7th September 2021, Mumbai:

Multi-brand e-commerce platform Ikkivi has launched a size inclusivity campaign with a group of influencers. The campaign aims to create awareness amongst consumers and offer people across the world an opportunity to buy sustainably made clothes in a range of sizes.

Aimng to be 100 per cent size inclusive by June 2022, Ikkivi currently retails clothing by eco-friendly and sustainable women’s wear brands including Kanelle, The Summer House, etc. Its new size-inclusion campaign promises to provide garments in sizes 2XS to 5XL with no added cost for larger sizes. For this campaign, Ikkivi spoke with six women from all over the world who are challenging the fashion business in influential ways and trailblazing powerful conversations on the subject, showcasing the urgency to look into contemporary models and issues that impact us at grassroots levels, says Nivi Murthy, Founder.

TOP 5:

• Urbanic 'E-commerce Brand' reports strong sales on first day of listing on Myntra
• Reliance Retail to set up new store chain in 'Ethnic wear & Saree space'
• CITI, SIMA hail TN state government decision to remove 1% AMC Cess on cotton, cotton waste
• Bewakoof.com announces Peppy Pink as color of month
• The government intends to expand the IFLADP incentive programme to include leather items and footwear

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6th September 2021, Mumbai:

A recent report by market researcher Kantar accuses Indian consumers of being profit oriented and ignoring their environmental commitments. Titled ‘The Asia Sustainability Foundational Study,’ the report surveys 10,000 consumers in nine countries and over 1,000 big Indian cities.

It reveals, though 77 per cent of respondents are willing to invest in sustainable companies, their intentions rarely translate into actions. Around 84 per cent focus only on financial gains rather than saving the planet from environmental hazards. The report terms this phenomenon as the ‘value-action gap’.

Consumers abstain from spending on abstract causes

Samit Sinha, Managing Partner, Alchemist Brand Consulting, elaborates on this phenomenon by highlighting the purchases of most Indian consumers are price-driven. They do not prefer spending on distant and abstract causes. They are unlikely to shift their manufacturing strategies unless policies are made to make sustainability affordable. However, Sanjay Sarma, Founder, SSARMA Consults, a boutique branding and communications advisory believes a law making sustainability mandatory would invite more resistance from brands. To make sustainability more affordable, brands needs to change the way they look at both. They also need to invite more conversations on this topic, adds Sarma.

Incorporating sustainability into brand consciousness

Though fashion and lifestyle brands start their sustainability journey with good intent, they eventually compromise on their values as economic considerations and market forces take precedence, adds Sarma

Brands therefore, need to change their thinking patterns and incorporate sustainability into their consciousness. The onus to create awareness and promote sustainability lies on them, adds Shishir Goenka, a Mumbai-based exporter of organic cotton clothing, who launched a sustainable brand called Do U Speak Green? for the domestic market in 2009. However, the brand didn’t survive for long as the market was not yet ready for sustainable clothing. Hence, large fashion brands need to up their sustainability quotient and increase contributions towards climate-control.

TOP 5:

• Reliance Retail poised to foray into saree, ethnic wear stores
• Hari Krishna Agarwal has been appointed as the new MD of Grasim Industries
• A Delhi court has ordered the company to stop using Gucci's mark on their products and to pay damages
• MP (India) has a lot of room to expand in the Textile industry: Shivraj Singh,CM (M.P.)
• Telangana (India) has requested a one-billion-dollar grant from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Warangal Textile Park

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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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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

6th September 2021, Mumbai:

E-commerce platform Meesho has introduced a 10-day company-wide break and a ‘Reset & Recharge’ policy to promote employee well-being. From November 4 to 14, Meesho has directed all employees to completely unplug from their work in order to care for their health and general wellbeing, reports Fashion Network.

The move is aimed at prioritizing employees’ mental health during the current pandemic times. The new policy is designed to spark a wider conversation about the importance of mental health support in the Indian corporate sphere.

Based out of Bengaluru, Meesho retails a wide range of brands in categories including men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, jewellery, and accessories. The business launched a groceries segment during the pandemic to cater to customer needs and operate within lockdown regulations.

It also raised $300 million (Rs 2,191 crore) in a new round of funding led by SoftBank Vision Fund, giving the marketplace a valuation of $2.1 billion.

TOP 5:

• Reliance Retail poised to foray into saree, ethnic wear stores
• Hari Krishna Agarwal has been appointed as the new MD of Grasim Industries
• A Delhi court has ordered the company to stop using Gucci's mark on their products and to pay damages
• MP (India) has a lot of room to expand in the Textile industry: Shivraj Singh,CM (M.P.)
• Telangana (India) has requested a one-billion-dollar grant from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Warangal Textile Park

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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

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6th September 2021, Mumbai:

“The pandemic has given us an opportunity to work on our shortcomings and create specialty products for both niche and value-focused customers,” opines Alok Jain, Vice President, Cloak and Dagger, the new sub-brand from Monte Carlo Fashions.

The brand has just launched a new range of long coats and cardigans for women and jackets for men. Most garments are made from cotton rich poly fabrics that not only retain their original sheen and drape but are also durable.

Revolutionizing the branded garments segment

Cloak and Dagger mostly targets customers in the middle and lower middle income groups. The brand revolutionizes the branded garments segment by offering clothes starting from as low as Rs 399. The product line encompasses all categories including T-shirts, lowers, bermudas, etc for summer and sweatshirts, tracksuits, jackets, long coats, sweaters or cardigans for winters. “We make everything to satisfy the needs of our consumers,” affirms Jain.

After strengthening its position and making a mark in the men’s category, Cloak and Dagger is now making a splash in the women’s apparel category. It has added several new segments besides launching a new accessories range offering caps, mufflers etc. Launched with a vision to create a niche market focusing on the economy class, Cloak and Dagger has spread its wings across the nation. The brand has 70 distributors who handle marketing operations pan India.

Caution, the key to future growth

“These days, middles class consumers wish to buy well known brands at realistic prices. People have become extremely cautious while spending money as the threat of third COVID-wave continues to loom,” explains Jain. Therefore, brands need to focus on customer’s needs, inventory management and distribution activities, he cautions. They cannot ignore the buying potential of customers in smaller cities.

Despite COVID-led uncertainties, Jain expects the upcoming season to be good for the fashion industry as companies are making limited stocks. Yet, a lot depends on the timing and duration of third wave, he says, advising brands to be cautious and focus on limited inventory, pruned retailer list and strong financial distributors.

Beating COVID blues with retail expansion

A pan-India brand, Cloak and Dagger mainly focuses on the Northern and Eastern markets including Delhi, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam. It is slowly spreading its wings in Western India as well. Currently, present in over 500 direct and 1,000 indirect MBOs, the brand also plans to set up EBOs in future. Expansion plans include tapping Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh markets. The brand has also tapped the South India market by appointing distributors. Its retail operations are mainly controlled by distributors though the brand also has an online presence.

In future, Cloak and Dagger aims to add new product categories in men’s and women’s segment. It also plans to introduce a rejuvenated version of its classic collection by adding hairy yarns to it.

TOP 5:

• Reliance Retail poised to foray into saree, ethnic wear stores
• Hari Krishna Agarwal has been appointed as the new MD of Grasim Industries
• A Delhi court has ordered the company to stop using Gucci's mark on their products and to pay damages
• MP (India) has a lot of room to expand in the Textile industry: Shivraj Singh,CM (M.P.)
• Telangana (India) has requested a one-billion-dollar grant from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Warangal Textile Park

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

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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