17 March 2022, Mumbai:

Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) believes, the pandemic has made both apparel brands and consumers more price conscious even though the badly hit sector is poised to clock 75-80 per cent of pre-pandemic revenues by FY22 on the back of a strong recovery.

Brands are looking at tweaking their design specifications to become more price competitive, says Rahul Mehta, Chief Mentor CMAI. They have also learnt to work with lesser inventory, finance and manpower than before the pandemic, the timelines have become shorter and there is greater pressure to avoid excess stocking, he adds.

Last week, CRISIL Ratings estimated that the brick-and-mortar apparel retail sector’s revenue will grow at an average of 20-25 per cent year-on-year in FY22, after declining 40 per cent year-on-year in FY21 because of Covid-19. This was an upward revision of their previous estimate of 15-20 per cent growth.

The sector was badly hit during the pandemic. However, sharp recovery seen in the second and third quarters this fiscal, and the expected healthy performance in the fourth quarter, is expected to propel revenue to 75-80 per cent of the pre-pandemic level adds AnujSethi, Senior Director, CRISIL Ratings.

India’s leading brand for women’s activewear, innerwear, loungewear, and personal care, Clovia recently forayed into new markets with the launch of its ten new stores, amidst the receding COVID-19 second wave.

Catering to the design sensibilities, comfort, and style of the urban millennial women for years now, the brand is taking fashion to Tier II and Tier III cities like Moradabad, Faridabad, Sri Ganganagar, Haridwar, Dehradun, etc.

Clovia has been one of the key players in the Indian direct-to-consumer space which has been scaling profitably on the back of extensive use of technology in all its business areas. With the equipped store optimization engine and having nationwide data around optimum inventory holding, Clovia is witnessing inventory turn around 6 times a year which is increasing month on month. The brand is planning to add 50 more stores across the country in the next 6 months.

Clovia is India’s premier direct-to-consumer lifestyle and personal care brand for the urban millennial woman. The company designs, manufactures and sells a host of products including premium lingerie, nightwear, loungewear, activewear, shapewear, swimwear, and personal care products.

The brand was launched by industry veterans Pankaj Vermani, Neha Kant, and Suman Chowdhury in 2015.

Clovia sells through multiple channels including its exclusive online store www.clovia.com, Android & iOS Apps, all major online marketplaces, a network of its exclusive retail stores across India, and also through most of the premium large formats in the country.

21 February 2022, Mumbai:

Aurelia, the ethnic wear brand owned by TCNS Clothing Co has launched its first ever digital campaign ‘Be Compliment Ready’, featuring Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt.

As per Fashion Network, the campaign will feature a series of digital films with the actor Alia donning her favorites from the brand’s newly launched spring/summer collection.

AnantDaga, Managing Director,. TCNS Clothing Co says, the campaign aims to inspire women to be effortlessly themselves. It is about feeling confident and beautiful in your skin at all times. The campaign brings about this emotion seamlessly.

ALSO READ: TCNS Clothing Co’s Q3 FY22 results reported

Aurelia has over 220 exclusive-brand outlets and is present in 1,000-plus large format stores across 150 cities in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Mauritius.

The brand also sells online through leading e-commerce platforms.

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Dubai is fast becoming the epicenter of global fashion with many brands including Chanel, Armani and Hugo Boss organizing fashion shows in the city. Not just European Indian brands are also attracted to Dubai and setting up stores there. The city is home to many high net worth individuals of Indian origin owing plush villas. Dubai also has a local market for Indian clothes. Mukta Shahdadpuri, a fashion stylist hosts pop-ups for Indian designers in Dubai. She has worked with many noted Indian designers like Tarun Tahiliani and Shantanu and Nikhil, to trunk shows and pop-ups in Dubai.

Apparel and accessory makers plan new stores in Dubai

Indian designers now plan to set up flagship stores in Dubai. The city appreciates South Asian craftsmanship and these stores will help it grow further, says Faraz Manan, Designer, Pakistan. Bollywood designer Manish Malhotra, previously owned a store in Dubai alongwith a local partner. However, the store was closed due to an economic shuffle in the city. Malhotra plans to re-enter the Dubai market with a new store as he believes it is ready to take on Indian fashion.

Other designers including Rahul Mishra and Tarun Tahiliani also plan to set up new stores in Dubai. Shahdadpuri advises these designers to introduce a mixed offering for this market including kaftans and gowns with fusion and resort wear to tap a larger set of consumers including holiday-goers and the well-travelled expat community.

Indian accessories brands are making faster inroads into city than apparel makers. Gautam Sinha, Founder and Creative Director, Nappa Dori, a handcrafted leather label, plans to soon set up a store in Dubai. He says, the city offers a diverse range of consumers, who can be tapped without major investments. Fashion jewelry brand Tribe from Amrapali also plans a store in Dubai, reveals Akanksha Arora, CEO.

Challenges for Indian designers

A buzzing fashion destination, Dubai has always attracted Indian designers. In early 2000s, a few designers including J.J. Valaya had planned to open stores in the city. However, they had to shut their stores as the city was still in the development stage, says Arora. It transformed itself into a thriving metropolis within a span of just over two decades. It has also developed into one of the most attractive tourist destinations and a global city of fashion, she adds.

Indian designers planning to foray into the Dubai need to be aware of the existing competition. Home to over 65 malls, Dubai houses stores offering the world-class scale, service and competitive prices. International brands are already expanding their operations in the city. Indian brands also need to step up their investments and marketing strategies to make mark in the Dubai market, adds Manan.

The current D2C market in India is being driven by Gen Next enterpreneurs who are inspiring traditional conglomerates with their New Age approach. Tata and Reliance have already announced plans to launch super apps while the Aditya Birla Group has decided to increase focus on the D2C and e-commerce space. Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) recently announced plans to set up a new subsidiary for building a portfolio of New Age, digital brands (D2C) across fashion, beauty and allied lifestyle segments. To be known as the House of Brands, the initiative will help it align itself with evolving markets, says an Inc4 report. ABFRL will join startups such as Globalbees, Mensa Brands, Thrasio, Good Glamm Grup, GOAT Brand Labs to build a new brand portfolio, says Ashish Dikshit, Managing Director, ABFRL.

New Age consumers in focus

Many of these brands may not be able to expand their operations in digital space. Yet, they can leverage ABFRL’s tradition, experience and network by acquiring a plethora of brands like the company. Most of these brands are launching products targeting a specific set of consumers. They aim to tap evolving group of New Age consumers by growing their digital operations over the next five to seven years. They also plan to help ABFRL grow its brand portfolio by investing in other selective brands, adds Dikhshit.

The House of Brands business of Aditya Birla Fashion subsidiary will initially include 8 to 10 brands acquired through own capital. These small companies will have the required potential to become large brands over the next 5-10 years.

E-commerce majors take to D2C

With an expected market size of $100 million by 2026, D2C brands are expected to be the biggest drivers of retail market. In 2021, these brands clinched around 174 deals to raise $1.81 billion capital. This not only resulted in the creation of thousands of new brands but also gave enablers and digital sellers new growth opportunities by launching new disruptive models such as ecommerce roll-ups, houses of brands, etc.

The first D2C Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) brand was acquired by US-based Thrasio. The concept was later popularized by other models set up by Nykaa, GlobalBees, Mesa Brands, etc. In 2022, Mensa Brands acquired Florona, an aromatherapy D2C, Estalon, a Kolkata-based leather brand and TrustBasket, a gardening startup. Now, the D2C space is being coveted by even e-commerce majors like Flipkart which has launched the Flipkart Boost program for these brands. Last January, Amazon India also introduced the Amazon Global Selling Propel (AGSP) Accelerator with around 10 startups.

Best products at affordable rates

Through its D2C foray, Aditya Birla Fashion aims to become not just a marketplace or a platform for brands but also facilitate brand-building and provide consumers with best products at affordable prices. An expert in building brands, it plans to focus on building distinguished brands for consumers, adds Dikshit. ABFRL also plans to scale up existing brands with the help of Rs 1,500 crore investments made by Flipkart last year. Other plans include tapping emerging high-growth categories such as innerwear, athleisure, casual wear and ethnic wear.

The brands recently acquired by ABRFL for its D2C foray have already raised investments worth millions form VCs. The company plans to use these funds for expansion over the next 12-18 months. It will raise external funds once it manages to scale up its D2C operations.

21 February 2022, Mumbai:

Leading ethnic wear brand BIBA has launched a new campaign titled ‘Many Shades One Me’ to promote its summer 2022 collection.

Highlighting the beauty and confidence of a modern woman, the campaign demands equal treatment for her.

The collection made with comfortable fabrics having floral and feminine summer prints combines contemporary and traditional designs on Anarkali suit sets, tunic pant set, indie dresses, coord sets, kaftan kurtis, etc.

The brand has also launched another collection with the same prints. Named, ‘Mom n me,’ which comprise contemporary co-ord sets.

The range also includes comfortable casuals, work wear, festive range, bottom wear. Biba has pioneered Bollywood merchandising by providing outfits for many prominent movies. The brand has always focused on fashion that is not heavy on the pocket.

RELATED ARTICLE: H&M, India’s largest fast fashion brand reports 2020-21 results

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01 March 2022, Mumbai:

Fashion publication Vogue has listed a few Indian brands that offer customers the right-fitting jeans.

These include brands like Kanika Goyal, Nikita Mhaisalkar, Off day, etc.

These brands offer a wide range of denim ranging from high-waisted mom-style jeans to style-flared bottoms.

ALSO READ: Low-rise jeans make a comeback in 2022: Fashion Designers

Extremely affordable, this denim can be paired according to all occasions from a formal dinner party to a casual hang out in the park.

According to Vogue, this denim is the foundation of any well-curated closet. They are one of the few staples that can be worn all year long.

They are also comfortable enough to be live in and worn over and over again, adds the report.

RELATED ARTICLE: Responsible jeans making that is sustainable & environmentally friendly, adopting green technology & resource efficient is “New normal for global brands”

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21 February 2022, Mumbai:

Signed between India and UAE, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will unleash the infinite potential that both nations hold in the textile sector. The trade agreement has been built on the three pillars of trust, transparency and talent, says Piyush Goyal, Minister of Textiles and Industry. It will boost India’s textile exports to $ 2 billion over next 5 years. Duty-free exports are projected to rise to $650 million/year over next 5 years

Indian textile and apparel industry will also benefit through this initiative as now India will not face 5 per cent duty on textiles and garments, which will be a big advantage for Indian companies. India’s total apparel export to UAE was $1,609.4 million in 2020-21 (HS code 61, 62 combine) and 1,436.64 in 9 months of 2021-22. Its home textiles exports to the country increased by 32.46 per cent y-o-y to $259 million.

Negotiated in just 88 days, the 880-page deal also features a permanent safety mechanism to protect domestic businesses in both nations against sudden surges in trading volumes.

 12 February 2022, Mumbai:

The consolidated net profit of V-Mart Retail increased by 19.30 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 57.11 crore in the third quarter ended December 31, 2021. The company's profit stood at Rs 47.87 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year.

The value fashion and lifestyle products retailer's revenue from operations grew 47.23 per cent YoY to Rs 692.01 crore in the reported quarter against Rs 470.01 crore in October to December period a year ago.

Its EBITDA grew by 30.33 per cent to Rs 135.31 crore in the December 2021 quarter, as against Rs 103.82 crore posted last year.

Total expenses rose to Rs 618.24 crore as against Rs 406.58 crore a year ago. Founded in 2002, V-Mart is a complete family retail store chain offering apparel, footwear and accessories for men, women and kids. The company also offers a wide range of home furnishings, general merchandise, toys, tableware, utensils, and other home utility items.

The rich expertise of 17 years in delivering high-quality affordable fashion, coupled with a wide network of 200+ stores across 171 towns in 17 states and the motto of ‘Price"Less" Fashion' has helped V-Mart win the trust of more than 3 crore satisfied customers every year.