The Chennai-based Indian Terrain Fashions was founded with the aim of providing men in India with premium smart-casual clothing. It opened its first store in Chennai in 2000. Two decades later, its products are available in over 1,000 multi-brand outlets, over 400 doors of large format stores, 200+ exclusive brand outlets, and as well as key e-commerce platforms.
It has not only become a pan-India brand but has also been a leader when it comes to sustainability, Indian Terrain was the first Indian high street brand to get the Fairtrade Label certification. It has been an exciting journey so far, and the future looks more exciting, said Indian Terrain's Joint Managing Director, Vidyuth Venkatesh Rajagopal, in an exclusive interview with
We were one of the first brands to tap this category. The trend took over thanks to the IT boom and the office wear started to change. Indian Terrain has now become a work-wear brand. We are selling a million shirts a year, and if you add all our products, we are selling 10-12 million units per year in India. We have around 1,000 SKUs.
Subtlety continues to be at the core of your brand philosophy...
Yes. We always use the term ‘Stylish but Anonymous’. If we want to make a high-quality product, it should not be that we should make it in a colour that sticks out. When you are walking on the road, you should not be a walking billboard for the brand. That’s not what we want. We would rather make for that customer who is comfortable that he is wearing a premium product and not necessarily show it off.
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How do you see the brand evolving from here?
The first ten years was about getting the product consistency. A big part of our design aesthetics is around designing clothes that are stylish, comfortable and anonymous. Over the last ten years, we focussed on connecting with Chennai’s heritage. We are influenced a lot by the city. I would not say it is conservativeness, but the lack of need to shout out from the rooftops is largely the function of this city. That’s a big part of our heritage. The third decade will be about building the brand further and making it synonymous with apparel.
Has Indian Terrain grown out of its regional brand tag?
Yes. We are a pan India player now. The percentage of sales between the rest of the country and the south is even. In certain product categories northern, western and eastern regions are stronger. We are getting a balanced reception from the customers across the country to our overall portfolio.
Getting somebody like Kunal and Dhoni should have helped you?
Kunal was the first sign that we wanted to be seen as a national brand. It was the first step that we took. Intention was the most important thing. From intention, it has taken us 8-10 years for us to be recognised like that. There is significant traction in Bihar. Uttar Pradesh has always been a strong market for us and the East is growing superbly including the North East. Central and East India are starting to fire in all cylinders.
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Then you brought in Dhoni…
Dhoni’s coming along was a big milestone for us. It was the right time to take on a celebrity ambassador of that stature because the brand had also gained that level of traction. It was available in every nook-and-corners of the country. Dhoni has a pan-India appeal. He is also the most stylish but anonymous person. He is not the one to seek attention but has interests like bikes. He is very comfortable in his own skin and a phenomenal person.
Why have you not taken the brand outside India?
There is enough growth potential in the domestic market. India is not a single market but multiple markets and it requires a lot of focus. To go international, we need to find the right partners. It is also true that we have found a huge clamouring for our products from the diaspora. We are not in a hurry to take the brand overseas. The day we achieve a great net promoter score in India, we will take the brand globally.
How are your online sales performing?
Nearly 20 per cent of sales during the second quarter of this fiscal were from e-commerce as against 5 per cent pre-pandemic. Last year, during the pandemic, we quickly invested to strengthen our own web store. Today, Indianterrain.com generates 10 per cent of all online sales. Our products are also there on sites like Flipkart, Amazon and Myntra.