Ajay Amalean, the MD of Sri Lankan lingerie and apparel firm MAS Holdings, says seven years ago consumers cringed at the mention of the word ‘bra,’ and would refer to innerwear as the ‘item.’ Things have changed and more consumers are walking into stores to enquire about size and fit, not to mention colour and cut.

The company, which sells under the ‘Amante’ brand, says it forayed into India as “it was a billion people market with a booming middle class, and just 20 km from our shore.” The company, after retailing through various multi-brand stores, is launching its first standalone store by October. It plans to set up 20 stores with an estimated investment of ₹2 crore per store.

Do designs that work in the global market work in India too, or are the products customised?

We give our international designers a brief on what is trending, both in India and the West. The brand Amante has ensured that the product is made for India. Indian consumers would like the best of both worlds. Consumers in the west, for instance, love pink, but it’s more of a neon pink. Here in India, we won’t go full neon, but opt for a very desi pink somewhere between burgundy and pink.

Where is the Indian lingerie market headed?

Consumers in India are quite mature. So, the average ticket size is always a challenge because the consumers want more for less. When we launched seven years ago, consumers didn’t know why innerwear should be so expensive and why it was selling for ₹600. They didn’t have access to a good quality product. But now they do and are willing to pay. They are also beginning to understand the product. The average ticket size for us is ₹850-1,000. This is where our maximum sales come from.

We have introduced a line-up in the ₹600 bracket to tap into the mass category. We have debuted several products to cater to this segment. We have also launched a premium range starting from ₹2500. We realised there were takers for our wares in Tier 2 and 3 cities. The ₹600 range will be an entry point to try out our products.

You have been retailing through multi-brand and online channels. Any plans for an offline store?

We are launching our own exclusive boutiques in India by Diwali this year. We have a standalone boutique in Sri Lanka also. It offers consumers not just a product, but an experience too.

The retail world is going online and most of your competitors are shutting down standalone stores. So why go offline?

Online is hot. But there is a need for multi-channelling as Indian consumers haven’t really experienced a standalone lingerie boutique. Besides our own stores will have other products like loungewear, swimwear, gym and yoga wear. We are also studying the online market.

How many stores do you intend on setting up?

We are looking at about 20 stores through the franchise model in the next two years. These will be largely set up in malls. The store size will be 800-1,000 sq feet.

Where are your products sourced from?

Sri Lanka - our design, supply and knowledge base is located there. We are using the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement which has been in place for a while. We may also consider setting up a manufacturing plant in India. The fit offered by Amante is a huge differentiator. We have overcome challenges like body sizing and we’ve never had to recall a product.

What’s the scene on your revenues?

We are a ₹100 crore business in India. I am bullish about the country as we grew in high double digits here and we broke-even last year.

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