Piyush Goyal, Minster of Commerce and Industry, has said the government does not intend to amend current foreign direct investment policy in e-commerce sector though it plans to issue certain clarifications shortly. Goyal said, the government will soon introduce new ecommerce policy besides clarifications on existing FDI policies for the e-commerce sector after it finalizes the draft consumer protection rules for the sector.

The consumer protection rules encompass consumer affairs, FDI policy and e-commerce policy, adds Goyal. They focus more on the Indian consumers than the foreign investors. The rules are open for public discussions till July 6. In December 2020, the commerce and industry ministry urged the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to take necessary action in response to allegations made by the traders' body Confederation Of All India Traders (CAIT) against Amazon and Flipkart regarding the breach of regulations.

Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt has been roped as the new face of ethnic wear brand Aurelia by women's apparel maker TCNS Clothing Company. Aurelia has always promoted effortless styles. It encourages women to choose their own representation of beautiful, says Anant Kumar Daga, Managing Director, TCNS Clothing.

Watch: https://youtu.be/0ogWJkLuFCM

Uniqlo collaborates with Maiko Kurogouchi for new loungewear collection

Campus Activewear to launch Rs 2,000 crore IPO next year

Relaxo Footwears launches exclusive outlet in Agra

The brand is available both online and offline through over 220 exclusive brand outlets and presence in 1,000 plus large-format stores across 150 cities across India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Mauritius. Its mission is to increase brand accessibility via brand presence at various points through associating with different sales channels.

The brand aims to become the leading brand in Indian wear segment and celebrate the effortless beauty of womanhood. Starting from a basic to occasion-ready, casual to formal, day to night, Aurelia adopts a fusion approach that is a combination of modern silhouettes with the perfect mix of traditions and culture.

The goods and services tax (GST) regime completed 4 yearsKitex

Garments aspires to be top international player of infantwear by 2025

E-com help fabric brands grow business with demand on the rise

Currently, the third largest infantwear brand in the world, Kitex Garments aims to grap the top slot by 2025.

As per Fashion Network, the company reported a 53 per cent decline in its Q4 net profit to Rs 8 crore ($1.1 million), as against a net profit of Rs 18 crore it reported in the year-ago period. The company’s revenue for the quarter also declined by 24 percent to Rs 112 crore, as against a net profit of Rs 146 crore it reported in the corresponding period the previous fiscal year.

For the financial year 2020-21, Kitex Garment’s net profit declined to Rs 54 crore from the previous fiscal’s Rs 103 crore while its revenue for the year declined to Rs 455 crore from Rs 739 crore it reported during the previous year ended March 2020.

Kitex attributed this decline in net profit and revenue to the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdowns as it impacted its normal operations by way of interruption in production, supply chain disruption, and customer order deferrals. The company also engages in contract manufacturing for private labels such as Jockey, Carter, Babies R Us, Gerber, and Mothercare.

Indian fashion companies have lined up IPOs worth over Rs 6,000 crore in coming months. The first of these is being launched by women’s wear brand GoColors which is preparing to go public to raise Rs 800-1,000 crore. The brand joins apparel retailers such as Manyavar and FabIndia, which have lined up their initial share sales to bolster their balance sheets, provide an exit to investors, and tap market appetite for such stocks, two people familiar with the development said.

Fabindia Overseas also plan to launch an IPO worth Rs 3,000 crore by the end of thisy year. Ethnic wear brand Manyavar, owned by Vedant Fashions, has started working on a proposed initial public offering (IPO) to raise Rs 2,000-2,500-crore.

Owned by Go Fashion (India) and founded in 2010 by Vinod Saraogi and Prakash Saraogi, GoColors is involved in retailing women’s bottom-wear products. Sequoia and private equity firm ICICI Ventures own 42-43 per cent stake in the company.

The company plans to raise some fresh capital from the IPO, which will be used to expand its retail presence as well as for working capital requirements. The investors will also sell part of the shares through the IPO. The share sale is expected to happen in the second half of the fiscal.

Sports and footwear brand Campus Activewear plans to launch a new IPO worth Rs 2,000 crore ($269 million) next year on a valuation of Rs 10,000 crore.

The Campus management is currently negotiating with investors for the IPO. It has received support from private equity fund TPG Growth and the Havells Group’s QRG Enterprises.

The company expects promoters and existing investors to dilute a part of their holdings in the issue.

Launched in 1997, the Delhi-based company has 20 manufacturing facilities, at various locations. It has a retail network of over 20,000 outlets and a strong online presence with availability on its website and leading e-commerce platforms in India.

In recent years, the flagship brand Campus, has emerged as the largest domestic sports and casual footwear brand in India. The company’s products are available via an expansive pan-India network of over 15,000 multi-brand retail stores, company-owned exclusive outlets and e-commerce portals.

01 July 2021, Mumbai:

Lingerie brand, Enamor expects e-commerce to contribute 30 per cent to its business this year. has navigated through the past pandemic year, by enhancing consumer shopping experiences online, rooting its communication on digital platforms, and carrying forward it's ‘fabulous’ positioning in its everyday collections.

Its latest campaign,#FabulousEveryday carries forward the brand’s ‘fabulous’ messaging from the past few years.

 

The campaign is running extremely well and was seen by 26 lakh visitors after being rolled out. The brand’s approach is to follow the consumers and adapt according to where they are. During the lockdown, it focused a lot on WFH and launched its loungewear or athleisure collection, emphasizing the importance of being comfortable while working at home. The brand also focused on lingerie, its wash care, choosing the right lingerie, etc.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOAklRiK7Zc

Enamor is currently seeing a lot of demand for shorts, track pants and t-shirts. It expects athleisure to contribute to at least 20 per cent of its business. The brand has an everyday range, where it competes with the likes of Jockey. It also offers a premium and the fashion range that competes with brands like Triumph, Wacoal and Amante.

Sandra Daniels, VP, Enamor take on#WeAreAllFabulous idea,We're loving it

 

 

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3. Myntra to offer 1 mn styles from about 7,000 brands at the 'Big Fashion Festival'

4. Maharashtra government honors VIP as 'Best Innerwear Brand' for 2021-22

5. Nike strengthens retail presences with new store at DLF Mall of India,Noida

 

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Fearing a third COVID-19 wave that could disrupt sales, online retailers Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra and Ajio plan to soon launch ‘safe months’ mega sale events.

The online retailers plan to launch a sale every fortnight and category-specific sales every 7-10 days in the coming months according to an online report. The aggressive push from the companies comes as online retailers faced a shortfall in April and May because of lockdowns.

In addition to regular sales, retailers plan to increase the number of sale days and offers in the coming months. Henceforth, discounts will be offered for 15 to 20 days on e-commerce platforms until September compared to the average 10-12 discounting days in the January and March quarters.

E-retailer companies like Ajio and Myntra are currently hosting sales that give up to 90 per cent discounts to customers. Ajio is starting its Big Bold Sale between July 01-05, 2021 and will offer 50 - 90 per cent discounts on fashion and lifestyle products. Myntra is hosting an End of Reason sale between July 3 and 8 and is giving 50 to 80 per cent rebates.

Leading footwear manufacturer Relaxo Footwear has launched an exclusive brand outlet in Agra. Located at Taj Road, Sadar Bazar, the new store houses brands like Relaxo, Sparx, Bahamas, Flite, MaryJane, Boston, and Kids Fun. As per Fashion Network, the store offers customers the option of cashless payment.

The company expects sales to improve this fiscal despite COVID-19 disruptions. It plans to continue expanding in Tier II, III and IV cities in coming months. Going forward, the company will mainly focus on open footwear, sneakers, and athleisure categories.

Relaxo a leading Indian footwear maker and sells under brands Sparx, Flite, and Bahamas. It currently has over 300 exclusive-brand outlets across the country.

One of India’s leading home textile manufacturer, Indo Count Industries plans to launch its Spring 2022 Bed and Bath Collection in partnership with British designer Jasper Conran The range will be sold by the company under its Jasper Conran London brand. It will feature bold graphic prints, organic and supima cotton with a fresh and contemporary color pallette.

A specialized end-to-end bedding provider, Indo Count is solely focused on creating all-encompassing sleep experiences. The company is the most preferred partner for some of the best-known retail, hospitality and fashion brands in the world. It works creates the best sleep experience by controlling every aspect of the supply chain from product design and development through to branding and marketing.

An established and respected fashion designer, Jasper Conran OBE is recognized within homewares sector for his longstanding partnerships with British homeware brands Waterford and Wedgewood. Jasper Conran, OBE, is a British designer. Having trained at Parson’s School of Design in New York, Conran launched his first womenswear collection in 1978 and was a founding member of the London Designer Collections – subsequently renamed London Fashion Week.

People are gravitating towards timeless products, says Darshan Mehta, Managing Director, Reliance Brands, explaining the exponential demand witnessed by them for luxury products. According to him, they are investing in everlasting products like a good leather bag or a shoe or a cashmere jumper. Unlike earlier, even children and elderly consumers are visiting malls now, he told Economic Times adding, recovery from the second COVID-19 wave has been astonishingly better than the first one, though stores in states like Maharashtra remain closed.

To cash in on growing demand, Reliance Brands has introduced distance selling through Zoom, Whatsapp chats and video chats, etc. This helps the company recreate the theatre experience and showcase products lying at the store. Mehta points out, since last year, there is over emphasis on e-commerce. His company is currently experimenting with live streamed commerce for limited edition merchandise. It is also reopening pop-ups besides engaging in cross-selling.

Last week, the company’s high-end store in Ahmedabad tied up with Aditi Dugar, Owner, Sage & Saffron for a pop-up kitchen at a high-end fashion store. The concept saw huge success encouraging the company to repeat the experiment in other cities including Hyderabad and Chandigarh. Reliance Brands’ mainly targets customers trapped between the lockdowns. With premium luxury brands doing exceedingly well, they are planning the launch Spring/Summer ’21 merchandise.

Reliance Brands is also witnessing renewed interest in the kid’s wear category, he says. Kid’s wear brands Mothercare, Hamleys etc are doing extremely well though response for footwear has tepid. Demand in men’s and women’s apparel category is moving towards comfort wear rather than athleisure, Mehta informs.

Small cities leading sales growth

Mumbai and Pune are two of the biggest growth centres for Reliance Brands in India. However, these markets are currently closed and the company’s growth is being led by Delhi followed by Chandigarh. The company also uses the concept of travelling pop up to reach customers in these cities, he informs.

Mehta believes, tapping small town has two benefits. First, the company can operate during weekdays as against metros where shoppers generally buy during weekends. Small town consumers also have more time and higher disposable purchasing power than metros as rents, education costs and overall cost of living is lower than in metros.

Marriage, rising awareness drive luxury apparel demand

Pre-ponement of marriages is leading to a spurt in demand for wedding apparels, says Mehta. Many designers are catering to the growing demand for occasion wear, bridal apparels etc, he adds. Though marginally impacted by the COVID-19 wave, the company’s bridal service suppliers are likely to recover soon as corporate investments in this sector are increasing.

The pandemic has increased consumers’ awareness of environmental sustainability, says Mehta. They are gravitating towards long lasting or timesless fashion. Indian fashion is also becoming younger with growing adoption of sneakers among youth. These factors are also making Indian consumers superior to their global counterparts.

As against earlier practice of buying fabrics from brick and mortar stores Indian consumers are slowing moving to e-commerce platforms for fabric purchases. A report by Business World estimates the number of online fabric shoppers will increase to 120 million by 2021-end. Online fabric selling not allows fabric sellers to connect with customers through multiple sales channels but also also enables them to offer wider fabric choices.

Small towns drive online business

Most online fabric shoppers hail from smaller towns and cities. What attracts them to online fabric shopping is their availability and affordable data packs and vernacular material. Enticing deals and discounts by market places are also attracting shoppers to e-commerce platform. There is an growing demand for fabrics from millennials to create classic, timeless pieces. Online fabric stores offer GenNext shoppers premium fabrics from around the globe.

Reviving ancient Indian arts

Indian online fabric stores can also help revive ancient arts like Ajrakh, Indigo, Kalamkari, Shibori, Handblock, Tie, and Dye, etc. A revival of arts can help fabric brands provide employment to artisans besides educating young Indians about ancestral art forms. It can also help them make Indian crafts available to a wider audience.

Demand for a personalized shopping experience has increased amongst Indian consumers. E-commerce firms can leverage this demand by targeting customers at proper location and time either through an app notification or social media ads. Online fabric stores can provide customized fabrics through new printing techniques including digital printing. This technique can help stores enliven fabric prints and colors to attract customers.

Reduction in lead times

E-commerce can also help fabric brands balance their online and offline sales. They can reduce lead and delivery times by focusing on effective sourcing and supply chain management. Online data also helps fabric marketers gain unprecedented visibility into client preferences and behavior. They can use this data to deliver customized consumer experiences across all touchpoints. Data also helps consumers choose the most convenient purchase channels and mix and match products from various channels.

The online fabric sector offers limitless growth opportunities for Indian brands. By exploring these opportunities, brands can not only leave an indelible mark in the textile industry but also contribute to its future development.