03 September 2021, Mumbai:

Indian shoppers struggling to find the correct sizes may be relieved as the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi has undertaken a product to develop a comprehensive body size chart for the Indian population.

To be conducted under the aegis of Ministry of Textiles, the India size survey will create a size identification number for each customer by mapping, categorizing and defining their body size. These sizes will help manufacturers create well-fitted garments for their consumers. They will also help consumers identify the best suited sizes for them and boost their garment purchases. Insights from the study will also be applicable to other industries and help them produce ergonomically designed products for the Indian population, affirms UP Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.

Standardize size chart for the apparel sector

Approved by the Government, the project will survey over 25,000 male and female consumers in the age group of 15 years and 65 years and above in six different cities using 3D whole body scanners.. The cities to be covered include New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Shillong. The study will not only standardize size chart for the Indian apparel sector but will also help other sectors such as automotive, aerospace, fitness and sport, art, computer gaming produce ergonomically designed products for Indian customers.

As per Shantanu, Director-General, NIFT, the project will also reduce the rate of product returns in the ready-to-wear category from the current 40 per cent, says. It will measure the relevant sample size by studying over 25,000 male and female population across various demographics, adds Professor Noopur Anand PhD, NIFT. The survey will address prevailing size issues and help manufacturers produce better-fitting garments for Indian customers.

3D scanners to help capture accurate body maps

The use of 3D whole body scanners will help manufacturers extract body measurements and capture highly accurate 3D body maps in less than 10 seconds in one posture. The scanner creates a point cloud that enables manufacturers automatically extract body measurements through computer programming. The method eliminates manual measurement and transcription errors, thereby reducing the time frame of the anthropometric surveys, adds Anand.

Designer Namrata Joshipura, believes this is a push in the right direction for both designers and consumers. The size charts and insights generated through these surveys and corresponding analysis will help the garment industry provide well-fitting garments designed as per the body structure of the native population, adds Anand.

For the survey, NIFT will collect data from a diversified sample population and analyze their body shapes and sizes. The project is a timely initiative to study the Indian body type that encompasses numerous races and cultures, adds Anupamaa Dayal, Designer.

To be completed by December 2022, the project will position India on a global platform by creating a standardized body size chart for Indian apparel industry.

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Driven by the desire to deliver everything from high street denim trends to fashion staples, Spykar has been offering superlative products and great fits to customers since 1992. The brand synonymous with the ‘Young & Restless’ generation of today is now venturing into product licensing with Charlie Chaplin and Einstein-inspired collections in the pipeline.

Sustainability in its processes is always a focus at Spykar Lifestyles. The brand offers denim that uses the least amount of water in manufacturing in the country -- one glass of water compared to the usual 1,500 glasses. Moreover, Spykar relies on the use of solar power and there is no fossil fuel usage. Energy conservation and maintaining ecological balance is what makes Spykar a go-to brand for anyone looking at comfortable yet sustainable denim. Sanjay Vakharia, CEO, talks about the brand’s plans, new launches and retail network.

What is your collection for upcoming season?

We are launching a new range of sustainable denim products made using approximately one glass of water. These garments have been made without using any harmful chemicals, and area available in young and vibrant colors with subtle hues. Both the jeans and other denim garments in this range are available in a mix of dark, mid and light washes in trending fits. The collection focuses on three unique themes:

Gamescape: This involves the infusion of digital technologies in physical products. It includes the use of sporty details and electric colors in the garments. Beachcomber: It blends the utilitarian look with artistic details to enhance the perpetual holiday theme.

Homespun: This blends global prints and patterns with the idea of ease and comfort. It inspires consumers to live in harmony with nature. Prints used in this theme include nature inspired abstracts, multi-colored and tonal floral prints. The theme also favors artisanal and folklore inspired countryside prints.

What are your latest product innovations?

Our latest product range mixes a variety of patterns, cuts, prints and washes. The range focus on the athleisure and offers joggers, graphic shirts, regular and cropped T-shirts, trendy woven and denim shirts for both men and women. The jeans in this range are crafted from knitted denim while joggers are made in indigo dyed denim fabric.

The color palette of our latest range caters to a wide consumer base. It includes a mix of bright and subtle hues alongwith earthy tones and pastels. The range includes cotton-based fabrics that have natural comforting properties, absorbing qualities and durability factors. These products mainly target young, fashionable and bold men and women in the age group 18 to 35 years.

Tell us about your retail network.

Spykar is available in 250 stores across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Delhi NCR, Gujarat and Maharashtra. We are also present in over 1,500 MBOs and 600 large format stores across India. By 2023, we aim to open 30 new stores across North and South India.

What are your expansion plans?

We plan to launch new Charlie Chaplin -themed merchandise carrying many different images including Chaplin’s own sketch and signature printed on T-shirts, Chaplin’s quotes, etc. We also plan to launch an Einstein inspired collection in coming months. In 2020, we launched a new product category ‘Underjeans’. These respond to fashion-conscious individual’s innate desire for appealing and individualistic innerwear.

02 September 2021, Mumbai:

Mustang the brand whose name was inspired by Hollywood classic Ben Hur is a leading socks manufacturer in India. Led by Naazneen Katrak, Co-Founder, the brand caters to fashion needs of customers across gender and age groups. Lubeina Shahpurwala, Partner, shares detail about operations, retail spread and upcoming collections.

Elaborate on your product portfolio.

Catering to the needs of the entire family, Mustang offers socks for men, women and newborn babies. We also offer health and compression socks for people with diabetes, blood pressure, swollen feet, wide calves and circulatory problems. Our socks are a reflection of our teams who nurture the entire process with extreme love and care.

What are the new innovations in your products?

Since its inception, Mustang has been constantly innovating to cater to changing market trends. We aim to make socks an essential fashion commodity for every occasion, and develop new products every day. Our manufacturing process enables us to not just introduce new designs and patterns but also widen our distribution network. Keeping with changing times, we have adopted new trends like online shopping, digital and contactless payments, etc. These help us contain the virus spread while continuing with regular operations.

What is your collection for the upcoming season?

The new collection focuses on fashion-oriented youth and offers vibrant colors, designs and patters. The socks in this range are designed to help customers achieve their personal best. They have been designed to balance sensibility with sophistication with the use of good materials, processes and performance. Elucidate on your retail spread.

We are present in 8,000 MBOs across India. We also have a presence in the Middle East and UK, and have recently entered the US market. We also have tie-ups with various e-commerce portals to match the growing trend of online shopping.

What are your future plans?

We aim to grow our distribution network and establish presence in Tier II and III markets.

TOP 5: 

• Vasaas, a multi-brand fashion e-commerce platform, has over 400 Indian labels on board and expects to reach 1,000 by the end of the year
• Pastels & Pop, a shoe brand, has opened a store in Bengaluru
• Libas, an ethnic clothing business, has opened outlets in New Delhi
• Bhumi Pednekar is the first Indian brand ambassador for MAC Cosmetics
• Shanaya Kapoor, Vir Das, Divyendu Sharmaa, and Rohit Saraf have joined Misfit as brand ambassadors

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30th August 2021, Mumbai:

Tata Group Company Trent has appointed P Venkatesalu as the new chief executive officer and executive director for three years, effective 6 October 2021. As per a Fashion Network report, Venkatesalu was earlier the executive director of finance and chief financial officer at the company.

He will replace Stephen Rayfield who has resigned citing personal reasons. Venkatsalu joined the company in 2008 and has been with the company for 13 years and heads the finance and accounts, legal, and secretarial functions. He is also responsible for the strategy and investment activities of the company.

Trent operates Westside, a chain of fashion retail stores as well Landmark and Zudio fashion stores. Through a joint venture with Spain’s Inditex, Trent also operates the fashion brand Zara in India.

TOP 5:

• 'V-Mart Retail' to open 55 stores this year
• 'V2 Retail' reports Rs 11 crore net loss in Q1FY21
• Lakme Fashion Week & PETA India, Indian fashion designers pledge to go leather-free on the World Fashion Day
• 'Shein' becomes the world largest online-only retailer: Euromonitor International
• Shantanu & Nikhil launch 2021 festive couture collection ‘Oasis’

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02 September 2021, Mumbai:

Online ethnic wear brand Libas plans to further strengthen its offline retail presence by opening up new stores across the country in the coming months.

As per Fashion Network, the brand has opened two new stores in the national capital New Delhi. The new stores are located at Rajouri Garden main market and V3S Mall of Nirman Vihar spread across 2400 sq ft and 500 sq ft store respectively.

Sidhant Keshwani, Managing Director, believes, the store will make the brand more accessible to a wider customer segment thus providing it with the opportunity to deliver its beautiful collections that embody Libas’ philosophy

As part of its marketing strategy, the brand has also unveiled its rebranded logo and identity. Libas has a strong presence in the women’s ethnic wear market in north India and sells through its website with delivery across India.

TOP 5: 

• Vasaas, a multi-brand fashion e-commerce platform, has over 400 Indian labels on board and expects to reach 1,000 by the end of the year
• Pastels & Pop, a shoe brand, has opened a store in Bengaluru
• Libas, an ethnic clothing business, has opened outlets in New Delhi
• Bhumi Pednekar is the first Indian brand ambassador for MAC Cosmetics
• Shanaya Kapoor, Vir Das, Divyendu Sharmaa, and Rohit Saraf have joined Misfit as brand ambassadors

Watch YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnQ6v9wBHyOlRPSDgJMsJaA

31th August 2021, Mumbai:

Pioneer of Eri Silk manufacturing and an established leader pan India, Fabric Plus has collaborated with Liva, the brand from the house of Aditya Birla Group to introduce innovative fabrics made using Liva Modal fibers from Birla Cellulose and Eri silk.

LIVA Modal is a 100 per cent nature- based fiber with unique features of magnificent drape, matt sheen and light weight. It can be easily blended with other fibers, be it silk or cotton.

Liva and Fabric Plus also reimagine handloom fabrics to create high-end fashion saris, mekhala chadars, stoles, etc. This is first of its kind initiative in North East India wherein two leading textile players have joined hands to promote sustainable handloom textiles.

J Roy, Fabric Plus believes, the association will unleash hidden potential of the business allowing the consumers to have more pleasing experience and customers to remain even more loyal.

TOP 5:

• 'Future Lifestyle Fashion' report Rs 325 crore net loss in Q1
• Trent Ltd appoints P Venkatesalu as new CEO and Executive Director
• Amit GT launches women’s couture collection at 'India Couture Week'
• Future Retail files new case against Amazon seeking asset sale clearance to Reliance Industries
• Donear Industries signs agreement to buy RSWM assets

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29th August 2021, Mumbai:

Designers Shantanu & Nikhil have launched their 2021 festive couture collection ‘Oasis’. As per a Vogue Business report, 70 per cent of the collection comprises menswear, showcased alongside key womenswear silhouettes.

The collection taps into the label’s signature tropes. It includes military-inspired detailing, juxtaposed with tribal motifs. For the men, it offers printed silk draped kurtas, armour-esque bandis, military-detailing festooned bandhgalas, cowl trousers, jewelled brooches and safas. For the women, the designers have created hybrid styles that can be worn anywhere They have paired voluminous drapes with sharply constructed bodices to form one-of-a-kind pieces, then embellished with hand-embroidery, crystals and leather appliqué in a palette of gold, navy, red and blacks, as well as in multi-hued digital prints for the neo-luxe bride.

Oasis’ infuses timeless designs with unique elements and contemporary ease. The collection hits all the boxes—a design edge, unapologetic glamour and masterful construction.

TOP 5:

• At India Couture Week, Ashima Leena showcases ageless femininity
• As customers return to 'embrace summer,' Gap is ready to shine
• INDIAsize is now available in Delhi! In the apparel industry, it aims to bring India's standard size chart
• Flipkart, an Indian online retailer, has strengthened its supply chain network in Karnataka, creating over 14,000 jobs
• Nehha Chandra to be the new Head-Marketing for Ritu Kumar Brands

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01 September 2021, Mumbai:

India’s B2B fashion manufacturing company, Fashinza has signed a definitive agreement with leading omni-channel retail brand Ace Turtle to deliver world-class solution to Indian retailers, designers and manufacturers. As per BW Disrupt report, this association will make scaling easy, B2B outsourcing simple and streamlined for fashion and apparel brands.

As a part of this deal, Fashinza will give Ace Turtle access to production floor transparency and visibility through the technology platform, quality assurance, merchandising, logistics and export support. On the other hand, Ace Turtle will provide Fashinza with an opportunity to work with big brands like Lee and Wrangler as well as global suppliers.

Abhishek Sharma, COO and Co-Founder, Fashinza says, the partnership will make it easier to Ace Turtle to monitor and manage production with AI-driven platform .Jamil Ahmad, CBO, and CO-Founder, Fashinza adds, the partnership with Ace Turtle will enable Fashinza scale global brands faster besides solving all demand as well as supply-side challenges.

Fashinza is on a mission to create sustainable and futuristic supply chains for fashion brands while improving the lives of workers. The platform provides end-to-end online ordering for brands, complete production tracking from the factory floor, low MOQs, and fast but ethical production. It also helps brands to reduce wastage, inventory forecasting errors and enables quick replenishment of bestsellers with a fast turnaround time.

TOP 5:

• For an occasionwear collection, Biba collaborated with Rohit Bal
• Sutraa This September, the Indian Fashion Exhibition will return to Patna and six other locations
• Kanpur will host the first edition of the Fashionista shopping fair in September
• In the first half of this year, Bangladesh emerges as the favored destination for Indian garment consumers
• Donear Group, an Indian textile company, has acquired Mayur Fabrics and the PV Suiting distribution network

Watch YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnQ6v9wBHyOlRPSDgJMsJaA

31th August 2021, Mumbai:

Blending style with perfection and comfort, Focus Jeans launches new fashion trends every season. Incepted at the beginning of the 21st century, from a humble beginning the brand has expanded to over 4,500 outlets today. As Yogesh Kuruba, Director of Focus Jeans says “Professional approach to brand building and marketing has helped us emerge as one of the most promising brands in the B2B segment.”

Making a style statement

Focus Jeans offers over 250 styles along with different shades and fittings. Its product line comprises classic jeans, trendy (baggy fit, mom fit, wide legs, straight leg, and boot cut). The brand’s products are classified into various categories like Classicss, Fashionable, Premium, jackets, formals, lounge wear, kids wear, to name a few.

Spanning across markets

Focus Jeans caters to all kinds of geographies without distinction. It collaborates with other companies to fuel expansion plans share its journey with like-minded partners. The target customers are women in the age group 15 to 35 years with specific focus on 18-32 year-olds. The brand’s customers are loyal, conscious and seek good quality. Most of them are spread across metros, suburbs, towns, mini metros and Tier I and II cities.

TOP 5:

• For an occasionwear collection, Biba collaborated with Rohit Bal
• Sutraa This September, the Indian Fashion Exhibition will return to Patna and six other locations
• Kanpur will host the first edition of the Fashionista shopping fair in September
• In the first half of this year, Bangladesh emerges as the favored destination for Indian garment consumers
• Donear Group, an Indian textile company, has acquired Mayur Fabrics and the PV Suiting distribution network