From launching their own affordable products range to tying up with online players, well-known designers are doing it all to take their brand where the moolah lies — the burgeoning middle class.
For couture-crazy consumers, it’s an opportunity like never before as designer-wear doesn’t necessarily weigh heavy on the wallet. Ritu Kumar, Anita Dongre, Rohit Bal, Manish Malhotra and Rahul Mishra are among brands that are reaching out to a new set of consumers.
“We are a product-oriented company and have a defined look and feel to our products. We created sub-brands to scale up the business,” says Amrish Kumar, CEO, Ritu Kumar.
Kumar who was instrumental in launching the brand’s western line ‘Label’, a fashion prêt (ready-to-wear) line, said designs in the new segment will be priced upwards of ₹2,000. This is a far cry from the brand’s usual range, which ranges from ₹15,000 to a few lakhs.
“The retail story in India has been value oriented. Label, launched in 2000, is a scalable brand as it offers contemporary products at value to consumers,” he added.
Others such as designer Anita Dongre have launched And Designs India, which operates retail chain Global Desi. The company, which has 32 stores, plans to increase that number to 100.
Says designer Rahul Mishra, who has worked with Australian firm Woolmark and Trent to create an affordable designer clothing line: “Collaborations are a part of brand extensions. We are also looking to collaborate with an e-commerce firm to launch an affordable line.”
Asked if sub-branding would confuse consumers, Mishra said consumers were aware as design philosophy and pricing differed substantially. Experts point out that designers are going online as the medium cuts real estate costs and reaches a larger consumer base.
Others such as Manish Malhotra, Nishka Lulla and Rohit Bal have also found clients in the online space.
Malhotra tied up with an entrepreneur to set up online retail platform Exclusively.in, while Bal has designed exclusively for online channel collections, which are priced between ₹8,000 and ₹15,000.
Jagdeep Kapoor, CMD, Samsika Marketing Consultancy, points out that designers are going for sub-brands as their brands are aspirational in nature and cater to a latent demand for such products.
He, however, warns brands against confusing consumers and losing their equity.