Valaya, along with homegrown labels like Lovebirds.

In an effort to increase the level of user engagement, a treasure hunt was organised, providing participants the chance to win exciting prizes. Web3 influencers such as Sharkshe and Rakazone, who have a large following, live-streamed their experiences, giving their audience a glimpse of the Fashion Tour Park.

The virtual event was inclusive, as gender-neutral, plus-size, and specially-abled models were preferred for the virtual models, adding another layer of realism to the overall experience. The move was aimed at reflecting the fashion industry’s commitment to promoting inclusiveness and diversity.

Karan and Moin studio opens at Gurugram

bespoke tailoring and power dressing. At Karan and Moin, customer experience is paramount. The same reflects in the staff courtesy and studio ambience backed by a nocompromise service.

Aza opens in Hyderabad

creations for every occasion, handcrafted by talented designers from across the country. The leading fashion authority has a presence both offline and online.

Aza’s luxury e-commerce store was launched in 2015 as a global web platform to offer clients the convenience of shopping the best of Indian fashion from anywhere in the world.This premier multi-designer online portal retails a curated selection of luxury apparel and accessories by over 1000 of India’s most recognized and talented designers.

Norblack Norwhite opens in New Delhi

Karan and Moin’s new studio at Gurugram showcases the brand’s curated premium range of men’swear.

The studio is spread over 3300 sq feet and is designed to reflect the brand’s values and personality. It will also offer all the design and tailoring services currently offered at the New Delhi outlet. The Gurugram studio will also provide corporate, groom and overall wardrobe consultations. Power dressing and office wear grace the front of the store, and celebration wear, resplendent with all its accessories, occupies the rear end. Two tailors behind the blinds are ever ready for any last-minute fixes that may be required at the final trial.

The studio has been designed as per the Karan and Moin values of customer first with an added touch of contemporary to appeal to the new generation. It has an offering that appeals to varying tastes and styles. Karan and Moin which opened in 1989 is a leading luxury men’swear label that offers a complete wardrobe collection.

The duo of Karan Sabri and Moin Sabri excels in the art of flawless customisation,

Aza has opened a store in Hyderabad.

So Hyderabad now has a new one-stop shopping destination for designer clothing, jewelry and accessories for women and men. The Aza store spans 12,000 sqft across four floors and houses an eclectic mix of designers. With all prominent brands and their exclusive collections under one roof, plus a personized shopping experience, Aza makes finding the perfect outfit easy and seamless for customers.

The store is a destination for luxury shoppers in Hyderabad and is aimed at making luxury fashion more accessible. Founded in 2005, Aza which curates the finest in Indian fashion has stores in Mumbai and Delhi. The aim is to deliver an extraordinary shopping experience with an unparalleled focus on personalized service and customer satisfaction.

Aza is committed to curating the best in fashion and providing customers with unprecedented access to the most beautiful

Norblack Norwhite has opened a store in New Delhi.

The store features the brand’s latest collection of bright and bold garments, displayed among a selection of art pieces.The store launch party featured music by Digging in India as well as live art and an installation. A large tapestry made of an illustration by Toronto-based artist Rajni Perreira hangs in the store and a projector shows a time-lapse video of its creation. This eclectic mix of art and fashion is reflected in Norblack Norwhite’s clothing designs, which play with colour and proportion.

Norblack Norwhite, based in Mumbai, opened in 2010. The label is designed to celebrate traditional craft techniques and mix them in new ways for a modern audience. The brand also retails from its dedicated e-commerce store.The brand’s latest designs include patchwork style quilted jackets and layered tie dye garments to create a colourful and eclectic look.

In addition to designing, producing and promoting Indian crafts to the world, Norblack Norwhite operates as a creative studio that provides design and diversity consultancy, servicing and collaborations. The brand was born out of paying respect to the past, questioning the present and creating for the future. One way is of developing fresh ways to re-interpret tie dye textiles and create awareness about how precious these underrepresented art forms are from an aesthetic, process and value point of view.

FASHION & LIFESTYLE

Arjun Kilachand opens immersive store in Mumbai

Men’swear design house Arjun Kilachand has opened an immersive and experiential store in Mumbai.

Each corner of the store mirrors the designer’s luxurious creations.The store seamlessly combines Indian heritage with contemporary sensibilities. The store’s exterior and interiors are painted to sandy colour to match Arjun Kilachand’s distinctive style vocabulary. The use of joint-free in-situ flooring and wall texture gives the room a sense of unity and continuity. In order to maintain a neutral colour scheme throughout, the design ethos consists of a blend of earthy materials like stone, jute, copper, walnut wood, and glass. Each rack, mirror, piece of furniture, and light has been designed specifically for the brand, making each one unique. The store exemplifies contemporary minimalism and lets the creations be the storytelling subjects, adhering to the core ethos of understated elegance. The flowing rack that meanders throughout the retail space was inspired by the principle of fluidity – an embodiment of the designer’s sartorial flair and symbolism.

The metal finishes were deliberately corroded to put the spotlight on the handcrafted Indian and western ensembles. The interesting pieces of furniture and cladding are a representation of the brand. An entire area of the store has been clad in jute pillows inspired by Indian jute textile work.

for all retail channels and consumers across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Welspun has seen tremendous success in North American markets from its brand licensing business.

Welspun India is one of the largest home textile manufacturers in the world. The company offers a wide spectrum of home and technical textile products and flooring solutions and has been a strategic partner to global retailers for over 35 years with its farm to shelf capabilities and innovative solutions. The home textile’s pan India footprint has crossed 10,000 outlets and 500 towns. The company manufactures a range of home textile products ranging from towels, bathrobes, bath rugs and carpets, mats, area rugs, carpets, bedsheets, utility bedding and fashion bedding.

Welspun aims at being carbon and water neutral by 2030. The company is also engaged in the generation of power.

Disney licenses characters to Welspun

Welspun has signed a brand licensing agreement with Walt Disney.

The license will give Welspun the rights to design, develop, manufacture and distribute a complete range of home textiles products leveraging Disney’s vast franchises and

characters across Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Lucas brands. With this agreement Welspun hopes to leverage its innovation and sustainability leadership to create inspiring home solutions for consumers.

With this collaboration Welspun aims at further enhancing consumer living spaces with market leading solutions and experiences

Anita Dongre has launched a line of plantbased vegan luxury handbags.

Handbags in the new vegan accessories line include a Swan Mini Grab Bag, a Birds Of A Feather Crossbody Bag, a Nocturnal Glass Beaded Bag, and a Champagne Gold Glass Beaded Bag.

The line also includes two belts, the Birds of a Feather Belt and the Haathi Belt. Accessories in the collection are made from Mirum which is a 100 per cent natural, zero per cent plastic, and cruelty free plant-based material which is manufactured to look and feel like leather. A number of bags are also made from recycled glass beads. This line is created for women who wear their values on their sleeve, a philosophy of fashion that includes conscious, ethical, and timelessly elegant pieces. The collection is designed to be worn with traditional, fusion, or western style dress.

To highlight her commitment to animal welfare, Dongre will donate five per cent of the proceeds from the line of accessories to the India Animal Fund which works towards a future where animals are treated with care and love. Anita Dongre is known for brands like And and Global Desi. A showcase of exquisite Indian aesthetics and craftsmanship in a contemporary language is prevalent in all of Anita Dongre’s designs.

Anita Dongre launches vegan bags

Levi Strauss upgrades Indian business

Levi Strauss is scaling up investment in its stores and innovation in India. The denim maker sees India as a top priority for sales growth amid fears of recession in many developed countries. Levi’s came to India nearly three decades ago and now has more than 400 stores across 150 cities.

Levi’s started its operations in India by forming a wholly owned subsidiary known as Levi’s Strauss India in 1994 and has grown invariably since then. The brand aims to strengthen its physical footprint in the country with better stores and consumer experience.

For instance Levi’s has relaunched its Chandigarh store. The new store, spread across 4045 sqft, in the brand’s cutting edge NextGen store format that is designed to give consumers an authentic and consistent expression of the Levi’s brand. It is digitally enhanced and with a lighter, modern and more open design elevating the experience for consumers to explore the store and collections. By upsizing one of India’s best-performing Levi’s stores, the brand endeavours to bring consumers a seamless shopping experience conducive to finding the perfect pair of Levi’s jeans.

As the world’s second most-populated country, India is an attractive market for apparel brands, especially with youngsters increasingly embracing western-style clothing.

and over 100 offline stores.Fashion and lifestyle platform Nykaa Fashion was launched in 2018 to sell fashion and lifestyle products. The store houses over 1600 brands and over 5.1 million SKUs across five consumer segments: women, men, children, luxe, and home.

For the second quarter Nykaa’s profit rose 344 per cent. The lifestyle retailer’s revenue from operations recorded a 39 per cent increase. During the quarter, the company continued to demonstrate strong GMV growth with improvement in gross margin, efficiency in fulfillment and marketing cost lead to improvement in Ebitda margins. Gross merchandise value rose 45 per cent while the gross margin improved to 45 per cent. Ebitda margin improved to five per cent.

New season merchandise accounted for 24 per cent of Nykaa Fashion GMV; international brands are at 13 per cent of western wear category GMV. Repeat buyers in fashion now contribute 66 per cent of GMV. In the beauty and personal care segment, Nykaa’s GMV grew 39 per cent in the second quarter while margins also improved by 630 bps.

Liva campaign stresses on fluid fashion

Wacoal sets environment friendly way to grow

across various channels.The current share of Wacoal in the luxury segment is 15.2 percent. Wacoal has tripled its revenue in the last two years and now with the pandemic losing its grip it is further looking at tripling these numbers in the new financial year.

The brand is targeting a turnover of Rs 100 crores and looking at opening more than 100 points of sales this year, which will take the total count to more than 200.

Wacoal’s products are built on the paradigm of sustainability and a sense of responsibility toward the environment and its elements.

Women’s lingerie brand Wacoal is in 25 large format stores and has 21 exclusive brand outlets. The brand is available across major cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Lucknow, and Nagpur.

The plan is to expand in Tier II cities. Wacoal is on online e-commerce platforms like Myntra, Nykaa, Nykaa Fashion, Ajio, AjioLuxe, Amazon, and Tata Cliq, apart from its own website. Currently, the brand has a customer loyalty rate of more than 60 percent in the online space. Its online-to-offline mix is 15 percent, it plans to boost to 30 percent in the next financial year.

Omnichannel marketing would play a vital role in the optimum utilization of inventory

Nykaa Fashion introduces streetwear label

Nykaa Fashion is offering consumers a new Gen-Z-focused label called Mixt. Mixt offers streetwear-inspired modern apparel options such as bodysuits, corsets, jumpsuits, jackets, cardigans, and footwear. Mixt is expected to encourage self-expression.

Mumbai-based retail company Nykaa founded in 2012 sells beauty, wellness, and fashion products across websites, mobile apps,

Liva has launched a campaign emphasizing its core proposition of 100 per cent natural origin fabrics. This is a brand from Aditya Birla. Liva fabrics are 100 per cent plant-based and are naturally sourced i.e. from wood pulp and have properties that not only make them eco-friendly but high on fashion as well. The campaign focuses on the natural aspect of the fabric as fluid fashion for every woman who is not only fashion conscious but also makes her choices wisely. With this campaign the brand wants to shatter the myth that high fashion and sustainability are two different ends of the buying spectrum and that the most aspirational fashion comes when it’s inspired and integrated with nature. The integrated marketing campaign aims at raising and building consideration for natureinspired fashion and is targeted across multiple platforms. The campaign calls out to women to make a balanced choice with Liva, which is eco-conscious and fashionable at the same time. Today Liva-based fabrics are adopted by more than 150 brands globally addressing both consumer needs and environmental concern. With natural fluidity and unmatched comfort, Liva fabrics are a perfect choice for all wearers and the campaign is focused on bringing alive the core essence of Liva i.e. being one with nature.

Madame celebrates fashion trends

Madame’s new autumn/winter 2023 collection incorporates the latest fashion trends. The range includes outerwear in daring shades, chunky knitwear, practical leather pieces, the newest denim styles, including wide-leg pants and fitted jackets. The collection offers something for everyone, from elegant casual wear to opulent party attire. Madame believes that fashion is a celebration of individual style and expression and the autumn/winter collection embodies this ethos, with a range of pieces that cater to every style preference and occasion.

The women’s fashion brand aims at achieving a 33 per cent increase in its overall business in the forthcoming financial year. Madame is leaving no stone unturned to deliver a unique and immersive shopping experience, investing in the latest technology to make sure customers get the best of both worlds – a virtual store that provides a seamless shopping experience and the chance to showcase their individual style in the metaverse.

Madame has partnered with Trace Network Labs to give an experience of a digital clothing store in the metaverse, becoming the first apparel brand to do so. The virtual store allows customers to experience immersive shopping. This partnership marks Madame’s innovative approach to online shopping and has revolutionized the fashion industry.

ahead of the festive season. The event was promoted across multiple channels, including a large-scale TV campaign, print campaign, and across digital channels.

Birla introduces weavers to fibers

Birla Cellulose will introduce the weaver community to fibers like viscose, modal, and excel, which are relatively price stable.

The aim is to create awareness about natural, sustainable and durable alternatives and preserve a precious art like handloom weaving. Till date Birla Cellulose has trained 1500 artists, across seven states and supplied 5.5 lakhs of yarn annually. Given that the cost of silk yarn is often exorbitant and out of reach for the mass market, Birla Cellulose has blended silk fabrics which preserve the luxurious feel of pure silk while being competitively priced. Modal-made products have a lustrous shine, brilliant color, and luxuriously soft feel reminiscent of silk. Birla Cellulose’s brand, Liva, nurtures the Indian textile value chain contributing to a more sustainably produced fiber that also resolves the breakage issue these weavers face with traditional threads. Further, with its robust supply chain supported by regional partners, Birla Cellulose ensures timely and consistent delivery of quality yarn that meets all of their customers’ needs, helping boost weavers’ production capacity. With its versatile R&D center continuously engaged in developing new yarns and fabrics with regional partners, Birla Cellulose has helped commercial bulk fabric manufacturers develop new bases for printing with the latest, in-demand yarns or by changing the weaving patterns.

Zivame launches campaign

site, 120 exclusive stores, 4,000 partner stores, along with key e-commerce platforms. 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.

Zivame has launched a campaign to promote empowerment.

This is an intimate wear platform for women. The campaign celebrates every Indian woman and how with the right intimate wear by her side she can put her most confident foot forward.

Zivame, founded in 2011, retails its range of intimate wear from its dedicated e-commerce

The company plans to build a premier woman-centric brand across the country. The brand offers bras, shapewear, activewear, sleepwear, maternity wear and personal care. Grand Lingerie Festival (GLF) is Zivame’s flagship semi-annual sale event. The September 2022 edition was bigger on every front, from 100 plus brands participating, big deals and discounts on bestsellers, exciting games, and coupons and of course the largest variety of intimate wear for consumers to choose from. The sale event saw a wide range of products across lingerie, sleepwear, activewear, shapewear, and more from over 100 brands.

Zivame partnered with top influencers to engage with consumers and promote the event

Reliance Retail plans new format

Reliance Retail is planning to launch a value apparel format. The company plans to lease a 6,000 sqft to 9,000 sqft space across malls and high street for the new brand, which will sell clothing within the Rs1000 range.

India’s consumption structure has been skewed in the past over a narrow base of richer consumers accounting for a large chunk of the overall market. However, as the economy is broadening across many more cities and the impact is reaching further down the income ladder, the opportunity for value formats and value brands is expanding. In the next few months, multiple stores are expected to come up in this segment as big brands want to tap this segment. After the consumption has increased in metro cities as well as Tier II cities, retailers are eyeing growth in 2023.

Reliance Retail opened 789 new stores, totaling an area of six million sqft in the third quarter of fiscal year 2023. The company has been able to operate all stores, distribution and fulfillment centers, offices and facilities at pretty much at the pre-Covid level of efficiency. As consumers returned to stores, it also recorded the highest ever footfalls at 201 million across formats and geographies, a growth of 25 per cent during the same period.

Reliance Retail on store opening spree

openings in a single month is testimony to the fact that Reliance Retail is ramping up its expansion plans for this year.

For the third quarter Reliance Retail’s net profit grew by six per cent. The company’s revenue from operations surged by 18 per cent. Gross revenue, which includes the value of sales and services, rose 17 per cent. This increase in the revenue was led by well-rounded growth across all baskets and channels.

III markets. The development comes at a time when brands are looking to rapidly expand their offline presence amid forecasts of healthy revival of consumer demand. Retail industry sales in December 2022 showed a healthy demand for footwear and sports goods. Overall retail sales grew 16 percent in December 2022 compared to the pre-pandemic December 2019, with footwear and sports goods growing by 29 per cent and 25 per cent. However the entire category suffered during the pandemic when people stayed indoors and gyms and offices stayed shut, Adidas India’s revenue declined by 23 per cent in fiscal year 2021 compared to fiscal year 2020. Demand for athleisure and sporting apparel has picked up with the easing of Covid restrictions. Even before the onset of the pandemic, athleisure sneakers, sweatshirts, fitness clothing and high-performance sportswear had become trendy, with consumers opting for these even for casual wear dressing, and lines blurring between causal and sportswear.

Cantabil plans several stores a year

Reliance Retail opened 17 new stores across India in January 2023.

These are 12 new stores of John Player and five new stores of Lee Cooper. The John Player stores are in Mysore, Tumkur, Hyderabad, Jabalpur, Shahdol, Rewari, Amravati, Rewa, Jaipur, Motihari and Tikamgarh. The Lee Cooper stores are in Bangalore, Mangalore, Nizamabad, Hyderabad and Jaipur.

Launched in 2002, John Player is a midsegment men’swear brand. The brand was acquired by Reliance Retail in 2019 from the ITC Group. Founded in 1908 in England, Lee Cooper is a clothing and footwear manufacturing company, specialising in denim products. The brand is responsible for bringing denim jeans to the UK market. Reliance Retail acquired the brand from Future Group in October 2021. The high number of store

CK Jaipuria to open Adidas stores

Cantabil plans to open 80 to 90 stores every year.

The apparel manufacturer and retailer opened 19 new exclusive retail stores during the third quarter in different states including J&K, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Haryana. With multiple store openings, Cantabil Retail has reached a 439 store mark and plans to continue expanding across India this year. Cantabil is focusing heavily on providing the best-in-class shopping experience both instore and online. The all-new Cantabil stores represent the future of retail experience for its customers, as they offer a full range of formalwear, partywear, wedding collections, casuals, and ultracasual clothing for men, women, and children in the middle to upperincome brackets under one roof.

up retail stores of Adidas across India.

CK

CK Jaipuria is PepsiCo’s franchise bottler in Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The plan is to set up 100 Adidas footwear and sportswear stores by the end of 2024. This will be Adidas’ biggest franchise partnership in the country. The stores will come up in Tier II and

Revenues from same stores played an instrumental role in delivering the desired growth in financial performance. Apart from this, the addition of new stores has also significantly contributed towards superior performance and provides an expanding platform to support the company’s strategic growth objectives. For the third quarter the company’s revenue was Rs163 crores with a net profit of Rs 27 crores. For the nine-month period, revenues were Rs 380 crores with ebitda and pat of Rs 123 crores and Rs 50 crores respectively.

Jaipuria will set

BRAND RETAIL

Uniqlo plans highway format in India

Uniqlo is opening a highway store in India. This will be in Punjab. The highway store format – which is a standalone store located alongside a highway – is new for Uniqlo in India and further accelerates the company’s expansion in the country. The store, spread across one floor and having a total sales floor area of 10,965 sq ft, is the largest Uniqlo sales area on a single floor in India. It will open in April 2023. This roadside-type store is popular in Japan. The highway format has played a crucial role in Uniqlo’s growth throughout Japan, and the model has also been very successful outside Japan, including in Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. The highway store format is aimed at bringing convenience to the community and serving as a perfect onestop destination and is carefully designed to ensure enough space and accessibility for all. Further, this launch also supports Uniqlo’s underlying commitment to the Indian market and to make highly functional, quality apparel accessible to more customers. With this highway store Uniqlo, a Japanese retailer, will have ten stores in India. Uniqlo has more than 12,000 products online and services 17,000 pincodes in India. Just about everything that is launched in Japan finds its way to the Indian market.

up franchise stores in future and also plans to expand to marquee large-format retail brands.

Given its initial success in the Indian online market, the brand is confident of doing well on the Indian offline side.Apart from this, the brand will be taking its products via the online route to North America, Europe, and the Middle East. At present, the brand’s D2C website contributes 65 percent of the total revenue and the remaining 35 percent comes from marketplaces. It is expected that in the next fiscal offline will contribute around 25 percent of the overall business, ten percent will come from international markets and online will continue to dominate with the rest 65 percent.

Zouk is a brand that does bags, wallets, and footwear.

Retail activity gains momentum

Clovia hits 50 store mark, aims 50 more

Tier II and III towns account for 60 per cent of the lingerie and innerwear brand’s business. Clovia started operations about eleven years ago. Bras account for some 65 per cent of its sales while its activewear category accounts for over ten per cent of its revenue in addition to the nightwear category, which accounts for over 15 per cent of the total revenue.

Zouk aims at 100 touch points

Fashion and apparel retailers have continued to expand their footprint in India. So says CBRE.

Other prominent categories that continue to drive leasing activity include food and beverage along with hypermarket. The entertainment category, which was impacted the most during the pandemic, has also emerged as one of the top demand drivers.

Clovia has opened a store in Chandigarh. The new Chandigarh store measures 550 sqft and has a bright, youthful interior. The store which offers a differentiated retail experience to customers retails Clovia’s full range of lingerie, sleepwear, lounge wear, and accessories.

Clovia’s personal care brand Skivia is also available in the new store.This is the lingerie and clothing brand’s second store in Chandigarh, the eleventh in Punjab and the fiftieth overall.

By the end of the 2023 financial year, Clovia aims at having a total of 100 exclusive brand outlets across India. Clovia has also launched a Valentine’s Day collection, which features a range of heart printed sleepwear and lounge wear as well as lace underwear and accessories. Clovia works at introducing the best of styles and products and exceeding expectations every time customers visit the store or shop online.

Zouk plans to reach 100 touchpoints in the next few quarters. Exclusive brand outlets will be opened in key malls of metro cities. All these will be company owned and operated. The average size of a store will be around 300 sqft to 1000 sq ft.

As of now the online fashion accessory brand is available in around 30 retail touchpoints. Based on these learnings, the brand will expand further and consider opening

Uniqlo opened its first store in Chandigarh, Tim Hortons entered Ludhiana, and Starbucks, Biba, and Shoppers Stop opened in Dehradun. During the second half of 2022, the American home furnishings shop chain Pottery Barn forayed in Delhi-NCR, opening two stores in rapid succession. Adidas opened an experience store in Delhi-NCR, and Zara, Nike and Azorte are among the other companies that have launched experience/ flagship stores with a wide range of tech and other services in the city. Over 60% international retail brands expanded operations in Jul-Dec ’22.

The Indian retail sector is recovering, says CBRE, and this is anticipated to gain momentum through 2023. Even amid difficult global economic conditions, international brands are expanding not only in Tier I cities but also penetrating TierII and III cities as they see India as a potential market. Shoppers have returned to physical retail. Strong footfalls have led to expansionary space take-up by domestic and international retailers.

Retail leasing activity surged by five per cent in July 2022 to December 2022.

Akshay Kumar launches athleisure brand

Akshay Kumar has launched an athleisure brand called Force IX. This is something he had wanted to do for the last seven years. The number nine is the actor’s lucky number and is also his birthdate.

The collection consists of durable, economical and functional fashion staples inspired by the popular actor’s iconic sense of style. The unisex brand offers T-shirts, shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jackets, polo T-shirts, denim, chinos, joggers, shorts and nightwear. Accessories like caps, belts, travel accessories, shoes and watches will come in the coming months. The actor is very much involved in the entire process, right from ensuring all the products are of the highest quality, to each and everydetailing being perfect. There is a lot of attention to detail in the collection, right from the logo to the buttons, and the stitching. The target audience ranges from the sporty teenager to the dapperman.

Force IX is on Myntra, which has a proven track record of accelerating the growth of celebrity-led brands. A lot of Bollywood actors are venturing into the fashion segment. Myntra has onboarded 25 international fashion labels and 50 foreign beauty brands in the past 12 months. Nearly 40 per cent of the demand for international fashion labels is driven by shoppers in Tier II cities and beyond.

Puma signs on Harmanpreet Kaur

brand’s footwear, apparel and accessories. The brand had posted a cryptic teaser video of a player taking position at the stumps and quizzed the audience to guess its next brand ambassador. According to the 5,000 responses collected over 36 hours, 80 per cent of the consumers assumed the brand ambassador to be a male cricketer.

Ranbir Kapoor promotes fashion on Myntra

Ranbir Kapoor is brand ambassador for Myntra. He will endorse men’s fashion wear on the platform.

With this association, Myntra aims to tap into the actor’s popularity and national appeal across metro and non-metro audiences. Myntra sees the actor as embodying the spirit of Myntra and as a creative force shaping the world of fashion. The collaboration is aimed at enabling the best of everyday and branded fashion to be made accessible to consumers. Ranbir Kapoor had earlier been a part of some of Myntra’s brand films.

E-commerce major Myntra is engaging with top influencers from across India to create exciting and relevant content to connect with consumers including in non-metros. Myntra has witnessed strong growth over the years through its association with actors like Kiara Advani, Tamannaah Bhatia, and Vijay Deverakonda as its brand ambassadors.

Myntra has a range of 7,00,00 beauty and personal care styles from over 1,400 international, domestic and D2C brands. Myntra is one of the leading fashion destinations of the country. The platform has also come up with tech innovations to provide its customers with a better shopping experience. These include a skin analyzer, product finder, beauty profile, and virtual try-on. Myntra is facing orders for international brands from shoppers in Tier II cities and beyond. Nearly 40 per cent of the demand for international fashion labels is driven by shoppers in Tier II cities and beyond.

Puma has signed on Harmanpreet Kaur as brand ambassador. Puma’s thinking was that her way of playing — bold and fierce cricket –was the perfect fit for the brand which embodies the same qualities and ethos.

Since Harmanpreet is a sporting icon, Puma hopes with this partnership to inspire younger generations and help Indian women’s cricket reach greater heights. She will endorse the

As a brand, Puma has always stayed ahead of the times and is committed to support, celebrate and empower women in sports. This association is a massive step in that direction. Puma has witnessed strong growth in India and gone on to become the number one sports brand in terms of sales over the last few years through its association with actors, singers, and sportspersons. India is a strategic market for Puma. A combination of global strength and local execution has accelerated the brand’s momentum in the country.

Nykd by Nykaa Showcases Latest Intimatewear Collection at INTIMASIA 5.0

Nykd by Nykaa , the brand will be showcasing its products at INTIMASIA 5.0, a leading platform for the intimate apparel industry in South Asia, in February 2023. INTIMASIA 2023 is scheduled to be held from 20th to 22nd February 2023 at Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai.

Nykaa, a leading online and physical retail marketplace for health and beauty products, has announced the launch of its new intimatewear line, Nykd All Day.

The brand, which was founded by Falguni Nayar in 2012, has expanded to include a range of bras, panties, sleepwear, shapewear, and accessories that provide both comfort and fashion.

“At Nykd, a brand by the House of Nykaa, we’ve made every effort to simplify your

lingerie experience with products that provide comfort round the clock and seamlessly fuse fashion with function for an elevated everyday look. Our lingerie is easy to love and live in and feels like your second skin,” said Nykd by Nykaa.

In addition to its clothing line, Nykd by Nykaa has also created a Bra Advisor, a digital solution that helps customers better understand their bodies and choose the products that are most suited to them.

“As an inclusive, body positive brand built on the pillars of convenience, comfort, and tech, I am certain that this expansion will allow more consumers to see, touch and experience our wide range,” said Preeti Gupta, Business Head of Nykd by Nykaa, Gloot & Kica. “Nykd has been well received across the consumer spectrum and the new in-store experience makes it accessible to even more people.

Over and above, as a brand, we will use our voice to support real women and celebrate real experiences (the good and bad!) which so often get glossily overlooked in today’s world of social media.”

INTIMASIA 5.0 would be featuring 200+ Prominent Brands on Innerwear, Thermals, Shapewear, Sleepwear, Loungewear, Swimwear, Activewear, Sportswear and Socks. INTIMASIA also has a dedicated sourcing section which would feature another 100+ Raw Material Suppliers presenting Fibers, Fabrics, Laces, Elastics, Trims, Accessories, Labels, Packaging and Machinery.

The show is expected to gather a footfall of over 15000 Retailers and Distributors from India and neighboring countries. This would be the largest trade event that India would witness for a particular segment of the Textile and Apparel Industry.

Les Petits offers Dolce & Gabbana clothing

Les Petits, the luxury fashion brand for children, has come up with a premium collection from the house of Dolce & Gabbana. The collection will be available only on the Les Petits platform which reserves the exclusive rights to offer the collection in India.

In recent times, the concept of body positivity has been a significant topic in fashion. Body positivity seeks to educate the public on how popular media narratives influence and how individuals perceive their bodies, including how they feel about food, exercise, clothing, health, identity, and self-care. Along with body positivity, the concept of size inclusivity has also emerged.

Designers and fashion brands have started the practice of representing a wide range of body shapes and sizes.

PN Rao adds clothing for women

Les Petits brings a diverse range for different age groups of children, carefully curated keeping in mind upcoming occasions – Diwali, wedding season, birthday parties, baby showers etc. It comes with a variety of designs with different price ranges to make it a one-stop solution for children up to 12. One could choose from a fine collection of formal and party dresses, beautiful lacy, pastel colored tops, trendy pants and premium shoes. Accessories like fancy hats, handbags and belts make Les Petits a preferred shopping destination for the urban Indian consumer. The collection consists of dresses, track pants, shoes, etc featuring eyecatching, unique designs. The offering from D&G explores opulence with its unconventional and luxurious collection. It brings a distinct style to life that echoes the designer’s tryst with elaborate patterns to create a statement even when the children don their most casual looks. Les Petits is continually driven by the desire to ramp up its offering in the children’s segment.

Les Petits, a venture of the DS Group, is an established player in the luxury children’s wear segment in India. Launched in 2011, Les Petits has a solid lineage and an offering suited to the luxury demanding audience in India.

Power Sutra offers women a range of sizes, personalisation

Power Sutra offers women customised clothing of all sizes.

The premium clothing brand offers women an extensive selection of top-quality, authentic clothing all over India. Power Sutra provides a specialised clothing line in sizes XXS to 15XL so that women of various shapes and sizes can choose outfits that perfectly match their needs. The brand offers a wide selection of clothing for every occasion, ranging from trousers, tops, evening gowns, sheath dresses, culottes dresses, blazers, jackets, jumpsuits, skirt suits, and pantsuits.

Along with being size inclusive, Power Sutra also has another USP, which is personalisation. It gives customers the opportunity to get their clothes tailor made which perfectly fit and enhance their bodies.

The realm of fashion is an ever-evolving one and sometimes revolutionary things happen.

PN Rao plans to venture into women’s business wear.The focus is on strong and confident business women.

This is one of Bangalore’s oldest fashion brands known for men’s wear and is known for its high-quality fabrics and designs, unique and exquisite craftsmanship and each outfit is perfect to wear on all occasions.

The wedding wear for men covers sherwanis, tuxedos and suits, indo-western outfits and custom-made outfits. This clothing line is a mixture of grace and quality and each piece is a classic one. The range covers a wedding function from sangeet to reception.

PN Rao has a comprehensive collection for different kinds of ceremonies. Customers are helped with the selection of material, clothing and design as well. The fits are decent and the clothes are budget-friendly.

The company has completed 100 years and what began as one small store in Bangalore in 1923 now has seven outlets including two in Chennai. The company produces about one lakh pieces of garments a year and customers come from all strata of society.

PN Rao is established in the south and now is targeting the north as well. The brand uses a sustainable method of production, with the largest bespoke tailoring factory in the country completely relying on solar energy.

COLLECTIONS

Donear offers fashion fabrics for men

Donear’s fashion fabrics for men are a mix of tradition and modernity. The latest designs and hues encompass comfy fabrics, ethnic prints, intricate embroidery, and trending colours. The fabrics are available in a variety of materials like cotton blends, linen blends, silk blends, polyester and jacquard available in a variety of patterns like embellished, printed, checkered, solid, self-design, paisley, floral print, patchwork, striped, textured, embroidered, and more to make unique styles. With subtle earthy tones, pastels and vibrant hues, these kurta and bandi fabrics are ideal for a family gathering, a wedding function like sangeet, mehdi, haldi, a reception or a festival.

Gold Silk has unconventional pastel shades that are meticulously designed with modern fashion. They are available in three designs and ten sober, muted shades with a silky smooth finish which imparts the essence of an ethnic look .Shimmer consists of an innovative and attractive machine foil, tessellated geometric patterns and metallic trim accents with a unique flair of elegance. One design has eleven shades of lustrous fabrics like a silk dress. Shagun has specially curated seven designs in eleven shades blended with gold, zari and black motifs to suit special occasions in the family with shades for all age groups for that stand-out look.

TRYB makes innerwear smooth and lightweight

TRYB innerwear is made of smooth and lightweight fabrics making every move and stretch absolutely comfortable.

Made with nylon spandex and poly spandex, the innerwear garment for men is super breathable and dries five times faster than doescotton. The Drytek and 36TX weave have wicking properties which ensure every stretch is unhindered. TRYB innerwear is distinguished by the use of superior and appropriate fabrics (nylon spandex and Kooltex polyester spandex), contemporary designs (soft waistband), distinctive cuts, texture, and vibrant colours.

TRYB targets men 18 to 45 years and has Active, Pro and New York range. Activ is designed for everyday athletes. The Pro collection is for men who are more inclined toward sports/fitness. New York has compression boxers and boxer briefs, designed to promote the maximum durability and comfort.

TRYB, based in Chennai, an athletic innerwear brand for men, was engineered for individuals and sportsmen who pursue a

dynamic and active lifestyle. Born from a love for sports and a dream to create distinctive products in the garment industry, TRYB positions itself as a lifestyle brand that is community-oriented, edgy and contemporary. TRYB is for the man of today who practices sports, pursues fitness and leads a physically active lifestyle. TRYB is an aspirational and community- oriented brand that combines both fashion and function.

Aastey promotes size inclusivity

This is an Indian athleisure brand. Aastey has three recycled polyester blends - aasteyflex, aasteyfirm and aasteybreeze- that are actively contributing to diverting plastic from oceans and landfills. The slow down T-shirt collection is made with 100 per cent organic cotton fabric. The earthshine yoga mat is also crafted with ethically sourced cork which is harvested from the outer barks of oak trees which ensures that no trees are harmed in this process. The club collection includes products like hand-poured soy candles, which are 100 per cent vegan and cruelty-free.

The vision is to build an environment where all women are treated as equals irrespective of their size, colour, age, body type, lifestyle or race. Since its inception, Aastey has brought together a community of over 50,000 women of different ages, colors, sizes and shapes by promoting size inclusivity. The brand works on women empowerment, size inclusivity and environmental preservation.

The Indian athleisure industry is worth Rs 54,000 crores. Athleisure is a hybrid style of athletic clothing worn as everyday wear. These include yoga pants, tights, sneakers, leggings, etc. These are flexible in nature and help absorb sweat during exercise. When athleisure initially arrived in the Indian market, it took consumers by storm and soon became a trend.

Uathayam launches wedding line

Uathayam, based in Tamil Nadu, does ethnic fashion for men. The brand, founded in 2003, first gained widespread popularity with the launch of its line of iconic white shirts and dhotis, a traditional attire for South Indian men that is also considered a symbol of prestige, culture, and character.

The whiteness of Uathayam dhotis is believed to denote purity and perfection, and the clothing has become the most soughtafter choice for traditional wear in the southern states. In addition to white shirts, Uathayam also manufactures and markets a range of vibrantly colourful shirts that are both stylish and comfortable.

The brand has now launched a wedding collection for men which includes a wide range of apparel, including sherwanis, kurtas, pyjamas, and more. Customers can choose from a variety of styles, colours, and fabrics to find the ideal look for any occasion.

Uathayam’s commitment to quality and value has made it a popular choice among customers and the company is excited to continue building on its success. Customers have consistently returned to the brand for its excellent products and customer service, and the company is always looking for ways to improve and expand its product range. It is committed to delivering value and quality to customers and looks forward to continuing to grow and innovate in the future.

Aastey provides women high-quality fashionable athleisure wear across nine different sizes made from sustainable fabric blends.

Brands get going with store openings

ith consumers thronging the malls and high streets, there is a slew of store openings at malls and on high streets. The newfound confidence is apparent in the announcements of new outlets of apparel and footwear brands, both in urban centers and in small cities. The brands get going with store openings that have

Wspurred sales of casual and informal clothing sales.Fitness enthusiasts are willing to spend on shoes and backpacks and hikers are looking for travel gear that meets their needs. Apparel brands including Shoppers Stop, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, and many others have chalked out expansion plans for their physical store network.

It is not only adults who are serious buyers. Children have emerged as buyers with likes

and preferences of their own, fuelled by social media and insta and peer and youtube influencers. And what they liked three months back may not be what they like now. So brands are getting nimble and quickly adapting to the changes. Online retailers are updating their offerings with unprecedented regularity. All in all, buyers are hitting retail with a vengeance and brands are looking to make sure customers don’t go back disappointed.

Kingdom of White opens in Mumbai

Clothing brand Kingdom of White has opened a new brick-andmortar store in Mumbai. The store retails the brand’s full selection of all-white men’s wear and is located within multi-brand department store Centro.

The store has a shop-in-shop format and open plan layout. The brand recently launched its latest all-white collection, layer edit, featuring basics designed to be layered together for a striking, all-white look. Through its promotional shoots, Kingdom of White positions all-white garments as everything from traditional to peaceful to adventurous.

Centro is a multi-brand fashion and lifestyle store concept by retail giant Reliance Retail. Centro has opened its third India store in Mumbai in November 2022 following openings in New Delhi and Siliguri. The store houses over 300 brands including Jack & Jones, among others, opposite which Kingdom of White is now situated. Reliance Centro in Mumbai is spread over 60000 sqft across three floors and offers more than 300 Indian and international brands across apparel, footwear, cosmetics, lingerie, sportswear, luggage, and accessories. Kingdom of White is a concept brand which retails only plain white clothing. The brand founders felt there was a gap in the market for plain white garments and the brand’s range has expanded to include T-shirts, formal shirts, jackets, and traditional style shirts, among others.

Mango plans 35 new stores, opened Mango Man store

Mango plans to open 35 new stores this year in India. These new stores will include two new flagship stores in Bangalore and Ludhiana which will take its network to more than 110 points of sale by the end of the year.

The brand has tripled its presence in India in the past two years with 85 points of sale as compared to the 28 it had at the end of 2020.

The Spanish fashion brand sees India as one of the most important markets in its internationalisation strategy, since, according to all forecasts, this country is destined to become the third-largest consumer market in the world within the next few years and

Mango wants to have a significant presence in it. As part of its expansion plan drive in India, Mango recently opened its first Mango Man store, which marked the launch of its men’swear line in India.

Madame reopens in South Delhi

Madame has opened a store in South Delhi.

The store is 1,869 sqft and has new visual merchandising elements. The store caters to the mid-premium to elite segment of customers.

Madame used to operate a store in the same location from 2012 to 2017, which made it a natural choice for re-opening. Being located at a popular shopping destination in the country’s capital, the brand expects to attract a daily footfall of 150 to 200 customers at the store.

Madame is a western wearwomen’s brand. Launched in the 1980s, and based in Gurugram, Madame has over 150 stores across India, of which 21 are in New Delhi. In addition, the business is working to increase its customer base through its e-commerce platform. The women’s wear brand caters to customers in Tier II and III cities who are equally aware of global fashion trends and are looking for brands to offer them western fashion options at affordable prices.

The brand’s sales grew by 25 per cent during the October-December quarter and it expects a strong end to the financial year on the back of its retail expansion. Madame was created to meet the fashion needs of progressive and modern Indian women.

Rosso Brunello opens in Lucknow

Rosso Brunello has opened a store in Lucknow.

The new exclusive brand outlet houses the footwear brand’s selection of formal and evening style designs.The storefront is open, featuring a large square archway with the brand’s logo emblazoned in gold above. The warmly lit interior displays footwear both around each wall and in a central island and a seating area is designed to enable shoppers to comfortably try on shoes. On the left hand side of the store is the brand’s men’s line, featuring leather brogues, slip on shoes, and a number of smart casual options. To the right is the women’s collection with strappy occasion style heels as well as more casual boat shoes, among other designs. Rosso Brunello offers a curated range of shoes for every occasion, from stilettos to formals. Rosso Brunello has a number of flagship stores across India including in Delhi, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Dehradun, Mumbai, and Kolkata. The brand also retails through a number of shop in shops in select Da Milano stores in locations including Chandigarh and Amritsar as well as on its own e-commerce store.

With western buyers looking at India as a potential supplier, Indian manufacturers are looking at increasing capacities.

Nike relaunches New Delhi store N

ike has relaunched its store in New Delhi. The sportswear brand’s revamped offering has a new focus on its women’swear offering and member services.The store has been redesigned to bring the best of innovations for fitness enthusiasts, serve women better, create more opportunities for children to get active and offer a seamless end-to-end consumer experience. The store’s Nike By You section focuses on hyper-local products to cater to customer demand. A customisation section enables shoppers to have their T-shirts and tote bags decorated with designs by local artists and a heat-press is on hand to decorate caps and other accessories with names and numbers. The aim is to encourage customers to express themselves more whether it is through dance fitness, running, yoga, basketball Nike (M) maternity collection, sneakerheads, or through Nike By You customisation, at the same time bring together this community and serve them in a personal way.

Nike Delhi has been the capital’s premiere destination for sports lovers. With a wide range of Nike products across running, training,

lifestyle, yoga, and basketball, the store’s newly refurbished layout plays to Nike’s three guiding principles of bringing access to sport,

adding value to the local community and creating a destination that brings consumers closer to one another.

Biba opens in Raipur

Biba has opened a 5,000 sqft store in Raipur. The store retails Biba’s full selection of women’s and girls’ readyto-wear clothing along with its accessories lines, footwear collections, loungewear, and festive sets, among others. The three-storey store also houses garments by Biba’s affordable sister brand Rangriti, which specialises in ethnic wear.

Biba was established in 1986 as a women’s ready-to-wear brand and now retails a wide range of ethnic, fusion, and casual wear as well as girls’ wear, accessories, and homeware items, among others.

Biba has a massive store expansion program. About 20 per cent of the brand’s stores are franchise-owned. The business retails from its brick-and-mortar store network across India as well as its dedicated e-commerce store and several international stores including in Nepal and Japan.

New launches by Biba include its Weddings by Biba line designed for the spring wedding season. The collection is made with Liva Fluid Fabric, a natural origin textile designed to be sustainable. Along with classic kurtas in bright hues, the collection also offers more fusion and casual style ensembles such as jumpsuits and maxi-dresses. The brand has also launched a new footwear line featuring juttis and sandals designed to be suitable for wedding wear ensembles

Cantabil opens ten more outlets

Cantabil has opened ten new exclusive outlets.These are in several states including Nagaland, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab.

These stores have been launched across key states in order to ensure the availability of fashion apparel to customers. With these additions, the apparel manufacturer and retailer now stands at a 439-store mark across the country. Today the brand has a very strong presence across the length and breadth of the country and aim at aggressively expanding its retail presence further and achieving a Rs 1,000 crore revenue over the next few years.

Cantabil has also grown in west India besides having a strong presence in north India. With a robust growth in demand across fashion apparel, central India has become a key market for Cantabil over time. At present, the brand has 27 locations overall, distributed among 22 cities within central India.

Cantabil was established in 1989, entered the women’s wear segment in 2007 and the men’s wear segment in 2013. Recently, the

company launched its new winter and wedding collections, thereby further expanding its product portfolio with the aim of becoming

a one-stop shop for apparel needs. The winter and wedding collection covers men’s, women’s, and children’s wear.

Allen Solly opens store for the little ones

Allen Solly has opened a children’s wear store in Lucknow. The store has a bright, white interior and open façade, with central islands showcasing a wide selection of late winter outerwear. Allen Solly’s deer’s head logo is displayed throughout the store and the brand’s seasonal boys’ collection features bright, sporty jackets, graphic sweatshirts, and thick flannel shirts and for girls puffer jackets, tutustyle dresses, and pastel T-shirts.

Founded in 1744, Allen Solly was bought by Madura Fashion in the 1990s and launched in India in 1993. The Madura Fashion business was subsequently acquired by Aditya Birla in 2001. The brand was originally known for its men’s formal wear and it later diversified its product range to include women’s and children’s wear, among other categories.

The children’s apparel market in India is growing at five per cent a year. The market is primarily driven by the rising number of nuclear and double-income households in India. Strong economic growth in recent years and increasing purchasing power, along with the changing spending patterns of parents with an increasing inclination toward providing their children with enhanced comfort and convenience, is boosting the sales of branded and high-quality children’s apparel.

First Cry opens Gurugram store

FirstCry has opened a new store in Gurugram.

The store is spread across an area of 3000 sqft on the first floor with the roadside store facing front covering an area of 35 feet.

FirstCry, based in Pune, is Asia’s largest online shopping portal for children and baby products with more than 90,000 products and over nine lakh customers.

The company also has a presence in Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai.This baby care brand values parents’ myriad needs and always strives to fulfill them. It drives an integrated marketing strategy between online, mobile, and offline stores, which is helpful for customers. After creating a strong presence for itself in the virtual space, FirstCry has also expanded in offline mediums with 180 physical stores.

First Cry houses more than 2,000 national and international brands under its belt, including Pigeon, Farlin, Mattel, Pampers, Disney, and others. FirstCry has tied up with hospitals for gifting new mothers. This has helped the brand get increased footfall at physical stores and also raise four rounds of funding from investors. The industry forecast is that of a heavy boom in the retail market and increasing demand for baby and children’s products.

Red Tape opens giant store in Rajasthan

Red Tape has opened a 5,369 sqft store at Ajmer in Rajasthan. This is the fashion and lifestyle brand’s biggest store.

Currently, Red Tape operates over 220 stores in more than 100 cities across India. Founded in 1996, Red Tape based in Uttar Pradesh does men’s clothing and accessories.

Red Tape was one of the first Indian footwear brands to be available in the UK. Since then, Red Tape’s footprint has moved onwards and upwards. Its omnichannel retail strategy, with a strong emphasis on digital infrastructure, is enabling the brand to increase its domestic reach and deliver an engaging and seamless experience to customers.

Augmented reality solutions at brand outlets have helped consumers enjoy an interactive and immersive shopping experience. Environment-friendly practices have been integrated into operations to reduce waste, optimise resources and minimise the impact on the planet.

The brand is run by Mirza, a manufacturer and exporter of leather footwear which was

founded in 1979 and which markets its products across the UK, France, Spain, UAE, China, Poland, Canada, Australia, Germany, and the US.

Mirza has a strong presence in the branded segment through three brands, Red Tape, Oak Trak, and Red Tape Gal, in addition to direct sales to global footwear retailers.

House of Pataudi opens in Telangana

House of Pataudi has opened a store in Telangana. This store is House of Pataudi’s sixth outlet in India. Other stores are in Bangalore, Goa, Lucknow, Chennai and Mumbai. .

House of Pataudi launched by actor Saif Ali Khan is a lifestyle brand for men and women. The brand’s collections are inspired by Saif Ali Khan’s personal style statement considering his Pataudi lineage and contemporary fashion preferences. House of Pataudi offers apparel, footwear, and home from its Rozana, Jashn, and Riwayat collections, along with native crafts from artisans. Working with the finest craftsmen, the brand enables shoppers to access crafts like, kantha, kashidakari, mirror work, gotapatti and traditional Indian fabrics like kota and banarasi brocades, to choose from. Over the years, the brand has established itself as one of the leading players in the men’s ethnic wear space. Consumers have turned to ethnic wear in a big way. They are upgrading

their wardrobes for the festivities and the wedding season. The brand is on Myntra. Other than House of Pataudi, Myntra currently houses more than 10 celebrity brands such as

HRX (HrithikRoshan), Wrogn (ViratKohli), All About You (DeepikaPadukone), Being Human (Salman Khan), and Saaki (Samantha Ruth) among others.

Trends opens in J&K

Trends has opened a store at Bandipura in Jammu and Kashmir.

The store boasts a modern aesthetic with a similar ambience and features an affordable range suited to local consumers. The store will be showcasing a selection of various apparel and accessories including women’swear, men’swear, children’s wear and fashion accessories.

Trends is Reliance Retail’s apparel and accessories specialty chain. Trends aims at democratising Indian fashion by strengthening its reach and its connection with Indian consumers. Its aim is to connect with consumers in metros, mini-metros, as well as in Tier II and Tier III cities.

India’s consumption structure has been skewed in the past over a narrow base of richer consumers accounting for a large chunk of the overall market. However, as the economy is broadening across many more cities and the impact is reaching further down the income ladder, the opportunity for value formats and value brands is expanding. In the next few months, multiple stores are expected to come up in this segment as big brands want to tap this segment. After the consumption has increased in metro cities as well as Tier II cities, retailers are eyeing growth in 2023.

Reliance Retail opened 789 new stores, totaling an area of six million sqft in the third quarter of fiscal year 2023.

Bliss Club to open more stores

Bliss Club plans on opening close to 20 stores in 2023. The stores will be in malls, high streets, and as popups, standalone stores, or as part of multi-brand outlets and will be in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore.

The average store size will be around 400 sqft to 500 sqft where apart from selling its merchandise the brand will plan to use it as a community-building platform by engaging consumers in various activities. An omni experience will be built for customers and the brand will use technology to make that seamless. Currently, stores of the brand are company-owned and company-operated and going ahead the brand plans the replicate the same model as it wants to have full control of the experience. In the next five years, the brand is planning to build its depth and width across various categories like sports bras, outerwear, and maternity wear. Bliss Club, a women’s activewear brand, founded in 2020, has a vision to enable women to discover the joy of movement and build beautiful and functional products. What began as a personal attempt at making a better pair of workout clothes has now become a revolution to get women across the country to go out, workout and move around more comfortably and freely.

Chandigarh gets new Clovia

Clovia has opened a store in Chandigarh. Spread across 550 sqft, this is Clovia’s second store in Chandigarh and eleventh in Punjab and the fiftieth overall.

The store offers a complete range of Clovia’s lingerie, sleepwear and activewear as well as the Skivia range of personal care products from Clovia. The brand plans to have in all 100 exclusive brand stores across Indian markets by the end of this financial year.

Clovia is a premier D2C fashion, lingerie and personal care brand. Clovia’s revenue went up 67 per cent in fiscal year 2022 compared to fiscal year 2021.Tier II and III towns account for 60 per cent of the lingerie and innerwear brand’s business. Clovia caters to some 900 cities all over India.

Clovia started operations about eleven years ago. Bras account for some 65 per cent of its sales while its activewear category accounts for over ten per cent of its revenue in addition to the nightwear category, which accounts for over 15 per cent of the total revenue. Currently the offline channel accounts for ten per cent of the company’s revenue.

The company’s key markets are Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad, apart from Patna, Ranchi, Surat, among others.

WK Life opens in Raipur

WK Life has opened a store in Raipur. .

The new store retails a wide range of accessories such as handbags, makeup bags, fashion accessories, and makeup accessories, among others. The store also houses a large selection of electronic goods, perfumes, and personal care products as well as gift items.

The aim is to give the people of Raipura very unique and delightful shopping experience. Based in the UK, lifestyle and accessories business WK Life retails over 3,000 products and targets younger customers.

The business entered the Indian market in 2018. Globally, WK Life has a presence in over 1,000 stores in 60 countries. The brand offers a complete range of uniquely designed lifestyle electronic gadgets and accessories with multiple attributes.WK Life, with its highly sought-after and innovatively designed products, has caters to the needs of young and emerging generations. The focus is more on designing high-quality products that are

catering to the lifestyle of millennials adding value to personality. It provides a variety of unique designs in different categories including smart life products like bluetooth

speakers, laptop accessories, travel luggage and gear, household electronic articles, and car accessories with a 12-month replacement warranty on all product categories.

Klub Fox plans store openings

Klub Fox opened 42 new stores in 2022. This apparel brand from Mumbai is present in 170 plus retail stores pan India. It is planning to open 50 new exclusive brand outlets in 2023 and cross the 200-store mark in the same calendar year.

Klub Fox retails exclusive men’swear apparel with collections in casual, formal as well as partywear with a wide range of blazers, jackets, sweatshirts, shirts, T-shirts, trousers, jeans and more.

The brand offers curated, in-house and contemporary fashion at throwaway prices. The parent company Naagal Garment started in 1997 and has built a large presence across India in the lifestyle and fashion segments. Klub Fox is a trusted brand and this reliability has enabled it to achieve high growth. The brand is opening stores in metro cities and has constantly adapted to changing market conditions.

Klub Fox is a casual wear brand. With an inhouse design team and high growth outlook, it has been able to expand its network last year. Its retail presence spans more than 100 cities. The brand has significantly increased the existing store business in the last five years even during tough market conditions. During this phase, it has opened many stores in the 1000 square feet to 1200 square feet segment.

Groversons : Continues its legacy of pioneering Indian women’s innerwear

As a frontrunner in women’s innerwear segment, Groversons has made a mark with its comfortable, stylish, affordable range of brands. With plans to open more exclusive brand stores across India, it will continue to lead the way and create new benchmarks

Atrue Indian success story, the Groversons Group has been delighting Indian women with its range of high-quality innerwear that is trend and pocket friendly for years. The portfolio of Groversons brands has made it possible for Indian women to buy international quality innerwear high on comfort and style.

All about comfort, style and quality

Groversons’ lingerie portfolio includes signature bras, panties, lingerie, loungewear, swimwear, active wear and shape-wear. Groversons has the distinction of being the first Indian intimate brand to receive the ISO ISO9001:2008 certification.

Groversons brands are the flagship Paris Beauty, Super Girl, Sparsh Plus, Poems, Miss-T, Sunaina and Winta. “GS Paris Beauty is committed to inspiring women and empowering them with comfortable yet modern and trend-driven garments. We are a brand that brings you together, lifts you up and celebrates the power of you,” opines Rakesh Grover, Managing Director.

Siddharth Grover, Director goes on to

• Launched in 1997 with small office

• Has touched a merchandise value of Rs 500 crore

• Pan America growing at a CARG 12-15 per cent per annum

• A mid segment fashion brand for men, affordability, quality are its USP

• First EBO opened in 2000, now has 80

• 5,500 MBO’s, 250 shop in shops and 8 large format stores

• Has a presence in Dubai and Middle East

explain, Paris Beauty focuses on targeting the younger generation with new styles and a modern take on everyday essentials. “We have a huge range of products that satisfy every women’s needs. Whether its lingerie for your everyday use or special occasions active wear for a high-intensity workout, loungewear to keep you comfortable, or nightwear for comfortable nights. GS Paris Beauty offers something for every need.

Growth through online presence

As per Siddharth Grover, 70 per cent sales take place through the brand’s website. Groversons’ portfolio of products are also listed as top sellers at Nykaa, Shoppers Stop,

Ajio, Amazon, Myntra, Limeroad, Meesho, Udaan and Flipkart, where it has the ‘Gold Seller’ status. Groversons targets a wide range of customers with a comprehensive line up of products that address their requirements based on age, body-type and lifestyle.It connects with social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to get the right feedback for innovation. Today the company has a 50 million strong customer base and has served 10 million customers. The e-conversion rate from e-traffic is a phenomenal 80 per cent. Thanks to a robust online presence and transaction, the brand has clocked in a whopping 89 per cent growth in customer base expansion.

Spreading its reach across India

The organisation has a robust pan-India distribution network of 400 plus distributors spread over 2,000 plus cities and a retail network of 20,000 plus. The brand has two exclusive stores in Delhi’s Karol Bagh and South Extension 1. The new South Extension store offers exclusive Groversons experience and its popularity has grown phenomenally in a short time. The store has a team of professionally trained women who walk customers make informed purchase decisions. This approach has boosted traffic and sales as customers feel comfortable about leaving the store delighted with the right purchase.

The store also offers the right kind of innerwear for every personal and social occasion.This helps in increasing awareness about the brand’s comprehensive product

Rakesh Grover, Managing Director

portfolio that is trendy and on point. The entire experience is built around womanhood, understanding her body and what gives her comfort. The exceptional quality of fabric and craftsmanship brings forth intimate possessions that are a beauty to behold and joy to wear.

The plan is to open more exclusive brand outlets this year. With another 15 exclusive outlets ready to be launched in 2023, the brand intends to push the number of exclusive outlets to 60 in 2024 and 100 by

2025. Year 2023 is going to be a watershed for Groversons, as the complete experience of exclusive brand outlets is expected to help it score much better than competitors in the category of physical sales outlets.

Meanwhile, Groversons products will also be available across India through over 70 shop-in-shop in 2023.The plan is to go live in over 100 multi-brand outlets by the end of year. The full brand experience of exclusive brand outlets will also be offered at these multi-brand outlets. Every multi-brand outlet will be stringently supervised, monitored and operated by professional management team at GS Paris Beauty.

For some years now, Groversons has been bullish about its expansion plans and this stands reinforced with the expansions plans revealed by the company

Geared for exceptional growth

Predicted as the top five Indian innerwear brands that are surging ahead with phenomenal growth, Groversons is a Noidabased company that has been around for the last 65 years, providing best-in-class innerwear experience for Indian women across the length and the breadth of the nation. Today, it is a leading brand in woven, knitted and hosiery-fabric underwear. Enabled with a monthly production capacity of 2.5 million pieces, the manufacturing facility has been expanded to increase its outputs. Having invested in top-of-the-range Japanese, American and Italian machinery like Juki, Brothers, Eastman and AMP Pisani, the production process is streamlined to increase capacity to serve the growing demand for Groverson range of products.

A legacy in innerwear

Incepted in 1955 by Suresh Grover, Groversons Industries is an unlisted private company incorporated in November, 1987. The company is a reputable manufacturer of women’s undergarments in woven, knitted, and hosiery fabric as well as thermal wear. Well known for its style and quality of products for nearly 70 years, the company has helped in building high standards in Indian intimate apparel industry.

Rakesh Grover says, “We at Groversons Group understand there is nothing in the world that adds to the self-confidence of a woman other than an outstanding pair of undergarments. We are specialized to craft such exceptional pieces of innerwear for a woman that epitomizes fashion and her poise.”

Giving a peek on their background, Grover says, in 1953 the late Chamanlal Grover perceived how rare a good lingerie piece was for women who either got them tailored or depended on imported ones. He then decided to shape up an Indian lingerie brand that offered peerless quality and was affordable. Over the years, the focus has

“We at Groversons Group understand there is nothing in the world that adds to the self-confidence of a woman other than an outstanding pair of undergarments. We are specialized to craft such exceptional pieces of innerwear for a woman that epitomizes fashion and her poise.”

“Paris Beauty focuses on targeting the younger generation with new styles and a modern take on everyday essentials. We have a huge range of products that satisfy every women’s needs. Whether its lingerie for your everyday use or special occasions active wear for a high-intensity workout, loungewear to keep you comfortable, or nightwear for comfortable nights. GS Paris Beauty offers something for every need.”

been on women’s comfort and international trends in innerwear. The legacy was carried forward by Suresh Grover who further organized the integral processes and set new benchmarks for perfection parameters: quality, comfort and style. Today, Groversons is ably led by father-son duo, Rakesh and Siddhath Grover who pride themselves in enriching the company’s legacy through growth, innovation and most importantly as being recognized as a benchmark for the confidence of millions of women across India. They are also credited for taking the Indian brand across international shores. The success of the group can be attributed to its competitive and focused approach, innovative techniques to manufacture the iconic products and philosophy of being conventionally contemporary. The company’s inherent strength are its R&D based on consumer feedback and insight as well as a team of gifted designers and technical experts that create the ultimate fit for body.

The brand’s vision is being committed to inspiring women and empowering them with comfortable yet modern and trenddriven garments that makes for an uplifting and confidence-boosting experience. Its mission is to be known globally as the most approachable women’s lifestyle brand that provides products with the best fits and designs

at a great value to the consumer. A perfect example of legacy and modernity, passion for quality and innovation, the Groversons portfolio that celebrates a woman’s personal essentials with comfort and style is what distinguishes it from competition and propels it to success after success.

Bodycare Showcase : 2023

The company has a strong network of over 300 distributors and more than 15,000 retail outlets across India, making the “Bodycare” brand well-known and highly preferred by consumers.

Bodycare Creations recently held its annual event, the “Bodycare Showcase 2023,” at the Royal Plaza in Connaught Place, Delhi. The presentation was inaugurated by Honourable Minister and Special Guest Tamta.

The event was organized specifically for retailers who could view the entire range of Bodycare products under one roof. This included women’s innerwear, lounge wear, Body-X innerwear, and Body Active sportswear. The showcase also unveiled new prints in digital print for women’s innerwear, new sportswear, and a new product range in men’s innerwear and lounge wear.Bodycare Creations is a leading name in the designer lingerie sector, founded in 1992 by entrepreneur Sanjay Dawar. Bodycare strives to meet the diverse needs of our customers by being innovative. It is committed towards offering fashion,

quality and comfort at an unbelievable price. The company is known for its research and development efforts, which have resulted in the introduction of innovative and useful products. Dawar’s outgoing personality has helped him build strong relationships with distributors and retailers, leading to the widespread availability of Bodycare products across India and a large, devoted client base.

In addition to marketing, Dawar is actively involved in product development and other crucial operations of the business. Bodycare Creations also employs a talented design and production staff, contributing to the company’s competitiveness and advantage in the industry. The wide range of Bodycare products includes bras, panties, camisoles, sports bras, shapewear, maternity wear, men’s undergarments (Body-X), and sportswear for men and women (Body Active). All of these products are known for their skin-friendly soft

texture fabrics, exquisite designs, innovation, and affordable prices. Bodycare products are manufactured at a state-of-the-art plant that covers 65,000 square feet and undergoes stringent quality checks.

The company has a strong network of over 300 distributors and more than 15,000 retail outlets across India, making the “Bodycare” brand well-known and highly preferred by consumers.

Bodycare Creations has set a benchmark for the lingerie and sportswear industries with its Bodycare, Body-X, and Body Active brands.

Established in the year 2008, Bodycare is proud to introduce itself as one of major Manufacturers and Suppliers of different types of Garments. We are headed by the Managing Director Mr. Sanjay Dawar, who with his strong business outlook and deep knowledge about the industry, has been able to guide us to the top. The company is located at Noida, India.

History

Bodycare came into being in the Year 1992 by the name M/S Pawan hosiery that manufactured inner wear under the brand name. Bodycare came into being in the Year 1992 by the name M/S Pawan hosiery that manufactured inner wear under the brand name. Bodycare – Women Innerwear / Bodyx – Men Undergarments / Bodyactive – Men and Women Sportswear is now a famous name in innerwear industry all over India and the world. The name Bodycare Creations Ltd.. was established in the year 2008..

We have been constantly updating the designs and have gained the sustainability in the market. Bodycare creations is managed

by Mr. Sanjay Dawar who is a person with high ambitions and strength. He has always designed the Garments keeping comfort and quality in mind.

Our Philosophy

We strive to meet the diverse needs of our customers by being innovative. We are committed towards offering fashion, quality and comfort at an unbelievable price.

Brand Profile

As the brand specializes in stylish and intimate innerwear, it offers you the complete lingerie solution including Bra, Panty, Shorts, Camisoles, Bikini, capries, Leggings, etc. We

also offer some utility products as feeding bra, tummy control panty, maternity panty and Teflon coating sanitary panty.

Capacity & Strength

We have a production capacity of around 15 million pieces per annum with the help of a dedicated team of 700 people and distribution team of 140 across India. We have our strength lying in the following factors :

• Consistent quality and innovative designing

• Wide and extensive distribution presence

• Value for money pricing

• Communicating and promotions in sync with the brand positioning

Brand Focus

We are well-aware that the Bodycare products are being used by different classes of customers. The company has so far mainly focused on middle income group but now we are also planning to target Upper and niche class of consumers.

Success & Awards

We have been honored with many prestigious awards that have reassured our prominent presence in the market. We have received the following awards :

• Year 2005 awarded as the top 5 brands

• Year 2006 Brand of the year by CMAI

• Year 2007 Brand of the year by CMAI

• Year 2009 Brand of the year by CMAI

• First to introduce stain free panty in India (Teflon finish)

• First to introduce lycra stretch panties

• First to introduce procian printed panties.

Raymond plans bigger foray in ethnic wear market

ith an estimated 3.2 million weddings being held in the marriage season of November and December, demand for ethnic wear and wedding clothes significantly surged in India. Raymond as a leader in the premium textile business cashed in on this post-covid splurge and registered its highest-ever growth of 38 per cent with the sale of Rs 22 billion in three months that ended in September 2022. The company has increased its pan-India footprint and distribution network by unveiling 45 ethnic wear stores under the brand Ethnix over the past 18 months. And now plans to increase the number of outlets to 80 by the end of FY23 and 150 by the end of FY24, which will be in addition to its existing network of 1,500 stores, some of which will now sell ethnic wear products too.

Highest spike in post-Covid sales

Raymond currently has a market valuation of nearly Rs 105 billion and is going on adding to its existing 1,400 showrooms across the country. On an all-time high in the post-

Wpandemic period, Raymond recently recorded its highest-ever sales of around Rs 22 billion in the three-month period that ended in September 2022 where its sales were up by 38 per cent as compared to the same period in 2019. This sharp rise in sales in the September quarter was mainly because overseas clients ordered more suits and shirts along with the post-pandemic splurges on weddings and festivals in India.

“We have witnessed a sharp turnaround in our sales due to higher consumer spending in our stores following the COVID-19 pandemic. We have noticed that each customer is spending higher after Covid by as much as 25 to 30 per cent in our stores when compared to pre-Covid. We are on the cusp of record growth,’’ said Raymond’s chairman and managing director Gautam Hari Singhania in a recent Nikkei Asia, interview.

Thanks to the estimated 3.2 million weddings this season, the Confederation of All India Traders expects almost Rs 3.75 trillion in overall business for these sectors including clothing retail. This figure compares with Rs 2.5 trillion over the same period in 2019 in the pre-Covid days and to around Rs 3 trillion in 2022 as

traditional ceremonies finally started to return. Real estate segment growing rapidly Raymond’s textiles and clothing segment is a major source of revenue as it contributes around 50 per cent revenue of the company. It has also diversified into other businesses in consumer products ranging from shaving cream to condoms and in technology such as auto parts. It now runs a real estate business using its land parcel in Thane and other joint development projects in Mumbai. It is currently doing so well that it plans to hive this segment off into a separate company for better focus. Raymond’s consolidated revenue has grown 64 per cent year-on-year to Rs 3,896 crore in the first half of FY23 while operating profit before depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) grew six-fold to Rs 533 crore. Net profit for the half year was Rs 244 crore and net debt was Rs 1,400 crore which is marginally lower and the company should be debt-free in twothree years. With a strong distribution network, supply chain and trust among consumers built up over the decades, Raymond has always been a cut above its competitors and those at the helm intend to keep it that way through inflation and turbulent post Covid years ahead.

Myntra launches ethnic wear app

Myntra has launched Runway Icons. This is a dedicated store on the app, to enable easy discovery of curated premium ethnicwear for its consumers. With an increased focus on elevating the overall experience and relevance for premium ethnicwear seekers, the store will present shoppers with a selection of customised trends and the latest fashion in the space.

Conceptualised and developed inhouse, Myntra’s Runway Icons is a one-stop digital destination that offers customers more than 15,000 styles from brands which include House of Pataudi, Koskii, Suta, Aachho, Odette, Bunaai, Ambraee, Scakhi and Truebrowns.

Runway Icons is for Myntra’s shoppers who have consistently shown a strong affinity towards the premium ethnicwear category. This proposition will offer a carefully curated selection of the most in-trend looks and apparel from the ethnic fashion ecosystem. With the rising popularity of D2C brands in the ethnicwear space, Runway Icons will give the brands a platform and an opportunity to present their collections in a unique manner to Myntra’s discerning shoppers. Brands and retailers’ focus on ethnicwear is continuously increasing.Demand for ethnic wear and clothes has significantly surged as compared to the last few years. Consumers celebrating festivals and attending weddings have turned to ethnic wear in a big way.

Force IX is on Myntra

from shoppers in Tier II cities and beyond. The marketplace has onboarded 25 international fashion labels and 50 foreign beauty brands in the past 12 months. Nearly 40 per cent of the demand for international fashion labels is driven by shoppers in Tier II cities and beyond.

B2B platform Nona Lifestyle aims at six fold growth

Within two years of launch, Nona Lifestyle has expanded operations to Ahmedabad, Ludhiana, and Siliguri to meet the demand across India and has added well-known brands such to its portfolio. Eventually, in 2019, the company expanded its presence in the UAE and registered a mainland company in Dubai.

Nona Lifestyle simplifies the buying and selling process of ready-to-sell fashion and lifestyle products. Nona Lifestyle is an allin-one marketplace that simplifies (Design to Delivery) sourcing, production and all supply chain processes while leveraging the potential of textile, accessories, and apparel manufacturing technology. To ensure high quality, the company performs multi-level quality checks and work closely with its vendors at every step of the buying journeyfrom raw material selection to designingand prompt deliveries.

Myntra imposes fees on frequent returners

Akshay Kumar’s fashion brand Force IX is on Myntra.

The collection consists of durable, economical and functional fashion staples inspired by the popular actor’s iconic sense of style. The brand offers men more than 70 options across a range of T-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, shirts, sweatshirts, cargos, joggers, chinos, co-ord sets, boiler suits, dungarees and accessories, targeted towards street wear and casual wear consumers across metros, Tier I and beyond cities. Women’s wear will be added soon. Myntra has a proven track record of accelerating the growth of celebrityled brands. Myntra offers a range of over 5,000 leading fashion and lifestyle brands in the country such as H&M, Levis, US Polo Assn., Tommy Hilfiger, Louis Philippe, Jack & Jones, Mango, Urbanic, and many more. It services over 19,000 pin codes across the country and currently houses more than ten celebrity brands such as HRX, Wrogn, Being Human and House of Pataudi, among others. Myntra is facing orders for international brands

For the current fiscal year, Nona Lifestyle aims at growing six fold. The business-tobusiness textiles, corporate merchandise, and soft furnishings business also aims at expanding its export operations.

The plan is to create a structured market around the globe and be able to export to 35 to 40 countries in the near future.The business has raised Rs 3.5 crores in seed funding in 2020 and has put the funds towards developing its technology to provide accurate data and automate its supply chain. The business went on to raise a further Rs 11 crores in a Pre Series A funding round.

Myntra, an Indian fashion e-commerce platform owned by Walmart’s Flipkart, is penalizing customers who return items too frequently.

In November of last year, Myntra changed its returns policy, charging a “convenience fee” of 299 rupees ($3.66) for customers who have return rates three times higher than average. The company also revoked some of their “Myntra Insider privileges” and warned them about account suspension if the high returns continue.

This change has frustrated customers and caused some to switch to competitors with free returns. Analysts believe that companies are curbing returns to save costs, due to the recent economic slump and increasing inflation.

Historically, online retailers in India promoted free returns and longer return windows to encourage shoppers. In India, 2540% of clothes sold online are returned, with one in four items sent back. However, the cost of processing returns is eating into the margins of online retailers. To cut the cost of returns, some companies are offering discounts to users who forfeit their right to return.

Myntra did not answer specific questions about the impact of return fees, instead, a company spokesperson said that “any change in policy or practice that we implement is undertaken keeping in mind the interests of the larger customer base and their response to it.

E-commerce emerges as key growth driver for lingerie

The online lingerie market is growing at eight per cent a year. The market is fragmented, with the presence of a few established players and many start-ups..

Many lingerie brands are entering the direct-to-consumer online retail space. They are also selling their products through third-party online retailers. Private brands largely or solely sell their products online, with the growing e-commerce industry and the online lingerie market. Many multi-brand pure-play online lingerie retailers have also entered the market. This will enable them to strengthen their position in the online lingerie market. Thus, high rates of internet and smartphone penetration contribute to the market growth. The bra segment is growing at a significant rate. The growth of this segment is attributed to factors such as the high price and replacement cycle of bras when compared to other types of intimate apparel. The trend of customizable bras is also driving the market. Moreover the penetration of mobile tablets and smartphones globally has boosted the growth of the segment.

The cost benefits for retailers operating in the online space are driving the market growth. Online lingerie stores offer a wide range of products. They also offer easy return and exchange policies, thereby attracting more consumers. Online lingerie stores also help consumers purchase bras with the right fit through apps. These factors will fuel the market’s growth.

Its blog answers all queries that women often face while shopping lingerie and innerwear. Its blog answers fashion and health questions about finding the perfect bra size, workouts for moms-to-be etc.Its overall marketing strategy has stayed away from following a functional approach and rather takes a fun approach, without coming across as sultry.

The brand currently has 52 exclusive brand outlets and aims at crossing 200 EBOs by the end of the next fiscal year.

Tata Cliq Luxury aims at seamless experience

Clovia builds up digital presence

Clovia’s digital media marketing is centered around social media, content marketing and performance marketing.

Catering to its young target audience who are more active on social media platforms, Clovia targets them by building engaging and asking them questions. It has also been focusing on personalised content. Clovia uses memes, topical and relatable content around ill-fitted bras to connect with its audience on Instagram.

The brand has been collaborating with influencers for humorous reels which also revolve around issues that women face with lingerie and their relationship with traditional mothers.The brand’s media mix is centered on digital. Some 85 per cent of Clovia’s sales are currently online and here contextual advertising is at its center.

Clovia believes today’s consumers can be engaged only through high-quality contextual content.The brand has also looked at content marketing as a key component in its approach.

Tata Cliq Luxury has a strong portfolio of global brands across categories and strives to offer customers a seamless and luxurious shopping experience.

The target audience is the top five million affluent households in India. The platform caters to a discerning and affluent audience segment that is digitally savvy and has a high disposable income. So the overall marketing strategy will continue to emphasise on establishing Tata Cliq Luxury as the go-to destination for online luxury shopping across categories as well as building brand equity.

The brand will focus on equity-based campaigns and launch new initiatives to drive content-led commerce. Given that the majority of its consumers are digital savvy, and keeping in mind its footprint in e-commerce, the approach is digital-first. The platform will continue to leverage digital and social in order to drive the brand messaging, deliver an engaging brand narrative, and reach out to both existing and new customers. The focus is on giving attention to the finer elements - craftsmanship and heritage, as well as tranquility and value of an experience.

The luxury e-commerce market is growing at an average rate of 100 per cent year on year. Some categories such as beauty, fashion and watches have high double-digit e-commerce penetration while other emerging categories, such as fine jewellery, home and so on, will witness growth in future.

Lingerie, the latest category of clothing to go gender-neutral, takes the fashion industry by storm

With the rise of gender-neutral fashion, the lingerie industry is gradually breaking away from traditional gender norms, and offering a more inclusive approach.

The clothing industry has seen a significant shift in recent years, with the rise of gender-neutral fashion. Brands are breaking away from traditional gender norms, and lingerie is no exception. From France to Los Angeles, lingerie companies are now embracing inclusiveness and offering underwear for all bodies, regardless of gender.

In the summer of 2021, French-based brand Undiz launched its ‘No Gender’ capsule collection, featuring mixed-gender ready-towear and intimate pieces. Another French brand, Etam, made a bold statement with its “I/ELLE/S” collection, breaking free from traditional codes to offer a range of genderneutral cuts that prioritize comfort and freedom of movement. The collection includes bodysuits, briefs, bras, boylegs, and shorties for all genders.

Brands like Cantiq LA and Boy Smells have taken this inclusiveness a step further by offering a single range for all customers, with transparent fabrics, lace, bralettes, and shorties no longer being reserved for women.

Meanwhile, Lucky Skivvies has understood the changing trend by proposing non-gender specific long boxers in a wide range of sizes and patterns, appealing to everyone.

Gone are the days where lingerie was

reserved only for women. Brands across the globe are embracing inclusiveness and offering a wider range of lingerie for everyone, regardless of gender. The industry is not only meeting the expectations of those who no longer want to be confined to specific gender categories, but also changing attitudes towards gender-neutral lingerie.

It’s not about replacing traditional lingerie, but about making sure that lingerie is inclusive of all genders. Gender-neutral lingerie is not just a trend, but a segment that is becoming increasingly available on store shelves, proving that it’s not just a niche but rather a real market. Whether it’s luxury labels like Gucci or fast fashion brands, the fashion industry is now working in this area that challenges fashion’s long-standing gender norms.

With the rise of gender-neutral fashion, the lingerie industry is gradually breaking away from traditional gender norms, and offering a more inclusive approach. Gender-neutral lingerie is here to stay, and it’s exciting to see the fashion industry evolve and embrace inclusiveness in a new way.

Intimate wear market shapes up well as it emerges from the background

India’s intimate wear market has seen good growth with changing mindsets and consumers’ willingness to spend on fancy products. Online retail has also triggered market growth especially in the Covid years. Global and local brands are now competing with each other for bigger market share

The global innerwear market is now taking on a whole new look with the expansion of online retail, rising disposable incomes especially among women and an extensive variety and colors focusing on making both men and women look and feel good on the inside and outside. With a vast product portfolio of undergarments, sleepwear, light wear robes in various categories of sports, athleisure, bridal wear, party wear and regular wear, the global intimate market has come into its own in the last few years.

• Intimate wear segment has now emerged from the side lines on to its own

• Growth triggered by awareness, higher disposable incomes, need to be in style

• Brassiere segment expected to corner largest market share in coming years

• Millennials and GenZ are now spending on premium brands

• Both local and global brands are competing in India for market share

• Online brands have upped the competition and helped change the market

The global lingerie market was valued at around $43.2 billion in 2020 growing at a CAGR of 8.25 per cent to touch $84.16 billion by 2028, reveals ‘Lingerie market size, share and growth analysis report’ by US-based Facts & Factor, a national data collection provider for global qualitative and quantitative research.

Categorized in three primary segments based on type, distribution channel, and region, local brands are upping their style to compete with global ones. The women’s segment is broadly categorized into: brassiere, knickers and shapewear. Among these, the brassiere segment is expected to corner the largest market share in the next few years due to the versatility of fabrics, shape and sophisticated technology. The men’s innerwear category is focusing on innovation and sustainability with a never-before specialized range of products and designs.

Global intimate wear on fast growth curve

The global lingerie market was valued at around $43.2 billion in 2020 growing at a CAGR of 8.25 per cent to touch $84.16 billion by 2028, reveals ‘Lingerie market size, share and growth analysis report’ by US-based Facts & Factor, a national data collection provider for global qualitative and quantitative research.

In the eight years forecast period from 202128, the global lingerie market will be further driven by rising influence of social media and smart marketing strategies of all mid-size and premium brands catering to various budgets. Some key insights from this report shows, the lingerie market will grow mainly due to increasing spending power among women and the introduction of high-tech machinery in manufacturing and finishing processes.

The brassiere segment will be the frontrunner with the largest market share. On a regional basis, Europe is expected to have the largest market share because of higher presence of prominent players along with growing demand for premium and luxury brands in the region in post-Covid years. Higher number of limited edition products by premium brands will help further increase the delicate footprint of intimate wear industry during the current forecast period. Asia-Pacific region is also expected to have the fastest CAGR owing to more aspirational lifestyles and increasing disposable income among the younger generation.

Key premium global players such as Jockey International, Victoria’s Secret, Zivame, GAP, Hanesbrands, Triumph International, Bare Necessities, Calvin Klein, MAS Holdings, L Brands, AEO Management, M&S and others

are currently focusing on innovative portfolios in a lucrative post-Covid market.

Social media transforms India’s innerwear market

The Indian innerwear market has also undergone transformation with social media influenced socio-cultural factors and sophisticated manufacturing technologies. Valued at around $3 billion in 2017 it is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 14 per cent to reach $6.5 billion by 2023. This is mainly because local small brands in the unorganized sector are rapidly moving towards the organized segment with all added benefits.

Millennials and GenZ are now spending on premium brands of fashion underwear that besides being worn in the bedroom, also often also play peek-a-boo from streetwear clothes. The trend now is to change innerwear every six months on average and have different sets for different occasions for women.

Keeping these growth drivers in mind, Kolkata, Ludhiana and Thirupur are now established hubs of innerwear manufacturing with many players, especially in the men’s innerwear segment.

Some of Kolkata’s giant manufacturers and mass brands which include Dollar, Lux and Rupa among others are always adding new seasonal products. In Thirupur, the focus is on innovative raw materials, newer prints and design-oriented innerwear and new players such as Faso, Carnation Creations, Cruso, Tailor and Circus have entered the market.

As per Akhil Srivastava, Managing Director, Parfait India, the lingerie market has come a long way from being considered an apparel sub-category in the earlier days. With rise in the purchasing power, there has been a subsequent rise in demand for braletts,

activewear, resort wear and daily intimate wear, opines.

With diverse population and different kinds of demand across geographical regions of the country, all lingerie brands keep diversity at the core of their offerings rather than only following trending catwalk styles. Consumers opt for comfort-first clothing that is both stylish and fit well and look for a product portfolio of varied styles and colors to go with both Indian and western outfits.

As Amisha Jain, CEO, Zivame, online retailer of high-quality lingerie points out, “Taking cue from a woman’s evolving needs, we developed several products to deliver on our promise of quality, comfort and fit. Increasing number of people are opting for comfort over style but at Zivame, we don’t believe in choosing one over the other as comfort is a necessity and all lingerie must be comfortable. Innovation is at the core of everything we do and we are constantly working on areas of construction (uni-cup with flexible underwire, supersoft Marshmallow Cups) to make products that give a unique, stylish and comfortable consumer experience.

Trending women’s innerwear

Animal prints have recorded impressive growth at the mass as well as luxury levels and the same style is now prevalent in all intimate wear categories such as casualwear, street style, eveningwear, jackets and coats or accessories. However, it’s the little variations of common animal prints that is making the difference and snakeskin and leopard skin designs are leading this design brigade. Adaptation of new technologies, stitching methods, fabrics, designs and functionalities is making all the difference in women’s bras, panties and nightwear.

INTIMATE WEAR STORY

The brassiere segment will be the front-runner with the largest market share. On a regional basis, Europe is expected to have the largest market share because of higher presence of prominent players along with growing demand for premium and luxury brands in the region in post-Covid years.

Modern women’s brands understand that one size doesn’t fit all and they offer sizes that range from petite to plus-size ranging from 28 to 52 in band sizes. A to K in cup sizes and XS4XL in bottoms. With many full-busted women complaining about not finding the right size of bra - which translates to almost 90 per cent in India - some brands such as Parfait and Zivame have focused on filling this gap in the Indian markets.

Meanwhile, in the US, there has been a 6 per cent increase in plus-size underwear with many international brands like ASOS introducing sizes from US 40 DD to 44 L. Other silhouette styles such as sports bras, boy shorts, high waist briefs, sanitary panties, baby-doll bras and bustiers have entered the market. Braletts that double up as casual wear, as well as occasion wear is the cool new concept and many brands such as Zivame have introduced these. They can be worn in many ways with high-waisted skirts or pants, shorts or even as a blouse with a sari.

Materials such as recyclable polyester yarns have been actively introduced in activewear section, organic cotton, vegetable dyes and sustainably-sourced bamboo that are durable and natural have also been introduced.

Consumers are opting for breathable fabrics made out of natural materials and fibres for bras, boxers, briefs, bodysuits and many brands such as US-based Reformation is working with Lenzing’s Tencel, recycled lace and eco-mesh, while retailers such as Everlane are known as industry-wide leaders in transparent and ethical production practices.

Fabric and style versatility in men’s segment

Fabric is always the main feature that determines the end product and while cotton has always been the preferred fabric of choice, a lot of brands have now started offering more options of cotton such as Supima and spandex mixing it with other modal varieties such as Tencel, Lenzing MicroModal, creating the best of both worlds.

Many global and Indian brands dominate the men’s innerwear segment. Around six domestic brands take up almost 36 per cent of market share in India. These are: Jockey, Amul Macho, Rupa, Lux, Dollar and VIP. New Indian brands like XYXX Crew, produce a majority of their collection using Tencel such as Lenzing Micro Modal. Other premium global brands include UCB, Levi’s, M&S, FCUK, CK, Gant, Emporio Armani etc, and all of them have brand extensions to cater to different segments.

Consumers can be segregated into many categories depending on their purchasing behavior with many factors such as price, style, convenience and quality coming into play. While men in metros with high-paying jobs, high disposable incomes seek only premium brands; Tier II and III city consumers aim for aspirational brands. Those in lower-paid jobs

Indian innerwear market has undergone transformation with social media influenced sociocultural factors and sophisticated manufacturing technologies.

Valued at around $3 billion in 2017 it is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 14 per cent to reach $6.5 billion by 2023.

with hardly any disposable incomes have cautious buying patterns treating innerwear as just a basic essential item in their wardrobe.

Around 10 per cent of middle-class Indian shoppers buy innerwear only once a year and prefer to buy multiple products at once, whereas the discerning customer may buy as regularly as he buys his shirts and trousers. Thus it is the Indian innerwear brands that has its finger on the pulse tighter than global brands in this segment.

As per US-based business consulting firm Grand View Research, global men’s underwear market was valued at $29.41 billion in 2018 and expected to register a CAGR of 5.3 per cent from 2019 to 2025. Growth is driven by factors like increasing awareness about health, best fit and personal hygiene coupled with growing millennial population.

E-commerce a market driver

Distribution channels plays an important role in the innerwear segment with many brands making their presence felt in the online space through retailers like Myntra, Amazon, Flipkart. At the same time, many have standalone websites as well. Most Indian and foreign brands are available through stores across metros and Tier II, III cities. Local players compete equally with global brands on store shelves.

With the discussion on lingerie no longer a taboo, the segment today is far more than just an innerwear to be worn in the confines of clothes and more a style statement. And with per capita spending power of Indian urban consumer having more than doubled over the last few years, spending on this segment is more a habit than a necessity.

The growing presence of innerwear brands across both online and offline platforms is an indication of how these brands are aware of their visibility. The current global fragmented and unorganized distribution structure has further increased the complexities and it is the need of the hour to re-strategize and chalk out marketing plans in line with evolving consumer needs. The direct customer selling approach is a factor that has helped India’s online lingerie market growth and brought brands closer to consumers and improved brand loyalty. Tapping the pulse of the internet savvy consumer that does away with treating lingerie as a bare necessity is leaving the doors wideopen for a profitable and sustainable future if marketed right.

Retail leasing touches record high

Retailers in India leased nearly 4.7 million square feet of space across top cities in 2022. So says CBRE.

Leasing in 2023 is expected to outpace even the 2019 level when retailers cumulatively took up a record 6.8 million sqft of new space. Bangalore and Delhi-NCR had a major share (61 per cent) in leasing activity in 2022, while Chennai, Hyderabad, and Pune had a nine per cent share each.

Given the robust supply pipeline planned for 2023, and strong domestic consumption, leasing activity is anticipated to remain steady. More international brands, especially in the food and beverage space, are expected to enter the country. On a pan-India basis, Bangalore recorded the highest share of mall completionsin the fourth quarter followed by Pune.

Key sectors that drove the leasing activity in the fourth quarter were fashion and apparel, homeware and department stores, hypermarkets, food and beverage and luxury.

Going forward, retail leasing is expected to gain traction in Tier II, III, and even IV cities as retailers and landlords are looking to leverage the purchasing power of these towns

and cities. Activity in these cities is expected to remain strong from domestic retailers, with international retailers expected to be more active in the apparel and QSR segments.

Wedding season proves a boon

The garment sector of Indore expects a 40 per cent jump in business in the wedding season. So this is also true of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra.

There has been a rise in bulk orders to Indore from outstation markets and an increase in sales at retail counters.

Orders from south India, the traditional market for Indore origin products, have risen as against the previous years in the same period. Apart from traditional markets that purchase garments from Indore, many new centers have placed orders.

Indore is a hub for readymade garment manufacturers and suppliers. There are around 1200 readymade garment manufacturers in Indore and it also boasts of a readymade complex in Pardeshipura, a hub for garment manufacturers housing around 125 units.

The festival and wedding season starts from January and extends until March. This is the peak sales period for garments for which orders are booked at least six months in advance and dispatches start from November or December.

witnessed in the sales trend. Demand has

risen despite a spike in raw cotton prices, chemical and

The Covid scare had engulfed the market but things are back to normal and this is now

fuel cost that has made clothes and readymade garments expensive.

India’s athleisure and sportswear market to reach $40.64 billion by 2027: Study

Global consultancy Research and Markets has pegged an estimated $27.89 billion in 2022 for India’s sports equipment, footwear and apparel market and by 2027 it is expected to reach $40.64 billion growing at a CAGR of 7.82 per cent.

Growth drivers

So, what is driving this healthy growth? For a start, the two years of working from home has raised awareness levels about sports and fitness significantly. Even the average urban couch potato has risen to attempt at a fitter lifestyle. Secondly, awareness has benefitted as India sees more organized community activities and sports events. Growing access to online retail platforms has exposed the Indian consumer to trendy athleisure and accessories that look good and promise to be comfortable.

However, while the change is more visible in adults market, the kids market does not show the same enthusiastic growth as Indian kids seem more inclined towards video games rather than real ones. Indian retailers vouch this fact as they state despite life returning to normal, fervent festive clothing and occasion wear sales between September and December 2022, athleisure and sportswear held their ground.

In fact it is quite the trend to mix a piece of athleisure wear with formal clothing, particularly footwear. As Venu Nair, MD and CEO Shoppers Stop points out, India’s casual wear space has really expanded and will continue do so in the foreseeable future as the casualization of attire continues in India’s postCovid life. He feels, Indians now see no reason to look casually smart and feel wonderfully comfortable all at once. Shoppers Stop has witnessed that despite festive and wedding season purchases, athleisure and sportswear just kept selling.

Jubi Samuel, Senior Director, Myntra’s sports division says, more brands are designing and producing trendy and comfortable wear, being inclusive with sizes and creating lines of wear anywhere and every day kind of clothing. And tapping the lucrative market, Bollywood sar Akshay Kumar recently launched his leisure line of T-shirts, sweat shirts and caps called Force IX. Retailed online exclusively through Myntra, the brand targets consumers looking for trendy street and casual wear. Experts say, with a young population with higher disposable income, athleisure and sportswear will have a good run ahead.

Global trend also simila

Data from research company SkyQuest shows, globally, the athleisure and sportswear

market is expected to reach $548 billion by 2028 from $326 billion in 2021, growing at a CAGR of 8.4 per cent, slightly higher than the Indian CAGR. Athleisure is a popular category because it appeals to several broad trends, such as the global shift toward consumers wearing more casual attire, the desire for comfortable clothing, and the increase in athletic activity among health-conscious consumers who need performance clothing for these activities.

Sales of athleisure and sportswear have received a robust boost from online retail platforms that continue to be the largest distribution channels for this category. The online distribution segment witnessed a 16.3 per cent surge in sales in 2021 and experts feel this will continue for the forecasted period between 2021 and 2028.

The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to develop significantly as concerns about leading healthy lives among people increases. Additionally, the region’s athleisure market growth is growing due to increased foreign brand penetration, rising disposable income, and a desire for better lifestyles. The North American region is anticipated to have a significant market share due to rising health and fitness concerns.

Athleisure and casuals face growing demand

Demand for athleisure and casual clothing is growing in India.

Athleisure is now well ingrained in people’s everyday wear. With more and more brands focusing on inclusive sizes, any-wear and all-day stylized comfort wear, this segment is poised to grow further. Athleisure as a category (apparel and accessories) has witnessed a steady growth in demand from customers including from metros as well as Tier II cities and beyond, with an increasing focus and enthusiasm for fitness particularly since the pandemic.

The growth of athleisure for women is faster than for men. Leading brands are betting big on women’s athleisure and getting a lot of colour and print elements incorporated in their assortment. Consumers are finding more comfort in casual wear and also mixing day-today pieces with formal clothing.

Casualization as a trend within apparel will continue to remain strong. There is a strong

demand for casual wear, despite an increase in demand for wedding wear and festive clothing. The pandemic also took away the dominance of formal clothing as consumers swapped office shirts with causal T-shirts and joggers

to stay at home for extended periods. Even prior to the pandemic, athleisure clothing such as leggings, tights, sweatpants, sneakers, hoodies, and jackets was established in popularity. Covid further accelerated the trend.

Clothing and footwear prices keep rising

Prices of clothes and footwear have risen consistently over the last three years in India, contributing majorly to inflation.

During fiscal year 2023, food and beverages, clothing and footwear, and fuel and light were the major contributors to inflation—the first two contributing more this fiscal than in the previous one. Average annual retail inflation for clothing and footwear as a category stood at 1.6 per cent in fiscal year 2020, touched 3.4 per cent in fiscal year 2021 before more than doubling to 7.2 per cent.

In fiscal year 2023, average annual retail inflation in clothing and footwear is 9.7 per cent. The sector was significantly impacted at the onset of the pandemic when mobility restrictions shuttered malls and markets. As a result, retailers were left with held-over inventory; meanwhile, fashion trends changed too prompting consumers to buy more casual clothing. However, with improved mobility, apparel and footwear retailers are now swiftly expanding their footprint.

Large apparel retailers are expected to grow at 25 per cent to 30 per cent this fiscal compared to ten per cent to 15 per cent for their small and mid-sized counterparts. India’s inflation

rate peaked in April 2022 at 7.8 per cent before moderating to 5.7 per cent in December 2022 on the back of good monsoons as well as measures that ensured adequate food supply.

E-commerce return policies undergoing change worldwide

Always a draw for customers, the free return policy offered by e-commerce platforms seems to spur a spate of impulsive purchases which eventually are returned. Returns can be costly for the e-retailer. In the US, The National Retail Federation found 18.1 per cent items purchased online in 2020 were returned. In most cases, returns mean the retailer paid for shipping to and from a customer without getting a sale, plus returned merchandise can’t always be resold, and those costs hit their bottom line. However, some retailers disagree as they know that those who purchase the most return the most.

Fee on returns

After years of subsidizing them, more retailers are charging customers to send back unwanted goods. It’s a risky move because shoppers have become accustomed to buying an item in multiple sizes and colors and returning what doesn’t fit for free. Looking back at 2022, return policies of retailers underwent change in the US, one of the largest e-commerce markets in the world. In 2021, the number of large retailers in the US and Europe who introduced a return fee policy were 31 per cent and it rose to 40 per cent in 2022. Brands like Zara, J Crew, Boohoo and Abercrombie & Fitch are on this list. Zara now charges UK customers £1.95. Emboldened by such a large retailer implementing this change, others feel confident of their decision to do away with free returns.

Making business sense

Moving away from subsidizing returns was a thought-through decision for the global e-commerce sector as they spent the past two decades removing costs from supply chains and customer service. Returns had not been looked into, leaving them as one of the few places with lots of room for reducing expenses. They are costly because of the labour to have them shipped back, inspected and put up for resale. Investors are demanding that online businesses focus on increasing profitability rather than focus on growth. Year 2022 seems to be the one when free return policy was heavily weighed.

The pandemic had seen a huge growth in online shopping as people couldn’t access physical stores for health safety issues. This spate of buying also meant a larger than before number of returns. Lockdown disruptions created an inventory glut in categories such as apparel, which is expected

to increase discounting and the potential for shoppers to return goods when they see better deals. As Amit Sharma, CEO and Founder of Narvar a post-purchase customer experience platform said in a recent media interaction, consumers experiencing the highest inflation in four decades are more frugal, increasing the chances that they second-guess a purchase and return it. On the other hand, increased costs for transportation, energy and labour have made returns even more expensive, giving e-retailers the raison d’etre for them to change their return policies. The cost of processing returns has eroded margins too much to be able to continue with it according to industry experts.

Indian e-commerce players follow global trends

Myntra, the mega local e-commerce giant has reviewed and renewed its return policy after experiencing an unnaturally high number of returns. It has started identifying customers who have a record of higher number of returns than the average and adding a convenience

fee of Rs 299 for subsequent purchases, ensuring that the cost of return is covered.

Customers who were Myntra loyalists because of their zero per cent return fee policy and leveraged it to buy large number of items and then return most, are dismayed. Many such customers spoke out about transferring their shopping to Amazon which continues to provide free returns. Of course, it remains to be seen if Amazon will join the bandwagon.

Charging customers for returns is a business policy that will see an immediate reduction on operating costs for e-retailers and discourage impulsive purchases which are more often than not returned. This is also a step towards wasteful consumption. The way forward for brands is to ensure that customers who wish to return can do so by visiting the nearest physical store and getting a reward for it. The returned goods are then immediately put back in circulation which unclutters the e-commerce inventory. Another way is to provide AI assisted online trials to help customers make the right choices, thereby doing away with the need to return.

Athleisure takes off in a big way, grows at 8% CAGR

The global athleisure market is growing at eight per cent a year.

Athleisure clothing includes casual pants, bomber jackets, polo shirts, crewneck sweaters, and others. Athleisure appeals to several broad trends, such as the global shift toward consumers wearing more casual attire, the desire for comfortable clothing, and the increase in athletic activity among health-conscious consumers who need performance clothing for these activities.

There has been an increase in the desire for highly comfortable clothing with sports features when engaging in any activity. Wide pockets and elastic knot elements have become crucial products for carrying bulky mobile phones, purses, and other daily necessities. In addition, the athleisure market is witnessing traction with continuously changing fashion trends.

The online distribution segment witnessed a 16 per cent surge in year to year growth in 2021 and this trend is projected to continue in the coming years. The opportunity for online distribution will be appealing as a part of business expansion. With a dominant market share, the online distribution channel will

likely increase. The segment’s growth can be attributed to consumers buying more apparel through online distribution channels. A further

factor boosting demand in the athleisure market is the expansion of online e-commerce platforms.

Daniel Lee gives Burberry new identity

Burberry has unveiled a rejuvenated identity under the direction of its newly appointed chief creative officer Daniel Lee.

Born and raised in England, Daniel Lee is an awardwinning designer and one of the most exciting British creative talents of his generation. From 2018 to 2021, Daniel served as creative director at Bottega Veneta, where he helped reinvigorate the Italian luxury brand.

He was previously director of ready-to-wear design at Celine, which he joined in 2012, and he has also worked at Maison Margiela, Balenciaga and Donna Karan.

He is an exceptional talent with a unique understanding of today’s luxury consumer and a strong record of commercial success. In his new role, Daniel will oversee all Burberry collections.

He will present his debut runway collection at London Fashion Week in February 2023. Burberry is a British luxury brand. As the pandemic effect eases Burberry’s boutiques are all open back up fully.

Burberry has been pursuing a fusion between social media celebrities and the blockchain, including the launch of NFTs in the gaming world. Burberry’s ultra-savvy marketing drives are helping the company win new style-hungry customers across the world, desperate to get their hands on a slice of the brand and willing to pay full price for the privilege.

US dominates golf clothing market growing at 6% CAGR

The global golf clothing market is growing at six per cent a year.

In 2021, the worldwide golf equipment and apparel market reached all-time high sales levels around the world. Strong consumer demand for golf products continued into 2022.However, several factors constrained manufacturers’ ability to meet orders during the first three quarters, and then economic woes dragged down the market in the fourth

quarter. The UK market is the fourth biggest in the world, behind South Korea, Japan and the US. While the US and Japan combine to represent over 66 percent of the world’s golf equipment market, Korean golfers spend more per capita on golf equipment and apparel than any other country.

The emergence of the trend of golf tourism, a surge in fitness consciousness among consumers and the trend for fashionable sports apparel have driven the growth of the global

golf clothing market. The bottomwear segment is the fastest growing segment. This is due to the increase in the number of participations in sports tournaments and physical activities.

On the basis of distribution channels, the online store segment is registering the fastest growth, as users are inclining more towards online shopping due to the easy accessibility of different sports apparel.

Global hunting apparel market poised for growth

premiumization, rise in popularity of outdoor recreational activities, and growing online sales of hunting apparel. This growing demand for hunting licenses is one of the prime reasons driving the hunting apparel market growth. Also, the adoption of omnichannel retailing and the rise in the number of privatelabel brands will lead to sizable demand in the market.The growing competition in the market is compelling vendors to adopt various growth strategies such as promotional activities and spending on advertisements to improve the visibility of their services.

The global hunting apparel market is growing at three per cent a year.

Hunting apparel is outdoor clothing worn during hunting activities. It is weather resistant and durable

compared to ordinary clothing. Hunting apparel is designed with specific characteristics for the field, for instance, extra pockets for gear, scent-masking fabric, etc.

The market is driven by product innovation and product line extension leading to product

Some vendors are also adopting inorganic growth strategies to remain competitive in the market.The global hunting apparel market is a part of the global apparel, accessories, and luxury goods market. The end-to-end understanding of the value chain is essential in profit margin optimization and evaluation of business strategies. The data available in the value chain analysis segment can help vendors drive costs and enhance customer services.

Global socks market grows at 6 per cent

The global socks market is growing at six per cent a year.

An increase in the number of working individuals, along with the rising adoption of the formal business environment, signifies one of the key factors anticipated to create ample growth opportunities for the market.

Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest compound annual growth rate. This is attributed to the growing population in developing economies including China and India.The wool material segment is expected to register the second fastest compound annual growth rate as the fabric used for wool socks is lighter, extra porous, more durable, and more sustainable than its counterparts.The no-show style segment is expected to register the fastest compound annual growth rate. These types of socks are available in different materials and colours, provide excellent breathability, and are said to be an ideal option for both hot and cold weather.

At one time socks were not well presented in market. They were available only in nylon/ cotton with no options of colors, designs, style etc. Also their use was limited to merely as an

are presented on the bases of hygiene

accessory. Not many users as well as makers of socks considered the comfort factor of socks and realized that they need to fit well. Now socks

and wellness, fitness and comfort, fashion and style. Now brands put emphasis on foot hygiene.

Intimate Wash Care products market projected to grow 9.3% CAGR by 2032

The demand for intimate wash care products is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3% between 2022 and 2032, reaching a total of around US$7,922.4 million by 2032, says a study conducted by Future Market Insights. This growth is driven by increasing awareness of the importance of health and hygiene in intimate areas, as well as government initiatives and health campaigns. Despite this growth, the market is faced with challenges such as the risk of allergies and other problems associated with intimate wash products.

North America is expected to be a leading market for intimate wash care products, with a market share of 17.4% in 2022, due to the growing demand for naturally formulated products. Europe is also a major market, with a share of 18.2% due to increasing disposable income and awareness of the risks of not maintaining intimate hygiene.

With about 20-50% of the women still using clothes and other substitute materials to manage intimate hygiene, to overcome these issues companies have scaled their capacity

by introducing new products. Some of the leading players in the intimate wash care products market include Kao Corporation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Organic Glide Company, and others.

Companies have launched new products to meet consumer demand, such as Svish’s

line of products for men’s intimate hygiene and Piramal Pharma’s ‘i-feel Gentle Intimate Wash’, which is free of sulfates, paraben, and alcohol. Millennium Herbal Care has also launched GynoVash, a women’s intimate wash brand that uses foam-based application for deep cleansing.

Swimwear sees growing market at 5 per cent CAGR

The global swimwear market is growing at five per cent a year. Swimwear is commonly worn by people participating in water-based activities such as swimming and bathing. It shields the wearer from chlorinated swimming pools and seawater, which contain salts that can cause skin rashes. Product demand is being driven by the global increase in population and product innovation to meet the need for specialized clothing for water sports and poolside or beachside vacations.

Swimming is one of the most popular leisure and fitness activities globally. The demand for swimwear is increased by consumers’ interest in swimming and the number of family beach vacations, which fuels the market’s expansion.

The swimwear market is expanding due to consumers’ leading healthier lifestyles and participating in more water sports like swimming. In addition, factors including the rise in women’s demand for high-end swimwear, the expansion of public and private swimming facilities, and the adoption of e-commerce

platforms all contribute to the market’s rapid progress.Innovative product ranges are in high demand in the global women’s swimwear market. It has inspired manufacturers to release cutting-edge swimwear, like swimsuits

that block damaging UV radiation and smart swimwear. Thus, the development of the swimsuit market as a whole will benefit from these novel products.

CMAI to celebrate 60th Anniversary with North India Fair and trade show in Dubai

The 76th National Garment Fair of CMAI was inaugurated on January 30 by Chandrakant (Dada) Patil, Minister of Higher & Technical Education and Textile Industry in Maharashtra.”The Maharashtra government will soon announce its new textile policy and is planning to set up a garment trading hub in Mumbai, similar to China’s Guangzhou and Turkey’s Istanbul”, said the Minister while addressing the event.

The Minister added, “The government is considering allotting a slum area, where part of

the area will be used for SRA development, and the rest will be given to the garment industry to set up the international garment trading hub.”

“The present textile policy of Maharashtra, which has been in effect from 2018 to 2023, is expiring on March 30, 2023. A committee of 30 stakeholders, including two representatives of CMAI, Ankur Gadia and Dinesh Nandu, has been appointed and has recommended extending the present textile policy for three more months,” the Minister explained. “The committee will submit its final report by the end of March 2023, and based

on these recommendations, the Maharashtra government will form its new textile policy.”

During the media interactions, Rajesh Masand, President of CMAI, announced new initiatives as the organization marks its 60th year of establishment. “We are organizing a fair for North India in May, and we will also organize a standalone trade show in Dubai in November 2023.”

The ongoing fair is the biggest Spring Summer fair, with more than 950 booths and over 1000 brands at display.

UK show, Pure London gets thumping response

Pure London is on in the UK, February 12 to 14, 2023. This is a showcase for women’swear, accessories, shoes, and jewellery brands. Visitors can discover an enticing collection of British and global fashion designers and brands, inspirational trend presentations and show-stopping catwalk shows.

Pure London is showcasing a carefully curated selection of conscious exhibitors leading the way in addressing their environmental and social impact that will raise the profile of ethical and sustainable fashion across the entire event.

To cater to independent fashion retailers in the UK, a toolkit has been created which provides a step-by-step guide on everything from reducing carbon footprint and energy consumption to sustainable packaging. Retailers can have a free consultancy session with a sustainability expert. A panel is discussing the future of sustainable fashion.

Pure London is championing brands that prioritise sustainable production and ethical standards and supports retailers on their journey to become more sustainable. Pure London has a reputation for attracting some of the industry’s most compelling business personalities and change makers and this

season is no exception. In today’s challenging retail environment, it wants to encourage conversations about building business, utilising

modern technology and producing ethically. The event has had a great response from buyers and the industry.

Goa fashion event awash in color

India Beach Fashion Week was held in Goa, February 13 to 14, 2023.

Vikram Phadnis launched his maiden resort wear collection. With bright greens, tie dye, and hints of traditional patterns, the collection was youthful, wearable, and playful. The freeflowing silhouettes reflected Vikram’s love for bohemian prints, cuts and styling. The clothes were comfortably chic, but since he was showcasing them at the curtain-raiser he glammed them up with elaborate hairdos and funky makeup. Designer and former Miss Teen Universe Srishti Kaur’s collection was designed to blend art and fashion and mixed dramatic silhouettes with glittering embellishments. Actress Sakshi Malik walked the ramp as showstopper for Kaur wearing a tactile silver dress featuring intricate bead work and a dramatic neck piece. Open-air ramps, including India’s longest ramp and the first one facing the sea, made it a one-of-itskind fashion festival. There were designated festival areas and brand engagement booths, makeover zones and experience zones with

store installations and villa blocks within the main show area and even an after-party conclave zone. The event was presented by Ikonic and powered by Timex. India Beach

Fashion Week’s experience partner was Dubai-based record label Royal Falcon Music Production which provided live music for the shows.

China International Fashion Fair (CHIC) kicks off with new dates, fresh ideas

China International Fashion Fair (CHIC) starts the new year with a new date and fresh ideas”, said Ms. Liu, the responsible person for CHIC March 2023. “The fair will now take place on 28-30 March 2023 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai and is postponed by around 3 weeks to make it easier for international visitors and exhibitors to enter the country, as almost all entry restrictions have been lifted in China since 8 January.

With over 1,600 exhibitors expected in 5 halls, the clearly structured exhibition segments present big players, up-and-coming designers, and niche brands in areas such as women’s wear, men’s wear, kid’s wear, and accessories. The latest trends in the Chinese market include retro vibes inspired by the 90s and Y2K style, denim suits, wide silhouettes, and a return to mini length. Loungewear and casual streetwear are also on the rise due to the pandemic.

CHIC organizers have invited 150,000

agents for brands, 83,000 buyers, 37,000 online platform visitors, 50,000 wholesale market visitors, and more than 10,000 international visitors. With CHIC Matching, exhibitors and visitors can efficiently and individually network and make new contacts. CHIC also offers comprehensive marketing activities through its CHIC WeChat Public Account and CNGA

WeChat Mini Program, among other channels. A new addition to CHIC is the CHIC Showroom by China World in Beijing, where a curated selection of international brands is being presented to the Chinese fashion scene. The first phase features 10 premium brands from Italy and France, with plans to expand the concept in the future.

Italy to host ITMA

ITMA will be held in Milano, Italy, June 8 to 14, 2023. This is a textile machinery trade show attracting leading textile and garment manufacturers from around the world. Held every four years, ITMA has become a platform for emerging trends and innovative solutions, new knowledge and best practices, and establishing relationships with textile industry leaders.As the world’s most established showcase of its kind, ITMA is the platform for the industry to buy and sell, and to collaborate face-to-face.

The last show took place in 2019. The industry has been very supportive of the event and strong participation is expected. More than 1,570 exhibitors from 42 countries are expected. Italy, Germany and Spain form the top three countries based on the number of exhibiting companies and the top sectors are finishing, spinning, weaving, printing, knitting, winding and nonwovens. A number of exhibitors have taken up a larger stand surface. On an average, there has been a more than ten percent increase in the space booked by exhibitors.

Start-ups are being offered a useful platform to put their innovations in front of a global audience, to find investors and collaborators, and to leverage industry connections and professional networks.

ITMA connect is an online platform that connects visitors with exhibitors and industry partners to make appointments for in-person meetings during the show as well as enable discussions.

Aditya Birla Q3 profit down 92 per cent

For the third quarter Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail’s profit fell by 92 per cent.

Soaring marketing expenses hit the apparel retailer. The period saw an increase in marketing investments post a hiatus of more than two years since Covid as the company reinvigorated its focus towards brand building and strengthening consumer connect.

Total expenses rose more than 31 per cent outpacing a nearly 20 per cent rise in revenue from operations. The Birla group company has been investing heavily to build its store presence by partnering with several local and international brands such as high-end wedding wear label Sabyasachi, French luxury retailer Galeries Lafayette and emerging local names Bewakoof and BerryLush.

Meanwhile, sales at its Madura Fashion and Lifestyle unit more than doubled. Revenue from the Pantaloons business, which the group bought from Future Group, rose about 8.7 per cent. Pantaloons was hit by sluggish growth in smaller towns, transient inflationary pressures in the value segment and a slip in sales after the Hindu festival of Diwali mid-November.

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail which has an elegant bouquet of leading fashion brands and retail formats houses brands such as Allen Solly, Pantaloons and Van Heusen. Aditya Birla remains optimistic about the overall consumption of fashion products for the rest of the year.

Raymond Q3 profit down four per cent

before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (ebitda) slumped 31 per cent. The home textile business, which accounts for 94 per cent of the group’s revenue, faced a 22 per cent fall in revenue, while ebitda margins for the segment contracted to 11 per cent. Overall revenue dropped nearly 23 per cent.

30, 2022. Net profit / loss wasRs51.87 crores for the period ended December 31, 2022, as against net profit / loss of Rs 80.13 crores for the period ended September 30, 2022.EPS was Rs 11.07 for the period ended December 31, 2022, as compared to Rs 17.10 for the period ended September 30, 2022.

Total income was Rs 515.34 crores during the period ended December 31, 2022, as compared to Rs 571.84 crores during the period ended December 31, 2021. Net profit / loss was Rs51.87 crores for the period ended December 31, 2022, as against net profit / loss of Rs 68.55 crores for the period ended December 31, 2021.EPS was Rs11.07 for the period ended December 31, 2022, as compared to Rs14.64 for the period ended December 31, 2021. Total income was Rs1567 crores during the nine month period ended December 31, 2022, as compared to Rs1299.44 crores during the nine month period ended December 31, 2021. Net profit / loss was Rs162.85 crores for the nine month period ended December 31, 2022, as against net profit / loss of Rs134.06 crores for the nine month period ended December 31, 2021.EPS was Rs 34.75 for the nine month period ended December 31, 2022, as compared to Rs28.60 for the nine month period ended December 31, 2021.

For the third quarter Raymond’s net profit fell by four percent compared to the yearago period. Revenue for the quarter rose by 18 percent as against the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. Expenses during the quarter shot up by 17 percent as compared to the year-ago period. But the company continues to leverage the buoyancy in domestic markets as the festivities added to the fervour of good consumer demand leading to delivering the highest-ever revenues in a quarter. This was the fifth straight quarter where Raymond registered strong performance and overall generated free cash flows to further deleverage the balance sheet to below Rs 1,000 crores of net debt levels.

Raymond is one of India’s leading textile and apparel business group with brands like ColourPlus, Park Avenue, KamaSutra, and Ethnix, among others. The business also offers textile and custom tailoring solutions. Raymond, a wool mill near Mumbai set up in 1925, originally supplied blankets to armed forces in the country. The brand known for its textile business has also diversified its business in consumer products ranging from shaving creams to condoms and also in technology such as auto parts. Raymond also runs a real estate business selling apartments on the outskirts of Mumbai.

Welspun Q3 profit down 68 per cent

For the third quarter Welspun’s profit fell by 68 per cent. The conglomerate’s earnings

The global environment remained challenging during the third quarter due to inflation and a slowdown across Welspun’s key markets. Textile manufacturers have been grappling with inflation as companies struggle to pass on rising input costs while consumers divert their savings to essentials such as food and fuel. Rising inflation has pushed consumers to scale back spending on discretionary items. Welspun India, a home textile manufacturer, was selected as one of the world’s leading companies for sustainability by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Welspun aims at being carbon and water neutral by 2030.

The company manufactures a range of home textile products ranging from towels, bathrobes, bath rugs and carpets, mats, area rugs, carpets, bedsheets, utility bedding and fashion bedding. The company is also engaged in the generation of power..

Siyaram’s YoY financials reveal stronger nine months, weaker Q3

Siyaram Silk Mills’ total income was Rs 515.34 crores during the period ended December 31, 2022, as compared to Rs 645.08 crores during the period ended September

Go Fashion reports strong earning, to stay affordable

Go Fashion India, a top fashion brand for women’s wear, has reported strong earnings for the Q4 of December, with a 24% increase in revenue and a consistent gross margin of 60%. During the quarter, the company opened 35 new exclusive brand outlets, bringing its total to 604.

CEO Gautam Saraogi stated in a CNBCTV18 interview that the company is focused on providing affordable products to its customers and plans to ave its product range at price within Rs 1000.

Go Fashion offers a wide range of affordable fashion products to its customers. With a strong presence in the Indian retail market, the company operates a large number of exclusive brand outlets across the country. The company is dedicated to providing its customers with high-quality fashion products and an exceptional shopping experience

Robust performance for Vedant Fashions on YoY financials

Vedant Fashions’ total income was Rs 451.408 crores during the period ended December 31, 2022, as compared to Rs 256.637 crores during the period ended September 30, 2022.

Net profit / loss was Rs 150.351 crores for the period ended December 31, 2022, as against net profit / loss of Rs 69.02 crores for the period ended September 30, 2022. EPS wasRs 6.19 for the period ended December 31, 2022, as compared to Rs 2.84 for the period ended September 30, 2022. Total income was Rs 451.408 crores during the period ended December 31, 2022, as compared to Rs 396.122 crores during the period ended December 31, 2021. Net profit / loss was Rs150.351 crores for the period ended December 31, 2022, as against net profit / loss of Rs127.803 crores for the period ended December 31, 2021.EPS was Rs6.19 for the period ended December 31, 2022, as compared to Rs5.23 for the period ended December 31, 2021.Total income wasRs1040.110 crores during the nine month period ended December 31, 2022, as compared to Rs783.412 crores during the ninemonth period ended December 31, 2021. Net profit / loss was Rs320.242 crores for the ninemonth period ended December 31, 2022, as against net profit / loss of Rs226.210 crores for the ninemonth period ended December 31, 2021.EPS was Rs13.19 for the nine month period ended December 31, 2022, as compared to Rs9.25 for the nine month period ended December 31, 2021.

VIP Q3 revenue down 12 per cent, profits up

percent as against the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. During the quarter, Lux was aggressive in investing in advertisement, brand building activities, capacity expansion, and digital outreach. Its brand Onn launched a new website while another brand Lyra launched an app to connect directly to its retailers to enhance its market reach and build a robust supply chain.

VIP’s revenue for the third quarter fell by 12 per cent. Net profit was Rs 5 crores as against a net loss of Rs 2 crores in the year ago period.

VIP Clothing’s results showcase a significant improvement in financial performance in terms of profitability over previous quarters. This was majorly achieved owing to a strategic product mix rationalization by restricting sales of lower margin products and increasing the proportion of higher margin product sales, a strategy which has started to yield preliminary positive results. The company is focused on improving return on equity and return on capital employed, and this is expected to become visible in the coming quarters, beginning from this one. VIP is at the cusp of a major transformational journey and is currently in the process of implementing a strategy to strengthen its brand and expand its presence globally. VIP is one of India’s leading intimate apparel companies providing intimate wear to consumers across various segments under different brands. It has a pan-India presence with a very large distribution network. The innerwear brand will launch new products across both online and offline channels. Since the online channel is growing faster and is going to be a key focus area, some products will be launched exclusively online.

Lux Q3 profit down 82 per cent

For the third quarter Lux Industries’ net profit declined by 82 percent. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down by 31

So Lux’s revenue growth was largely muted on account of volatile raw material prices and lower volume offtake due to delayed winter in major parts of the country. Margin profiles largely remained subdued on account of lower volume offtake at the dealer and distributor level, volatility in raw material prices and previously stocked high-cost inventory.

Going forward the company’s objective will be to moderate the quantum of products lying in the distributor network, replenish the sold material with speed, generate higher inventory turns and enhance incremental margins through superior and timely service. Lux Industries operates brands like Genx, Lyra, and Onn, among many others, and is one of the largest players in the hosiery business.

West Bengal plans mega Textile Park

A 200-acre textile park is coming up in West Bengal. Also dyeing facilities and designing centers will be established to support weavers and exporters in the state. Exports of handloom will be encouraged and supported. Action will be taken for the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises.

A task force may be formed to draft a timebound action plan for better investment in the sector. Around 40,000 weavers and artisans in the state were denied access to loans due to stringent notifications and the state is working on clearing the roadblocks. The state feels that self-certification should be allowed instead of the requirement to submit Permanent Account Number for cash-strapped microentrepreneurs, whose income is far below taxable limits.

The textile and apparel sector in West Bengal provides direct employment to 20 lakh people. Combining both direct and indirect employment that comes to some 50 lakh people. Some 180 handloom clusters employ 86,000 weavers. The entire handloom sector in West Bengal employs six lakh people. Seven textile parks have been planned and in and around Kolkata. Some are already functional like the 300 acre hosiery park in Jagdishpur. West Bengal is among the top five silk producing states of India.

Hosiery imports perturb Ludhiana

The hosiery and textile industry in Ludhiana is perturbed over the imports of cloth, machinery and finished products from other countries like Bangladesh and China in the Indian market. It wants steps to be taken to control imports and confer benefits on the local industries. Hosiery manufacturers say imported products have gained dominance in the Indian market and that no steps have been taken to regulate this flow of imports of under-billed products.

The weak demand for clothes for the cold weather forced the hosiery industry to offer discounts in early December to attract customers at retail counters and clear the stock. Otherwise, big brands in the hosiery sector start offering discounts only in the last week of December or the first week of January. October, November and December are the key months for Ludhiana’s hosiery sector.

Key markets for the hosiery industry are Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, and some north eastern states. The industry is famous for winter garments like jackets, sweaters, thermals, cardigans, pullovers, inner wear, shawls etc. But there has been a very low demand for garments in this season from wholesalers and retailers. They placed orders only once and have not come back for placing orders for a second or third time

HRX expects 1k cr revenue this year

Ten year old HRX is targeting a revenue total of Rs 1,000 crores in the 2023 financial year.

Hrithik Roshan’s fitness wear brand continues to expand and promote healthy living through exercise. The brand has reached a revenue total of Rs 920 crores and is confident that the growth trajectory will continue.

As far as India is concerned, the idea is to touch 1.5 billion lives across categories. HRX retails with an omnichannel model and is increasing the tech features in its offline offering. HRX is also looking beyond India and increasing its focus on expanding in the Middle East. The brand does sportswear and gear in clothing, but not for professional athletes. Since getting into a physically demanding activity is not easy and comes with a lot of baggage and demand for motivation, HRX minimises those entry barriers for customers by offering smart wearables, bicycles and accessories.

For marketing, HRX relies heavily on user generated content by building a community around fitness online. One product category which HRX plans to increase its market share in is fragrances. The brand has partnered with Baccarose to launch its HRX fragrance category, which it is currently promoting while targeting fitness enthusiasts.

Goat acquires ethnic brand Imara

Imara is a women’s ethnic apparel brand which has a presence in over 70 offline stores. Goat is strategizing concrete opportunities to make Imara available globally.

Goat Brand Labs, an aggregator of D2C brands, was founded in May 2021. Goat works collaboratively with brand founders and empowers them with the right resources to help scale their brands. It empowers brands with strong operational capabilities and supports growth by providing data-driven insights, supply chain expertise, financial planning, and deep expertise in brand building, digital marketing, product development, etc.

Goat, backed by marquee investors, has emerged as the leading aggregator in the fashion and lifestyle space. Goat has a portfolio of fast-growing fashion and lifestyle brands. The vision is to make Indian D2C brands world famous. Imara makes up part of Universal Sportsbiz’s fashion apparel portfolio.

The fashion line has been conceptualized as a contemporary interpretation of the conventional and offers a refreshing take on ethnic designs. Imara finds inspiration in India’s rich heritage and has a progressive take on ethnic wear and the classic ethnic pieces have modern silhouettes. The target audience is a woman who is modern, fierce and independent. The brand loves experimenting with classic silhouettes by adding that contemporary twist so that the woman of today can make Imara a part of her everyday wardrobe.

Homegrown startup Snitch has raised funds for branding and influencer marketing.

Founded in 2019, Snitch manufactures and sells fast fashion clothing for men. The company started as a B2B portal manufacturing daily men’swear for retailers. However, during Covid it restructured its business model and was relaunched as a D2C brand.

Snitch has witnessed tremendous growth and is projecting to close fiscal year 2023 with an annual run rate of Rs 120 crores. Earlier, the company expected to close fiscal year 2023 at Rs 90 crores revenue. In terms of categories, the fashion startup entered into the plus-size category in 2022. The company will be getting deeper into the plus-size category and is also launching a luxury collection and quirky swimwear.

Snitch is a mass premium brand. By end of 2022, Snitch had over 2,500 styles on its website. This 21st-century fashion station and destination for millennials is widely known for its experimental approach that captures world class trends and designs and produces mindful and sustainable everyday drops of the freshest styles.

Snitch’s festive collection has contemporary designs and styles. The idea behind the festive collection is to bring together prints and colors from various regions across India to show the nation’s diversity.

Crepdog Crew raises funds

Crepdog Crew has raised seed funding from marquee investors and industry veterans.

This is a sneaker and streetwear brand. The fresh capital will be used to scale its e-commerce business and community-based retail footprint. The brand which was founded in 2019 has a 6000 sqft store in New Delhi that houses the biggest sneaker wall in India, the widest collection of Indian streetwear designers, a basketball court, a craft coffee café and even a burger shop.

Plans for 2023 include opening a second experiential retail store in Mumbai. Crepdog Crew currently retails more than 40 streetwear brands on its website and 20 brands –exclusively – at its New Delhi store. The company has a focus on curating and nurturing homegrown streetwear fashion talent. The brand has already witnessed 350 per cent year on year growth since its inceptionand aims to further spread its reach by opening more stores across the country.

Its online store delivers over 500 pairs of sneakers per week to customers all across India. The sneaker sector in India, one of the fastest growing sectors in India, is currently growing at 12 per cent to 15 per cent and soon expected to catch up to the global sneaker market.

Mensa raises debt funding

Mensa Brands will raise Rs 300 crores in debt funding.

The business plans to use the funds to acquire new brands and grow its existing brands as well as develop its products, integrate its supply chain, and invest in working capital.

Mensa is pioneering the path to an industryfirst tech-led house of brands with its five breakout category leaders. With this additional capital, Mensa can get serious on growth ambitions.

Mensa Brands was launched in 2021. The business currently has a portfolio of 25 brands in sectors spanning fashion, beauty, homeware, and other fast moving consumer goods. By partnering with direct-to-customer brands, Mensa Brands aims to use its technology and experience to scale them up. Within six months of launching, Mensa Brands was declared a unicorn.

Snitch raises funds

Lux aims at Rs 1000 crore business, gets Jacqueline Fernandez to endorse men’s innerwear

Lux aims at a turnover of Rs 1000 crores by fiscal year 2026. The company had clocked a turnover of Rs 550 crores in fiscal year 2022 and has been growing at a rate of ten per cent to 12 per cent over the last three years. The knitwear brand will beef up its presence in South India. Secondly, it has launched a new category for boys’ innerwear, Lux Cozi Boys.

In fiscal year 2023, the company earned a revenue of Rs 20 crores from this brand, which is only three percent of its total revenue. The target is that by fiscal year 2026, the boys’ innerwear brand should earn a revenue of Rs 100 crores which is ten per cent of its targeted turnover of Rs 1000 crores. Finally, the company sees the need to increase the growth of its men’s innerwear category which is the company’s highest revenue earner. To increase the growth of the men’s wear segment, Lux has roped in Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez to endorse men’s innerwear. This is probably for the first time an actress has been roped in to endorse a men’s wear brand. Lux reduced prices in the December 2022 to January 2023 period as yarn prices have softened and has no immediate plans to increase prices.

Dollar Q3 profit falls by 80 per cent

Khadi startups get incentives

expecting revenue to grow five times by fiscal year 2024 from fiscal 2022. The company will roll out 150 more exclusive brand outlets in the next two years. There will be a focus on new emerging markets to double current exports and increase share in the premium category. Additionally Rupa also plans to launch in the global online market of UAE and increase brand presence across 1000 plus point of sales in the next two years.

Rupa is one of the largest knitwear brands in India that produces innerwear, casual wear, thermal wear, and sleepwear for men, women, and kids. The brand is looking to strengthen its focus on modern trade channels even as it looks to grow its turnover.

Modern trade outlets contribute ten per cent of the company’s total topline and have been clocking double-digit growth. Rupa’s expansion strategy continues in the quest to strengthen its retail footprint nationwide.

V2 Retail Q3 financials report increase in business, fall in profits

For the third quarter Dollar’s net profit reduced by 80 per cent compared to the same period of the last fiscal year. Revenue from operations was down by 25 per cent during the third quarter.

Due to the shift in seasonality and cyclical slowdown in discretionary demand in winter products, coupled with volatile raw material prices and high cost inventory, the company’s third quarter sales and margin were adversely affected. However things are getting stable and channel inventory has also been reduced due to low volume offtake by business partners in this quarter. High inventory cost has also been optimised. With these, the company is expecting good demand in the coming quarters due to early festival sales in the fourth quarter. Marketing spends have also been optimised and the company doesn’t have any major campaigns in the coming quarter.

The innerwear and knitted garment brand based in Kolkata now has 12 exclusive brand outlets across India. The premium product now accounts for around 42 per cent of Dollar’s total turnover and the economy range is around 58 per cent. Dollar’s flagship project Project Lakshya is doing well and has increased the share of revenue contribution in sales from seven per cent to 17 per cent. This has led the company to strengthen its sales force for smoother operations.

Khadi is fast emerging as a new and lucrative start-up avenue in India.

The worth of khadi for entrepreneurship and industry is being realized. There has been a record sale of khadi products and also a manifold increase in export of khadi. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission distributed subsidies to beneficiaries and entrepreneurs spread across the north Indian states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan and the union territories of J&K and Ladakh. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission through its various programs is generating employment opportunities for artisans at their doorstep in remote areas at a very low cost. There has been a rise in the monthly income of artisans by around 33 per cent and by ten per cent for weavers. Khadi garments and outfits have assumed the status of designer items and elite wear. Uttar Pradesh will provide financial assistance for opening khadi outlets. The subsidy will vary depending on the number of outlets being opened. Those opening 50 khadi oulets will get a Rs 2 crore subsidy. Those opening 100 outlets will get a subsidy of up to Rs 4 crores. The subsidy will increase to Rs 8 crores for 200 or more outlets and Rs 10 crores for opening 500 outlets.

Rupa Q3 net profit down by 91 per cent

For the third quarter Rupa’s net profit fell by 91 percent. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down by 46 per cent as against the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. Despite the poor performance in the third quarter Rupa is optimistic of posting strong numbers in the coming quarters and is

For the third quarter V2 Retail’s net profit was Rs 9 crores as against Rs 12 crores in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

The company’s revenue for the quarter was Rs 239 crores as against Rs 238 crores reported in the year-ago period. During the March 2022 to December 2022 period, the company’s revenue stood at Rs 645 crores with a net profit of Rs 5 crores.

V2 Retail’s total expenses during the quarter stood at Rs 229 crores as against Rs 223 crores in the October to December quarter of 2021.During the quarter, V2 Retail opened one new store and closed five of its non-performing stores to end the calendar year 2022 with a store count of 99 with a total retail area of 10.59 lakh sq ft. Value fashion retailer V2 Retail was launched in 2001 and retails women’swear, men’swear, and children’s wear. V2 Retail is one of the leading players in the fashion and apparel market. V2 Retail was formerly known as Vishal Retail. It presently operates in Tier II and Tier III cities. V2 Retail offers an unparalleled retail mix combined with value and variety to its shoppers. This fashion avenue gives an extraordinary experience with an embracing portfolio of product offerings. V2 retail believes in offering complete value for money to shoppers through its large variety of smart, trendy, fashionable apparels across categories under one roof.

INDUSTRY BYTES

Ananya and Aryaman join Aditya Birla board

Ananya Birla and Aryaman Vikram Birla are on the board of Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail.

Their nuanced understanding of newage business models and emerging shifts in consumer behaviouris expected to infuse fresh energy into the board of the company. Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail has a bouquet of leading fashion brands and retail formats. Founded in 1997, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail is an Indian fashion retail company based in Mumbai. The company has a network of 3,468 stores, 28,585 multi-brand outlets with 6,515 points of sales in department stores across India.

Over the years, the group has brought many global brands to India including The Collective, Ralph Lauren, Hackett London, Simon Carter, Ted Baker, Fred Perry, Forever 21, American Eagle and Reebok. As on March 31, 2022, Aditya Birla had a retail space of 9.2 million sq. ft. while generating revenue of Rs 8,136 crores.

Sakthivel is AMHSSC head

Dr A Sakthivel is the new chairman of the Apparel, Made-Ups and Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council (AMHSSC). As a visionary industry leader for the Indian apparel sector, he has actively and strongly represented the issues of apparel exporters and has played a vital role in the tremendous growth and overhaul of the apparel sector in India, especially micro, small and medium units. He has an experience of over three and a half

decades in the apparel sector and currently also serves as the president of Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO).The new chief is also honorary chairman of the Tirupur Exporters Association. His contribution to the growth of Tirupur exports has been outstanding as the sector saw a growth from a mere Rs 15 crores to over Rs 30,000 crores. He has been instrumental in bringing Tirupur on the global map by getting it recognized as an apparel cluster hub. Over the years, he has also strongly promoted the manufacturing and export of synthetic garments. He has expressed motivation and commitment to give a further impetus to entrepreneurship, job creation and to strengthen the value chain of the apparel industry by providing skilled youthful manpower to the industry and making India as the world’s skill capital.

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