Apparel April 2019 Apparel May 2019 issue | Page 90

ENTREPRENEUR SPEAK
B:KIND’S CORE OFFERING IS
‘AFFORDABLE FASHION’ FOR THE
WOMEN OF INDIA.
Today’s woman is independent, has a unique
voice, is opinionated, and wants to share her
thoughts. She travels, is a dreamer, aspires more
for her family and herself, and values time and
money. Age and body type does not define her,
and she is aware about global trends, seeks
convenience, and is looking for trendy, ethnic
Indo-Western garments.
WHAT IS YOUR STRATEGY FOR
BOOSTING SALES?
B:kind’s core offering is ‘affordable fashion’ for the
women of India. We think that as a market, India
has its own trends. So yes, global fashion too is
at its peak in our country, but that, mixed with a
certain sense of personal style, is what resonates
with the woman of India today. Trends such as
fusion and boho chic are some of what we have
seen growing within the country.
Women’s shifting from tailor-made to ready-to-
wear is a trend we see the world over because of
lives being fast-paced and people wanting more
options in clothing for every occasion, be it ready-
to-wear, loungewear, sportswear, nightwear, etc.
It’s impossible to have those many options if it is
all tailor-made.
We face competition from apparel brands like
Zara, Mango, H&M, Chemistry, and AND to name
a few in the Western space and ethnic brands
such as Global Desi, Fabindia, Biba, etc.
However, in the Western fusion space, there
a very few brands we compete with. So, as our
product is unique yet commercial and caters
to the Indian women and we also face limited
competition, it allows us to have an edge and
a differentiating factor and compete with the
brands mentioned above. This is one of the key
strategies to boost sales today. Pay attention to
the product and pricing.
WHAT DOES THIS BRAND MEAN
TO YOU?
As our name suggests, we want our unique
proposition to be a considerate approach, not
restricting it to just the consumers we sell to,
but to each and every person we interact with.
While attempting to do justice to the needs of our
muse, we also want to ensure that we approach
all of our partakers with utmost kindness. Hence,
we only employ organic fabrics and local artisans
84
I APPAREL I
May 2019
with environmentally conscious changes to
guarantee that our overarching message of
kindness is deep-seated and spreads in our
culture. We want our consumers to think of us not
as a fast fashion brand but as a conscious brand
that tries to strike a chord at each level.
CAN YOU ELABORATE ON YOUR
BRAND’S LATEST VENTURES?
From this year onwards, we have a very strategic
way forward. Hence, to scale our business now
to the next level, we have the following aspects
in mind:
Product and Pricing
• Introducing two separate lines with different
price points
• Wholesale products which will be more cost-
effective with quick turnarounds in design
• Retail products to be more organised
and trendy, and to be retailed as a
capsule collection
• Competitive pricing, thereby commanding
higher margins
Addition of a New Season
• Festive season to be introduced in
October–November
Sales and Distribution
• Wholesale (MBOs): Push strategy by making
prices more competitive
• Retail (LFS and e-commerce): Pull strategy by
ramping up marketing and advertising
Focus on the high demand and margin,
e-commerce segment on the B:kind platform
and all other platforms
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR BRAND A
YEAR FROM NOW?
There are brands that reach out to the urban
woman and then there are brands that reach
out to the woman rooted in Indian culture.
However, B:kind wants to be the subtle, kind
support system for the aspiring women who
want to gradually transition from their ethnic
choices to a modern sensibility. Hence, the
product range starts from an affordable bracket
while still ensuring that it is up-to-date in terms
of quality and trends. We are sensitive to the
regional requirements of our customers and have
always strategically planned to make our product
portfolio all-inclusive. As B:kind gears towards
defining a lifestyle change for its muse, it has
moved towards creating unique capsules
to ease decision-making and augment the
aesthetic quotient through improved storytelling
and store displays.
So, a year from today, B:kind would have set
its foot in calling itself a lifestyle brand catering to
women for every requirement of theirs.