Inside Fashion Vol.19 No.2

VOL 19 NO. 2

O2O retail catches up in India MUFTI COVER.indd 2-3

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Fashion Scope

Manish Arora shows Normal People at Paris Fashion Week and layered sportswear pieces. Furry sweatshirts and sandstained T-shirts featured slogans such as “Everything you need is inside you.” Evening wear gowns added elegance to the collection and were paired with dramatic head dresses to create a regal yet otherworldly impression.

The show featured hair by Laurent Philippon and makeup by Kabuki for the Mac Pro Team. Models were adorned with jewelry by Mercedes Salazar and Gilded and also wore headpieces by Who Cares Who Not, which also provided sunglasses as well as Object and Dawn and Wu Creations. Nail art was done by Marian Newman for CND.

Contents

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VOL.19 No. 2

06 F&l 08 INDIA ENTRY 10 Brand watch 16 Brand Retail 26 Cover Story 30 IF Execlusive 37 IF InSIght 45 E-Tail 46 TECH-TRENDS 47 FaShIon post 48 pReview 50 rEVIEW 59 Busines News 63 Industry byteS 64 media quotes

O

n February 28, Manish Arora presented his autumn/ winter 2019/20 collection Finally Normal People at Paris Fashion Week.

The Mad-Max bohemian collection delivered postapocalyptic hippie-glamour.

The designer put on a runway show that featured a motley crew of Mad Max bohemians straight out of a dystopian future.

The collection may have been inspired by Armageddon but it featured the designer’s signature optimistic perspective. Warrioresque silhouettes were mixed with bright prints and fluorescent hues reminiscent of the 1970s and models wore Daniel Shaub face-masks as they walked the runway to a soundtrack of Tapan Raj’s Mldival Punditz.

Key items in the collection included jewel-encrusted reflective visors, patchwork denim, capes,

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F&l

Shoppers Stop launches Kendall + Kylie designer handbags in India

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hoppers Stop, India’s premium department store launched Kendall + Kylie handbag collection. The fashionable handbag collections by international millennial icons Kendall & Kylie Jenner will be offered under Shoppers Stop’s bridge-to-luxury product assortments across its stores in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Jaipur & Ahmedabad.

The assortment of silhouettes and shapes is extensive in waist pouch, wristlets, slings, totes, fanny pack, backpacks and mini backpacks that are a part of this collection.

With a variety of color scheme in black, dusty rose, cobalt, silver, pink, mixed bright, black mix and more, the range offers a bag for everyone.

The Kendall + Kylie Label showcases the duality of two distinct personal styles in one collection. The brand is feminine with a

Masaba teams up with Titan to launch watches

Masaba Gupta has entered into a collaboration with watch-maker Titan. The Titan Raga x Masaba collection is inspired by the rustic artistry of traditional Indian architecture and made for a woman who believes beauty is not an ideal, but a belief that starts with being comfortable in her own skin.

Gupta herself stars in the campaign for the collection. The first watch to be unveiled from the collection is called Fiery Gold and is a gold cuff with a flower motif-decorated watch face placed half on the side. The watch features Swarovski crystals and an elliptical dial.

modern edge that emulates the sensibilities of their multifaceted, fast paced, jet set lifestyle. Kendall is inspired by sophisticated, classic, feminine silhouettes that are sleek and contemporary; whereas Kylie brings eclectic originality and a signature playful edge to the latest collection.

This is the designer’s second collaboration with Titan. Meanwhile her label House of Masaba continues to expand across India.

She has opened a flagship in Chennai. New Delhi has three brand stores. Masaba Gupta has recently launched a bridal collection. This includes lehengas in bright hues with signature pop-culture inspired prints in metallic gold.

She has also launched menswear pieces which have been photographed being worn by an array of Bollywood celebrities including Ranveer Singh.

Known for designs that personify modern meets motifs, Masaba has taken the industry by storm with her unconventionally bold creations. The designer has also reinvented the sari in terms of prints and fabrics and made it more appealing to the younger generation.

Leather brand Kompanero to expand operations Premium leather brand Kompanero will expand operations and foray into the European market by opening exclusive stores this year.

The company already has a presence in

Europe, Japan, and Korea via distribution networks. It has over 250 stores in Australia and over 100 stores in the UK. Kompanero, launched in 2014 in Bengaluru, has 30 stores in India and plans to expand to 100 outlets by 2025. The company will also open four stores this year in India. In addition, the brand’s airport presence is being strengthened with newly launched stores at Guwahati Airport and Chandigarh Airport, and an upcoming one at Chennai Domestic Airport. The company recently started online operations and sells through e-commerce portals like Amazon, Myntra and Jabong.

Nykaa to add apparels to its product basket

E-commerce store Nykaa Fashion is launching clothing and accessories brands. The Plavate features a selection of simple yet quirky dresses that feature polka dots and frills, among other garments. There, has a collection of denim pieces that go beyond jeans and includes loose tops, fitted dresses, camisole tops, and wrap skirts. There was founded in 2017.

Kazmi has a range of traditional occasion wear. The brand’s most notable garment is a sari that features ruffled trousers instead of a petticoat and is available in a number of colors.

Clothing brand Three creates minimalist clothing with loose silhouettes and a natural color palette.

Clutch ‘D and Vareli Bafna Designs are two accessories brands. Clutch’D has an array of glitzy, decorated clutch bags designed to accompany traditional wear and Vareli Bafna Designs creates both clutches and juttis.

DFU PUBLICATIONS Editor-in Chief & Publisher & CEO - Sanjay Chawla

Advisor

Director - Salil Chawla

Customer Relations - Sanchita Banerjee Team Bipasha Bhattacharya

Mangaging Editor - Sujata Dutta Sachdeva VP-Corporate Communications - Shraboni Mukherjee Assistant General Manager - Saqib Meer Editorial

- Narayan Subramaniam Shubhangi Bidwe

Editorial Asst. - Ranjit Kaur Correspondent - Ajay Kumar Goswami Prerna Sharma Sales Team

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- T. K. Sengupta

Production & Admn. - Dinesh Poojary Sumit Masand Graphic Designer

- Sanjeev D. Sonavane

MUMBAI OFFICE: 38/314, Unnat Nagar 4, Off M. G. Road, MHADA Colony, Goregaon (W), Mumbai - 400 062.

Ph: 022 2875 5181, 2877 2282, 3001 4700 e-mail: dfuif@yahoo.co.in / dfu@rediffmail.com DEHLI OFFICE: Salil Chawla, Business & Mktg: New Delhi - 110017, Mobile: +9193503 18639 e-mail: salildfu@gmail.com, salil@dfupublications.com All reproductions rights reserved. Owned & published by: Sanjay Chawla and printed by him at DFU printing division.

Published and Edited by Sanjay Chawla at: 38/314, Unnat Nagar 4, Off M. G. Road, MHADA Colony, Goregaon (W), Mumbai 400 062.

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INDIA ENTRY

Uniqlo ready for India opening in Fall 2019

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apanese fashion brand Uniqlo is set to enter India with its New Delhi store scheduled to open in fall 2019. In preparation of the opening, the company is now working at full speed in building up a team with various functions and levels, especially in recruiting local talents.

The company would thus join the list of major global single-brand retailers, after Swedish fashion retailer H&M and Ikea, to set up shop in India under a 100 per cent foreign direct investment route. In 2016, Uniqlo set up a sourcing office in Bangalore and has started sourcing clothing for its overseas stores.

With more than 3,445 stores the world over, Uniqlo is the largest brand of Fast Retailing, which also runs fashion labels such as GU, Theory, and Comptoir des Cotonniers. In Japan, where Uniqlo runs more than 800 stores, the brand accounts for 6.5 per cent of the country’s apparel market. Globally, Uniqlo is present in markets such as the UK, China, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, and Russia.

The brand, which first opened in 1984, has been expanding its presence outside Japan. India, with its large youth population and a growing market for foreign western wear, is clearly attractive for Uniqlo.

Under Armour enters Indian retail

Under Armour is set to open retail stores in India. The US-based sportswear brand will start operations by opening stores in metros and selling its global portfolio of training and running products.

The company, which had partnered with Amazon and Flipkart-owned Myntra to sell some of its products in India, has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in the country.

Under Armour, which uses brand endorsers, including WWE star-turned Hollywood celebrity Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua, has been testing cricket-related products in Jalandhar. It has also reached out to Indian cricketers.

The company has been investing in Asia Pacific as there are long-term growth opportunities. It has been concentrating in China over the last few years and over the next couple of weeks will be establishing its retail presence in India.

Mumuso plans 300 outlets in India Korean brand Mumuso plans over 300 outlets in India by mid-2022. These will open in metros and Tier II cities. The new stores are expected to open Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Goa, Jaipur, Indore and Surat. These would be a blend of both company-owned and franchise stores.

The brand will invest between Rs 80 lakhs to Rs 1.2 crores in setting the stores.

The South Korean lifestyle brand entered the Indian market in September 2018 with stores in Kolkata and Mumbai. Mumuso offers health and beauty products, fashion home accessories, apparel and digital products. The company is also planning to source special apparels and small leather products. Besides, the company plans to go online to tap into the rapid growing e-commerce business in the country. Mumuso, with a presence in around 30 countries, strives to provide products with high quality and rational prices.

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10 Brand Watch Van Heusen launches women’s athleisure range

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an Heusen has launched innerwear and athleisure for women.

The women’s innerwear and athleisure market in India is estimated at Rs 16,000 crores and growing at 15 per cent year on year.

Van Heusen will expand this range to five or seven key markets this fiscal. It has planned around 35 to 40 exclusive business outlets for its innerwear this year and expects to have 500 EBOs in the next three to four years.

Perfect for boardrooms and beyond, Van Heusen brings fashion-forward power dressing to today’s multi-faceted professional’s wardrobe. Catering to men and women, Van Heusen represents sophisticated elegance that reflects today’s expression of style. Breaking the norm of conventional nine-to-five dressing, the brand’s ran focuses on self-expression and individualism. With power-packed details and fine fabrics, Van Heusen has successfully defined the way women and

Spykar to enter denim athleisure

US-based lingerie brand Parfait to offer many styles for plus sizes

men dress for the corporate world. The collections range from formal wear, party wear, casual wear and ceremonial wear with ranges that spread across shirts to suits for men, and dresses to blazers for women. Modern, minimalist, and timeless, the brand’s clothing is noted for being relevant to its time.

Van Heusen’s sub brand Van Heusen Sport is a sport inspired casual wear that’s a perfect amalgamation of modernity and the iconic 60s Ivy League look.

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US-based lingerie brand Parfait has entered India. Parfait offers a range of sizes including 30 to 44 band sizes, D to K cup sizes, and M-4XL bottoms. It serves women across 20 plus countries through online and offline stores. The brand is committed to producing beautiful lingerie for all body shapes and sizes with bras, sports bras, boy shorts, high waist briefs, baby dolls and bustiers.

created fits, trends and designs keeping the Indian consumer in mind.

Spykar, which opened in 1992, is known primarily for men’s casual wear, particularly denims. Nearly 82 per cent of its turnover comes from men’s wear. About six per cent is from accessories. The aim is to take up women’s wear contribution between 20 and 22 per cent by 2020.

United Colors of Benetton unveils Spring /Summer’19 Collection

Fashion denim player Spykar is entering the denim athleisure and footwear segment. The brand is now present in 700 shop in shops and 700 multi brand outlets across 350 cities panIndia. There are 250 Spykar standalone stores spread over 130 or 140 towns all across India.

The plan is to spread to 200 cities in the near future. About 30 or 40 exclusive brand stores will be added every year. Likewise the brand is strengthening its presence in e-commerce platforms.

Last fiscal, Spykar closed at Rs 550 crores of retail sales. This year the aim is to finish at Rs 700 crores. The brand is being worked upon to make it more appetising and resonate even better with the target audience. Spykar is a homegrown brand, from day one it has

shades that are reminiscent of the autumn gone by. The Spring Summer’19 collection encapsulates the essence of Italian fashion with contemporary prints, dynamic denim themes and fun soft floral prints.

The event also marked the unveiling of brand’s new communication #UnitedbyColors at its Linking Road store in Mumbai. As an ode to the victory of Love, the Benetton stores across the country are adorned in rainbow colors.

United Colors of Benetton has unveiled its Spring/Summer’19 collection with a variety of classic designs in florals, stripes, quirky tees and bold prints in an array of colors and high quality fabric. This season’s collection mixes up colors and prints like pastels and warm

The spring/summer 2019 collection is marked by a range of romantic new styles, colors, and silhouette expansions evocative of secret gardens, seaside sunsets, and balmy summer evenings. Among the brand’s offerings for Indian plus size women is an unlined wire bra featuring flirty, double-strap detail over the bust.

At present more than 60 per cent of women in India wear some amount of plus-size clothing. India’s lingerie market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14 per cent by 2021. The lingerie business offers high margins. Lingerie has become an essential indulgence. Women are opting more for frills and cuts instead of bare basics.

Apart from domestic players, a hefty number of international brands are leaving women spoilt for choice. While earlier the major share of the lingerie market was held by the midmarket and economy segments, the superpremium and premium segments, although smaller, are growing by leaps and bounds.

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12 Brand Watch Liva expands into menswear

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ditya Birla’s fabric brand Liva is soon going to expand into men’s wear and home textiles. Currently, it serves the women’s apparel segment. Meanwhile, Liva has collaborated with FDCI to promote greener, sustainable fashion. Liva Eco is Birla Cellulose’s enhanced version of Liva fabric that is made from wood-derived fibers. The fabric will be in the market by April 2019. Birla Cellulose is also going to infuse about Rs 4,000 crores in its Vilayat factory in Gujarat to increase the capacity of fiber manufacturing. As of now, the domestic men’s wear segment has brands such as Mufti, Wrangler, Levi’s, Numero Uno, and Raymond brands, to name a few.

Aditya Birla has in-house apparel brands such as Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, Van

Numero Uno launches Eco-Neutral range of shirts

Heusen, Peter England and People which compete with these brands.

Birla has been in the textile industry from 1948. Started as Grasim Industries, the company now has brands Liva and Liva Eco as its subsidiaries. Birla is currently the world’s largest viscose manufacturing company. The company also acquired fashion chain Pantaloons from the Future Group and manages it. Recently, Grasim Industries signed an agreement to acquire 100 per cent equity shareholding of Soktas India. For an enterprise value of Rs 165 crores, subject to net debt and working capital adjustments as of the closing date, the company will be taking control from Soktas, which manages its operations from Turkey.

comfortable. In keeping with the theme, the colors are neutral tones of beiges, greys, khakis, soft pastel peach, pink and pale blue.

The range also includes holiday inspired shirts that brings in brighter pigmented colors, bright checks, horizontal stripes, tropical & beach prints & underwater marine inspired motifs. Fabrics are soft, fluid & blended best suited for the warm weather. Besides this, the range also offers shirts in checks & plaids inspired from the Native American culture with western patterns and color combinations.

Mufti bags ‘Retailer of the Year’ Award Mufti, the largest Indian denim brand has bagged the ‘Retailer of the Year’ award in Menswear brand Numero Uno recently launched the Eco-Neutral range of S/S ’19 shirts collection. The range offers a balanced mix of casual fashion shirts that cater to the ever changing requirements of youth with choices in colors, fabrics, fits and patterns, offering comfort, quality and aesthetics all at the same time.

These shirts are made from blended fabrics like Tencel-cotton, Modal-cotton, linen-cotton and mélanges which are not only sustainable but also aesthetically made and extremely

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the Fashion and Lifestyle category at Global Awards for Retail Excellence. Global Awards for Retail Excellence is widely recognised as one of the most prestigious awards in Asia. The platform recognises disruptors, high-achievers, and leaders under various categories in the retail space and honors them for their remarkable contribution to the sector.

The ‘Retailer of the Year’ award adds to a host of other laurels received by the brand such as Indian Power Brand 2011 -2012 by IIPM, Brand of the year 2014-15 by CMAI / APEX , Most Influential Leader of the year / Retail Icon of the year to Kamal Khushlani - 2017 by CMO Asia , Rising brand 2017 by Brand Advance Research Asia.

Biba aims at expanding market share

Biba has a one per cent share in India’s ethnic wear market. The brand is targeting a market share of between four per cent and eight per cent.

The plan is to open 200 more stores in the next three years. The main markets of expansion at the moment are Tier II and III cities. The current network is 256 stores across 105 cities. Biba sells through its own portal and online e-commerce websites like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Jabong, Shoppers Stop, and others. Online channels contribute around 15 per cent to sales. The Middle East and south east Asia are possible markets for expansion. Biba is already available in Nepal and Mauritius.

Over the years, the brand has not only grown in terms of stores but has also extended its product portfolio. From just being women’s wear, it has gone into children’s wear and jewelry.

The brand is doing a pilot with footwear in select stores this season as the idea is to provide women a complete look. Biba has launched premium Indian wear in collaboration with RohitBal and Manish Arora. Going ahead there will be more collaborations as they help provide a different design language and cater well to the luxury segment.

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14 BRanD WaTch Hrithik endorses Donear fabrics

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onear has an innovative approach in persistently creating modish products, utilizing state-of-the-art technology, and deploying a highly-skilled workforce, thereby making worldclass fabrics.

From championing simple, functional dressing to a more conceptual style statement, Donear has taken over the men’s fashion world by storm.

The brand’s strength lies in providing a choice for every fabric need – be in terms of textile, pattern, texture or colors. These blends of fabrics can also be made available with or without stretch properties. These products can also be made available with the desired patterns, colors, and designs.

Hrithik Roshan is the brand ambassador and the company believes that this association will give a new face to the brand and will garner a wider reach nationwide.

Fabrics created by Donear have relentlessly gained control over the domestic textile markets. The sales network

Zodiac launches new collection

Shoppers Stop banks on private brands

consists of 50 agents, 300 wholesalers and 50000 retailers, who are spread across India. Additionally, fabrics produced by Donear have a strong presence in the overseas markets, too, with exports to over 30 countries across the globe.

The company is also an active supplier of fabrics to India’s largest brands including Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Peter England, Blackberry, Arvind, Wills Lifestyle, Future Group and more.

range of NBA merchandise available in India, including an assortment of dedicated youth and adult products from all 30 NBA teams. The apparel will be available at department stores nationwide, including Shoppers Stop, Central, Lifestyle & Brand Factory Pan-India, and through e-commerce sites Jabong and Myntra.

The aim of the partnership is to fully penetrate the Indian market and make NBA fanwear apparel more widely available for fans across the country.

Shoppers Stop is banking on its private brands to drive growth.

One of India’s largest department store chains is expecting a single digit growth in the January-March quarter. For next year, Shoppers Stop is planning single digit growth for its branded business for like for like sales and is hoping to get double digit growth for its private brands. In private brands, the company has done big investments so it is keen on expanding that business both from the profitability and the margin point of view.

Shoppers Stop will also be expanding its retail presence with the addition of five new stores in the next fiscal along with an additional 15 for its beauty business. The plan is to open three stores between March and April and total five stores in the rest of the financial year.

The company will continue to grow its beauty business at a faster pace and open 15 stores in the financial year. Shoppers Stop currently has 83 large stores spread across 38 cities in the country along with an e-commerce website, m-site and mobile application.

Shoppers Stop is expecting a single digit growth in the fourth quarter of financial year ’19 with strong performances by its private brands.

Marks & Spencer launches first ever Indiaspecific campaign

Mary Kom appointed brand ambassador of Puma Zodiac has launched a new collection, comprising mélange fabrics in short sleeves under its brandVenete. These shirts, paired with chinos makes consumers look effortlessly elegant. The company also launched its new collection of conventional shirts in animal prints under its brand Z3.

NBA, Suditi Industries to launch fanwear apparel in India The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Suditi Industries have formed a multi-year merchandising partnership to launch a range of NBA fanwear apparel in India. The new NBA fanwear apparel will feature the widest

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German sports and lifestyle brand Puma, has appointed boxing heavyweight, MC Mary Kom the new brand ambassador of the company. Kom has signed a two-year deal with the brand and will be the face of women’s training category. Puma had earlier appointed Indian cricket captain ViratKohli as the brand ambassador for eight years in a deal worth about Rs 110 crore. Kohli had later launched his athleisure brand One8 in collaboration with the brand.

Marks & Spencer has launched its first ever local advertising campaign ‘Rethink’ for the Indian market to strengthen its relationship with the country’s shoppers. The campaign is an Indian version of its “Rethink” fashion advert.

The advertising campaign was created

by Grey London and Delhi and is inspired by “street-style” fashion photography. The series of video adverts encourage customers to “rethink” their style choices and be more daring. As India is Marks & Spencer’s second largest market after the UK since it entered the country in 2001, the country seems an apt choice for the brand’s first ever local campaign.

For Marks & Spencer in India, this campaign is an important step since it positions it not just as a trendsetter, but also asa brand that challenges perceptions and asks you to explore new sides of your personality.

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16 Brand Retail Fabindia plans more Experience Centers, open store in the US

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abindia will open its large store concept Experience Center in Tier I and II cities in the coming financial year.

As of now the brand has nine Experience Centers. The coming financial year will also see the brand open a store in the US. In total, ethnic clothing and lifestyle retailer Fabindia has 100 new stores planned in India for the 2020 financial year. They will comprise 30 Experience Centers, 20 company-owned stores, and 50 franchise outlets. The brand is also increasing omni-channel features across its stores. Fabindia has now launched omnichannel technology in 110 stores. A further 50 stores will launch the offline to online features in the coming six months.

Although the brand is basically a brickand-mortar business, it is strengthening its

Blackberrys plans 100 exclusive stores this year Blackberrys plans to add 100 exclusive brand outlets this fiscal. Currently, it has 260 exclusive stores out which 180 are the company’s own stores. The brand, present in over 350 cities across India, offers complete wardrobe solutions for men, from work to leisure, party wear to hipster fashion, and business formals, nightlife clothing, smart casuals and travel wear.

Apart from exclusive outlets, Blackberrys is in 700-plus multi-brand outlets. Blackberrys holds a strong presence in large format retail such as Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop, Pantaloons and Central. It is also on e-commerce. The brand clocked in Rs 900 crore turnover this year and hopes to grow further in the next two years.

The core DNA values of Blackberrys continue through product evaluation and evolution. From 27 years it has always stood for innovation and

provided the Indian man with premium wardrobe solutions. With changing consumer needs, changing lifestyle and growing aspiration, the brand felt the need to reinvent itself to match the needs and moods of today’s cosmopolitan man. The Indian retail market is growing at a CAGR of 20 per cent. Fashion retail market is growing at a CAGR of 9.7 per cent.

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Fila plans 100 EBOs

e-commerce store. The brand also retails from multi-brand e-commerce platforms such as Myntra and Amazon but does not take part in deep discounting. Online sales currently only contribute four per cent of the business’ total revenue. Fabindia has also seen its fusion wear product line grow at a fast pace this financial year. The line has grown by 17 per cent and, in order to harness this growth, the business will continue to expand its offerings.

Apparel brand Turms to set up offline experience centers

Fila has planned 100 exclusive retail stores in India over the next five years.

Currently, the brand has 1500 points of sale, which is expected to touch 1800 by July this year. This will be largely across metros, mini metros and Tier II towns.

The Italian sports and fashion brand is expecting 50 per cent growth in the Indian market as it expects strong sales this year from e-commerce and as well as its offline stores.

Online, the brand is available on players such as Flipkart, Amazon, Koovs, Myntra and Jabong.

Fila India is a licensee held by Cravatex Brands, which is a part of the Batra Group.

The brand deals in footwear, apparel and soft accessories, which include bags, socks, caps, scarves, etc. for men, women and children.

Fila continuously features among the top three in large format stores such as Reliance Footprint, Central and Metro.

The global market for sports and fitness clothing is projected to touch 231.7 billion dollars by 2024. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to be the fastest growing region, with a CAGR of 6.9 per cent over the forecast period. Emerging markets such as India and Thailand, as well as China, are now being considered by top sportswear retailers for expansion.

Limeroad to open 20 stores in six months

Aapparel brand Turms plans to set up offline experience centers in top Indian cities to increase brand penetration. The brand recently raised an additional Rs 2 crore angel funding after hitting a Rs 24 crore revenue run rate, making it one of the fastest growing internet first apparel brands. The investors in this round include Myntra cofounder Raveen Sastry, ex Googler Sree Unnikrishnan, FarEye founder Gautam Kumar, PremjiInvest Partner Rahul Garg & Atul Gupta, and ex-Flipkart’s Sanjay Ramakrishnan.

Turms sells apparel starting at the Rs 799 price point, plans to break even in the next six to nine months. Last month the company brought onboard Murali Sastry, CEO-IIT B-Monash Research Academy, Sanjay Modi, former MD, APAC & Middle East at Monster. com and Sridhar Viswanathan, Managing Partner-Silver Cruste as advisors to help build R&D roadmap, set up new revenue channels and optimise supply chain.

Lime Road plans to open 20 stores in the next 3-6 months with a vision to take highstreet fashion to every town in India. The retailer recently opened its second retail store in Panipat, Haryana. The company enables customers to shop not only through its mobile app and website but also from its brick-andmortar stores.

As per Tofler, online fashion platform, Limeroad’s revenue declined 36 per cent to Rs 59 crore. Its revenue from operations increased by 92 per cent to Rs 157 crore for the year ended March, 2018. The expenses of the Tiger Global backed start-up increased by 20 per cent to Rs 219 crore in FY18 from Rs 182 crore in FY17. Advertising promotional expenses grew by 17 per cent to Rs 79 crore, while employees benefit expenses declined by 1 per cent to Rs 36.2 crore.

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18 BRanD ReTail Ralph Lauren opens New Delhi flagship

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S luxuries fashion label Ralph Lauren has opened a flagship store in New Delhi. A few months ago the brand had opened a Polo Ralph Lauren store also in New Delhi. The flagship houses the brand’s Purple Label, Ralph Lauren Collection, and Polo Ralph Lauren lines.

Spread over two floors, the store offers men’s wear, women’s wear, and accessories displayed among Spanish-inspired interiors. Antique furnishings and 1920s décor echo the brand’s American heritage which also shines through with the inclusion of the brand’s signature Ricky bag. The store will also soon house the Ralph Lauren spring/summer collection, expected within the next two weeks.

Polo Ralph Lauren with its iconic polo player logo is a sport-inspired label from Ralph Lauren. It has influences from the Wild West to the English-influenced country club to the varsity world. In India Ralph Lauren has a partnership with Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail.

Ted Baker and Hackett London open stores at Ambience Mall, Gurgaon

Ralph Lauren is an American fashion house. The brand targets working professional men in their early-to-mid 30s, new-to-the workforce women in their midto-late 20s, and the creative class. The goal is to woo the next generation of consumers and increase gross margins by improving the core product which makes up 60 per cent of overall revenue.

the brand and will be the face of the women’s training category. She is seen as embodying the spirit of the Puma woman – determined, goal-oriented, confident, and forever gunning for the next big challenge.

Globally there has been a huge momentum for the brand, which is making strong progress in the sports performance and sport style categories. Puma’s success comes against the backdrop of the athleisure trend that has gripped the sportswear market. While other companies flaunt performance and technology, Puma focuses on style that makes its products attractive to the casual dresser.

Its global brand ambassadors include Victoria’s Secret model Adriana Lima and singer Selena Gomez.

Liberty Shoes to add 50 stores Liberty Shoes will add 50 new stores across the country by 2020.These new stores will open mainly in Tier II and III cities.

Liberty Shoes currently has a total of 400 flagship stores across India and is present in over 5000 multi-brand outlets and also retails from its own e-commerce store.

mall houses food and fashion brands such as H&M, Gap, Zara, Marks & Spencers, Kiko Milano, Ted Baker, Hackett London, Luxe Bridge, Iconic, Da Milano, Jack & Jones, Cover Story, Ritu Kumar etc. Ambience has a mix of top international and Indian clothing brands to cater to all age groups, an array of entertainment options and unique decorative concepts.

Puma sees India as a key market

Ted Baker and Hackett London have entered Ambience Mall, Gurgaon with new stores. British clothing and accessories brand Ted Baker is known for designer apparel and signature tailoring. The store is equipped with glamorous interiors and tons of charm and will house a wide range of both men’s wear and women’s wear. Ted Baker is a mainstay for every stylish wardrobe with a collection of bright dresses, tops, men’s wear, luxe accessories and add-ons.

Hackett London, located next to Ted Baker, specialises in vintage clothing for men. As the official couturier for the British Army Polo team, the Henley Royal Regatta, the BAFTA awards and Aston Martin Racing, Hackett London is steeped in Britain’s rich sartorial heritage. With a wide repertoire of fine casual and formal clothing the store is a niche addition to the mall’s offering.

Ambience Mall, Gurgaon, is the perfect destination for shoppers of all age groups. The

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India is expected to become one of Puma’s top five markets by 2020. The women’s segment is a key element of its strategy. Sales in India for the year were Rs 1,157 crores, up from Rs 958 crores a year ago. While the company recently roped in boxer Mary Kom as a brand ambassador, Puma’s signing of Indian cricket skipper Virat Kohli for Rs 100 crores has also paid off with One8, the brand he cocreated with company, clocking Rs 100 crores in sales within the first year of its launch.

Mary Kom has signed a two-year deal with

The company, based in Gurgaon, will also be scaling up its product portfolio and launch new products in the coming months. Liberty Shoes recently launched a new brand LFO under which it will sell a range of leather and non-leather accessories. The FOCO model launched has been showing impressive results besides easing out the working capital cycle of the company.

The aim is to generate an annual revenue of Rs 1000 crores by 2020. The overall footwear industry is very optimistic right now with growing awareness about the latest trends and consciousness among consumers.

Consumers’ increased exposure to plastic money and imposition of GST is going to provide more organised retailing and trade transparency in the long term. India is the second largest footwear producer in the world, with footwear production accounting for approximately nine per cent of the global annual production – 22 billion pairs as compared to China, which produces over 60 per cent of the global production.

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20 BRanD ReTail Blues N Greys launches 3rd Raymond tailoring store

V-Mart to add 20 per cent retail space every year

lues ‘N’ Greys, the official wholesalers of Raymond, has opened its third Raymond’s authorised tailoring hub in NCR, where all stitching is done according to Raymond’s norms. It is the retailer for global brands for men’s fabric that include Dormeuil, Atilius Botta, Vitale

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Barberis Canonico, Marzoni, Lanificio Cerruti, Soktas, and Burgoyne. Blues ‘N’ Greys gives customised and personalized clothing focusing on fine craftsmanship.

A master tailor is hired to do all the measurement jobs, while a team of professionals execute.

than 200 company outlets, 4000 dealers and 50 sales representatives island wide.

Odhni to open 30 new stores

‘W’ opens showroom in Sri Lanka Popular Indian fashion brand ‘W’ recently opened its third showroom in Sri Lanka. The showroom, at the Colombo City Centre, was brought by D Samson & Sons, a member of the DSI Samson Group. ‘W’ stores are also located in Kandy and Bambalapitiya.

W is an Indian brand with a strong presence with over 300 stores and 1,500 touch points across India. The brand combines fashion and functionality in women’s clothing and consists of everything ranging from salwar kameez, tunics, work wear, festive wear, and fusion wear compromising of skirts and trousers. W offers contemporary and fashionable garments that compliment a woman as she seamlessly transits from office to smart casual. W clothes are designed with creativity and care.

One of the largest retail networks in the country, D. Samson & Sons serves as the sole distributor of a number of popular international brands such as, Clarks, Florsheim, Redtape, Reebok, Puma, New Balance, Fila, Arrow, U.S Polo Assn., W and Aurelia. The company network spans more

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Ethnic wear brand Odhni plans to open 30 new stores across India. The brand aims to generate a revenue of Rs 1,000 crore (approx $143 million) by 2025. Odhni currently has three offline stores in the country and also sells online on leading e-commerce platforms.

The company generated Rs 80 crore revenue in the last financial year and expects this to grow by 150 per cent during the current fiscal.

Odhni caters to women of varied backgrounds and interests with all leading brands of Surat, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi.

The Delhi-based ethnic wear brand was founded by Anju and Shashi Jain in 1999. It is currently run by Puneet Jain & Yatin Jain. Its studio flagship store based out of Pitampura has the distinction of being the largest women apparel store in Delhi.

V-Mart, which has always been pioneering in the Tier-III, IV cities, plans to add 20 per cent retail space every year for seven years.

The company has established its presence in around 100-odd towns in these cities. The retailer adopts a data-centric approach and technology to meet its growth requirements.

It has adopted ERP, data analytics and MIS for analysis. It has also been forecasting to the planning and the allocation modules that are algorithmically planned.

V-Mart also adopts AI driven algorithm which decides which store would sell what and projects what would sell where in the coming days and coming months. In which territory, what fashion and what color or size would sell and what kind of consumers buys it, etc.

Through this the company is able to rationalise on its inventory management and give the customer the best retail experience.

Sportwear brand Arcley to spread retail footprint

Arcley has been growing close to 100 per cent year on year and is currently selling about 5000 units a month. This sportswear brand, launched in 2015, bridges the gap between domestic brands that target the price-sensitive market and global brands that serve the premium market. It is one of the few brands that launches its customized sports apparel as per the needs and demands of customers. It delivers affordable and high quality products.

Right now Arcley is available only in Haryana and Delhi and this year would be entering about three or four states. The product portfolio will be widened and some exclusive lines will be launched.

Athleisure is now a global phenomenon. The category is growing at a faster rate than other apparel categories. In fact, India is the largest contributor to the Asian sportswear industry.

With millennials having high aspirations, the sportswear industry is undergoing numerous changes adding new brands and new categories.

Retailers too are willing to give shelves to a new brand. This change is happening not just in metros in non-metros too. In 2016-17, athleisure grew at 20 to 25 per cent annually in the global active wear market.

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22 Brand Retail M&S plans six more stores in India

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arks & Spencer will open six more stores in India in the next two months.

Now there are 71 stores across 30 cities like New Delhi, Amritsar, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi, Bhopal, Kanpur, Hyderabad and Chandigarh.

Of the 71 stores, 10 are standalone beauty and lingerie stores. Half the stores it plans to open in the next two months would also be standalone beauty and lingerie stores. The British retailer opened its first store in India in 2001. India is the largest market for M&S outside of Britain. A fifth of the turnover comes from outside the major metros.

M&S has developed a rethink campaign specifically for this market, a first globally where a campaign has been designed for the local market. However, the contribution

Hopscotch to open second store in India

Children’s wear brand Hopscotch is set to open second store in India in Bengaluru.

The brand recently crossed the Rs 500 crore valuation mark in India, a major milestone. It is expanding rapidly and is now available in 1,300 cities launching 500 styles daily. Founded by Rahul Anand in 2012, Hopscotch has rapidly expanded following investment by Anand’s previous employer, Diapers. The brand has now reached a total of 500 new styles being rolled out per day and around 120,000 a year, a staggering amount, especially for a children’s wear brand.

The brand has design teams in India, China, Thailand, and the US who track fashion weeks and international trends to log real time children’s wear trends. Average customer visits a Hopscotch store 52 times a year.

Kewal Kiran opens more outlets

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from online to its revenues is still quite small in India, unlike in Britain where 30 per cent of its sales are online.

Internationally, Marks & Spencer sells its products in 57 markets across 400 stores and has an online presence in 33 markets.

The company clocked in a revenue of Rs 908 crores last year and has been growing at a CAGR of 24 per cent over the last five years. It clocked nine per cent growth in same store sales last year.

Kewal Kiran Clothing will open eleven new retail outlets across India. These will be in Tier III and IV cities like Guntur, Beghusarai, Jaypore, Ramgarh, Amaravati, Ballia and Azamgarh. With this Kewal Kiran will have a total of 336 stores.

Kewal Kiran Clothing is one of India’s largest branded apparel manufacturers and owns popular brands such as Killer, Easies, LawmanPg3, Integriti, and Desi-Belle.

These cater to the middle and upper middle segments. Kewal Kiran Clothing currently has 325 retail stores in 210 cities across 25 states.

The company was incorporated in 1981 and is based in Mumbai and has consumers in Asia, the Middle East and CIS. The company designs, manufactures and markets branded jeans, semi-formal and casual wear for men and women. The Killer brand of jeans has become the brand of choice for youngsters in small towns. The company’s own manufacturing and processing set up enables it to have a speedy go-to-the market time frame - from design to production.

The company reported a net profit of Rs 13 crores during the third quarter ended December 31, 2018, with net sales of Rs 118 crores on the back of strong festive season sales across its retail stores in India.

Forever 21 opens in Jaipur Forever 21’s new Jaipur store has, among other things, a panda coin purse, a holographic backpack, and platform heels with tiny ice cream lollies printed on them. The brand also has stores spread across metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad.

Forever 21, founded in 1984, is a US-based retailer and is much coveted among youth, especially women. It offers men’s and women’s

clothing, jewelry, footwear and accessories. It has a network of more than 700 stores across the globe. Forever 21 has brands like Forever 21, XXI Forever, Love 21 and Heritage in its portfolio. The brand celebrates street fashion with the colors of spring, pastels, minty blues and green. Forever 21 is known for dabbling in high fashion with sequined strapped dresses, trendy blazers and oversized sunglasses.

The retailer operates in India through a tieup with Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail.

Reliance Trends to open more stores across India

Reliance Trends will have 2,500 stores in India over the next five years. As of now, there are 557 stores. The chain will be in 300 cities in five years up from 160 now. The expansion plan should allow Reliance Trends, which sells accessories as well as clothing, to rapidly grow its private labels.

Integrating private labels with its e-commerce venture, and penetrating deeper into Tier III and IV cities, is the next level of growth for Reliance Trends. The new ecommerce venture aims at connecting small and midsized merchants with his retail network and warehouses, helping them better manage inventory as well as boost sales of Reliance’s private labels.

Reliance Trends’ aggressive expansion will see products such as private labels available across multi-brand outlets and smaller format stores as well. Almost 80 per cent of Reliance Trends’ revenue comes from private labels. A team of designers work across seven centers in India and one in the UK to design items such as jeans, trousers, shirts and T-shirts.

Retailers tend to make better margins out of their own brands than third-party brands because they can keep a much sharper eye on costs of production and associated marketing.

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24 Brand Retail Wacoal to spread retail, aims for 70 EBOs by 2021

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apanese lingerie-bran Wacoal is aiming to have 70 exclusive stores in India by 2021. As of now, there are 12 companyowned exclusive outlets.

Another 80 stores will be added in the shopin-shop format.

The Japanese lingerie brand entered India in 2015 through a joint venture with Periwinkle Fashions.

Besides opening up more stores in the existing markets like Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Wacoal will open stores in the top ten cities of India and will focus on smaller cities like Nashik, Rajkot, Nagpur, and Indore. The company also sells through e-commerce companies like Myntra, Jabong, Tata Cliq and its own website. Around 10 per cent of its revenues come from the e-commerce channel in the country.

Wacoal currently imports products

from factories globally but may look at manufacturing them in India as well although the first goal is to get the right products for Indian consumers. The brand is present in 70 countries. Japan is the biggest market for Wacoal, followed by the US, UK, and China. The company aims to generate $25 million revenue in India by 2021. The aim is to further solidify its position as a leading entity in the country’s luxury lingerie market.

and the products include kurtas, dresses, tunics, and tops. The line comes in a variety of styles including dresses, kurtas, tunics and more.

Raisin is a blend of Indian culture and modern influences. One of Raisin’s visions is to position itself as a brand that provides modern women contemporary fusion wear that is not only exceptionally comfortable but also stylish.

Understanding the needs of today’s women in terms of accessibility and staying updated with the latest fashion trends, while still providing extreme comfort, Raisin wants to be a relevant force in the women’s retail market.

Most brands are available through the mediums of MBOs and EBOs. Raisin wants to reach a larger audience through its shop in shop retail model. Raisin won the Textile Manufacturing Business of the Year Award at the eighth edition of the Small Business Awards.

Baggit enters small towns

Future Retail will try to deliver products from the nearest outlet/store. This cost-effective mechanism will help in speeding the process of delivery. In addition, the company is also trying to create some segments that will be exclusively available on the online platform.

Parvati Fabrics’ women’s wear brand Raisin spreads across India Future Retail to open more Big Bazaar stores in East India Future Retail will add around 25 Big Bazaar stores in the eastern region. This will focus on West Bengal, Bihar, the Northeast, and Orissa. Each store will have an investment of around Rs 2000 per sq ft. About seven or eight stores will open in Kolkata alone. The east contributes 25 per cent to the company’s national sales.

Future Retail, the retail entity of the Future Group, has around 286 Big Bazaar stores, 89 FBB stores and 1050 small format stores spread across the country. It operates multiple retail formats in both the hypermarket, supermarket and home segments of the Indian consumer market. For fiscal ’19 Future Retail has a target to grow by 18 per cent to 25 per cent. The company is also working on plans to improve its supply chain network. The retailer has a multi-pronged strategy to boost profitability by expanding its small store network, increasing margins in the food and fast-moving consumer goods portfolio, increasing stock velocity and leveraging its customer data across group companies to increase sales per customer.

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Raisin has expanded into 22 Indian cities and opened 72 brick-and-mortar stores.

The brand has also launched online and is pursuing an omni-channel retail strategy. This is a women’s wear brand launched by Parvati Fabrics in 2018. For 30 years Parvati Fabrics has been trading across India and exporting high quality fabrics and designer women’s wear to various countries all over the world.

Raisin offers both western and ethnic wear

Baggit is looking to expand in Tier III and IV cities across India. As of now, the accessory brand has 52 exclusive brand outlets with 1000 multi-brand and large format stores across the country. The 30-year-old brand with an annual revenue of Rs 100 crores and is now aiming for double-digit growth by investing in digital and omni-channel marketing and introducing new product segments.

Other than marketing, customer relationship management is one of the important activities that the brand does to understand customer preferences, create awareness and engagement. Baggit did a soft launch of CRM in 2018, and is simultaneously preparing for its integration in existing systems and raising the service quality. A loyalty program will be launched in fiscal 2019-20. The brand ambassador is Shraddha Kapoor.

For its sub-brand gg, Baggit has kept prices low, considering the younger generation. The next big marketing strategy is using AI, to analyse the huge customer data in order to understand the product and the customers and to elevate their experience across the value chain. Baggit opened an outlet in Dubai in partnership with Landmark and the target is to expand there in future.

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25 Myntra closes two Mango, Roadster stores in Mumbai and Bangalore

Myntra has shut a prominent Mango store in Mumbai and its flagship store of private brand Roadster in Bangalore. These stores had marked the company’s high-profile entry into brick-and-mortar retailing. Apparently the Roadster and Mango outlets were making losses. Sales were weak compared to the high rentals.

Myntra had spelt out plans barely nine months ago to roll out 100 physical outlets —half of them of Roadster and the rest of HRX, Mango and others — to tap the complementary omni-channel initiatives.

Myntra entered offline retailing with the Roadster outlet in Bangalore in 2017.

Walmart-owned Myntra had been scouting for space in malls for various brick-and-mortar formats it had planned, including a department store chain, a women’s fashion chain called Myntra Women, a cosmetics format Myntra Beauty and sports and lifestyle outlets.

Manyavar & Mohey open new store for ethnic wear India’s leading celebration wear brand has opened its 10th store in Pune and 44th in Maharashtra. The brand now also offers the finest attires for women at the 77 Mohey stores, where celebrations begin.

The new store features Virat and Anushka collection with fine sherwanis, kurtas, Indowestern and Mohey presents the finest attires for women and fusion wear with accessories and kids wear also. The store offers an exceptional range of traditional outfits and accessories for men in its wedding collection, party wear and clothes for other special events.

Some of the country’s finest fashion designers and artisans have been brought together to create products at Manyavar.

Manyavar caters to the debonair man who

Raymond Ceremonial debuts in Mumbai

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aymond has gone into ethnic wear with Raymond Ceremonial and Ethnix.

There are two Ethnix stores. Apart from this, two more Ethnix stores are in the fit-out stages and are expected to be launched by mid-March. The target is to take the total store count to six by this fiscal year end and then gauging the response launch another 30 to 40 stores.

Raymond Ceremonial is the flagship identity for the brand’s ethnic wear products.

One such flagship is in Mumbai. The store spans 2,300 sq ft. This is the first Raymond Ceremonial store and going forward more will be opened more in metropolitan cities.

Raymond now has four strong brands: Raymond, Park Avenue, Park and Colour Plus and the company is doing well and delivering a high double-digit growth.

The company is currently in the right place with the right set of opportunities. The company is made up of many parts -- textile, apparel, B to C fabrics, engineering, auto components, FMCG. Every part has its own challenges and its own needs and desires.

For Raymond fabrics are a solid and legacy business, while apparels are growing strongly. It is a market leader in

proudly flaunts his desi avatar on weddings, parties and other special occasions. This Ethnic wear store comprises all new Collections and the latest trends in the market. Mohey defines women’s ethnic wear.

children, and the rest are lifestyle and home ware goods. The brand reported a revenue total of Rs 250 crores for the 2018 financial year and expects to double that to reach a top line of Rs 500 crores in the 2019 financial year.

Nysaa subsidiary to open more stores

Easybuy targets 200 stores by 2022

1-India Family Mart will open 100 stores during the next financial year mainly in Tier II and III cities. The aim is to cater to 75 per cent of small town residents. This plan will also increase the brand’s total retail space to 12 lakh sq ft by 2020. The brand currently has 66 stores. Its main strongholds are the North and East India. New stores will open in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, and Chhattisgarh and store sizes will average around 8,000 sq ft.

1-India Family Mart, launched in 2013, is a value fashion retailer and a subsidiary of Nysaa. The brand’s main demographic is lower middle-class families in rural areas and the brand’s products are made up of around 80 per cent apparel for women, men, and

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its space and has managed to enter the FMCG space. As for key focus areas of the company, the priority is to see exponential shareholder returns.

Easybuy plans to reach 200 stores by 2022.

As of now there are 75 stores. The brand, launched in 2015, will open franchise stores to reach the maximum number of customers. The brand aims to eventually open a store in each of India’s district headquarters, of which there are over 500.

Easybuy is the apparel value retail format from the Landmark Group. It offers men’s wear, women’s wear, kids’ wear, footwear and accessories. Easybuy hopes to become the most preferred value fashion destination for the aspirational Navbharat families who are seeking super styles at super prices.

All Easybuy stores are franchisees and spread over 5000 to 7000 sq. ft. The retailer sees potential in Tier II and Tier III markets, which are dominated by regional brands, while fashion and retail brands are concentrated in metros.

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26 coveR sToRY

O2O paves the way for omnichannel retail in India The synergy between offline and online operations can offer an immense experience for shoppers. E-retailers have understood this well and moved towards opening offline stores through franchisees, writes Shubhangi Bidwe

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ven though mobile penetration in India is the second highest globally, e-retailers are becoming aware of the importance of offline activities to attract new or re-engaging existing consumers. A recent study indicated around 95 per cent of retail sales are captured by offline retailers while two-thirds consumers who purchase online use the store either before or after the transaction.

Offline retail offer personalised experience The State of Retail Report by TimeTrade also states almost 85 per cent of consumers prefer

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• Around 95 per cent of retail sales in India are captured by offline players • Consumers prefer to touch and feel the products before buying them • Offline retail is also preferred due to the convenience if offers • Managing costs is a huge challenges for brick and motor stores • Omnichannel retail enables players to emulate each other’s benefits to shop offline. They like to see, touch and test these products before buying them. Around one third of customers also like to receive product advice from sales associates, and a whopping 90 percent of shoppers are likely to buy after receiving help from knowledgeable staff in-store.

Consumers value offline retail stores, either for convenience or as holistic brand experience.

Some retailers have even refused to publicise their own company’s website through in-store banners, fearing that customers would get sucked away from the store.

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cover story

E-com players partner physical stores An increasing number of e-commerce players are partnering physical stores to ride the relatively new bandwagon called O2O (Offline to Online or vice-versa). Online startups across verticals are working with physical stores to help them realise the potential of having an online presence. Online start up retailers such as Paytm Mall, food delivery company Zomato and logistics provider Shadowfax are all trying to bridge the gap between offline and online.

In fact, US-retail giant Amazon’s first offline investment was a 5 per cent stake in Shoppers Stop. After this, Shoppers Stop also began to sell its in-house brands on Amazon.

Meanwhile major Indian online stores such as Firstcry, Lenskart, and Pepperfry, Limeroad, Myntra opened offline stores to reach shoppers who were still uncomfortable with making online transactions. Tata Group has partnered its multi-brand network of brands from fashion and electronics to luxury products with the Unicommerce, a platform connecting it to its own base of over 10,000 local sellers.

However, the foundations for O2O were laid in the recent past with global competitors growing their offline networks in India. Amazon increased its offline presence in India with Shoppers Stop stake. And now, Amazon plans to add 100 offline kiosks to sell its own products in malls across India by the end of 2019.

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An increasing number of e-commerce players are partnering physical stores to ride the relatively new bandwagon called O2O (Offline to Online or vice-versa).

Online startups across verticals are working with physical stores to help them realise the potential of having an online presence could have on their business Amazon already has two kiosks in Bangalore and one each in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and opened a new one in Noida recently all through franchisees. Walmart too plans to become the largest shareholder of India’s e-commerce giant Flipkart by expanding its grocery business in India.

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28 cover story

Adopting the O2O model The online to offline (O2O) model is also being adopted by more players in the fashion retail segment. Myntra has set the ball rolling with its plans to open 100 stores in different locations across the country. Some of the other online fashion retailers who plan to open offline retail stores are Voonik and Limeroad.

The foundations for O2O were laid in the past one year with global competitors growing their offline networks in India. Amazon increased its offline presence in India with Shoppers Stop’s stake. And now, Amazon plans to add 100 offline kiosks to sell its own products in malls across India by the end of 2019.

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Voonik already has four outlets in Bengaluru selling ‘kurtis’ and is poised to open another 25 in Bengaluru itself. Limeroad has a much more ambitious plan and is aiming to have 2000 retail stores offline in a span of two to three years. It has kicked off this plan by opening the first such store in Surat.

Even smaller firms like Jaypore and FabAlley plan to shift from online to offline to gain in the overall sales volumes and increase the contribution from the offline stores substantially.

Challenges in going offline Indeed, setting up brick and mortar stores has its own challenges as it is difficult for these companies to manage costs. Also, there is enough competition from the organised and unorganised sectors, both in the offline fashion retail. Varying circumstances make customers choose different buying environments.

Successful retailers that outlast their competitors have used a variety of formats and channels to meet their customers, and will continue to do so.

Meanwhile, players in the home service sector use the O2O model to make life easier for people. Housejoy, an online home services marketplace, enables customers to browse, book, and rate home service providers for beauty treatments, home cleaning, plumber services or fitness sessions. Its goal is to develop a technology-based solution to a common problem — getting qualified home service providers who did quality work and were reliable.

Emergence of a hybrid model According to Harish Shah, founder of online fashion retailer Fynd, when an online company simply opens a physical store without empowering any existing offline businesses, it is not an O2O but a hybrid model. Homegrown online retailer Flipkart through its fashion subsidiary Myntra has also opened physical stores for its private labels such as Mango, Roadster and Espirit. The online fashion retailer, Fynd in partnership with offline physical stores provides them with an online presence on its portal. Fynd has partnered around 8500 brand stores in more than 50 cities. It recently raised an undisclosed sum of money led by Google, and other existing investors including Hong Kong -based Axis Capital, IIFL, Kae Capital, GrowX Ventures and Tracxn Labs, among other angel investors.

Apart from merchandise, tech-startups are also working with restaurants and hotels to bring them online. Shadowfax that provides last mile delivery has partnered with more than 1,000 restaurants across 20 cities to deliver their online orders.

According to the Alibaba-owned Hema Stores in China, a synergy between the offline and online operations can offer an immersive experience for shoppers. Both online and offline players can emulate the salient benefits of each other by using technology blurs the lines between the two. While a company may choose to focus more on online or offline depending on what kind of business model it has, a shift towards an omnichannel strategy would be highly beneficial.

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Urban Blackberrys explores underwater foliage

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eeping true to its tag line, ‘Why Plan’, the S/S ’19 collection of Urban Blackberrys explores the unexplored in its theme ‘Be Curious’ that revolves around the Aqua Flora and Aqua Fauna inspired from water.

“The collection reflects the exploration of underwater foliage, where the breadth of colors and sights of serenity become one.

We have fabricated the finest mixture of the Aqua Flora and Aqua Fauna through prints, fabric weaves and techniques,” notes Kabeer Kodaniyil, Head of Design.

Adding versatility through hybrid garments Urban Blackberrys focuses on adding utility and functionality to its products. It adds versatility by introducing hybrid garments like a Denizer – a denim inspired blazer with innovative washes; G-Shirt - a shirt inspired from a T-shirt graphics; and Jazer – a jacket inspired blazer with ribbed sleeves for comfort elements and offering multi-occasion garments. “Our color palette for the season

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includes two major colors: aqua and coral inspired from water and underwater foliage.

We interpret the various shades of our colors as per their acceptability in each category,” adds Kodaniyil.

A modern twist to retro culture “Fashion trends across all our categories are majorly influenced by the retro culture but with a modern twist.” Stripers and animal prints are key trends in yarn dye and prints respectively. Stripers are playful, engineered and infused with innovative patterns. The impact of sustainability can be seen in color trends that mainly comprise natural colors driven by the tints and shades of green.

The SS19 collection of Urban Blackberrys mainly encompasses cotton and cotton blend fabrics. “We have explored a fine 60’s light weight cotton which is perfectly apt for the summer. The collection further categorises into patterns, prints and techniques like aqua fresh, floral, artistic, gauzy, rhythmic, torrent, fauna, and digitally inspired techniques,” states Kodaniyil.

Optimistic about a good year ahead Talking about business for the upcoming year, Kodaniyil says, “We closed last year with gross revenue of around Rs 85 crore and hope to close this year with Rs 143 crore.” The brand is exploring retail opportunities in the Northeast as Kodaniyil informs, “We receive a lots of franchise opportunities in the Northeast and plan to open stores there shortly.” It is currently present across 139 EBOs, 235 MBOs, 30 LFS and 24 Urban Blackberrys stores.

Expansion through all channels Though the brand is exploring the online medium, it is more aggressive on the offline platform as “customers still crave the experience in physical stores,” notes Kodaniyil. “They enjoy the touch and feel of products. We plan to invest over Rs 10 crore towards expansion this year. Over 20 per cent of this will be invested towards online expansion as our consumers are increasingly getting influenced by digital media. They know how awareness, knowledge, searches are in the digital space and some of them are also buying in the digital space,” he sums up.

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Shoppers Stop to reinvent operations to be profitable

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its business in FY18 and divested stakes in Hypercity, family entertainment centre chain Timezone Entertainment, and Nuance Group India, a dutyfree airport retailing joint venture with Swiss major Nuance Group.

Expanding to new segments

Another strategy that Suri plans to adopt is to strengthen private labels. He feels retailers selling largely private labels at low prices can attract a certain section of customers. But he cautions against SSL going overboard with the plan lest it dilutes its identity, for it has always sold multiple brands. He suggests that 15-18 per cent of private labels and another 5-10 per cent of exclusive brands would be a great combination to create that distinction and remain on the top.

Suri has a three-pronged strategy for his private labels business to make SSL improve fabrics, collections, and designs for existing private brands; add more celebrity brands; and rope in international brands as exclusive.

The company is already making strategic investments to strengthen the private labels team, the design studio, sourcing, product mix, pricing, and brand positioning.

acing by stiff competition from online shoppers and highprofile brick and mortar chains, Shoppers Stop Ltd (SSL), the country’s oldest department store chain plans to infuse a fresh lease of life by reinventing its operations and increasing profitability. Rajiv Suri, CEO of the retail chain, has five core business priorities: to engage with its over five million customers who account for 75 per cent of sales; provide a delightful customer experience through the personal shopper service; improve the share of private labels to 17 per cent in the next three years; strengthen the company’s omni-channel play; and accelerate the beauty business.

However, achieving these goals will not be easy for Suri as the K Raheja Corp-promoted premium department store chain, has over the years, spread itself thin by investing in newer entities and expanded across segments to apparel and non-apparel across 38 cities with an operating space of 4.4 million sq. ft.

However, not all these expansions have fructified. While its core apparel business performed well, widening losses and high debt levels at grocery retailer Hypercity Retail (India) drove down growth. The retail chain rejigged

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Strengthening private labels

Omni-channel retail to lead growth SSL also wants to use e-commerce to

promote its private brands. Experts from the company believe the next horizon of growth will come from a mix of offline and online retail led by omni-channel retailers. While offline retail is appealing to a younger, lower income demographic and is comparatively more profitable, Edelweiss Securities in its FY19 second quarter results update note predicted the tie-up with Amazon was likely to accelerate Shoppers Stop’s omni-channel growth plan at a CAGR of 100 per cent over the next twothree years.

SSL plans to open four to six departmental stores every year for the next three years.

Suri is also working on a revival plan for lossmaking Crossword Bookstores, a wholly owned subsidiary of SSL. To maintain the momentum amid skyrocketing real estate prices, SSL is operating through a revenue-sharing arrangement with mall developers under which they pay a minimum guarantee amount as rent or a percentage of total revenue, whichever is higher, especially in Tier I, II cities like Lucknow and Ranchi. India’s first large retailer was also among the first to try new things such as entering the groceries or the airport retailing businesses. However, the successive management of the e-tail companies was not able to adapt and grow the business. Whether it succeeds this time remains to be seen.

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DuaLipa is the new face of Pepe Jeans globally

has worked on the imagery of titles of leading global fashion publications including Vogue, The Face and i-D.

Celebrating the brand’s heritage

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he legendary British denim brand, Pepe Jeans, has formed a new partnership with DuaLipa, one of the most successful musical artists and style icons of her generation. According to this partnership, DuaLipa will star in the Spring/ Summer 2019 campaign for Pepe Jeans.

The inaugural campaign is photographed

by David Sims, the British photographer who

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The campaign celebrates the heritage of Pepe Jeans, one of the first British brands to bring a distinct fashion perspective to the world of denim in 1973. In this campaign DuaLipa is photographed in black and white wearing a range of classic denim pieces. An emphasis on strength, natural beauty and the timeless appeal of denim takes precedent in both the campaign and the collection itself.

Both DuaLipa and Pepe Jeans are perfectly fit for each other as both were born in London and are symbols of idiosyncratic British style.

Long before joining Pepe Jeans, DuaLipa was a fan of the brand’s advertising campaigns as a teenager.

A fashion icon for millions Taking the music world by storm at the age of 23, DuaLipa has become a fashion icon for her millions of fans. She released her self-titled debut album ‘DuaLipa’ in 2017, which made history by being nominated for five categories at the 2018 Brit Awards - the first female to receive so many nominations. She was

awarded ‘Best British Female Solo Artist’ and ‘Best British Breakthrough Act’. For the last two years, DuaLipa has also been the most streamed female artist in the world.

The music video for her hit single ‘New Rules, her anthem for female empowerment, gained more than a billion views on YouTube, making her the youngest female artist to hit this target Her. ‘One Kiss’ Dua’s collaboration with Calvin Harris became the biggest selling single of 2018 in the UK and old over 40 million singles and over 3.4 million albums worldwide.

Dua also won two Grammy awards for “Best New Artist” and “Best Dance Recording” with Silk City for their massive hit “Electricity” at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards and the award for “Best British Single” for her track “One Kiss”, with Calvin Harris at the 2019 Brit Awards.

Inspired by the London culture Incepted in 1973, Pepe Jeans remains devoted to its pledge to create most exciting denim-led fashion on the planet. Inspired by the diversity and unique eclecticism, the extraordinary melting pot and mix of cultures that defines the city of London, continues to inspire Pepe Jeans’ denim, women, men and junior collections.

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Mufti balances fashion and comfort with quality products

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mong the popular casual wear brands in India, Mufti thrives on the basic principle of novelty in menswear fashion.

The brand, catering to Indian men strikes the right balance between fashion and comfort. Launched in 1998, Mufti has expanded into multiple categories like shirts, jeans, T-shirts, trousers, blazers, outerwear and footwear. It revolutionised the free-size shirts in the late-90s by shortening their length and tapering them at the waist. It later started selling jeans with Lycra instead of the conventional rough and tough denim fabric.

With the advent of athleisure, the brand started creating denim joggers to provide durability to this popular product category. The brand currently retails through over 1,500 points of sale across India.

to deliver products that are at par with what consumers want. This cycle starts with incentivising vendors by following a tight payment system that ensures on-the-spot payment to vendors.

The second stage involves a stringent quality check that follows 100 per cent inspection of the products at two levels, once they are received at the warehouse, and secondly at the time of dispatch. This is a more efficient system compared to sample inspection, which is most common in the industry. Stringent Fabric Package Test parameters such as dyeing, shrinkage, colour fastness tests are followed even on finished products to provide the best post-buying experience for the consumer. The final stage ensures every Mufti-labelled product being delivered to the end-consumer is of the best quality.

Ensuring best-quality for consumers

E-commerce expansion for brand visibility

Mufti works on an effective product development system that takes into account all levels of the supply chain. With quality as highest priority, this system aims at understanding the need of the manufacturers

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Mufti upholds its e-commerce segment as an opportunity to consolidate its retail presence in India. The brand aims to reach maximum pin-codes through e-commerce. It is investing

significantly in the online segment to create brand visibility. According to the Brand Trust Report, this model has been effective for Mufti as it was touted the fourth most trusted brand in a study spanning across all categories for 1000 brands and about 6000 point of sales.

Not limiting itself to online expansion, Mufti has an elaborate strategy to expand its brick and mortar stores across all tiers of the market.

The brand will start store expansion with metros before focusing on the Tier II, III cities.

Mufti is foraying into several new categories such as footwear to provide a one-stop solution. The footwear category has got a positive response. It now plans to launch a line of accessories for the coming Autumn/Winter season and an athleisure line for Spring/ Summer 2019.

The brand is also expanding its product category. Credo Marketing, which hosts Mufti, is encouraging it to launch another brand for young consumers. This decision is strengthened by Mufti’s strong sourcing capabilities based out of India and China, with latter fulfilling small orders in the auxiliary categories of shoes, jackets and sweaters.

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Raisin aims for a holistic experience muslin,” notes Pacheriwal The brand offers a wide range of patterns without repetition or similarities. “Our target audience spans 18 to 45 years, giving different personalities and styles an array of choices to express their individual sense of fashion,” he adds. Apart from kurtis, dresses, kurta sets, maxis, and tunics, Raisin recently launched jumpsuits and safari suits and plans to introduce more products.

“Trends change quickly in a span of few months,” states Pacheriwal. The brand constantly updates its collections to ensure trendy clothing. “We launch a new collection every three to four months keeping up with current styles and seasonal changes,” he informs. The brand also updates its patterns and designs according to trends besides introducing seasonal colors.

Tackling challenges head-on Pacheriwal expects spring/summer collection to see good traction. “Our collection is fresh and trendy which is sure to attract consumers. We expect an upward curve in sales,” he says. Limited cash flows in the market and growing preference for discounts have failed to dampen the brand’s spirit which plans to offer latest products and styles.

“Compared to previous year, the market maybe a little challenging but we strive to remain the topmost choice of consumers,” adds Pacheriwal.

Omni-channel presence to boost retail

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taying close to its core strength of providing exceptionally comfortable fashion, Raisin, in the upcoming summer season, plans to introduce a new collection ‘You Are Hue’ Spring/Summer ’19. “True to its name, this collection is a colorful medley of pop, cool and warm tones with a host of styles and patterns to cater to all customers,” says Vikash Pacheriwal, Co-Founder, Raisin.

“Designed with different hues depicting various emotions, this collection explores breathable fabrics like cotton, linen, rayon, etc. The colors palette is an amalgamation of pop, cool, and

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warm tones, closely fitting with the concept of ‘You Are Hue,” he adds.

Blending Indian culture with contemporary influences Representing the perfect blend of Indian culture and contemporary influences, Raisin offers modern fusion wear crafted to be comfortable, yet stylish. “This collection, created with a strong belief that fashion cannot exist without comfort, comprises a variety of products like dresses, kurtas, tunics and gowns crafted from premium fabrics like linen, cotton, georgette, cotton-silk, khadi-silk and

The brand has an offline presence in over 50 shop in shops and plans to enter MBOs and LFS soon. “Eventually, we plan to have franchises and open EBOs but that may take some time,” he states. A strong advocate of omni-channel retailing, Raisin’s online presence is through own e-commerce website www.raisinglobal.com. “We are also available across all e-com retailers: Amazon, Myntra, Jabong, Flipkart and Ajio,” adds Pacheriwal.

Stating that the online world has treated the brand quite well so far, Pacheriwal says “there is a requirement of discounting and campaigning to increase in this format but we managed to see constant increase in our customer base.” The brand recently held its ‘End of Season Sale’ with offers on its own website and all other top e-com websites where it is present. “We look at providing a holistic retail experience for consumers which is important in today’s fashion industry,” sums up Pacheriwal.

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Xmex redefines style with plus-size offerings

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lus size brand Xmex does not believe being fat is good. However, it believes overweight women can ace the look. “These women are beautiful the way they are” says Hemant Pursnani, Director of the brand which strives to make plus size women beautiful. “The whole concept of our brand is to make women feel confident and attractive irrespective of her size and shape,” he explains.

Launched 2003, Xmex started as a regular size brand and a wholesaler for western wear. “Now, we offer plus sizes only,” notes Pursanani. The brand offers tops, tunics, casual T-shirts, party wear, long dresses, short dresses, gowns, palazzos, jeggings, leggings, casual dresses, kurtis casual, party wear dresses. “All our production is in house,” he informs.

Innovative designs, textures to deal with size issues Xmex invests a lot on experimentation, designing and ensuring the overall feel of its product. “It’s not easy to design a product that resonates with your client base. In plus size business, size issues occur frequently as there is no proper fit or exact idea about sizing.

Women could be plus from any part of her body so it

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requires extra attention. We have 300 to 400 designs at any given time in our collection,” Pursnani says. The brand works a lot on textures. “We have fabrics such as rayon, linen, cotton, viscose, dobbies, jacquards, polyester, etc. There is a beauty in each of these fabrics and none of it can be replaced by another,” he further states.

Catering to varied customer tastes Xmex does not stick to any particular fabric for its clothes. “Our preferences keep changing with time. Each fabric has its own features in terms of design and experimentation. As a manufacturer, we are supposed to have maximum varieties in terms of fabrics, shades, designs, etc. Today, a customer might want to wear pastel shades, while tomorrow he might prefer dark shades. He may like checks today and stripes the next day. A brand can’t really predict what consumers may like. As a brand, you need to have an eye for detail and have maximum creations in your kitty,” states Pursnani.

Customising offers

not as popular,” Pursnani observes. “This segment is flourishing as women now ask for plus size clothing. The market is becoming competitive. Being the oldest player in the market, we have a better foothold and much larger share and own a dedicated client base,” he adds.

He points out, the regular size market allows a brand to play around and work on its silhouettes, fits, finish that make women feel sexier and appealing. In plus size, you are clueless about the fat content on the breasts, arms or thighs. This makes it a complex category to execute. To minimise such issues, we customise our offerings,” affirms Pursnani.

Currently present in over 30 MBOs, Xmex plans to increase the number to 50. The brand also has seven EBOs in Mumbai, Pune and Thane. “We may also enter large format stores in future as they give more sales and visibility,” adds Pursnani.

“When we launched our brand, the concept of plus size fashion was new and

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Casa Jeans to launch range of denim shirts

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fter mastering the art of making denim lowers, Casa Jeans is now ready to launch a new range of denim shirts next month.

The brand offers 250 clothing articles in different fabrics. “We are masters of threeby-one denim,” says Rahul Sapra, Business Development Manager. “We also offer knit and dobbies. The three-by-one denim is quite popular in the branded market while local market largely favors knit denims.

Though knit fabrics are costlier than three by one denims, the latter is in demand among big brands. Only a few big brands use knits that too in the ratio of 10 per cent. These include brands like Levi’s, Tommy Hilfiger, Gant, etc,” he adds.

New denims to protect cell phones; reduce wastage “Our denims come with a host of features and special treatments in terms of washes,

designs and patterns popular in the market,” notes Sapra. “The quality of our fabrics is high and do not lose their color even after 50 washes. We play a lot with washes and

fabrics. Recently, we launched a new range of ‘E-Denim’. This range is available with a rain proof mechanism that aids customers to protect their mobile phones from water. We also make denim out of waste. Small pieces are stitched together to create a new pair of jeans. This reduces wastage and helps both the consumer and manufacturer,” he explains.

Offering denim fabrics for a long time, Casa Jeans recently ventured into garmenting.

“Our brand is owned by the Oswal Group – a renowned name in the northern region. We first ventured into woolen garmenting and also have a well known brand ‘Monte Carlo’ that is very popular among people across all age groups, income classes and genders,” adds Sapra.

Casa Jeans delivers denim fabrics and garments to all big companies across India and abroad. “Our clients are Levi’s, Jack & Jones, US Polo, etc. Global brands use our fabrics for their garment production overseas. We make 5,000 pieces per day for Levi’s in India,” Sapra informs the brand is available pan India.

Motocult plans to launch women’s range next year

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any global b r a n d s manufacture apparels for motorcycling.

This culture is not just youth centric but older people too are driving demand for bike apparels,” points out Chandan Sit, CEO, Motocult. The menswear brand recently launched a new range of leather shirts. “Only a couple of brands offer this type of shirts,” Sit informs. The brand also launched a new range of polo shirts.

international appeal,” he observes.

Expanding operations pan India Motocult lays strong emphasis on visual merchandising. The brand is present in 50 locations and plans to expand to 90 locations pan India by March 2019. It is present in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Bihar, UP, Assam and the Northeast. The brand started operations with an EBO in Chandigarh. “Being a different kind of brand, the positioning and

placing of our outlet matters,” states Sit. “Chandigarh is cost effective as rentals are lower than Mumbai. We also plan to set up new EBOs in Bengaluru,” he adds.

However, Motocult is not planning to venture into MBOs as of now as the brand believes having too many stores brings down your positioning and quality levels. “Servicing is important for retail outlets and this is possible only with the right number of MBOs and workforce,” Sit sums up.

Offering a complete wardrobe for men Not aiming to be just a shirt or a denim brand, Motocult offers everything from shirts to T-shirts, jackets, denim, shoes and accessories etc. “We offer cotton T- shirts, leather jackets, leather shirts, leather and canvas bags and shoes predominantly in leather. We may start a women’s wear range by next year” Sit explains.

Not aiming to dilute its brand value, Motocult keeps its product and quality intact. “We have successfully achieved the standards set for ourselves and rarely faced any complaints,” adds Sit. “Use of embroidery and other elements in our range, gives our clothes an

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New Age Indian buyers experience luxury rather than just buy it

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ropelled by a robust economic growth, leading to higher disposable incomes, urbanisation, young population, several retail luxury brands are making inroads into India. Positive policies and regulations have attracted several international brands towards the Indian market.

Consumer preferences drive market The Indian market is witnessing demand for luxury products from both metros and Tier I cities. Growing middle class and internet penetration has given rise to a new segment of first-time buyers of luxury products. These consumers thrive on deals to accumulate a good number of brands, giving ample space to new brands to set up their shops in India and retail their brands through distribution networks. This has also given an added push to Indian made world-class goods which found a huge market for their products in the country itself along with export for select number of goods.

Indian brands in cosmetics, food, beverage, accessories, apparels, watches, luggage and a host of other segments have found a large customer base in the country for their products.

Their primary focus is to offer products as per consumer preferences, which again is a challenging task as it needs them to keep up with the fast-paced changing fashion trends and needs.

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Importance to brand perception grows Luxury today is vastly shifting from owning a product to experiencing luxury. Luxury consumers, until a few years ago, could be divided into two distinct segmented segments; the older generation which chose classy elegance and high-end traders who chose flashy indulgence. However, today there is far more micro-segmentation in the profile of the luxury customer. Millennials are more geared towards pleasure rather than possessions.

For them owning something is secondary to sharing new ideas and experiences. Older high net-worth individuals (HNIs) too are

surrounding themselves with a plethora of luxe products as they seek novel experiences.

Young ultra HNI’s residing in metros are integrating the concepts of value based and experience luxury marketing’ into the mainstream. E-commerce boom has also made choices easier for customers who can now order branded products from anywhere in the world. Indian luxury players need to understand that the market has some distinct characteristics and they have to operate selectively. Indian buyers give huge importance to perception and value and it is this perception of the brand that either makes or breaks it.

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Indian denim segment moving towards sustainability

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ith approximately 6 billion pairs of jeans being sold around the world every year, denim brands around the world are being pressurised to adapt manufacturing processes that tackle environmental issues. Denim production can be extremely resource intensive, as it uses incredible amounts of water and toxic dyes. On an average, it takes about 70 litres of water to make a single pair of jeans from denim fabric but times have changed and manufacturers as well as brands are innovating to reduce their water footprint to make jeans by over 95 per cent.

A lot of factors are forcing denim manufacturers to go green. Pepe Jeans has introduced a sustainable range of denim in its entire stores pan India which further proves its commitment towards sustainable products. The factors driving this change include changing values of society– durability and sustainability becoming increasingly important especially among young people.

The core consumer group for this range is the new age millennial who is aware and motivated by concerns which are for his personal wellbeing as well as of global consideration. Around 93 percent of global consumers expect their brands to support social and environmental issues.

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Innovative concepts to boost sustainability Initiatives by Wrangler indicate sustainable denim is progressively becoming a prerequisite for brands to sustain themselves. Wrangler, for instance, not only uses sustainable/recyclable materials but is also introducing innovative practices such as ethical cotton sourcing to ensure a fair compensation to farmers.

Similarly, Numero Uno has introduced a concept called ‘One Glass Water’ Jeans

by Numero Uno. This concept involves a combination of multiple processes that uses laser technology, ozone treatment with minimal water and other chemicals to achieve the desired final output.

As the price range of sustainably manufactured denim is comparatively higher than other collections, brands look to rake in nominal sales and from these collections. The price range of sustainable merchandise by Wrangler starts from Rs 3,000 and goes up to Rs 4,000; Pepe Jeans range is between Rs 4,999 to Rs 5,999 and the One Glass Water Jeans collection by Numero Uno is priced between Rs 2,699-Rs 2,799.

Tier-III markets yet to make a mark While Tier I, II markets are opting for sustainable denim collections, Tier-III markets are yet to expand in this segment.

However, sustainability and environment

conscious lifestyle is likely to trickle down to these cities also. With manufacturers and retailers striving to embrace green methods and developing new techniques for producing jeans sustainably, the trend is efficiently pulling in more manufacturers and suppliers across the world.

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‘Year 2019 will be India’s ascent in global fashion industry’ Indian consumers will be online. E-commerce leaders are moving to solutions based on artificial intelligence.

Consumption patterns, preferences in focus Successful brands have studied the consumption patterns of their consumers, their preferred colors, designs and touchpoints.

Indian women have beautifully amalagated the Indian and Western sensibilities across the spectrum. Traditional clothing made up almost 70 per cent of women’s apparel sales in 2017.

It is expected to account for a 65 per cent market share by 2023.

With nearly 40 per cent of the Indian network unpaved till 2016, India’s infrastructure too continues to lag behind that of many other Asian countries. In addition, retail stock is often below expectations. However, there are signs of improvement. Reliance Brands, which operates over 500 stores for International brands is developing two fantastic luxury malls in Mumbai along with the convention center.

Offering a great promise

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hough economic expansion is happening across Asia, 2019 will be the year when India will take center stage. As highlighted in McKinsey’s latest ‘State of Fashion report written in partnership with the Business of Fashion, India’s ascent is one of 10 trends the fashion industry needs to watch out for in 2019.

Retailers leverage technology As per data from McKinsey’s FashionScope, India’s apparel market will be worth $59.3 billion in 2022, making it the sixth largest in the world, comparable to the United Kingdom’s ($65 billion) and Germany’s ($63.1 billion).

The aggregate income of the addressable population is expected to triple between now and 2025. According to Sanjay Kapoor, Founder of Genesis Luxury, a luxury retail conglomerate, higher incomes are likely to create a whole new class of consumer: Retailers are moving on toward the ‘gold collar’ worker, term that defines the highly paid professionals.

Over 300 international fashion brands are expected to open stores in India in the next two years. To build momentum around conventional stores, Indian players are innovating: retailers are leveraging technology

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to enhance the in-store experience with digital marketing displays and improved checkout.

For instance, Madura Fashion & Lifestyle launched the Van Heusen Style Studio, which uses augmented reality to display outfits on customers. Malls have also increased their share of space devoted to food service and entertainment.

Growth in the apparel sector is also being driven by increasing tech savviness among consumers. Ten years ago, technology was for the few, with just five million smartphones in a country of 1.2 billion people and only 45 million Internet users. These figures have since increased to 355 million and 460 million, respectively, in 2018, and they are expected to double by 2021, when more than 900 million

Many brands are determined to take advantage of India’s blossoming growth. The majority are likely to choose one of the three routes. First, players can partner with existing e-commerce platforms. This is most suitable for players with low brand awareness and relatively little capital to invest; it also offers a good way to test demand and customer preferences. Second, brands that have little local knowledge and are looking to enter the market quickly can do so with a franchise model, developing brick-and-mortar retail spaces. Finally, players that have significant local knowledge and capital resources can create fully owned and operated stores.

In short, the Indian market offers great promise. Despite structural challenges that include inequality, infrastructure, and market fragmentation, strong economic growth, scale and rising tech savviness will combine to make India the next destination for global fashion and apparel business.

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Value fashion gains prominence in smaller cities

for that season in any premium brand. Value retailers bring the latest trends and styles from across the globe and make it accessible to the tier-II & III segment. The market for the tier-II & III segment in India has been penetrated by a few players in the retail sector.

Products catering to specific demands of the region

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hile premium brands maintain their exclusive tag by being present only in select stores and places, value retail stores offer high street designs at affordable prices for the multitude.

These stores generate profits through their large scale reach and unique target audience segmentation.

Latest trends and styles at affordable rates A big format store concept, value retailing

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involves selling branded products and accessories under best deals. Unlike premium brands which use 3x multipliers to recover their cost, value retailing use only 1.5x multipliers to provide the customers with maximum cost benefit. This concept is planned mainly for Tier II and III cities wherein retail stores offer products with an inexpensive price tag.

Consumers, today, expect good quality products at inexpensive pricing. There is a noticeable shift in their shopping preferences with more importance given to product pricing.

The products on display in any value retail store generally are on par with the ongoing fashion

The key to the operational success of value retail stores is the consistent product outreach alongwith managing demand and supply chain. Since these stores cater to the Tier-II, III segment, their products cater to specific demands of the region. They serve the choicest goods that are the need of the hour.

The retail sector in India contributes 10 per cent of the GDP. India’s retail market is expected to increase 60 per cent to reach $1.1 trillion by 2020, on the back of factors like rising incomes and lifestyle changes by middle class and increased digital connectivity. While the overall retail market is expected to grow at 12 per cent per annum, modern trade would expand twice as fast at 20 per cent per annum and traditional trade at 10 per cent. Indian retail market is divided into organised retail market which is valued at $60 billion which is only 9 per cent of the total sector and unorganised retail market constitutes the rest which is 91 per cent of the sector.

Value retail does not expect consumers to compromise on their shopping experience, ambience and customer service. On the contrary it attempts to offer the same experience to shoppers who walk into departmental stores in Tier I cities.

5/4/2019 7:25:53 PM

IF INSIGHT

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Technology-driven solutions drive India’s fashion industry

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he Indian fashion industry is shifting from western brands to Indian designer and indigenous brands and clothing. This transformation is happening largely due to the income shift and the penetration of big brands into the Indian market. Gen Y or millennials are purchasing new, trendy, and fusion clothing rather than normal mundane clothes that look more like a uniform and are found in almost everybody’s wardrobes.

their own blogs to deliver fashion advice, tips, and tricks to users. This is gaining immense popularity among people as everyone reads updates on industry behavior and fashion trends and tips.

Adapting to global change

Growing popularity of content-based marketing

The Indian fashion industry is accepting not only the changing demands and global styles but also differently designed clothes.

Today, people prefer comfortable rather than stylish but awkward clothes. This shift is changing conventional designing patterns with brands using comfortable fabrics, giving it a fashionable, trendy look. E-commerce fashion giants such as Myntra are offering try and buy solutions to users. Using these solutions, customers can try clothes at home and return immediately if they don’t like the fit.

Online stores are opting for custom-fit clothing. Customers can give measurements and get clothes stitched through e-commerce websites in a few days. This trend is more dominant in customised gift products such as T-shirts, wherein users can get funky designs printed on the fabric to give it a personalised and unique look.

With the emergence of new fashion brands, the popularity of content-based marketing is growing. Online marketing and delivering fashion industry related news is attracting more customers. Designers are using influencers to reach out to prospective consumers and build a reliable relationship with them. Moreover, many fashion business brands are starting

Retail giants are offering clothing advice through their e-commerce apps. Once the user purchases a product or adds it to the bag, the app suggests possible options to pair it.

Therefore, if a customer wants to purchase denim, the app will suggest options in T-shirts, shirts, bag, shoes, and accessories to team

Online fashion a big draw Online fashion retail accounts for 18 per cent of the entire fashion sales in India.

Flipkart alone crossed $1 billion sales in 2018, and its fashion-dedicated groups, Jabong and Myntra together clocked in $1.2 billion in sales last year. As per CNBC, Amazon will soon become a leading apparel retailer leaving behind competitors like Walmart. The e-tailer is expected to sell fashion products worth $52 billion till the year 2020.

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E-commerce on the rise

the denim with to get a complete curated look.

Physical stores retain popularity Many fashion brands are setting up physical stores where their users can select the product on the store or buy it online as well. If the product bought online doesn’t fit or has issues, it can be easily exchanged in a day at the store. This adds to the convenience of online shopping.

Collaborating with physical stores gives retailers the feasibility of delivering the product as early as possible. The fashion industry has great potential with its emerging demands and technology-driven solutions. All that a brand requires is the right knowledge and guidance to help set up its business in the industry.

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42 IF INSIGHT

Chinese online fashion retailers battle with domestic players

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ndia’s e-commerce battle is heating up with the entry of Chinese retail brands. Several Chinese e-commerce firms are taking the sector by storm, led by Hangzhou-based fashion e-tailer Club Factory, which entered India in 2016. As per Delhi-based data analytics firm Kalagato, which surveyed around 1.5 million smartphone users in the country, around 12.18 per cent Indians had installed Club Factory’s app on their phones by November 2018.

The app has gained huge popularity overtaking popular Indian brands like Jabong and Limeroad, and even billionaire MukeshAmbani-owned Ajio in terms of the number of smartphones it is installed on.

Its popularity is second only to Myntra, a homegrown fashion e-tailer owned by Flipkart, which has been around since 2007— almost a decade before the Chinese brand debuted in India.

Companies like Club Factory and Shein, another Chinese online fashion retailer are gaining popularity due to their right combination of price, variety, and trendy designs. The company, which started off as a data analytics platform for manufacturers, built relationships with thousands of manufacturers. Now it has aggregated over 100,000 suppliers which enable it to offer a great variety.

Cheap products, non-traditional marketing fuel demand Besides Club Factory, AliExpress, ROMWE, and JollyChic were some of the top 10 best performing cross-border e-commerce Chinese apps in India last year. India is one of the main markets of focus for China’s cross-border e-commerce players due to consumer demand for cheap products and the potential for high economic growth.

Chinese fashion brands have also cracked the code to reach young Indian shoppers through non-traditional marketing tools. They

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are tapping new customers via Instagram and Facebook advertising as well as through Indian social media influencers on YouTube.

For instance, shy styles, who has 676,000 subscribers on Youtube, and The Quirky Miss, with 210,000, posted videos of Club Factory hauls and even of visits to its offline store in Delhi. The company has received over 30,000 user-generated-content videos on YouTube of users unboxing their parcels and sharing shopping experience.

In mid-2018, Club Factory went big on marketing, roping in Bollywood star Ranveer Singh and Miss World 2018 ManushiChhillar for a campaign. The brand has also brought its shipment timelines down to under 12 days on average compared to the few weeks rival Chinese apps take to deliver. And even as a survey of 200 customers cited unreliable sizing as a major concern, 60 per cent of respondents said the quality of the apparel on the site was decent.

Lack of trust to impact demand However, Chinese apps always have problem of trust as any policy change can impact business. The government had already cracked down on the way these products are being shipped given it is a cross-border transaction. Though these apps still have a strong runway to work on, they are likely to see a plateau and then decline.

Under current Indian customs rules, personal gifts priced at under Rs 5,000 are exempt from duties, a provision the Chinese have been exploiting, Indian seller-portals complain. The customs department red flagged such multiple “gift” deliveries being made to the same address and heavy 15 kg parcels with declared value of a mere Rs 3,000. So, the government is considering cracking down on the practice by tracking the source country and consignor-consignee details, besides limiting the number of such orders.

5/4/2019 7:25:54 PM

IF INSIGHT

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Phygital, social media to shape Indian e-com in 2019

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he Indian e-commerce industry is expected to reach $4.88 trillion by 2020. Experts outline some of the trends that will dominate the sector in 2019:

Retailers go phygital

Many retailers are going ‘Phygital’ — a combination of the classic retail with digital driven predominantly by brands operating in the fashion and lifestyle category. A prominent example of this is the brand Firstcry which started its offline stores in 2012 and currently operates more than 300 franchise stores. Similarly, fashion retailer Myntra started a physical outlet in Bengaluru for its private label ‘Roadster’.

Growth in omnichannel retail Over 55 per cent of buyers still visit stores before making purchases online, reiterating the importance of omnichannel retail. Many retailers are tweaking their sale strategies to incorporate this into their marketing mix.

For example, specialty tea brand “Teabox”, opened a new shop in Bengaluru.

referral and word of mouth marketing through social media.

The Indian e-commerce industry is expected to cross $ 100 billion over the next five years. Ancillaries such as logistics, inventory management, vendor management, etc are likely to now become indispensable opening a plethora of employment opportunities in & around the sector. Private equity firms like Equirus Capital are also supporting e-commerce ancillary firms to raise funds

Influencer marketing to ensure genuine followers Influencer marketing is a legitimate part of their marketing expenditure. Brands filter influencers to ensure they have genuine followers. This is one of the key strengths of CashKaro’s influencer marketing division – Qapper. In fact platforms like Instagram and YouTube have already cracked down on fake influencers to a certain extent. Influencer marketing therefore will grow into its own in coming years albeit with some turbulence.

Growing influence of social media

AI to manage 85 per cent retail business by 2020

Around 93 per cent millennials spend their leisure time on social networks. Social commerce platforms like Meesho are helping people start their own online stores. CashKaro too is building a social deal sharing platform called ‘EarnKaro’ by consolidating the use of

Artificial Intelligence is attracting tech giants like Google and Microsoft who are investing heavily in these endeavors. As a recent media study reveals about 85 per cent customer communications will be managed without humans by 2020. Online eyewear

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firm, LensKart invested about $1 million in US-based Ditto. Lenskart now employs Ditto’s technology that enables users to try out different frames before making purchases.

In 2019, more organisations will tweak their business models according to the data and information offered by advanced attribution technology to optimise ROI. The focus will shift from pure GMV to bottom line impact

Rural markets to drive growth Companies across various categories are eyeing smaller towns to open physical stores with an aim to increase their market share.

For example, Limeroad plans to open 3,000 offline stores in smaller towns over a period of next 3 years. To what extent these companies manage to milk these potential markets will decide the strength of this trend.

Focus on customer loyalty and shopping experience Online players who predominantly operate as vertical players are tapping on the unique consumer needs wherein people are scouting for more customised shopping experiences.

However, to survive the competitive landscape of online retail, such niche retailers need to focus on customer loyalty and shopping experience. Growth of the Indian e-commerce sector in 2019 will thus largely ride on these trends. Growing at 51 per cent annually, the sector is expected to reach $120 billion in 2020.

5/4/2019 7:25:54 PM

44 IF INSIGHT Global Consumer Confidence at its peak in India: Survey

2019 as the new e-commerce policy is likely to force online retail entities to actively invest in offline stores. With the new e-commerce policy aiming to bring a level playing field between online and offline players, experts said the customer footfalls in retail malls are also likely to go up.

In a report released recently, property consultancy firm Anarock estimates 10 million sq. ft. of fresh retail mall space will come up this year from 3.2 million sq. ft. in 2018. According to the new e-commerce policy, huge discounts offered by large e-commerce players will have to be phased out in two years, which will ensure fair competition between online and brick-andmortar stores. Additionally, the exclusive tie-ups between vendors and e-commerce firms are also no longer permitted under the new regime.

Affluent consumers drive Indian growth story

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s revealed in the latest Conference Board Global Consumer Confidence Survey, global consumer confidence in India is at peak. The survey, conducted in collaboration with Nielsen, polls more than 32,000 consumers in 64 countries across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and North America.

India had a Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) score of 133 in the fourth quarter of 2018 edging past the Philippines (131) and Indonesia (127). India maintained its number one position from the third quarter when it scored 130 on the index whereas Philippines and Indonesia were joint fourth

India’s luxury spending grows at four per cent

in Q3 of 2018 with an identical score of 126.

South Korea has the most pessimistic consumers in the world. People there are worried about rising inflation, lower wage growth, a weak stock market, unemployment and global trade uncertainties.

Meanwhile, the Global Consumer Confidence Index increased one point to 107 in fourth quarter of 2018, the highest in 14 years.

The main indicators measured by Conference Board CCI are optimism towards job prospects, health of personal finances and spending intentions in the next 12 months.

and jewelry with 34 per cent of total spending coming from tourists. Tier I cities saw luxury purchases increase by 23 per cent in the time period and spending in Tier II cities increased 30 times that of Tier 1 cities. This growth is expected to continue thanks to India’s growing middle class and long-term economic projections. The country has been inspiring the luxury and fashion industry for years and has been a source of inspiration for the rest of the world.

Indian retail market to grow by 150 per cent by 2026 Luxury spending in India grew at a four per cent compound annual growth rate from 2013 to 2018 despite recent economic hurdles like demonetization and the introduction of GST with higher taxes on luxury items.

Fashion from high end boutiques was 42 per cent of the total spend and jewelry at 32 per cent. Electronics made up 14 per cent and shop boutiques made up 13 per cent.

Fashion followed by jewelry was top purchase in Mumbai but jewelry came above fashion in Delhi. In Bangalore and Chennai, fashion was the top purchase followed by electronics.

Women make up 33 per cent of the luxury market and tourists spend the most on clothing

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The Indian retail market is forecasted to reach $1,750 billion by 2026 from $670 billion in 2017, registering a growth of over 150 per cent. Retail mall space in seven top cities in India is set to see a threefold increase in

Aspiring and affluent households that earn between five to 20 lakh a year have helped spur domestic consumption in India over the past decade. Consumers in Asia’s third largest economy increased their spend on financial services products, apparel, footwear, health, jewelry, and personal care in the last decade.

Domestic consumption in India in the last decade increased 3.5 times.

India’s massive population offers a huge consumer base for most large consumer goods makers. With rising affluence in India, households are climbing up the income ladder to drive nearly 3.5 times growth in consumption.

This growth, fundamentally, is driven by two main factors—average spend per household and the total number of households.

Consumers are increasing discretionary spends on categories other than essentials such as food and consumer durables along with the rise in income levels. Discretionary expenses on electronics, cars, and clothes have been rising over the last decade.

Today improving the standard of living has taken precedence over savings. Families continue to invest in mutual funds, insurance policies, and provident fund, but with better options and varieties in the market they don’t shy away from spending on what they need.

Expenditure on jewelry and social protection has registered a compound annual growth rate of 19 per cent in the last decade.

5/4/2019 7:25:55 PM

E-Tail E-commerce firms to form lobby group

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India drafts national e-commerce policy

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Around 10-11 e-commerce companies, including Snapdeal and ShopClues, are in the process of forming a lobby group called ‘The E-commerce Council of India’. The idea behind forming this group is to have an entity that represents the interest of ‘Indian e-commerce companies’, where a majority of shareholding is Indian. The aim of this group is policy advocacy, exchange of best practices and a general engagement platform for the e-commerce companies in India. It is about having a focused voice on the e-commerce sector.

This development comes at a time when the Indian e-commerce sector has experienced several policy changes over the last few months —including the new foreign direct investment (FDI) rules and a draft e-commerce policy. The smaller e-commerce companies had also come together in January to request the government to not extend the 1 February deadline for FDI compliance.

ndia will not join the negotiations with the World Trade Organization (WTO) to develop trade rules on e-commerce as it is working on a national ecommerce policy, which will be finalised soon. In its draft national e-commerce policy, India has proposed regulating cross-border data flows, locating computing facilities within the country to ensure job creation and setting up a dedicated ‘data authority’ for issues related to sharing of community data.

The e-commerce policy will pursue the existing multilateral work programme that prohibits countries from imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions, something that India and South Africa have questioned, citing revenue loss to

platforms either through captive sellers, like Cloudtail and Appario for Amazon, or indirectly through their wholesale units. Their businessto-business units — Amazon Wholesale and Flipkart India — were suppliers to the e-tailers’ preferred vendors.

developing nations.

India has also sought reforms of the multilateral body and resolution of outstanding issues urgently. Its top most priority is to protect and preserve the system, fix the Appellate Body issue so that the independent dispute settlement mechanism can function effectively.

Clovia opens in Malaysia and Indonesia

Amazon withdraws products from its global store in India

Amazon, Flipkart sales fall with new FDI norms

The new FDI norms have reduced sales by almost one-third for marketplaces such as Amazon and Flipkart. These platforms have pulled product listings from joint-venture and preferred sellers, and capped inventory, leading to fewer selections, higher prices, longer-than usual delivery time, and a 25-35 per cent fall in sales.

The new FDI regulations bar some of the business practices that foreign funded ecommerce companies followed, such as having a stake in companies that sold products on their platforms. The rules categorise sellers who drive more than 25 per cent of their overall sales from a single marketplace as entities of that marketplace and bar them, too.

Prior to the change, both Amazon and Flipkart drove more than half the sales on their

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With recent FDI norms for online retailers, Amazon’s Global Store in India has dropped several products from its inventory list. From a peak of 6 million products before February, there were just about 6,000 products under this entity on Amazon India last month, according to Marketplace Pulse — a data platform on online marketplaces.

India was the third market after China and Mexico to have such a facility where Indians could buy products from the US directly via the local marketplace. In previous years, Indians bought directly from the US during popular sale events like Black Friday. At the time of the launch, Amazon had created a separate page for global products on its Indian marketplace.

Consumers can still buy from the US site of Amazon, but that has multiple restrictions over payment methods and overall shopping experience. Global Store allows Indians to pay in local currency. The new draft e-commerce policy would throw additional challenges too since it requires that every seller entity must be registered in India.

Indian lingerie brand Clovia is looking to open stores in markets like Malaysia and Indonesia. It also plans to expand domestically with a focus on Tier II and Tier III cities and double its store count from 12 to 24 before the end of the current fiscal.

Clovia which started off as an online brand is banking heavily on the offline format. The offline stores currently contribute around 15 per cent to the company’s overall revenues and are expected to grow over 50 per cent this fiscal. Clovia gets over 55 per cent of its total online sales through its own website and the rest comes from online marketplaces such as Amazon. Clovia has a total of over 100 sales touch points including retail chains like Central and Brand Factory.

The retailer launched offline six quarters ago.

The plan is to open around 75 offline stores across the country by the end of the financial year 2021, a move that will see the brick and mortar channel contributing more than 30 per cent to the company’s overall revenue. Clovia has grown over the past few years on the back of the product and supply-chain innovation. It is on a path to gaining a leadership position in the Indian lingerie industry.

5/4/2019 7:25:57 PM

46 TECH TRENDS Fila partners Ace Turtle to strengthen omni-channel presence

appointment, an extended exchange period, and a dedicated relationship manager.

Launched simultaneously across online and brick and mortar stores, the loyalty program allows aggregation and redemption of points across all Fabindia stores. Besides giving customers the opportunity to earn and accumulate points against their shopping spends, feedback and referrals, the Fabfamily loyalty program extends to offer curated experiences, such as a vacation, a meal at a handpicked restaurant, an adventurous trail in the outdoors, or a discovery trip into a unique artisanal cluster.

Fabindia has also launched a new website – www.fabfamily.Fabindia.com for customers to enrol and engage with the program. Depending on the tier customers are enrolled in, they can earn between 1 per cent – 7 per cent reward points for every Rs 100 spent.

Future Group gets into data driven commerce

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ila’s India licensee Cravatex Brands has partnered with Ace Turtle to strengthen the sportswear brand’s omni-channel presence in India. The business hopes to reach 100 million online shoppers through this partnership which will mark the brand’s greatest online expansion in India to date.

Omnichannel strategy will play a critical role in accelerating growth of leading brands in this segment in India. Fila over the past few

Fabindia launches first loyalty program

Retail major Fabindiahas rolled out it’s firstever loyalty program, Fabfamily. A five-tier program, this is a membership based program

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years, has witnessed tremendous response from Indian consumer looking for highly sophisticated and premium sportswear collections.

Along with online expansion with Ace Turtle, Cravatex Brands will continue to open one Fila store a month in the country to continue its offline retail momentum throughout 2019. Stores will continue to follow the current Heritage Store format.

with unique experiences for the company’s customer base, according to a release. The five tiers are: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Noir. Benefits of this program include shopping from home exclusive previews, shopping by

Future Group is getting into data driven commerce with its blended commerce model Tathastu. Future Group will now restrict itself to food, fashion and home. The group plans to have 10,000 outlets of its small store format Easyday. There are 1400 stores at present and the company is trying to add around two or three stores a day. Except for Nilgiris, which is 80 stores, all are owned and operated by Future Group.

At present large stores keep the business going but in time smaller stores are expected to catch up volume and value of business.

The company will open small stores across the country to enhance its brand presence and visibility in these regions. Future Group is India’s fashion and retail conglomerate. The company is also looking to take the franchise route in as many as eight states. It has started in three states, Punjab, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, where franchise stores are being opened and serviced by the company’s wholesale centers.

Future Group with a total revenue of 4.4 billion dollars operates the Big Bazaar, Food Bazaar, Easyday stores along with fashion stores like Brand Factory and Central. Big Bazaar is Future Group’s largest store.

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FASHION POST

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Sabyasachi Mukherjee displays at fashion event in New York

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Tarun Tahiliani opens second flagship store, now in Hyderabad

capsule collection designed by Sabyasachi Mukherjee was shown at the Fashion For Peace charity event in New York. He worked with Norma Kamali and Mimi Prober to design this capsule.

The three designers created four to six look for the event.

Mukherjee’s collection shone a light on conscious design and aimed to help support the artisans who worked on it. His collection featured a simple strap dress that, on closer inspection, featured intricate patchworks of lavish sari textiles. The collection mixed modern New York aesthetics with the designer’s signature eclectic Indian style and included wearable separates.

Kamali also gathered over 100 Indian textiles for the event, each one woven following an Indian tradition. Kamali simply draped the saris to best show off their designs and aimed to use the display to promote their endangered art. The artists’ collections also highlighted the beauty of traditional Indian weaves.

The capsule collection was in support of Sadhguru and the Isha Foundation’s Fashion for Peace project. The event saw

Tarun Tahiliani has opened a flagship in Hyderabad designed to resemble an ancient palace. The store, which houses Tahiliani’s opulent traditional and bridal wear, has a striking façade featuring the brand’s name in gold with warm yellow lighting glowing from behind a delicately carved screen. The interior of the store is yet more lavish and looks like a Mughal palace. Carved wooden screens create divisions and mannequins populate the space wearing regal traditional wear. A grand staircase leads shoppers to the upper level and a mirrored ceiling reflects the patterned tiles below.

This is the designer’s second flagship.

The first is in Kolkata. Tahiliani’s latest men’s and women’s wear collection for spring/ summer 2019 is titled ‘India by the Nile’ it’s inspired by ancient Egyptian art and design. The occasion wear collection has now been launched in stores and is an unique combination of historical opulence and contemporary chic with modern drapes, fluid silhouettes, signature couture styles and accents of sparkle and shine.

The designer’s outfits are inspired by refined living, elegance and Indian royalty. What sets him apart from other contemporary designers is his unique ability to coalesce western and modern designing with the craftsmanship of Indian artisans and weavers.

to achieve the 2030 agenda for change”. The show will be inaugurated at CSW63 on March 11, 2019. The All India Women’s Education Fund Association (AIWEFA) has taken this programme to the UN in consultative status with the United Nation’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The programme would not only ensure acknowledgment of unpaid care work as it provided home-based income generation, it would also harness women’s collective power for the common good. It will develop entrepreneurial growth in the Khadi and handloom sector, besides making an important positioning in the international fashion markets.

KVIC to showcase khadi at United Nations, New York

Menswear designer Kunal Rawal launches flagship store

KVIC will showcase khadi at the 63rd session of the Commission on Status of Women (CSW63) at the UN, New York. The fabric will be showcased as part of its newest initiative “Khadi Goes Global: Empowering rural women

Kunal Rawal has launched his highly anticipated flagship store in South Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda neighborhood. This is Rawal’s second store in Mumbai after his studio in Juhu. Rawal teamed up with architect and designer Rooshad Shroff to restore the first floor of Rhythm House, the iconic music store which shut its doors in 2016.

Rawal introduced the idea via hydraulic clothes racks that can be rolled up to transform the space, industrial elements like a conveyor belt to showcase key pieces on the store’s upper level, specialised blinds to segregate the rooms, brass cages surrounding luxuriously huge changing rooms with retractable racks, a metal table with two-toned French knots,

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the fashion and spiritual worlds in tandem, with Sadhguru and his foundation working alongside the three established designers.

The event included students from the High School of Art and Design, where Kamali is a board member. The school educates a group of talented students and trains them to become artists.

military-inspired collectibles—another leitmotif in Rawal’s collections—and antiques sourced from around the country and the world.

Rawal is also excited about the brass tactile indicators in Morse code placed strategically across the flooring, a hint to the extensive coding techniques used in the label’s back end processes.

5/4/2019 7:26:00 PM

48 pREVIEW

Texprocess to focus on micro factories in upcoming event

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icro-factories, based on networked and integrated procedures, represent the progressive way of making textile processing quicker, more flexible and more sustainable; whilst, at the same time, producing personalised products.

These micro-factories will be the main theme of Texprocess to be held in Frankfurt am Main from May 14 to 17, 2019.

Combining 3D simulations with direct data transfer All four micro-factories at the upcoming Texprocess will demonstrate how integrated textile processing works and where microfactories are already being used. The event, in collaboration with the German Institutes of Textile and Fibre Research in Denkendorf and partners from the industry will display a ‘Digital Textile Micro-Factory. This ‘Digital Textile Micro-Factory’ will showcase three production lines for apparel manufacture, 3D-knitted shoes and processing technical textiles, largely for the motor-vehicle and furniture industries.

These production lines will demonstrate various stages involved, including CAD/Design, printing, cutting out, assembly, finishing and labelling. They will also combine 3D simulations of clothing with direct data transfer in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

The ‘3D-knitting Line’ demonstrates the

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entire process from the 3D model to the creation of a geometrically accurate knitting pattern by the software, based on the 3D data set, and the development of a specification of the final knitting data, through to the manufacture of a 3D-knitted prototype. Knitting is the additive manufacturing process for textiles. This line is partnered by Stoll.

The focus of the third production line of the ‘Digital Textile Micro-Factory’ 2019 is on the automated processing of technical textiles, personalised for the individual customer, taking us right through to the finished product. Trade visitors will see an on-demand inkjet printing and networked machines with integrated sensors, which are linked through a bus system – a future-oriented topic for integrated manufacturing. In addition, the display will also show how creative ideas from the Cloud can be incorporated in the manufacture of technical products.

Smart Textiles Micro-Factory to provide new interaction techniques In the ‘Smart Textiles Micro-Factory’, the Institute for Textile Technology (ITA) at the RWTH Aachen University, together with partners from industry and research, will produce a ‘smart’ pillow which, with the help of integrated LEDs, provides new ways of interaction. The partners in the project will present an exemplary, industrial-style manufacturing process for a smart textile

from design to finished product. The following companies are involved in the ‘Smart Textiles Micro-Factory’: the Institute for Textile Technology (ITA) of the RWTH Aachen University (project coordination), Gerber Technology GmbH, the Korea Institute for Industrial Technology, VETRON TYPICAL Europe GmbH, Wear it GmbH and ZSK Stickmaschinen GmbH.

World of Digital Fashion to focus on customisation of apparel Six companies have grouped together under the ‘World of Digital Fashion’ umbrella.

Together, these companies will showcase ways of integrating and combining their products in a variety of workflows within the value creation chain. Their focus will be on the customisation of apparel and fashion items.

Efka and Gemini to showcase individually designed knitted garments Manufacturers of drive mechanisms for industrial sewing machines Efka will, in collaboration with CAD suppliers Gemini, showcase the production of a knitted garment that can be individually designed. The core element of this micro-factory, which closely reflects industrial practice, is the link to the sewing stage of production, something which is already available today as an economic, partially automated solution.

5/4/2019 7:26:01 PM

pREVIEW

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Gartex, Messe Frankfurt India collaborate for unified platform

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ex Exhibitions and Messe Frankfurt India have entered into a strategic alliance to create a unified industry platform called ‘GartexTexprocess India.’ The event will be a part of Messe Frankfurt’s Texpertise Network and leverage on the group’s strong global network and expertise in the sector. With the merger of these two strong textile trade fair brands, the organisers, aspire to collaborate for India’s textile industry development besides facilitating global sourcing and networking in the textile value chains.

potential and soar to even greater heights.”

Focus on textile and garment manufacturing The show will maintain a strong focus on garment and textile manufacturing solutions, embroidery machines, digital textile printing sector, sewing machines, laundry solutions, innerwear manufacturing, denim show, fabrics, accessories, etc. The organisers aim to cover the complete textile process chain in the coming editions. This includes technologies involved in design, cutting, sewing, knitting, embroidery, finishing, refining, IT and logistics which will

supplement its textile technologies portfolio through the association with Texprocess.

Raj Manek, Executive Director and Board Member of Messe Frankfurt Asia Holding says, “Together, we are positioned to grow and provide industry stakeholders with a strong brand of enhanced offerings through a singlesource business platform - ‘GartexTexprocess India.’ The alliance has set pace for our brand expansion strategy as India is one the most promising textile markets.”

The unified GartexTexprocess India edition will be held from August 10 to 12, 2019 in New Delhi.

Broadening the show’s horizons The partnership will benefit from synergies created due to higher operational efficiencies, improved logistical know-how, and overall commercial benefits. The experience and scale of operations of Messe Frankfurt will enable Gartex to improve its position in the garment and textile industry. It will boost the show by making it more expansive, broadening its horizons.

Gaurav Juneja, Director of Mex Exhibitions, says, “Gartex India has created new standards for the industry in terms of enhancing awareness, excellent networking, knowledge dissemination and industry bonding. Now, it is time to take it to the next level and with this strategic alliance with Texprocess of Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India, Gartex India will realise its true

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5/4/2019 7:26:02 PM

50 REVIEW

CEO Conclave: Discusses the strategies for reviving confidence The two day event held on February 19 and 20 at HICC, Hyderabad, was attended by over 150 leaders of the textile supply chain including mill owners, managing directors, directors, CEOs, investors, entrepreneurs and stakeholders among others

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rganised by DFU Publications with Textiles Association (India) as the knowledge partner, The CEO ConclaveInvestment and Partnership Summit concluded on an optimistic note. The two day event held on February 19 and 20 at HICC, Hyderabad, was attended by over 150 leaders of the textile supply chain including mill owners, managing directors, directors, CEOs, investors, entrepreneurs and stakeholders among others.

The theme of the conference was: ‘Rethink traditional business methods, Rejuvenate with new business models’ and ‘Revive confidence in the textiles industry.’ The conclave encompassed like: Textiles Industry: The big picture, global, Asia and India perspective;

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Strategies to revive confidence in textiles; Emerging opportunities in global and domestic markets; and Manufacturing Excellence as four sessions to discuss strategies to revive the confidence.

An ode to the state’s development Day one began with the welcome address and presentation by Mihir Parekh, Director, TSIIC followed by an address by B K Goenka, Chairman, Welspun. Goenka in his address credited Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Industry and Commerce, Telangana government who was also the guest of honour and K T Rao, for restoring the confidence of textile industry stakeholders and promoting Telangana as a textile hub. He said “Despite being just five years old, the state ranked

among top 10 in 2017 in ease of doing businesses. In 2018, it grabbed the second spot.” Talking about Welspun, Goenka said, “We have committed Rs 5,000 crore investment in various projects in the state. Our first project of flooring solutions with an investment of Rs 1,200 crore will be commissioned soon.”

Delineating the development in his state Jayesh Ranjan observed “We adopted a completely different approach for project executions and took stock of last four and a half years. We received about $21 billion investment, of which 65 per cent materialised on ground while the remaining is in advanced stage of implementation. About 66 per cent of this investment has been done by the people of the state. It shows the confidence level of industry in the state of Telangana.”

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REVIEW Honoring industry excellence The award ceremony recognised industry stalwarts including Suresh Kotak, Chairman, Kotak & Co Ltd, Rahul Mehta, President, CMAI, Sanjay Jain, Chairman, CITI, Manish Mandhana, MD, Being Human, T K Sengupta,

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President, TAI for their contribution to India’s apparel and textile sector.

Appreciating the efforts of Telangana state and organisers DFU Publications, Felix A Fernando, former Chairman, Sri Lanka Apparels Exporter Association said, “Telangana government is doing a fantastic job by promoting events like this.”

Strategies for revival

Chairman, Welspun

“

We have committed Rs 5,000 crore investment in various projects in the state. Our first project of flooring solutions with an investment of Rs 1,200 crore will be commissioned soon

“

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Seeking practical solutions for industry issues The first session of the conference – ‘Strategic Outlook: Challenges faced by Indian textile and possible solutions,’ chaired by Sanjay Jain, Chairman, CITI, sought practical solutions for the challenges faced by the textile industry today. He urged the leaders to bring about a change on a micro level.

Sanjay Jain Chairman, CITI

“

I urge the leaders to bring about a change on a micro level.

Today change is not just a constant, but also a compulsion

“

B K Goenka

The second day started with a welcome speech by Salil Chawla, Director, DFU Publications, who introduced the themes for the sessions. Thanking everyone for being present at the conclave T K Sengupta, President, TAI said “The conference will focus on topics such as investments, textile policies, textile parks and clusters”. He concluded by appreciating the joint efforts made by DFU Publications and the Telangana government in organising such a glorious event Sanjay Chawla, Founder, Editor in Chief, DFU Publications and the organizer of CEO Conclave, emphasised on the need to deliberate on strategies to rejuvenate the textile sector and revive the confidence among industry stakeholders. “The textile industry has a long and complex supply and production chain,” he said. “The technological revolution with Industrie 4.0 wherein big changes are happening in terms of recycling management, automation and artificial intelligence etc, are the new game changers,” he emphasised.

“Today change is not just a constant, but also a compulsion,” said Jain. “It has to be in the organisation’s DNA,” he added.

The session also deliberated on which of the two; cotton or manmade fibers are likely to rule the industry in future. Rakesh Mehra, Company Director, Banswara Syntex noted that “fibres liked by consumers will dominate the industry. He emphasised the importance of value additions to the ministry target growth of

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52 REVIEW country. We need to create good looking, well organised set ups,” said Manish Mandana, Managing Director, Being Human.

Amit Jain, Amtex Ventures, Home Fashion Consulting highlighted sustainability as the future of the textile industry with the packaging getting done with biodegradable material.

“There will be green stories. Products will be made of reused and recycled material. Across the value the chain, the major changes will happen right from crop to processing,” he said.

Seeking excellence in manufacturing

$350 billion this year.

Another hot topic of discussion at the session was of skill development. Dr JV Rao, CEO, Textile Sector Skill Council, said, “The aspect of skilling has not been really worked out well.

Today we have accepted the training cost also as a part of the production cost. The focus is the attrition rate and how to address it.”

innovation. “We need to learn from the west is the technique to build big brands. Besides export, there is a lot of scope to grow within the

Visit to Kakatiya Integrated Mega Textile Park

Mapping the growth of technical textiles

Domestic industry, innovation and sustainability in focus Emphasising on the need for a focus on domestic textile and retail markets, the third session of the CEO conclave was titled ‘Looking inwards: Growing domestic market in India: The brightspot. Prashat Agarwal, Managing Director & CEO of Bombay Rayon Fashions stated, “The world admires us not only for our manufacturing competitiveness but also due to the vastness and rapid growth of our market. We need to look at it seriously and understand its growth imperatives.”

The session also focused on the need for

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Jayesh Ranjan Principal Secretary, Industry and Commerce, Telangana State

“

We adopted a completely different approach for project executions and took stock of last four and a half years. We received about $21 billion investment, of which 65 per cent materialised on ground while the remaining is in advanced stage of implementation

“

The second session of the conference dwelt on the growth of technical textiles in India. Noting that the government has recently identified 207 products as technical textiles, Dr Anup Rakshit, ED-India, Technical Textile Association, said “Technical textile exports merely account for a 10 per cent of the total exports in India. We exported products worth around Rs 11, 402 crore last year; out of this packaging textiles contributed 40 per cent while industrial textile contributed Rs 1,200 to entire revenue.

He reminded everyone about the huge scope in the industry if IITs and research institutes would help in developing the product and launch maximum innovations.

Good FTAs and RTAs on aplay fielding basis are also needed,” he said.

The fourth session of the CEO Conclave focused on the theme of Manufacturing Excellence: the success mantra in these competitive times. The session was chaired

by Darlie O Koshy, Director General and CEO, ATDC. It focused on bringing efficiencies in manufacturing and production process and competing successfully in the highly competitive markets.

The conference concluded with the remarks

by Rahul Mehta, President, CMAI, who proposed a twelve-point programme for growth in the industry.

As a part of its CEO Conclave, more than 22 industry leaders and stakeholders visited the Kakatiya Integrated Mega Textile Park in Warangal. The Textile Park being developed over 1,200 acre at Shayampet village of Geesukonda mandal and Chintalapalli village of Sangem mandal in Warangal district is based on development strategy of “Farm to Fiber, Fiber to Fashion and Fashion to Foreign” The mega textile park is built-to suit building for easy starting of units. It comprises 20 MLD Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) with Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) , world class infrastructure including water, power, sewerage system etc, common facilities like workers’ dormitories, warehouses, testing and QC labs, expo centre, etc, a dedicated training centre, testing facilities, etc and land at a concessional price to the first set of anchor units.

Industry applauds A resounding success, the CEO conclave was applauded by industry experts and stalwarts alike. Arvind Mathur, CEO, Raymond UCO Denim appreciated the quality of speakers and panelists. “They provided numerous thought provoking insights and analysis,” he said. Charan Singh, Vice President & Regional Director, Softlines believed that the conference lived upto its theme. “It not only provided valuable ideas to the audience but also created the need for disruptive thinking which is essential for the survival and growth of the industry,” he said.

Mihir Parekh, Director, TSIIC appreciated the discussions, “They proved to be a great platform to showcase Telangana’s initiatives in the textile sector,” he said.

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REVIEW

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Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics Spring edition gets a huge response

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global apparel textile flagship event, Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics-Spring edition witnessed a 15 per cent increase in visitors this year. The event welcomed around 94,661 visitors from over 110 countries & regions. Held over six halls at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre in Shanghai, Intertextile Apparel Fabrics-Spring edition noted a 12 per cent increase in overseas exhibitors. The event was co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK); the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Textile Information Centre. The top 10 visitor countries & regions to the event this year included Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, India, the US, Taiwan, Russia, Italy, Vietnam and Spain.

Special pavilions, zones receive positive response The Milano Unica Pavilion registered 20 per cent increase in visitors compared to the 2018 spring edition. It also reported a satisfactory presence of buyers from China, Asia, South Korea, Japan, India, Russia and Saudi Arabia. Besides offering an access to the global textile market, the fair also provided an industry insight into the fringe programme,

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which included three panel discussions and 25 seminars.

Milano Unica booth also noted the presence of many established brands. Tessitura Monti from Italy was one of them exhibiting at Intertextile for the last 20 years. “The event is an important bridge between Western and European products and the China market. It enables the Chinese buyers to source products that are not available in their local market. At the same time, it helps to expand our brand exposure in the Chinese market, says Nadia Schincardi, Export Manager of the company.

Known for offering high quality at affordable prices, Swiss company, Glarotex AG received overwhelming response to its booth in the SalonEurope Pavilion. “Though our target was Chinese buyers, even the European and Korean buyers visited our booth,” says Irina De Giorgi, Sales Manager, Ideas by Glarotex AG, Switzerland. The company plans to have a bigger booth in the next edition of the event.

Chinese exhibitor Beijing Vitality Textiles Co met around 150 good quality visitors at the Premium Wool Zone. “It’s already the most important trade show in menswear in China.

It is a must-see global trade show,” observed Ning Zhang, President, Beijing Vitality Textiles

Co (Stylbiella), China The Verve for Design pavilion aimed at satisfy Chinese demand for original prints was a success as well. “This is a big event on the calendar for lots of our existing customers, so we can meet them here each year,” explained Jane Han Zhang, Creative Director, Fairbairn & Wolf Studio, UK / China a premium exhibitor at the Verve for Design pavilion

Thumbs up from buyers Buyers at the Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics were impressed with the quality of the exhibitors and the high level of quality and certified fabrics here, at the event. “The event stocked sustainable alternative fabrics such as Tencel, Modal, organic cotton, BCI,” noted Marina Silveira, Senior Jersey Designer, hush, UK. “We always find new suppliers here besides our existing ones. It’s very easy to source here as the suppliers are flexible even for small orders,” added Xavier Planas, Ravial S.A., Spain. Agreeing to this view Munna, Sales Manager, GYF Trading Company added “Intertextile always houses a wide variety of new and interesting products. Buyers can find whatever they need here. It is an outstanding platform for sourcing.”

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54 REVIEW

Yarn Expo Spring edition sees 9 per cent increase in visitors

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his year’s Yarn Expo Spring saw a 9 per cent increase in visitors. The show welcomed 28,302 visitors from 87 countries and regions. Around 468 exhibitors from 12 countries & regions showcased their latest offerings at the show.

The fair covered 26,000 sq. mt area at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre in Shanghai. Organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT, Yarn Expo Spring 2019 was held concurrently with Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition, PH Value and the China International Fashion Fair (CHIC) Yarn Expo Spring.

Diverse products, innovations on display Yarn Expo Spring offers a wide variety of products and innovations. “This attracts trade buyers from throughout the supply chain,” noted Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK). She said they also witnessed more downstream buyers sourcing directly from exhibitors. “They recognise that the properties of yarns and fibres are essential for ensuring a high-quality end-use product.”

The fair welcomed buyers from top brands such as Fila, Guess, Ralph Lauren, Jack

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Jones and Vero Moda, as well as Adastria, Itochu, Li-Ning, Maracaibo, s.Oliver and a buyer delegation from Korea.

Brands like Sankom, seeking a unique functional fibre, visit Yarn Expo to meet specific sourcing needs. This includes particular yarns or fibres needed to maximise efficiency or sustainability.

Exhibitor happy with the response Ravindranathan Narayanasamy, Director, The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil), India Pavilion organizer said, “Visitors to Yarn Expo are very professional and match our exhibitors’ expectations. This edition also has a lot of new importers. We place a lot of value on this fair.” Manohar Samuel, Senior President (Marketing & Business Development), Grasim Industries leveraged this platform for its own innovation

campaign and marketing story.

First time exhibitor Mohamed Al-Fayed, Commercial Director, Perfect Spinning Company, Egypt saw the fair “as a large market for sustainability.” He said, “Worldwide brands, seeking eco-friendly products are attending this fair. This proves beneficial to us.”

Visitors appreciate eco-friendly products Like the exhibitors, visitors too appreciated the high quality of the show. “The quality and range of suppliers at Yarn Expo is quite high.

I’ve already placed an order for 20 containers worth with one exhibitor. Yarn Expo benefits our business as all the major Chinese manufacturers are here, as well as those from Pakistan and India,” said Asim Raza, Senior Manager, Yunus Textile Mills Ltd, Pakistan.

Sebastian Jaramilo, Altex, Columbia, who was particularly looking for eco-friendly products said,” There are a lot of certifications such as BCI cotton available here. Many companies committed to environmentally-friendly policies are also attending this fair. I can meet new connections here, and also place onsite orders with my existing suppliers. So far, I’ve placed orders for 10 containers.”

The next Yarn Expo fair, the Autumn Edition, will be held from September 25 to 27, 2019, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center.

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56 REVIEW

CHIC Shanghai showcases over 1,400 brands

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HIC China International Fashion Fair, Asia’s largest and most important fashion and lifestyle fair, held from March 12 to 14 2019, concluded successfully with 103,722 visitors. The fair was attended by over 1,365 national and international exhibitors with 1,453 brands from 16 countries. Held over 117,200 sq. mt at the National Exhibition & Convention Center, Shanghai; CHIC attracted visitors from all trade channels including leading department stores, shopping centers, e-Commerce platforms, agents, distributors, multi-brand stores to wholesalers etc.

Discussions held at the fair focused on the latest trends, cooperation between brands and order inquiries. Exhibitors of the international area Fashion Journey from Belgium, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Poland, Switzerland, Taiwan, USA were very positive about their participation in the fair.

A lavishly designed stage Italian manufacturers, under Italian Trade Agency ITA, presented a lavishly staged stand design, with an own catwalk area featuring Italian fashion two times per day to special VIP visitors invited by the ITA Shanghai Office and attracting crowds of people outside the pavilion watching the shows.

Exhibitors were also able to place orders.

Giorgio et Mario and Urbahia from France,

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Leguano from Germany, or Zhongqiao Resources from Hong Kong, caused a stir with their color changing T-shirts and wrapped up many orders. Epoque Hats from Poland, a newcomer at CHIC, had customers visiting from, all over China, Korea, Japan and France.

New format attracts visitors Exhibitors also presented new formats such as Diction in the area of Impulses, an online platform and a showroom for international designer brands, or Hangzhou E-Fashion Town in the womenswear section New Look.

Chic Tailoring, the new Bespoke area at CHIC, attracted thousands of visitors with KuteSmart (formerly Red Collar) presenting its latest tailor-made technology. The customer chooses the design, the fabrics, the style and receives the finished product within 7 days. The complete process takes place via special apps.

At Urban View, market leaders such as GSON, Semir or the HODO Group reported on a large number of inquiries for nationwide representations. TCH (Techno Chillout House), a UK label founded in 1989 in Bristol, drew visitors to the stand with a giant tiger head.

With Topnine, Tilman, Covet Blan from Korea and 4cm, wookong, YZKK and Time Pop, Chic Young Blood presented the trendy street wear labels, which caused a great

sensation at the fair.

New entries at the show The online platforms JD.com and Koalo. com, one of the most dynamic websites launched in 2014 introduced themselves at the event as did DFO Showroom with five product categories and over 60 international apparel and accessories brands in its portfolio and all major retail formats including Galleries Lafayette, Harvey Nichols, Shangpin, Secco, etc. as customers.

Event emphasises need for information exchange Events such as the Kids Fashion Brand Business Development Meeting, the Jewelry, Bags Procurement Demand Meeting for key buyers, or the Analysis of Consumption Motivation and Marketing Strategies presentation in the Context of Consumption Grading were packed with visitors queuing in the lobby indicating a great need for information exchange.

Discussions were held on topics such as ‘Returning to the Top of Fashion banquet.’

Here market leaders such as Bosideng Group, Toread, Mukzin, Eifini, etc. held intensive discussions with major retail chains including Dashang Group, Tmall etc. The CHIC APP enabled the brnads to arrange appointments in advance of the fair with potential customers.

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5/4/2019 7:26:17 PM

58 REVIEW

A step towards growth with Transforming India Through Retail Awards

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here are many who are yet to understand the potential of the Indian retail industry that we seek to unleash,” said Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Minister of Textiles speaking at the recently held Transforming India through Retail Awards. “People keep guessing about the size of domestic retail market in India.

Their guesses range from 100,000 to 500,000 crores, nobody really knows exactly what the size is,” added Rahul Mehta, President, CMAI. “This is a herculean task, CMAI is attempting to do,” he added. CMAI recently tied up with

one of the largest survey agencies in the world to determine the total industry size, product category wise sales and consumption, region wise consumption.

Mehta pointed out ‘The Transforming Retail Awards’ is not an award show for the biggest or the largest or the best in retail. “We are trying to emphasize that through retail there have been brands, individuals who have impacted the social structure of our country. They have transformed the lives of hundreds and thousands of people. So these are recognition and awards to retail stories and retail individuals who have actually transformed the way a product category was retailed in the past

or a particular region was serviced in the past or the way retail itself was being conducted in the past.”

Starting from Being Human, Manyavar, Biba, Monte Carlo and many more brands like Ethicus and individuals like B S Nagesh were awarded.

Making Indian weavers confident Raghavendra Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Textile informed “we recently signed an MoU with some of the prominent garmenting companies in Mumbai to enable the government to focus on their demands. This would aid in reducing the production costs of weavers. The whole idea was to make them confident and strong in terms of adhering to quality standards and meeting deadlines.

Support to the powerloom business The ministry reiterated its commitment to training people in stitching, tailoring, in apparel making and retail under the Samaj Scheme. “The Future Group has come up with a brilliant suggestion of supporting the power loom business. Hence, CMAI in conjunction with the Ministry of Textiles and the office of the Secretary of Textiles, will identify power loom clusters from which adequate resources will be procured by the Ministry of Textiles,” added Irani.

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5/4/2019 7:26:18 PM

Business news ABFR Q3 revenue up 23 per cent

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Arvind aims to touch Rs 12,000 cr in five years

For the third quarter Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail’s (ABFR) revenue has grown 23 per cent year on year. New brand introductions and store expansions are resulting in better samestore sales growth. Same-store sales growth is the comparable sales growth of stores that have been operational for over a year.

Some of its businesses such as fast fashion segment, though, have been reeling under competitive pressure. This segment continues to suffer, although operating losses have

A

narrowed. Costs remain elevated on promotion and brand expenses. For instance, Aditya Birla Fashion has been making higher promotion spends in categories like innerwear. While its inner wear segment reported 89 per cent growth in the December quarter, losses have more than doubled. But higher promotion spends has been a big reason why the firm managed to ramp up the innerwear segment to a Rs 100-crore business over a two-year period.

For all its revenue growth, therefore, margin growth in the business has not been much, dragged down by impairments and marketing costs. In the third quarter ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) margin expanded a mere 20 basis points to 7.6 per cent. The quarter also witnessed an extended festive season.

Slight drop in Shoppers Stop topline

rvind is planning polos, round necks, athleisure and sportswear in denim.

The idea is to change the entire premise on denim. The company has diversified from textile manufacturing to retail and branded apparel. Textile Parks are being set up in Jharkhand, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, with minimum of 10,000 workers.

Arvind is going vertical, that is, not only selling fabrics, but giving complete solutions. In future, Arvind fabric stores will sell fabrics, do customized tailoring and sell ready-to-wear clothing under the Arvind brand.

The company retails brands like US Polo, Flying Machine, Gap and Aeropostale.

far as online retail goes is to give customers a single window where they can see all the products. However, if consumers wish to buy offline, they can do so with the help from the store locator option on the website.

Shoppers Stop, the country’s oldest department store chain, is looking to grow its beauty business. The company has standalone beauty stores as well as shop-in-shops and beauty counters within its department stores, promoting local as well as international brands. It exclusively retails some of the world’s top beauty products, including Estee Lauder, MAC, Clinique and Bobby Brown in India, with the segment accounting for 16 per cent of overall sales.

Rupa’s turnover up four per cent

For the nine months ended December 2019, Shoppers Stop topline dropped 1.9 per cent over the year-ago period. Operating profits grew 66 per cent. While the apparels and accessories segments contribute 65 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively, to overall sales at Shoppers Stop, this revenue mix could change in the future with the beauty business growing steadily.

Overall, the company is likely to add around 15 stores this year and 15 in the next year in the beauty segment. The company is also pushing omni-channel retail. Its strategy as

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Rupa’s turnover went up four per cent in fiscal year 2018-19. The company is expecting around five to seven per cent growth in revenue this fiscal due to poor demand and impact of GST. However, 2019-20 is expected to be a better in terms of sales growth.

Rupa expects 10 per cent growth in turnover in 2019-20 backed by the launch of new products and focus on premium categories.

Apart from innerwear, it is into casual wear, children’s wear, winter wear and footwear.

Arvind entered e-commerce in 201516 with Nnnow. It was one of the first to embrace omni-channel and to develop a home-grown platform. The idea is to control its own inventory on marketplaces such as Flipkart while Nnnow will be used to talk to loyal shoppers. Arvind has set a target of achieving Rs 12,000 crores in its textile business over the next five years.

A shift to fast fashion the world over and the popularity of athleisure has the company’s global clients, such as Levi’s, H&M, Gap (to whom it supplies fabric and garments), asking for swifter solutions.

Brands like Adidas and Reebok will be serviced with an athleisure line.

Some of its brands include Jon, Frontline, Euro, Bumchums, Torrido, Thermocot, Softline, Macroman, Macroman M-Series, Macrowoman W-Series and Footline, among others.

The company’s premium product portfolio under Macroman M-series and Euro currently accounts for 15 per cent of its total sales.

Rupa, a dominant player in the men’s inner wear segment, is betting big on the women’s category. The company currently has women’s leggings under the brand Softline and plans to roll out more products. It may foray into women’s lingerie. The women’s category accounts for 15 per cent of Rupa’s turnover and has been growing at over 20 per cent.

The women’s innerwear category, which is driven by value-added products, contributes around 60 per cent of the total market.

IIGF office shifted to a new location International Garment Fair Association (IGFA) has shifted its office from Gurgaon to New Delhi.

The new office premise was inaugurated by Rahul Mehta, Chairman of the association.

IGFA has started its activities for organising the 63rd India International Garment Fair (IIGF) and Source Zone fair from its new office.

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60 Business news Marks and Spencer’s India revenue up 10 per cent

in a big way and contribute to nearly six per cent of the company’s revenues in the next two or three years. There are also plans to launch a men’s premium innerwear segment later this year through Virat Kohli’s brand One8.

Reliance Retail to launch IPO by June 2019

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arks and Spencer’s revenue in India is growing at a CAGR of 10 per cent. Growth has been attributed to price restructuring, local sourcing and a strong focus on women’s fashion. The pricing strategy is to focus on upper-middle-class consumers, not limited to metros. Sourcing locally has helped cut prices further. Almost 30 percent of its products are sourced from India itself. In fact, India is one the top five sourcing hubs for the company’s global business. Women’s wear and lingerie are its fastest growing businesses. The lingerie business has seen a 40 per cent growth in the last two years.

Currently, the British retailer has 10

Spencer’s Retail Q3 revenue up seven per cent Spencer’s Retail revenue from operations for the third quarter has grown seven per cent.

During the October to December period, the multi-format retailer strengthened its retail presence with the addition of nine new stores to take its store count to 146 and also boosted

the delivery network for its e-commerce website to eight cities.

The company reported positive ebidta and pat for the quarter with consistent growth. Growth in revenue and profits is driven by new store additions and focus on gross margin expansion.

Spencer’s has already added 19 stores this year and continues to grow with more value-added products, an increase in private label share and an emphasis on increasing the apparel sales mix. It is also using the e-commerce channel as an adjunct to physical sales. Spencer’s has moved a part of its portfolio to value-added, differentiated products.

Kolkata-based Spencer’s started operations in 1863 and offers a wide range of products including apparels, footwear, cosmetics, home essentials and more. The main clusters for the

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standalone lingerie stores in key metros and Tier II cities like Lucknow and Jaipur. It plans to open six stores in the next two months, of which three will be lingerie and beauty stores. The retail major launched a revamped product range at competitive prices, and also brought in a service proposition by introducing in-store stylists. After nearly two decades of operations in India, M&S has launched its first India-specific marketing campaign. For M&S, India is the second largest market outside the UK with 71 stores. It is the only market where M&S has a dedicated approach focused solely on the Indian consumer rather than repurposing any products launched elsewhere.

company are East UP, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. Private labels now consists 13 per cent of the portfolio. Apparel margins have gone up by six per cent and apparel sales are going up.

Lux net profit rise, revenue drops

For the third quarter Lux Industries’ net profit rose 32 per cent. However revenue dropped by five per cent. Lux products are retailed in more than 4,50,000 stores across India and also have a strong online presence with brands like Genx, Lyra, Onn, among many others.

Knitwear maker Lux is looking to scale up its offerings in the premium segment for higher margins. The premium category currently contributes around ten per cent to the company’s overall revenues but gives higher margins in comparison to the company’s other mass brands. Margins on premium products are approximately one per cent higher as compared to the mass variety. Increasing urbanisation, the expanding middle class and rise in per capita income are expected to act as key drivers of growth in the premium category.

The company launched women’s lingerie under the brand Lyra about a year ago. It currently accounts for less than one per cent of sales, but the company expect it to pick up

Reliance Retail Ventures, the retail unit of Reliance Industries, plans to launch its IPO by June this year as Mukesh Ambaniled company’s betting big on his consumer businesses, including Reliance Retail and Reliance Jio. The company is also expecting a good response to the public offering as the growth projections of the retail business of Reliance Industries have fanned high hopes for the RIL investors. Recently, global brokerage firm CLSA also predicted the next leap of growth for Reliance Retail and Jio.

Reliance Industries, India’s largest company by market valuation, operates retail consumer businesses under Reliance Retail Ventures, which further operates under two different retail ventures, Reliance Brands and Reliance Retail. While Reliance Brands handles joint ventures with global fashion brands, Reliance Retail has over 9,900 stores in over 6,400 cities across India.

Grasim acquires Soktas Grasim is buying Soktas India.

This is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of Soktas, based in Turkey, a producer and marketer of fabrics. At present, Soktas is in the business of manufacturing and distribution of premium cotton fabrics with its manufacturing facility in Maharashtra. The company posted a revenue and ebitda of Rs 186 crores and Rs 31 crores, respectively, for the fiscal ended March 2018. It sells premium fabrics in India under the Soktas, Giza House and Excellence by Soktas brands. The company is also a supplier to leading Indian and global menswear brands.

The acquisition is in line with Grasim’s business strategy to strengthen its presence in the premium fabric market. Grasim’s aim is to strengthen its leadership in the premium cotton and linen fabric market in India. Increasing disposable income, fashion and quality orientation of Indian consumers has resulted in an increase in the demand for premium fabric over the years. The company is known for its fabric brand Liva introduced in 2015.

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5/4/2019 7:27:08 PM

62 Business news Indian footwear segment set for huge growth

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he Indian footwear market is expected to exhibit remarkable growth. Growth of retail chains, integrated shopping malls, and multi-brand outlets is likely to boost market growth.

Robust growth of fashion and lifestyle industry has expanded the scope of footwear business in India. Frequent changes in footwear and fashion trends are likely to boost market growth. Indian consumers are becoming fashion conscious with growing global travel and media. Growth of health and fitness trends among the urban population is also likely to increase demand for performance footwear.

Men’s footwear accounts for a major share of the market but children’s and women’s segments are also likely to witness significant growth. The unorganized sector holds a prominent share in the market due to availability of price-competitive products.

However, increasing disposable income and changing consumer behavior have increased the pool of brand conscious consumers. The arrival of numerous

Reliance to acquire Fynd

Reliance Industries is set to acquire e-commerce fashion platform Fynd. On the lines of the acquisition of edtech startup Embibe, Reliance may acquire over 70 per cent of Fynd. The acquisition would be crucial for Reliance and for its entry into the consumer internet space. Fynd lets fashion and lifestyle brands sell online. Reliance’s e-commerce play would be around powering offline sellers and brands whereas Fynd follows an omni channel strategy. Fynd is backed by Google. This is the fourth acquisition for Reliance in the startup space. It has acquired controlling stakes in Embibe, EasyGov, Reverie Technology and Sankhya Sutra Labs.

Fynd was launched in 2012 as an in-store engagement provider, then branched out to be an e-commerce platform before evolving into an omni-channel or online-to-offline retail firm. Fynd offers same- or next-day delivery in eleven cities in India, and has tied up with about 250 brands. Its platform is both app- and webpage-based. Fynd’s omni-channel in-store product Fynd Store lets customers browse all products of a particular brand on screens inside the brand’s physical outlet. If a customer cannot find a product or a size at that outlet, it can be ordered and delivered via Fynd Store.

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NIFT launches handloom projects

international brands and the growth of organized retail are likely to have a positive impact on the organized segment in future.

India is a leading footwear consuming nation in the world. The major portion of India’s total production is exported to countries such as the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and the US.

Pakistani Garments still a huge draw in Bihar For professional garment designers from Pakistan who ply their trade in Bihar, it’s business as usual. They come with a good stock of designer garments every year, which they comfortably sell, and return home with good earnings. They attend to customers, mostly women, who like their fabrics, designs, embroideries and saris. There are changes in costume design or fashion trends. The cut lines

of women’s suits are bit lengthier in Pakistan and such designs are in vogue in India now.

Pakistani products and handicraft items are one of the great attractions at the pre-holi mela and pre-Dussehra melas organized every year. These have been organised by the Bihar Mahila Udyog Sangh for over a decade.

Bihar remains a huge market of Pakistani dress materials, brands and garments. Pakistan’s traders come with a rich collection of apparels, fabrics, zardozi art works and Pakistani saris.

A Delhi based designer, who specializes in Pakistani apparels, fabrics and embroidery, has been working with Pakistani designers for long. Such is the craze for Pakistani suits and typical Muslim costumes like sharara and garara that her entire stock gets sold out within three days.

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) has launched projects aimed at aiding the handloom textile sector and India’s fashion industry as a whole.

One of the projects, the Indian textiles and craft repository, will develop a virtual textile museum for both indigenous and luxury crafts.

It will be an online library of textile related information and will have digitised archives from textile museums, weavers’ centers, and resource centers across the country. Another new project, the Design Innovation and Incubation (DII), is designed to help support young entrepreneurs, start-ups, and artisans with NIFT students and alumni. The organisation is designed to facilitate collaboration between artists and give a platform to young creatives.

The VisionNXT initiative will create an Indiaspecific fashion forecasting service that will be able to predict upcoming fashion trends based on national demographics and data. It will help the handloom sector in production of handloom products as per market requirements in terms of trends, design and color forecasts.

Incubators will also be set up in the Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore campuses of NIFT.

Trident bags award for outstanding achievement in exports Trident has been conferred with an award for ‘Outstanding Achiever for Exports’ Category Large Enterprise by Federation of Madhya Pradesh Chambers of Commerce & Industry “(FMPCCI), Bhopal, at the 5th Outstanding Achievement Award 2017-18.

The award was presented by Kamal Nath, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. The award ceremony was also attended by Jitu Patwari, Sports and Youth Welfare and Higher Education Minister of the state alongwith other dignitaries & Industry leaders. This award acknowledges the significant achievements that the company has made in improving the state’s economic activity and boosting jobs.

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NIFT launches trend forecasting initiative The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) has launched VisionNxt, a trend forecasting initiative.

VisionNxt will create an indigenous fashion forecasting service which endeavors to design seasonal directions for the country. The proposed service is based on the premise that fashion is a dynamic industry which depends on seasonal trends and forecasts for future course of action. It will help the handloom sector in production of handloom products as per market requirements in terms of trends, designs and colors.

Two other NIFT projects are an Indian textiles and craft repository and a Design Innovation and Incubation (DII). The repository will develop a virtual museum of textiles, and textile crafts, a designer archive, indigenous case studies, and also act as an aggregator of online information on related research. The virtual museum will have digitised resources of traditional archived pieces from museums, resource centers, weavers’ service centers. Similarly, DII is intended to support young entrepreneurs, artisans, start-ups, NIFT alumni and students. It would also facilitate collaborations relevant for business development.

Incubators will also be set up in the Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore campuses of NIFT. A pioneer in fashion education, NIFT has its headquarters in New Delhi. NIFT was set up in 1986 in technical collaboration with Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.

Shashank Teotia joins Lime Road as VP Lime Road has appointed Shashank Teotia as Senior VP for People and Talent Development.

Teotia has over 15-years of experience in HR across sectors and regions. He joins Lime Road from Women on Wings, a non-profit organization working towards co-creating one million jobs for women in rural India.

His main responsibilities include creating a strong talent pipeline for Lime Road and bringing in the best talent to support the company’s expansion plans. He is expected to bring on board a tremendous sense of

Business World names Anita Dongre ‘Most Influential Woman of India’

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usiness World has named Fashion Designer Anita Dongre as the ‘Most Influential Woman of India’. Dongre, through her commitment to revive Indian crafts, has adopted the Charoti village where she supports and train village women in basic stitching, ironing and pattern cutting to create outfits and accessories empowering them to earn a livelihood for themselves. Through her Grassroot initiative, she supports skilled artisan communities by collaborating with a network of independent artisans and nonprofit organisations to empower them.

Meanwhile Dongre also held a trunk show pop-up for her bridal wear in Chicago, recently.

She brought a collection of menswear and women’s wear wedding attire to the Indian designer boutique Raaz Couture on March 4. The event was Dongre’s first pop-up in the American city and was a chance for its residents to purchase from her bridal couture line as the spring wedding season begins.

Dongre’s designs showcase Indian aesthetics in a contemporary language, which defines her design philosophy in all her outfits known for their ‘wearability, comfort and inclusiveness’. Truly inspired by Indian craftsmanship, heritage and culture, one can certainly find the very Indianness in each of her designs. Dongre founded And Designs India in 1995 with her sister

objectivity and experience into the talent management and development process. By this Lime Road hopes to expand its onlineoffline talent search across cities as well as build a robust organizational design prepping it for the next phase of growth.

The online fashion platform plans massive expansion in the Indian market and Teotia’s appointment comes at a time when there is a

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Meena Sehra and brother Mukesh Sawlani post which she opened her first store at the Crossroads Mall in South Mumbai in 1999.

And Designs India re-branded itself as House of Anita Dongre in line with global fashion houses in 2015. Today all Dongre’s portfolio of brands furnish under this name.

During the year 2016-17, House of Anita Dongre estimated a turnover of USD 100 million. At present, AND includes 126 exclusive stores and 415 established multibrand lifestyle formats which are retailed through 515 points of sale.

dearth of talent in the fashion retail space. Lime Road, based in Gurgaon, was founded in 2012 as a fashion discovery portal curating products from various brands along with a product feature that allows users to create outfit looks on the platform by picking up products from different brands. Its machine algorithms rank order and display the highest quality scrapbooks for users to find products and styles.

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Denim has always been at our core and has always been a dominant product category for Guess, one that brings the customer into the store.

Carlos Alberini CEO, Guess

We are foraying into new categories that include Innerwear, kid’s apparel, wearable tech, watches and also venturing into new markets like Dubai through Cult.

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