January 2020 Edition Apparel January 2020 issue | Seite 26

MARKET WATCH
Global Brands Making a
Mark in India
The fashion retail and luxury space in India
is booming faster than ever. A plethora of
internationally reputed brands are available
through both bricks-and-mortar stores
and websites.
Zara is the fastest fashion brand in the
world and restocks its entire collection every
two weeks. Uber feminine and bridesmaid-
esque, Forever New is a one-stop destination
for gorgeous dresses and glam accessories.
Priced a little higher than regular fast-fashion
brands, it embodies everything Australia
as a nation represents—structure, style,
and quality. Uniqlo has just recently entered
India and everything about the store and
its large variety of products screams of its
Japanese roots. It’s technologically driven
(aluminum-coated lining that traps body heat,
advanced cupro-fibre innerwear that instantly
absorbs perspiration, etc.) and the aesthetic
is extremely basic. With basics and laidback
and everyday casuals GAP is the fashion
haven for the comfort-seeking dresser. The
brand offers different sizing according to build
and body type. GAP has everything from
plain tees and denims to sweatshirts and
jackets. H&M’s aesthetic is clean, chic, and
minimal. H&M also offers a line of jewellery
and lingerie.
Cottonking Continues Innovating
with Shirts, Plans Retail
Expansion
Popular shirt brand Cottonking has introduced a variety
of shirts in its current range. “These include shirts with a
carbon peach finish, stain-resistant shirts and a new range
known as Aerosoft,” informs Kaushik Marathe, director. The
24
I APPAREL I
January 2020
Small Towns Go Online to
Quench Thirst for Luxury
A lack of stores and luxury malls is pushing up
online orders for luxe goods in Tier II and III cities.
For some luxury websites, the growth rate of orders
from smaller towns is much higher than from Tier I
cities, according to industry executives.
Offline luxury multi-brand retailer The Collective
has 45–50 per cent of its sales in Tier II and III
cities. Around 9 per cent of its total revenue comes
from online luxury sales. “Even in the smallest of
cities, the ability to buy luxury items is second to
none. We see traction from Hyderabad, suburbs
of Kanpur, Aurangabad and Narwana in Haryana,”
said Amit Pande, the company’s brand head.
But for luxury websites, the supply chain is a bit
different. Brands such as Elitify and Darveys usually
work with authentic multi-brand stores abroad to
find the cheapest deals and resell them here. “We
are experiencing major inflows from Tier II cities
like Indore, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, etc. Given the
right catalogue mix and experience, this section
of the market is the fastest growing,” said Ritesh
Srivastava, CEO of Elitify.
Most consumers tend to go bargain hunting
online. For a large part of 2019, luxury mall
managers reported that sales were lacklustre.
Luxury goods websites, however, managed to buck
the trend because of 20-50 per cent lower costs on
their sites.
Excerpted from ETRetail.com
brand also offers a wide variety of designs and prints.
“Floral prints are popular nowadays. Besides, we also
offer chequers and stripes in good numbers. Though we
are majorly a cotton-based brand, we also have cotton
linen shirts in our collection. The colour palette is largely
blue, green and maroon,” he adds.
Marathe sees shirts as a promising category, both in
terms of business and volumes. “Men require more shirts
than trousers and T-shirts. They usually have three to
four shirts over two trousers. Obviously, it has promising
growth prospects,” he says.
He believes that the shirt industry has changed a
lot over the years. “People have become more value-
conscious, price-sensitive, and smart as they now
have a lot of options to choose from. You have to keep
up with fashion and keep introducing new things,” he
adds. For such customers, Cottonking is as much a
preferred brand as it is affordable. The brand’s in-house
production, strong supply chain, and delivery enable it
to save a lot of money. Marathe adds that the brand’s
production is growing by 15-20 per cent every year.