innovation in Activewear propelling its steady growth
We have seen global fashion industry struggling with massive inventory in 2022 that piled up in their stores and warehouses, partly due to shipping delays from sourcing countries and majorly due to retailers’ misjudgement of consumer demand, the ongoing recessionary trends and many other factors such as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
We have seen global fashion industry struggling with massive inventory in 2022 that piled up in their stores and warehouses, partly due to shipping delays from sourcing countries and majorly due to retailers’ misjudgement of consumer demand, the ongoing recessionary trends and many other factors such as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
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2 AO India | November 2022
November 2022 | AO India 3
November 2022 | AO India 3
CONTENTS
26
COVER STORY
Innovation In Activewear
Propelling Its Steady Growth
INDUSTRY VERDICT
12 I Retail Giants To Various International And
National Brands Are Continuously Opening Stores. Is
This Growth Landscape Representing The Picture Of
The Entire Apparel Retail Industry Or Is This Growth
Mainly For A Few Selected Companies?
RETAIL RIGHT// //NATIONAL
14 I ONDC May Act As A Booster Shot For The
Buyers And Sellers - Reimagining The Future Of
Digital Commerce
p14
ONDC aims to facilitate a shift from an operator-driven monolithic, platformcentric
model, to a facilitator-driven, interoperable decentralised network
RETAIL RIGHT// //NEWS
17 I FREECULTR Becomes The Official Merchandise
Partner For FIFA 2022
RETAIL RIGHT// //INTERNATIONAL
19 I The Secret Sauce Of Target Demographics In
Social Commerce - Buying Pattern Of
Different Generations
RETAIL RIGHT// //NEWS
22 I LVMH Sales Jump By 19% In The Third Quarter,
As A Strong Dollar Boosts Europe Demand
p31
With social commerce, the entire shopping experience from product
discovery and research to checkout is different for different generations
EXPERT SPEAKS
24 I D2C In India: Opportunities, Challenges
And Solutions
BUYING & SOURCING
32 I Decoding B2B Fashion Marketplaces As The
Concept Expands In India
MANUFACTURING
35 I Eastman Exports Global Clothing On Growth
Path, Opening Offices Overseas
p36
Tailor and Circus: Not in the business of making underwear but in the
business of making people love themselves
4 AO India | November 2022
November 2022 | AO India 5
November 2022 | AO India 5
CONTENTS
36 I Kolkata And Tirupur Ensuring Their Growth In
Innerwear With Different Focus Altogether
MANUFACTURING// //NEWS
40 I Shahi Exports’ Anant Ahuja Joins The Board
Of The BBI
SUSTAINABILITY
44 I Efforts Towards Women Workers’ Safe Period
Cycle Is A Win-Win For All
SUSTAINABILITY// //NEWS
47 I Louis Dreyfus Company Project Jagruthi To
Support Farmers On Sustainable Cotton Farming
p44
Shahi Exports has done a remarkable job for menstrual hygiene
management
TRENDS IN FOCUS// //RUNWAYS
49 I The Megatrend Round-Up From The Fashion
Capitals Of The World S/S ’23 Edition
FASHION BUSINESS
55 I Riding The Metaverse Wave - What Brands Need
To Know And Do
DESIGNERS & LABELS
59 I Gauri & Nainika - Painting Reality In Conversation
With The Connoisseurs Of Glamorous Evening
Wear In India
p49
Key trends round-up from the international runways for S/S ’23
START-UPS
63 I Start-Ups Leveraging Technologies In
Smart Textiles
START-UPS// //NEWS
67 I DaMENSCH Will Have 100 Retail
Stores By Next Year
TRADE STATISTICS
68 I US Apparel Imports (Jan.-Aug. 2022): Value Of US
Apparel Import Crosses US $ 10 Billion In August ’22
p55
How to ace the metaverse game
EVENT// //NEWS
72 I Hyosung Launches New Fall/Winter ’23/24 Textile
Trends At ISPO Munich
RESOURCE CENTRE
73 I André Lacroix, Intertek Group CEO And Author
Of ‘Leadership With Soul’ Shares Insights With
Apparel Resources
74 I Anju Modi’s ‘Damayanti’ Collection Presented By
TENCEL Fibre Brand
p63
Smart textiles are the most exciting innovation in the field of textile
engineering. The development of smart textiles reaches far beyond
imagination
6 AO India | November 2022
November 2022 | AO India 7
November 2022 | AO India 7
Editor-In-Chief
DEEPAK MOHINDRA
Editorial
Editor
ILA SAXENA
Copy Editor
PRIYANKA MISHRA
Asst. Editor - News
DHEERAJ TAGRA
Asst. Editor - Fashion
ANJORI GROVER VASESI
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NITISH VARSHNEY
Creative
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PEEUSH JAUHARI
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8 AO India | November 2022
www.apparelresources.com
November 2022 | AO India 9
November 2022 | AO India 9
EDITOR’S NOTE
FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’s DESK…
Holiday season brings
positive sentiments back, at
least for now!
Inventory gluts in major markets may or may not be
over but there is a clear indication that retailers are
delighted with the customers’ turnout, especially in
the North America market.
We have seen global fashion industry struggling
with massive inventory in 2022 that piled up in their
stores and warehouses, partly due to shipping delays
from sourcing countries and majorly due to retailers’
misjudgment of consumer demand, the ongoing
recessionary trends and many other factors such as
the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The retailers in the USA and even EU kept giving
hefty discounts to consumers across apparel items,
yet inventory glut remained as the orders that they
placed in the beginning of 2022 are still being
shipped to the retailers!
However, as we move ahead in 2022, it’s becoming
clear that apparel retailers are all set to clear the
piled-up inventories in the coming holiday season.
All thanks to consumers who, even with persistent
inflation, rising interest rates and volatility in
the market, aren’t shying away from spending on
household priorities.
Even Brian Cornell, Chairman and CEO of Target
USA hinted at the expected robust growth in
consumer visit to the store “Economic slowdown
triggered inventory bulge but now we have left
inventory problem behind. Consumers are excited
about these seasonal holiday months and want
to celebrate with friends and family, therefore we
are focusing on making consumers ready for a big
holiday season.”
I’m not just speculating this or going by any random
report as I have data to back this up! After analysing
official US import data, I realised the country
imported apparel worth US $ 10.36 billion in August
alone – its highest import values in last 50 months.
This September, with the onset of holiday season,
the retail sales in the USA witnessed around 8.20
per cent growth on Y-o-Y basis out of which apparel
retail sales alone were up by over 4.50 per cent.
The positivity was reflected by the export figures
of various Asian countries as well. India, from April
to August ’22, shipped apparel to the US market
worth US $ 2.67 billion noting 25 per cent Y-o-Y
growth; Bangladesh’s shipment to the USA valued
US $ 4.16 billion, that grew by 48.79 per cent;
whereas Sri Lanka noted growth of 38.77 per cent
to clock US $ 1.21 billion export revenues. These
statistics and positive developments are a huge sigh
of relief for factories.
The retailers have actually planned in advance this
year for the busy holiday season and brought apparel
products in the market earlier than normal to avoid
ongoing supply chain disruptions.
Not just USA, even other markets such as Canada,
Japan are starting to see positivity in consumer’s
sentiments who are on streets to shop for upcoming
holiday season. It’s only the European countries
which are showing constraint due to aftereffects of
war and recession.
Though the sentiments are positive, the possibility
of another slowdown can’t be denied as indicated
by the retail industry and that can be only be
seen when official US custom data is released for
September month.
Deepak Mohindra
Editor-in-Chief
e-mail me at dmohindra@apparelresources.com
Deepak Mohindra
10 AO India | November 2022
November 2022 | AO India 11
November 2022 | AO India 11
INDUSTRY VERDICT
Q&A
Retail giants like Reliance Trends, Reliance Brands, Aditya Birla Group, Arvind to various international and national
brands are continuously opening stores to name a few like Puma, Tasva, Forever New, Turtle, Bombay Shirt Company,
Octave etc. Is this growth landscape representing the picture of the entire apparel retail industry or is this growth
mainly for a few selected companies?
If the growth is for the entire apparel retail industry, how do you see it? What are the major factors contributing to
the growth?
Or if the growth is just for selected companies, why it is so?
Ankur Bhatia
CEO, Chogori India Retail Limited
Retail companies which have strong
balance sheets are able to forecast and
cater to demand better than relatively
weaker ones. This helps them to be
nimble and be able to adjust to any
scenario very quickly. For instance,
when Covid-19 pandemic struck us,
we were able to scale back on our
expansion and quickly prioritise
cash outflow to certain key areas like
employee welfare, e-commerce sales
etc. Similarly, when customers are
thronging the malls back again, we are
now well-capitalised to take advantage
of the situation and cater to this
revenge shopping phenomenon. Also,
it’s important to understand that there
are certain categories like outdoor,
athleisure, casualwear etc., which have
higher growth than ever in the past.
This has been the pandemic-induced
change brought about in the consumer
behaviour which has resulted in faster
expansion for such brands. It’s also
partly true that brands get created in
the offline space. Thirdly, every brand
is in a different stage of their lifecycle.
As far as our brands Columbia and
Adventuras are concerned, we feel
we have just started and our offline
expansion will continue aggressively for
at least a few more years. Some brands
might not have this kind of demand, and
hence expand more conservatively.
Last but not the least, a lot of mall
projects are now materialising postpandemic,
so being part of them
comes naturally to top brands like ours.
The other way to look at this is that
weaker brands had to let go off their
retail inventory (due to cost pressures
because of the pandemic), and now that
space has become available for others
to take, hence you also see fair amount
of expansion as a result of this.
Deepak Aggarwal
Founder and MD, Kazo Fashion
Business and fashion majorly align
at one point and that’s customer’s
trust. So, having said that, it’s quite
understandable why most brands are
opting for stores. From international
to national to small businesses, most
brands are now opening stores to
understand customer preferences and
gain their trust without losing the fun
and focal essence of retail therapy!
Of course, this shift towards the
presence of stores is likely to change
the fashion industry’s landscape. I
believe it leads to growth for
the whole industry, for example,
it leads to higher demand and
profitability for the textile and
garment industry as consumption
is being increased in the market.
Moreover, this also motivates
other national and international
organised retail to capture a stake
in the Indian market, which in turn
also leads to opportunities for
manufacturers in India to produce
and sell locally to the brands.
12 AO India | November 2022
INDUSTRY VERDICT
Daksh Kapoor
Chief Marketing Officer, Kapsons Group
The retail sector of India has been
seeing a pattern recently, with many
national and international brands alike,
continuously opening stores. More than
representing the growth landscape of
the entire retail industry, it is a reflection
of what’s in store for brick-and-mortar
and how the D2C shopping experience
is evolving outside the screens.
However, to say that this growth
represents the entire apparel industry
would be like taking a myopic look at
the complete picture. Indian retail, while
largely unorganised, is bubbling with
potential, both for online and offline
modes of business. Growth appears to
be different for many but the factors
pertaining to it share commonalities.
Even with physical mode of operations,
the latest trend seems to favour
growth where companies prioritise
personalisation of services and ease
of buying, both made possible through
digitisation, as seen in experiments with
virtual reality or companies moving to
WhatsApp for promotions.
Another key factor is ethics and CSR,
especially sustainability as a mission
adopted by businesses. This suggests
a change in the behaviour of the
modern millennial consumer, for whom
the choice is no longer just between
quality and quantity but also the ethical
practices adopted by the businesses
they buy from.
Nitin Chhabra
CEO, Ace Turtle
The entire Indian apparel retail industry
is expanding its offline retail stores.
The major factors contributing to this
growth in offline stores are the pent-up
consumer demand for the last two years
due to the pandemic, rising awareness
and preference for branded apparel in
Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, and an increase
in the target consumer base due to
rising disposable incomes. Having said
that, at Ace Turtle, we believe retail
channels will evolve in terms of their
relevance. Some will become more
relevant whereas others will become
less relevant with time. New channels
would also come into play. Brands and
retailers need to prepare for a channelagnostic
future through the omnichannel
route. This means investments must
be made in technology, people and
upskilling of the existing workforce.
Based on our experience of providing
SaaS-based technology solutions to
brands and retailers, we have seen
that adoption and change management
are often the most critical aspects
determining the success or failure of
this approach.
The top leadership of the companies
need to take the onus of adoption and
change management. Fortunately, we
were native to omnichannel when we
started our journey 9 years ago as an
omnichannel SaaS enabler. This was a
huge plus for us when we launched our
Licensed Brands vertical with Lee and
Wrangler in India.
NEXT INDUSTRY VERDICT QUESTIONS
E-commerce giant Flipkart has recently unveiled Flipverse, a virtual shopping experience in a bid to expand its metaverse offerings.
Prior to this, luxury & designer label Papa Don’t Preach had entered into metaverse and famous designer Manish Malhotra took the
NFT route to launch his digital collection. Few of the other Indian brands or designers are also on the same path.
But unlike overseas, where brands have successfully commercialised metaverse, Indian brands and companies so far have not been
successful in connecting with customers on this front. What more needs to be done in this regard so that Indian consumers can
have similar transactions like overseas customers?
SEND YOUR COMMENTS
contact@apparelresources.com
November 2022 | AO India 13
RETAIL RIGHT / NATIONAL
ONDC MAY ACT AS A BOOSTER
SHOT FOR THE BUYERS AND SELLERS
- REIMAGINING THE FUTURE OF
DIGITAL COMMERCE
According to reports, through the
investment of just US $ 24 billion,
Amazon and Flipkart have reportedly
captured 80 per cent of India’s retail
market with aggressive discounts and
special offers for preferred sellers alone,
impelling the MSMEs and new retailers
into a vulnerable position.
New apparel retailers in India are often
faced with the challenges of accessing
the benefits of digital commerce
because of the monopoly of existing
big retailers. Whether it is to capitalise
on larger markets; engage customers in
superficially rich e-commerce experiences
that transcend borders; or find new
ways to deliver compelling shopping
experiences, new retailers are at a
ONDC, the governmentbacked
open network
e-commerce platform,
will cost small retailers
a quarter of what they
pay to e-commerce
platforms like Amazon
and Flipkart to access
their technologies and
processes. More than 20
government and private
organisations have
confirmed Rs. 255 crore
investment.
disadvantage of being shackled to old
processes and digital infrastructure.
For instance, a typical small retailer with
an 800 sq.ft. store used to sell T-shirts
and shorts and produced earnings close
to an average of Rs. 4,000 daily but the
scenario changed when people started
ordering online and the retailer’s income
slashed drastically. Such incidents are
not only limited to one store; there
are millions of stores facing the same
problem. As per Statista, unorganised
retail stands at 88 per cent (2019), and
the explosion of e-commerce have been
the toughest for small mom-and-pop
stores or small retailers.
To overcome these concerns, an initial
idea by Piyush Goyal and led by 9
members of the advisory board, a new
14 AO India | November 2022
RETAIL RIGHT / NATIONAL
network model named Open Network for
Digital Commerce (ONDC) was curated
that promises to break through these
constraints and gradually unleash the
transformative power of digital commerce
in India. Some key stakeholders such as
SBI, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, BSEI &
NSEI, Quality Council of India have
shown faith in the system, which would
help by plugging in small traders and
retailers and providing them wide reach
with set protocol for cataloguing, vendor
match and price discovery on an opensource
basis.
“The seriousness and commitment by
GoI to push Digital India and take it to a
bigger and larger canvas is commendable.
The arrival of ONDC is going to be the
defining moment in the times to come.
It’s going to open floodgates for MSMEs
to generate more employment and deeper
penetration in the untapped areas of this
vast market,” said Vikram Singh, Sr. VP
Sourcing, DBS Lifestyle.
ONDC is expected to digitise the entire
value chain, help standardise operations,
drive logistical efficiency, and, most
importantly, curb the monopolies of the
platform-centric model that leads to
market concentration. It can be beneficial
to new entrants because ONDC is not
controlled or owned by a single identity
and also helps improve the discoverability
and accessibility of products across the
platform, provides equal opportunities
Transaction data
will reside only with
the buyer and seller
applications and will
not be visible to ONDC.
ONDC will not be storing/
viewing transaction data.
for small retailers, follows transparent
practices and offers lower order
acquisition costs.
Complete e-commerce
solution will accelerate
growth for new apparel
retailers
Retailers and product manufacturers need
not worry about segments like logistics
and warehousing. Once their catalogue
is available digitally, there will be many
opportunities open to every single
segment in this large ecosystem with a
nationwide market such as enterprise
resource planners, e-commerce store
hosting service providers, etc. Retailers
will no longer have to pay commissions
to the enabling platform, unlike today’s
proprietary systems.
ONDC will ensure that buyers and
sellers use the same platform for all online
business transactions, basically moving
from a platform-centric to a networkcentric
model.
Basically, it is a network of buyers, sellers
and gateways that uses open APIs to
exchange information. The network is
designed to allow for the discoverability
of all sellers by multicasting the search
request received from buyer applications
to all seller applications based on criteria
such as location, availability and other
customer preferences. Initially, it starts
with a single gateway to kick-start the
operations, but this can later be expanded
to more gateways.
To be precise, companies such as Dunzo,
Load share and Ship rocket offer logistics
services. Protean eGov Technologies Ltd
(formerly NSDL e-Gov) is behind the
gateway services. NowFloats and Plotch
are technology service providers, Kiko
Live is the industry’s live video shopping
platform and the e-commerce platform
Snapdeal, which offers fashion and other
services, will encourage buyers and sellers
to join the ONDC network. Craftsvilla,
CSC Grameen eStore, Ekart, Shopalyst,
etc., are already onboard, and around 500
companies, including small start-ups, are
in the advanced stage of integration and
are expected to come online soon.
November 2022 | AO India 15
RETAIL RIGHT / NATIONAL
With lower costs, higher flexibility and
simplified operations, this merger will
accelerate growth. A variety of payment
options, lower transaction fees and no
registration fee make ONDC affordable
for new retailers, making it easy to start
selling on the platform.
“Small retailers are delighted that there’s
going to be a way for them to participate
in the global digital e-commerce world. It
is going to give a big boost to hyper-local
commerce, quick commerce,” said Nandan
Nilekani, Non-executive Chairman of
Infosys and Member of advisory council
of ONDC.
Consumers will have a
vast variety of choices and
freedom to choose
In the present scenario, the bigger
e-commerce giants only allow customers
to reach those whom the company
wants to endorse. Due to this, customer
choices are restricted. Also, customers
on the specific platform can access that
particular platform but now things are
changing as ONDC acts as a neutral
platform that creates protocols around
price and vendor match.
“We are looking at
ONDC very closely and
are working to build a
seamless integration,
allowing businesses to set
up shops within Whatsapp
connected with ONDC.
It’s still early days, but our
consumers are already
excited by the possibilities
this opens up. No more
website, no apps, no
technology overhead -
just ease of business, one
platform that is already
accessible to users.”
- Himanshu Sukhwani
Sukhwani, Founder, WhatCX
For example, if Vendor X is registered on
Platform A and the consumer is registered
on Platform B, ONDC enables access
to transactions between Vendor X and
Consumer B, eliminating the need to lock
into a specific e-commerce platform. It
also allows consumers to match demand
with the closest available supply.
This would also allow the sellers to
provide the consumer with a vast product
assortment to choose from. Being open
and free, the sellers in ONDC no longer
need to pay commission to the enabling
platform, unlike today’s proprietary
platforms. As per T. Koshy, CEO,
ONDC, a seller can be on Amazon (get
its benefits) and still be on ONDC as well
(to expand their reach and penetration).
Strategy to onboard
buyers and sellers
With ONDC, the GoI aims to restore
the balance of power. By creating a digital
marketplace, commonly accessible to all,
as it should be, ONDC will empower
sellers and buyers to gain the same
visibility and advantages as their larger
counterparts. ONDC does not require
special apps as it is available on major
e-commerce platforms, just like UPI is
as a payment method. Adoption will be
driven through these integrations. The
three main focal points of discoverability,
interoperability and product review
will push both parties to come along
together on the ONGC platform.
E-commerce players can join hands with
ONDC to protect their own user base
and business models.
“As the protocol stabilises, more and more
e-commerce players will be integrating
to bring the benefits of ONDC to their
users. The Government is already working
with Paytm, one of the largest in terms
of reach. I believe that citizens are tired
of the poor customer service from major
e-commerce players and are more likely to
give smaller players a chance. Moreover,
this Government is very good at
spreading knowledge about Government
programmes and I find ONDC using
the same tools to get people to talk about
it. Finally, I feel citizens are also pushing
With efforts to increase
e-commerce penetration
from 8 percent to 25
percent of all consumer
purchases in 2 years and
to sign up 90 crore buyers
and 12 lakh sellers on the
shared network within the
next 5 years, the country’s
open retail network route
seems to be fast-tracked.
for the adoption of it,” said Himanshu
Sukhwani, Founder, WhatCX.
ONDC may not be a
challenger but a facilitator
ONDC does not compete with other
marketplaces. ONDC creates connections
between retailers and buyers so that sellers
can take advantage of both marketplaces
like Amazon, Myntra, Flipkart and
ONDC. The platform does nothing to
impede the growth of others; rather, it
serves as a facilitator for digital commerce,
but the larger retailer giants have a
different say on it. For them, a lot of
monetary investment in technology and
processes is already done, and integrating
into a new platform might be challenging
but the talks are underway.
Everything depends on the adaptability
and grey areas can be changed after seeing
the results post the complete phases are
over but it should always be remembered
that these small retail traders are the
backbone of the Indian retail economy
and if this segment is excluded, it will
directly impact the financial data of the
economy which will shake the pillars of
growth. Though ONDC gives enough
leverage to unbundle the supply chain in
the upcoming five years, the picture will
be clearer as the efforts to push the Indian
e-commerce industry to US $ 200 billion
by 2027 seems strong.
16 AO India | November 2022
www.apparelresources.com
RETAIL RIGHT / NEWS
FREECULTR becomes the official merchandise partner for
FIFA 2022
The sustainable, slow-fashion
brand FREECULTR has inked
a strategic partnership with
FIFA and come on board as
the official merchandise partner
of FIFA 2022. The FIFA
under-17 Women’s World
Cup India 2022 is being held
in India between 11 and 30
October 2022.
And with India celebrating
its 75th year of Independence
this year, this partnership
adds an interesting touch to
the sentiment of Azadi ka
Mahotsav, giving football fans
and all Indians a reason to
be proud of, as it is the first
D2C brand to achieve this.
FREECULTR, as FIFA’s
licensed apparel merchandiser
for India, will manufacture,
sell and distribute apparel
merchandise in India for FIFA
World Cup Qatar 2022.
Shrey Luthra, CEO and Cofounder
of FREECULTR, said
“It is a matter of pride for
FREECULTR to be one
of the first D2C brands
of India to deliver the muchweighted
FIFA World Cup
merchandise. Having received
the FIFA World Cup official
license for manufacturing
premium quality apparel and
accessories, we promise to
uphold our brand’s make and
philosophy with honest pricing
for millions of Indians.” The
D2C brand has lined up a
comprehensive range that
will be exclusively retailed on
the official FREECULTR
website, freecultr.com and
e-commerce giant Amazon.in.
The merchandise will include
T-shirts, active tanks, bandanas,
arm shields, active joggers and
sweatshirts. FREECULTR,
keeping its promise of
premium innerwear brand, has
exclusively planned to launch
FIFA men’s briefs and trunks.
Shrey Luthra has also forged
a strategic relationship with
Amazon.in for FREECULTR
towards the collection’s
promotion and marketing on
the marketplace. Shrey further
adds, “This is a special year
for India in many other ways. It
is the first time that the FIFA
under-17 women’s World Cup
India 2022, an extremely
prestigious event, is being
held in India. FREECULTR
is showing its support for
the event and the game by
introducing a unique range of
products for all women with
its FIFA World Cup 2022
collection.”
United Colors of Benetton India appoints Kaveri Nag as Head of
Marketing and PR
Leading brand United Colors
of Benetton (UCB) India has
appointed Kaveri Nag as the
new Head of Marketing & PR,
India. Kaveri is an alumnus
of Delhi University and holds
a Post Graduate Diploma in
Marketing Communications
from National Institute of
Advertising. Kaveri will lead
marketing strategy and PR
for the brand and work to
strengthen Benetton’s vision
of a global lifestyle project
and revolutionise the canons
of fashion and sales. One
of her key responsibilities
will include engaging with
consumers and reconnecting
in a more contemporary way
to make the brand more
desirable and aspirational in
India. Ramprasad Sridharan,
CEO, UCB India, said,
“Throughout her career,
Kaveri has accumulated vast
marketing leadership experience
and has relentless energy
and curiosity to understand
consumer behaviour, which is
ever so dynamic in the fashion
industry. This is her second
stint with Benetton and we
are confident that Kaveri will
be a driving force in bringing
our new brand vision to life
through world-class creative,
digital and omnichannel
marketing strategies, and play
a leading role in building the
next generation of Benetton
customers.” Kaveri Nag said,
“Benetton has always been a
brand that’s ahead of the curve,
and I’m excited to embark
on this new journey with the
team amidst an ever-evolving
consumer landscape. Together,
we will meet these new realities
head-on, with a digital-first
approach towards creating and
engaging with relevant brand
experiences for customers
across different categories. I
look forward to strengthening
Benetton’s iconic positioning
as a premium casualwear brand
by pushing cultural and creative
boundaries.”
November 2022 | AO India 17
RETAIL RIGHT / NEWS
www.apparelresources.com
Reliance Retail partners with NBA to launch its
merchandise
Reliance Retail, a subsidiary of
Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd.,
has partnered with NBA for a
multi-year collaboration to sell
the organisation’s merchandise
at its stores in India. Built
around five professional sports
leagues – the NBA, WNBA,
NBA G League, NBA 2K
League and Basketball Africa
League – NBA has established
a major international presence
with games and programming
available in 214 countries and
merchandise for sale.
The latest products are
available at selected Reliance
Retail stores across India and
on a variety of e-commerce
platforms including Reliance
Retail’s website. Reliance Retail
will also offer interactive NBA
experiences for visitors in stores
such as sweepstakes, Reliance
Nykaa Fashion brings Revolve to Indian
consumers
Nykaa Fashion has partnered
with California-based fashion
retailer Revolve valued at
US $ 1.23 billion to launch
the latter’s brands in the
Indian market.
With this association, Nykaa
Fashion will house over 400
brands across apparel, footwear
and accessories, from the global
powerhouse Revolve on its
online platform.
Adwaita Nayar, Co-founder
of Nykaa, during the launch,
expressed happiness to onboard
an international partner like
Revolve that offers a great
portfolio of brands. She also
Foundation Jr. NBA activations
and game highlights on TVs at
the store.
The collaboration with Reliance
Retail would strengthen its
retail presence in India, said
NBA Senior Vice President
of International Licensing
and Business Development,
Rob Millman. He also added
that, “As the NBA continues
to become more popular in
India, we make sure they
have the same opportunities
as Americans. That’s why we
expanded our availability”.
Reliance Retail President &
CEO (fashion and lifestyle)
Akhilesh Prasad was equally
thrilled and said: “Our goal is
to ensure that Reliance Retail
stores are the go-to destination
for NBA fans across the
country.”
mentioned that Revolve’s
approach to fashion is an ideal
match of diversity and inclusion
along with style, and celebrityloved
offerings with dedicated
sustainable goals.
The partnership with Nykaa
Fashion is a natural fit that
aligns with Revolve’s brand
principles, which aim to deliver
an elevated customer experience
with their wide catalogue of
international styles to the
Indian market, said Kai Li, Vice
President at Revolve. He added
that he is equally excited to
work with Nykaa Fashion.
SNIPS
Reliance Brands
to open its first
Valentino
boutique store in
New Delhi
Premium
menswear
brand Selected
Homme launches
a new digital
campaign
with brand
ambassador Saif
Ali Khan
presenting the
brand’s Autumn/
Winter 2022
collection
Alia Bhatt’s D2C
fashion brand
Ed-a-Mamma
plans to expand
its reach in
international
markets
Raw Mango
launches new
collection
‘Peacock Country’
Luxury kidswear
brand Les Petits
launches exclusive
collection for the
Indian festive
season
Monte Carlo
Fashions records
revenue growth of
5 per cent in Q2 of
FY ’23
18 AO India | November 2022
RETAIL RIGHT / INTERNATIONAL
THE SECRET SAUCE OF TARGET
DEMOGRAPHICS IN SOCIAL COMMERCE
-BUYING PATTERN OF DIFFERENT GENERATIONS
Global social commerce sales are
estimated at US $ 992 billion
in 2022 with a prediction to
reach nearly US $ 3 trillion by
2026 as per online data shared
by Statista. It’s no secret that
social media has taken the
world by storm. What started
out as a way to connect with
friends and family has quickly
morphed into a powerful
marketing and sales tool for
businesses of all sizes. The
Digital 2022 Global Overview
report found that people
spend an average of 2 hours
and 27 minutes each day on
social media, which is more
than one-third of all the time
people aged between 16 to 64
spend online. And it’s not just
for the same platform. The
report says that each month,
7.5 social media platforms are
visited.
And while many businesses
are still trying to figure out
how to make social media
work for them, there are some
businesses that are really good
at it and use it to drive traffic
to their e-commerce sites,
collect customer data, improve
the customer experience and
sell products by understanding
the different generations of
buyers which are Gen Z (age
18-24), millennials (age 25-
40), Gen X (age 41-56) and
Baby Boomers (age 57-74).
Different
generations,
different social
commerce
interactions
Factors such as staying in
touch with friends and family,
searching for solutions and
information, looking for ideas
and sources of entertainment,
promoting professional and
personal networks, and of
course, buying and selling
are some of the major uses of
social media for people.
Mark Mcintyre, CEO of Max
audience says, “Social media
is driven by the interests of
a specific person, you just
look at the demographics
and each demographic has a
different personality but you
don’t just think about it as the
demographic’s personality.
You have to also layer in the
age of all those people in that
demographic.”
Social media purchasing habits
are largely based on individual
interests, but the age of the
person also has a bearing
on which channels they use.
Baby Boomers or Parents, for
example, may turn to Facebook
to interact with other parents,
while teenagers might turn to
Snapchat. Each generation has
a different way of using social
media, which influences their
purchase patterns.
November 2022 | AO India 19
RETAIL RIGHT / INTERNATIONAL
Another example is Facebook.
As per a study, its popularity
is declining among younger
generations with only 36 per
cent of Generation Z using
Facebook at least once a week,
compared to 87 per cent of
millennials, 90 per cent of
Generation X and 96 per cent
of baby boomers.
Gen Z (aged 18-
24) wants 24/7
customer service
This is one of the generations
that doesn’t keep in touch
with family via social media
but use social media to kick
off their status and buying
64%
of Gen Z consumers
expect a more
personalised
experience on social
media based on
previous interactions
61%
of Gen Z consumers
want companies to
know them better
based on their social
media activity
52%
of Gen Z consumers
expect companies
to read and analyse
their social media
posts
35%
of GenZ reach out to
companies on social
media to express
love for a product or
service
needs. With 43 per cent
having already purchased
natively from a social media
platform, Gen Z consumers
have increased their use of
social media in the last year,
and 45 per cent expect it to
continue to increase over the
next three years. This is and
will continue to be a huge
trend driver across the social
media landscape.
This is a generation that is
all about instant gratification
- what they want, when
they want but they don’t
jump through hoops to get
it. That’s why social selling
is so effective with this
demographic. Generation Z
is the most technologically
savvy and diverse generation
yet. They rely heavily on
social media for reviews and
recommendations and are less
likely to sign up for loyalty
programmes despite looking
for ways to save money.
Instead, they prefer engaging
with brands that use social
selling techniques. Platforms
like Snapchat, Instagram
and Tik Tok are the most
important medium now for
them for buying or selling
any product. With the
generation’s least patience, it’s
very important to grab their
attention span in the 5-second
window.
“If they see something their
friends are using or talking
about, they are much more
likely to take the leap and
buy it themselves. So, if
you’re looking to market
to Generation Z, focus on
your social media presence
and make sure you are using
social selling techniques.
You’ll be able to reach them
where they are already
spending the majority of their
time and you’ll be able to
connect with them on a
level that resonates,” said a
spokesperson of a high-end
brand.
Hence brands are creating
shareable and visually
effective infographics to
appeal to Generation Z, and
so they need to be authentic
and transparent.
Millennials (Aged
25-40) are way too
experimental
The Millennial generation
is the first generation to
come of age of technology.
Being an open-minded and
tolerant generation, they
use social and other digital
technologies to connect
with brands. They are most
likely than other generations
to purchase products and
services through social media
61%
millennials use
social media to
communicate with
family, friends and
acquaintances
51%
millennials use
social media to kill
time
47%
millennials use
social media to learn
about new trends
43%
millennials use
social media to get
breaking news
platforms and even research
the products and services.
Marketing strategies
that work well with this
generation includes social
media marketing, influencer
marketing and content
marketing. They prefer brands
with lower prices rather than
price drops from offers and
deals. They expect authentic
brand messaging and seek
out brands that support social
or environmental causes and
price-to-value ratio. This
hyper-connected generation
relies on user-generated
content, which makes word-ofmouth
advertising more potent
than ever before. Instagram
remains their favourite social
media handles to access
information and interact
and make online purchases
followed by e-commerce
platforms.
Generation X
(Aged 41-56)
stays at one arm’s
distance from social
media transactions
Generation Xers are a unique
bunch who are triggered by
‘Nostalgia’. They’re the ones
who came of age in the wake
of the hippie movement.
One of the most common
misconceptions is that
Generation X do not buy
anything online. The buying
power of this demographic
is often overlooked because
they are not as active on social
media as millennials.
However, this generation is
more cautious and skeptical of
brands and enjoys thorough
research, and prefers to stick
to what they know. Having
various buying habits that
differ from those of millennials
and baby boomers, one thing
20 AO India | November 2022
RETAIL RIGHT / INTERNATIONAL
remains the same - they tend
to be independent, resourceful
and self-sufficient and are
incredibly adept at using
technology but using social
media for shopping is rare in
their cases.
Social media is a place to
keep in touch with family
and friends and participate
in any community activity
online. They usually share
their opinion online and are
very much influenced by the
compelling user-generated
content in digital marketing
campaigns.
“There’s no question that Gen
Xers are a key demographic
for e-commerce platforms
like Amazon or Alibaba,
and they continue to be a
loyal customer base. In fact,
a recent study found that 80
per cent of Gen Xers say they
trust e-commerce platforms
more because it’s easy for
them to research products,
compare prices and get great
deals without even leaving
their houses.”
It’s clear that Amazon is
doing something right when
it comes to attracting and
retaining Gen Xer customers.
With their combination of
great deals, convenience and
customer reviews, they have
created a shopping experience
that is tailored specifically to
the needs and wants of this
important demographic.
Baby Boomers
(Aged 57-74) are
underrated and
may turn the
trend with impulse
buying
As the world becomes more
and more digital, social media
is increasingly becoming a key
way for businesses to market
40%
of Baby Boomers
view social media as
an essential part of
their lives and
73%
use it to stay
connected with
friends and family.
their products and services. For
example, Baby Boomers were
hesitant to embrace online
shopping when it first became
popular in the late 1990s/early
2000s. According to Forbes,
baby boomers’ control 70 per
cent of the disposable income
in the United States. But
now, seniors are among the
fastest-growing demographic
of online shoppers globally.
In fact, baby boomers account
for US $ 7 trillion in annual
spending despite only 36 per
cent of them using social
media for buying. Facebook
and LinkedIn are the most
important platforms for baby
boomers. They use Facebook
groups for community
building, purchases, and
product discovery.
In addition, baby boomers are
more likely to make impulse
purchases than any other age
group. This is because they are
less likely to do research before
making a purchase and tapping
them surely means reaching
out to a large number of buyers
who are likely to do impulse
purchases.
With customers preferring
the online platform more,
companies have to adapt and
find ways to engage with
them through social media.
This has created a whole
new set of challenges for
businesses, which now need
to consciously address how
they engage with different
demographics on social
media. By understanding
social performance in
relation to key demographics,
companies can figure out
what content resonates with
their customer base and
identify market trends that
can influence how and where
they show up online.
It’s no longer enough to have
a presence on social media;
businesses need to be active
and engage in conversations
that are happening online. By
understanding demographic
data, companies can adjust
their social media strategy
to better reach their target
audiences. This is especially
important as social media
use continues to grow among
the older generation. While
younger people are still the
most active users of social
media, adoption rates among
adults aged 35 and up are
increasing rapidly. In order
to stay ahead of the curve,
businesses need to understand
how different demographics
use social media and what
kind of content resonates
with them. Only then can
they create a strategy that will
ensure they’re reaching the
right people with the right
message and have greater
consumers instead of visitors.
We wonder, what Generation
Alpha will be looking for!!
November 2022 | AO India 21
RETAIL RIGHT / NEWS
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LVMH sales jump by 19% in the third quarter, as
a strong dollar boosts Europe demand
LVMH beat market forecasts
in the third quarter, posting a
brisk rise in sales as Americans
in Europe made the most of
Marks & Spencer introduces new digital payment
option ‘Sparks Pay’
To offer a more personalised
and digitally-driven customer
experience and reposition
the business for future
growth, Marks& Spencer
has introduced a new digital
payment option exclusively for
its M&S Sparks membership
customers.
‘Sparks Pay’ consists of a
digital credit account, offering
‘one-click’ purchases and
balance tracking.
It comes as Marks & Spencer
continues to see success
with its M&S Sparks loyalty
programme, which it noted has
grown to 16 million customers
since its launch in 2020.
Customers can apply for
credit online through digital
channels, obtain credit
decisions online for up to 500
pounds, and receive up to 45
days of interest-free credit. Full
the strong dollar along with
improved business in China
due to partial easing of health
restrictions. As per reports,
credit and affordability checks
are also in place.
Retailer’s CEO, Paul Spencer
said in a statement that he
was thrilled to be offering a
new and simple way to pay
for Sparks customers that are
carefully linked with Marks
& Spencer and offer a smooth
The Fashion & Leather
Goods business group recorded
revenue growth of 31 per cent
in the first nine months of 2022
(24 per cent in organic).
With growth continuing at the
same pace, sales reached US $
19.2 billion, up by 19 per cent
as compared to last year.
”Europe, the United States
and Japan, up sharply since
the start of the year, benefited
from the solid demand of local
customers and the recovery in
international travel,” the group
said in its press release.
online shopping and payment
experience, further expanding
options to pay.
‘Sparks Pay’ is initially rolling
out through a phased launch
across the British retailer’s
website and app and later
would expand nationwide
during 2023.
SNIPS
Nike selects JD
Sports and Zalando
as partners for
the Connected
Partnership
programme
Mango launches
collection to
support breast
cancer research
Superdry climbing
steadily towards
profitability; has
announced its
financial results
for the fiscal year
ending 30 April
2022, reporting
an adjusted profit
before tax of £ 21.9
million
Swedish fashion
giant H&M
witnesses fall in
profits owing to
Russia exit
UK’s LK Bennett
sees its gross
profit surge by 55
per cent to £ 21.7
million
UK brand Sweaty
Betty reports a 45
per cent increase in
FY turnover
HanesBrands
teams up with
the University of
California, Berkeley,
as Primary Apparel
Partner
22 AO India | November 2022
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RETAIL RIGHT / NEWS
Levi’s cuts 2022 profit forecast due to weaker demand and a
strong dollar
Levi Strauss & Co., lowered
its full-year profit forecast
owing to declining demand
and a strengthening US
dollar, adding to the concerns,
and sending shares down
by 6 per cent in extended
trading. With decades of
high inflation, consumers are
shifting their focus away from
high-priced products and
apparel to everyday products,
which is also impacting
Levi’s profits. The company
is more cautious about doing
business in Europe and US
as consumers in the region
face much higher inflation
and higher energy costs, as
well as consumers in the US
are also having quite a bit of
trouble with inflation and
thoughts of recession, said
the CEO Charles Bergh
and analyst Jessica Ramirez
respectively. They also added
that people will be more
concerned about where
they spend their money this
holiday season.
Levi’s adjusted gross margin
was 56.9 per cent, down 60
basis points from a year ago,
due to the rapidly rising
dollar and higher
product costs.
The jeans maker, which has
faced supply chain disruptions
since the pandemic began,
now worsened by the Russia-
Ukraine war, has raised prices
on its denim to combat rising
costs.
Levi’s expects full-year net
sales growth of 6.7 per cent
to 7.0 per cent or 11.5 per
cent to 12 per cent at constant
exchange rates. Previously,
the company had forecast net
sales growth of 11 per cent
to 13 per cent. In 2022, the
company now expects adjusted
earnings of US $ 1.44 to US
$ 1.49 per share, compared to
the previous US $ 1.50 to
US $ 1.56.
Victoria’s Secret & Co.’s third quarter results confirm Q3
forecasts
Operating income for Victoria’s
Secret & Co.’s third quarter
is projected to be near the top
of its previously announced
guidance range of US $ 10
million to US $ 40 million,
and earnings are projected
to be towards the previously
communicated guidance
range of US $ 0.00 to US $
0.25 per diluted share. “Led
by our two category-defining
brands and a global business
positioned to increase market
share, our goal is clear – to be
the world’s leading fashion
retailer of intimate apparel,”
said Chief Executive Officer,
Martin Waters. He added,
“Our company’s dominant
market position in the
domestic intimate category
is a crucial asset and area for
expansion. We are inspired by
the response of our consumers
to our brand transformation
and we’re still committed
to building Victoria’s Secret
reputation that both consumers
and our employees deserve.”
Victoria’s Secret outlined
three strategic growth pillars
for better performance ahead
including: Firstly ‘Strengthen
the Core’: expanding market
share in key categories of bras,
intimates and beauty, while
being more inclusive and
drawing in a wider customer
base with more engaging
storytelling in both offline
stores and online. Secondly
‘Ignite Growth’: expanding the
company’s global reach through
international partners, adding
new brands and concentrating
on markets and clientele that
are underrepresented in the
portfolio of the company
Finally, ‘Transform the
Foundation’, by building a
modern, high-performing
organisation to deliver
efficiencies and to invest in
people and culture Martin
Waters also added, “We
have created a solid financial
platform during the last 15
months as a public company.
With our new operating
structure in place, we now have
even greater agility and an
aligned focus on our customers
and our strategic priorities.”
November 2022 | AO India 23
EXPERT SPEAKS
D2C IN INDIA:
OPPORTUNITIES,
CHALLENGES AND
SOLUTIONS
BERRY SINGH
COO, ACE TURTLE
Even though the direct-to-consumer
(D2C) model has been around since
2015, it gained popularity during the
pandemic in 2020. According to Inc42,
more than 800 Indian D2C brands are
already clocking over US $ 2 billion in
sales. However, the real challenge lies
in growing the business in the face of
increasing competition. Many people have
a hard time finding growth drivers and
putting them into action on a large scale.
India’s 700 million internet users and
180-190 million online shoppers make
it the third-largest market for D2C
brands after the US and China. In 2020,
consumer demand for most D2C brands
via website rose by 88 per cent compared
to the years before Covid-19. The Indian
D2C market is currently believed to be
worth US $ 1.9 billion, about 1 per cent
of the domestic market for consumer
goods, home goods and consumer
accessories. By FY ’25, it is expected to
be worth around US $ 22 billion, more
than 10 per cent of the total market.
According to a survey, more than 50
per cent of people prefer to buy directly
from a brand’s maker. Some of the
main reasons for this retail revolution
are Gen Y’s shopping habits, the rise of
consumers in India and the increasing
reliability of e-commerce enablers and
payment gateways. Another factor
contributing to the D2C boom is the
ease of setting up online stores, made
possible by start-ups and new-age
companies that have developed payment
infrastructure, filled in the gaps in
logistics, provided technology to brands,
and made it possible for them to create
online storefronts. So how can brands tap
into these opportunities while battling
the challenges? Read on to find out.
Key challenges faced by
D2C brands
For D2C brands, product and marketing
are the two biggest focus areas. They
should explore outsourcing other
functions to partners who have domain
expertise. The challenges faced by D2C
brands in the early breakthrough periods
can hinder e-commerce growth - from
sales conversion to logistical delays.
Here are three challenges faced by D2C
business models:
Customer Retention
Many D2C brands have relied on customer
loyalty to stay in business, but customer
loyalty is slowly becoming short-lived.
And the basic reason is simple – they
seek simplicity and comfort. For example,
instead of shopping from several D2C
outlets, they may shop at an online
marketplace with all offerings such as
Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra etc.
Even D2C customers may not stay loyal
if their preferred product is sold out or
if other brands provide similar products.
According to a survey by Profitero, during
the pandemic, up to 53 per cent of people
bought something from a different brand
than the one they had planned to buy. To
retain customers, D2C brands need to
stand out by giving customers something
they can’t get anywhere else and do it fast.
Cost of Acquisition
For D2C brands, social media is the
best way to reach to new customers. But
as competition has grown, the cost per
thousand impressions on social media sites
has gone up. More companies are trying
to get people’s attention. Also, because
platforms don’t share data in the same way,
companies may put a lot of money into
one channel without realising it doesn’t
bring in high-value customers.
D2C marketers need advanced
technologies that can collect and merge
user data from a wide range of channels
so that they can figure out where their
customers are coming from. Most
marketers don’t want to gather this
information manually as it’s too hard and
prone to errors, given that customers visit
several channels.
Order Fulfillment
Managing logistics well is another big
problem that needs to be solved, especially
for small or medium-sized D2C players.
As a D2C brand grows, the number of
orders increases and it gets harder to
manage day-to-day business. Keeping
track of inventory levels, picking, packing,
and shipping are all things that get
increasingly challenging as the business
scales significantly.
Working capital
D2C companies often have their markets
divided into various zones with their
own sales teams and demand planners.
These teams come up with their own
sales forecast which may not reflect the
24 AO India | November 2022
EXPERT SPEAKS
actual demand patterns. They also face the
challenge of inventory visibility over every
point in the supply chain. Moreover, there
is always a possibility of human error or bias
which will result in overstocking and wasted
working capital. Hence there is a need to
optimise inventory to make efficient use of
available working capital.
Opportunities for D2C
brands
As more people go online, it gives D2C
brands the perfect opportunity to meet their
needs. Here are some of the opportunities
that D2C brands can take advantage of:
Inclination towards
Digitisation
Digitisation has given brands access to the
data they did not have earlier. This gives the
brands access to data, which can be used
to tailor the customer experience. For one,
brands can reach out to their customers in
a much more precise and targeted way. Gen
Z customers that rely heavily on digital
media for trends are more inclined to try
new brands and make online purchases
for themselves. This increasing trend
of personal purchasing aligns perfectly
with D2C’s targeted and personalised
shopping proposition.
Push towards sustainability
Most millennials and Gen Z customers
care about more things than just buying
a product. They think about how
their purchase decisions will affect the
environment and their future. This is why
they prefer to shop from environmentallyconscious
brands. Unsurprisingly, in the
next ten years, more D2C companies will
put sustainability at the centre of what
they do. Brands will also use missions
that attract shoppers from different
backgrounds to make a stronger connection
with them based on hope and happiness.
As more D2C start-ups emerge in India,
investors will become more interested
in this industry. It won’t be far-fetched
to say that D2C brands will lead the
current decade’s retail revolution. This
is because digitalisation is moving faster
and consumers’ shopping habits are
changing significantly. The fragmented
customer base will help both small and
major D2C retailers to not only coexist
but also flourish.
Omnichannel Strategy
Customers today opt for retailers which
offer a consistent and seamless experience
across all touchpoints. When a potential
customer goes to a brand’s website,
they can get a complete picture of the
products, their prices and the different
ways they can connect with the brand.
Even so, not all Indian shoppers like to
buy things online. So, if brands want to
be successful in a hybrid ecosystem, they
should use an omnichannel strategy. This
strategy helps to combine online and
offline channels to raise brand awareness,
reach customers online or in person, and
create an amicable relationship between
the brand and its customers. The key to
ensuring that e-commerce store meets the
goal of omnichannel shopping is to use
technology platforms like Rubicon.
November 2022 | AO India 25
COVER STORY
The increasing participation of women in sports activities and the promotion of activewar as
casualwear has led to the expansion of the activewear market in India
INNOVATION IN ACTIVEWEAR
PROPELLING ITS STEADY
GROWTH
In the US, Target’s activewear brand All
in Motion hit US $ 1 billion in sales one
year after launching. In India, the biggest
retail giant, Reliance Retail is expanding
the presence of its high-performance
and technologically advanced activewear
brand ‘Performax’ through exclusive
brand outlets (EBOs) at Reliance Retail’s
fashion and lifestyle stores and digital
platforms as well as in multi-brand outlets.
It already has a presence across over 1000
stores in 330+ cities. Just six months back,
Van Heusen of Aditya Birla Fashion and
Retail Ltd (ABFRL), a premium lifestyle
brand for professionals, entered into the
activewear category and launched a new
sub-brand ‘Flex’. There are many more
such examples that show how across the
globe, brands and retailers have tilted
towards the activewear category. Indeed,
across all levels, be it D2C brands,
celebrity brands, budding start-ups and
Instagram sellers, the activewear product
category is in constant demand from the
last few years.
Compared to various markets across the
globe, India is the fastest-growing market
of this segment growing at the rate of
13.9 per cent CAGR. Combination of
innovations with fashion is the most
significant factor leading to the growth
of this product category which is further
supported by the active lifestyle of
people. Blurring lines with many product
categories like workwear or workout wear
is also an important supporting factor
contributing to the demand. Various
market studies are also bullish about the
growth trajectory in India - from a market
size of US $ 5.83 billion in 2018, the
Indian market for activewear is estimated
to reach US $ 12.47 billion by 2024
(footwear includes approximately 50 per
cent). At the global level, the activewear
market is expected to have an effective
26 AO India | November 2022
COVER STORY
Shweta Bhatia
Abhay Bahugune
Ujjawal Asthana
CAGR of 6.4 per cent during the period
of 2022-2032 and it is expected to expand
from US $ 421 billion in 2022 to US
$ 779 billion in 2032. Growth is also
enjoyed majorly by the companies that are
dedicated to the combination of fashion
and innovations.
Industry stalwarts are strongly of the
observation that people are incorporating
wellness routine in their lifestyle which
is leading the activewear market to
grow which in turn offers numerous
opportunities for the entire value chain
like apparel manufacturers, textile mills,
finishers and retailers. But this segment
Dollar Industries’ leggings
is now overcrowded as many players
are there. However, irrespective of the
growing number of brands, this segment
will have continuous demand going ahead.
Activewear is connected with an active
lifestyle be it working out in the gym,
office or public place. People especially
millennials have fitness as their top
priority but don’t necessarily always see
themselves as sports-centric, so activewear
is timeless, comfort and design-driven
and with functional aspects. Activewear
products possess strengths like being
water-resistant, 4-way stretch, moisture
wicking, air permeability, easy dry,
NG Apparels
ergonomic design, anti-bacterial and antimicrobial
formulations.
Looking at the opportunities in the
activewear segment, Eight Roads
Ventures, a global venture capital
firm, recently invested in BlissClub,
a D2C women’s activewear brand
which is on track to hit Rs. 100 crore
in annual revenue run-rate. Shweta
Bhatia, Partner, Head of technology
investments, Eight Roads Ventures,
India says, “Activewear has become one
of the fastest-growing apparel categories
globally, including in India, driven by
an increasing interest in fitness and shift
towards comfortable clothing.”
Youth leading the demand
Like fast fashion, youth, especially
millennials and Generation Y, Z are the
flag bearers of the demand for activewear.
And they are the best target audience
for companies geared up to grow in this
product category.
Abhay Bahugune, COO, Van Heusen
says, “With the growing popularity of
sports and home fitness, young consumers
are seeking comfortable and functional
active/sportswear. Our Flex range is
targeted at self-driven, passionate, stylish,
tech-savvy, ambitious and assertive young
professionals who are focused on health
and wellness.”
And interestingly, women have a
significant share in this category with
women-specific products like sports
bra, leggings having good demand. And
November 2022 | AO India 27
COVER STORY
Activewear, sportswear and
performancewear
With the common thread of active lifestyle, these segments
are used interchangeably but there are differences. Indeed,
there is no strong and well-accepted demarcation between
these segments like causalwear and formalwear.
Activewear is where fashion meets performance and
wearing during exercise. Athleisure sits at the intersection of
exercise and leisure.
Brands believe that modern-day professionals seamlessly
shift between work and play. Style, creativity, innovation,
perfection, comfortable and yet fashionable are significant
aspects of this segment.
Clovia believes that extra-fancy activewear is the new
athleisure as it offers activewear products that can be styled
as athleisurewear.
There is a gradual blurring of lines between work attire
and workout attire due to global factors like celebrity
collaborations with D2C and designer activewear brands. In
fact, this is with many product categories.
To differentiate, sportswear is designed specifically for
sports purposes, while activewear is designed to transition
from exercisewear to casualwear. Certain functions
like comfort, specific fabric weight and sport-specific
(Swimming, Cycling etc.) requirements are significant
factors differentiating both categories.
Prasanta Sarkar, an apparel expert believes that activewear
is casual, comfortable clothing suitable for sports or
exercise whereas athleisure is casual, comfortable clothing
designed to be suitable both for exercise and everyday wear.
Athleisure clothes are perfect for travelling and walking.
Plus size activewear by All In Motion (Target)
Zivame and Clovia, which started as
lingerie brands, are now present as leading
brands for women’s activewear. Reliance
Retail has a majority stake in both brands.
Having a specific focus on women’s
activewear, BlissClub was founded in
2020 by Minu Margeret and has raised
a total funding of US $ 20.25 million so
far. Minu Margeret says the company is
on track to hit Rs. 100 crore in annual
revenue run-rate. The company came up
with insanely comfortable activewear after
extensive R&D and surveys. There are
also brands like Spirit Animal, a premium
plus-size activewear brand that focuses on
the curvy woman.
A year ago, Radhika Shanker, a
professional footballer and Aditi Kakkar,
a national-level weightlifter and CrossFit
athlete launched Ochre Athletica
focusing on comfortable activewear that
doesn’t cause itching or tear off during
or after the workout. It has been also
observed that the increasing participation
of women and kids in sports activities
and the promotion of activewar as
casualwear has led to the expansion of
the activewear market in India.
Association with
celebrities
Film celebrities and sportspersons have
higher concern for their fitness and in the
Indian market, celebrities have a direct
connection with the activewear segment.
It’s going to be a decade now since actor
Hrithik Roshan launched his (co-owned)
brand HRX and thereafter, cricketer Virat
Kohli came up with Wrogn brand, and
in 2016, another actor Shahid Kapoor
came up with SKULT. Later Tiger Shroff
launched the activewear brand Prowl.
The majority of these brands have
performed well and are continuously
growing. HRX is now a Rs. 500 crore plus
brand, similarly, Wrogn is also doing well
and Porwal was launched on Flipkart in
October 2022. Abhishek Maloo, Senior
Director, Flipkart Fashion says, “Over
the past two years, we at Flipkart have
observed an increase in the demand for
activewear. With this segment becoming
more mainstream, its share of the closet
28 AO India | November 2022
COVER STORY
as a fashion essential has increased
tremendously. We believe PROWL will
effectively cater to the increasing need for
fashionable and comfortable clothing.”
On the other hand, along with a focus
on innovations and creativity, various
brands are associated with celebrities
for their activewear products. Clovia
has associated with actress Payal Rajput,
Performax of Reliance has signed cricket
star and India’s top bowler, Jasprit
Bumrah as its brand ambassador.
Material is the core
All brands are on their toes for innovation
in activewear and the thrust is on raw
material. Target has highlighted that the
majority of ‘All In Motion’ activewear
incorporates sustainably sourced materials,
primarily including recycled polyester and
sustainably sourced cotton. Van Heusen
also has an innovative ‘reflect technology’
with reflective elements that look normal
during the day but glow in the dark.
Founded by Sanjana Masand, Seeq,
majorly uses a blend of nylon and spandex
(78:28 or 88:12), recycled polyester and
spandex etc., that are built with quickdrying
yarns, provide compression and
allow a four-way stretch with high
recovery. Heat-bonded seams and
ventilation design detail are also strengths
of the brand’s products. Bliss Club’s
leggings have features like deep pockets,
true ankle length and foldable waistbands.
Leading brands
Global:
Nike, Puma, ASICS,
FILA Decathlon,
Columbia Sportswear,
Lululemon, Sweaty
Betty, Alo Yoga
India:
HRX, Alcis, BlissClub,
Tego, Myriad
Activewear, c9,
Silvertraq, Ochre
Athletica, Kica,
SeeqActive
Budding start-ups DaMENSCH, Zymrat
(performance wear brand) have also
created a strong presence in the market
with their innovative products for men.
“At Zymrat, we believe that technology
elevates performance. And by combining
engineered fabrics with industry-first tech,
we’ve managed to launch world-beating
products. Our innovation is structured
and methodical, solving problems through
incremental benefits and tailored for
the Indian audience. All innovations at
Zymrat are led by a solution to a problem.
We made SuperSilva T-shirt to solve the
common problem of odour in products
that are sweat resultant, SuperVent to
add more breathability to the bottoms
and thereby solve the problem of fabric
sticking to the skin during intense
workouts, Centurion has been designed
to solve the problem of weight in running
T-shirts,” says Ujjawal Asthana, Co-
Founder, Zymrat.
Overseas brands have
strength of offering a
complete segment
Activewear includes footwear, apparel
and other few sports accessories (caps)
too. The strong presence of international
brands like Puma, adidas, Nike, Decathlon
etc., across all categories is strongly in
its favour. Puma India’s revenue was Rs.
2,044 crore for FY ’21 ended December.
At the same time, its massive experience
stores and engagements at stores attract
customers more.
Just last month PUMA launched its first
experiential store in Mumbai which is the
largest store in West India. The brand,
in the last one year, has launched two
other experiential stores in Gurugram and
in Bengaluru. Having highest turnover
among its peers, Puma has a total of 490
stores in India.
While few of the Indian brands have the
edge of offering similar apparel products
to these brands but at affordable prices.
The strong presence of Indian brands in
Overseas brands’ massive experience stores and engagements at stores attract customers more
November 2022 | AO India 29
COVER STORY
Arpit Aryan Gupta
smaller cities is also supportive towards
the growth of activewear.
Manufacturers in this segment that
have their own labels have also got the
advantage of their distributors’ reach
in Tier-3 and Tier-4 cities or villages.
E-commerce is also beneficial to the
industry as a whole.
Manufacturers enjoying
growth
The majority of manufacturers in this
segment are enthusiastic about rapid
and steady growth. Few of them are sure
about 15-20 per cent growth at least,
while there are companies that are geared
up to double their business in the next 3
to 4 years. Focus on innovation, quality
and quick turnaround are major factors
making them different from others.
Tirupur-based Techno Sports India, one
of the most respected manufacturers in
this segment, has integrated fashion and
technology to drive innovations in final
products. With a current revenue of Rs.
200 crore, it aims for five times growth
in the next 3 years. Sunil Jhunjhunwala,
Co-Founder & CEO, Techno Sport, an
ex-Microsoft engineer also has plans to
start a fabric unit as his thrust has been
innovation in fabrics.
“We have been collecting data on fabrics
and fibres for 8 years in order to develop
better garments. We have observed that
spandex is not good for activewear because
it decreases air permeability and increases
compression, so we ventured into using
Sunil Jhunjhunwala
polyester instead. We have also produced
mesh clothes with high air permeability.
These kinds of various elements are taken
care of in product manufacturing ensuring
our growth,” says Sunil. The company
spends 2 per cent of its annual revenue on
R&D, in close collaboration with Wool
Research Association (WRA), Thane.
He further adds that brands like Techno
Sports, achieved good growth as they
offered the greatest functional clothing
that gave a transforming experience while
keeping customer psychology in mind.
At the same time, the price range is also
affordable, unlike the globally wellknown
brands that are unaffordable for
the masses.
“Techno Sport is a firm believer in the fact
that Indian consumers do not give much
attention to tags or information; they want
a garment that meets their needs within
their limited budget,” avers Sunil.
Activewear is all about knit base, so
companies from knitting hubs like
Tirupur, Ludhiana are witnessing high
growth in this segment. Arpit Aryan
Gupta, Director, Marketing, NG
Apparels, a leading manufacturer of
activewear in Ludhiana says, “I have
seen almost a 400 per cent jump in
India’s activewear market as more and
more homegrown brands have now
started focusing on quality rather than
quantity and even consumers these days
are willing to pay the extra buck for
an international standard homegrown
product. I can expect the Indian
activewear market to go double in the
next 5 years.”
Overcrowded, not for
quality products
As per industry estimates, there are more
than 1000 brands across India which are
into activewear and with a growing focus
on the same, it will not be wrong to say
that this number is growing, so this space
is now overcrowded.
Although new brands and players
at different levels are coming in this
segment, but the majority of them are
offering regular products which lack
innovation especially functional aspects.
Hence, these kinds of products have
regular demand unlike the high demand
for proper activewear. So this segment
appears to be overcrowded.
Mojostar, a Mumbai-based company,
intending to co-create authentic, highimpact
indigenous brands in lifestyle
space, has launched Prowl brand.
Abhishek Verma, CEO of the company
believes, “There is a gap in the activewear
market for products that are meant for
hyperactive young Indians. Traditional
activewear brands have over-specified the
products, whereas young consumers want
simplified functional products that offer
great style. Products that help you look
amazing, are suited for multi-functional
movement and are easy to maintain, are
the needs of this market.”
Along with quality and innovation,
changing dynamics of the market and
economy are important aspects ensuring
the long-term demand for activewear.
“India is a manufacturing economy,
slowly shifting towards a consumer
economy which means the market is
going to expand further and with more
and more people having higher incomes
and international exposure, I believe
that the market is ‘not’ overcrowded
with ‘quality’ products. There is going
to be a huge demand for homegrown
brands now with a focus on quality and
innovations,” says Arpit.
Due to versatility and flexibility that
activewear offers, it is here to stay but the
market will be mainly for innovators only.
30 AO India | November 2022
November 2022 | AO India 31
BUYING & SOURCING
DECODING B2B FASHION
MARKETPLACES AS THE
CONCEPT EXPANDS IN INDIA
As per Statista, the global B2B
e-commerce transactions totalled US
$ 12.2 trillion in 2019, and it may
have seen around 25 per cent growth
in last two years! One of the most
prominent trends in B2B e-commerce
is the rise of the B2B Marketplace.
By now, the fashion industry may
have a fair idea about what a B2B
Marketplace is all about! The impact of
this online marketplace model cannot
be understated, as it has redefined
the business relationship between
B2B buyers and sellers and acts as a
networking point.
The concept is seeing strong adoption
level in the global fashion businesses
and India is not behind too! More
B2B Marketplaces are marking their
presence in the Indian industry and
are trying to revamp the ruptured
conventional fashion supply chains by
taking almost all laid-down processes
on to the digital platform.
The advantage being, unlike before,
suppliers and buyers need not invest
time and resources to search each other
and worry about their order status as
well as financial transactions.
The fact of the matter is that a large
part of the traditional supply chain
in textile and apparel industry faced
a significant setback during Covid-19
and stakeholders such as large
manufacturers, SMEs, distributers
as well as retailers underwent severe
efficiency loss in the key procurement
processes, especially where sourcing
decisions were taken in an unorganised
Dr. Stephen Patton
Director of Sourcing (South Asia),
Liverpool Mexico
environment that lacked both
credibility and accountability!
These disruptions pushed forth for the
evolution of B2B Marketplaces that
emerged strongly to offer B2B buying
and sourcing through online platforms
at reasonable prices and shorter
delivery times.
So, how do these platforms work?
These Marketplaces have members
from various segments on buying and
vendor’s sides who can place orders and
cater to these orders. To get associated
with Marketplaces, there are business
models like subscription, listing fees
and commission, and the companies
can choose what works best for them.
Anuj George
Head of SaaS, Zilingo
Why to go for a B2B
Marketplace?
Traditional B2B sales in the fashion
industry have the following complexities
that differentiate them from the B2C
model. All these factors are taken into
consideration by the company building
and managing a B2B Marketplace:
• Long purchase cycle
• Price can vary depending on product
changes and the quantity of items
• Bulk sales usually; samples needed
• Different payment types and
international payment issues
• Logistics and distribution issues
• Document and bureaucratic issues
32 AO India | November 2022
BUYING & SOURCING
B2B Marketplaces are creating better
online supply chains within the industry
and pondering upon the existing gaps
between buyers and sellers.
“The fashion brands have adopted
technology a little better because endconsumers
are evolving. They are dealing
with millennials and Gen-Z crowd and
these consumers have seen some fashion
statements on social media. Therefore,
brands are obviously adopting things
faster than factories and manufacturers
are still trying to cope with the rapidly
evolving trends. The reason being –
communication gap between brands
and vendors. And this is what a B2B
Marketplace tries to solve. In this effort,
every MP tries to develop a kind of
supply chain that works well for both the
parties,” commented Anuj George, Head
of SaaS, Zilingo.
Following are the two examples of how
B2B Marketplaces are finding solutions
for prolonged issues of the industry and
developing their partners through their
journey:
• ReshaMandi has tied up with
farmers and has given them an IoT
device.
• Zilingo has partnered with factories
to make them cost-effective through
its tech-enabled tools.
For a fashion brand that has its own
manufacturing, there is a valid argument
“B2B marketplaces can
perhaps solve fashion’s
one of the biggest issues -
high rate of online returns!
Returns of apparel items
on e-commerce platforms
is as high as 33% which is
a sheer wastage of time,
money and efforts”
- Nimish Dave
B2B Marketplace – 6 critical functions
1. Multi-vendor capabilities: A key function of a good B2B
Marketplace solution is that it allows you to control your
company page and information. You should have access to
manage your profile, content information, contact details,
pricing pages and your team’s role management.
2. Self-service functions: It’s often the case that individuals
prefer to place orders themselves rather than having to
interact with customer service representatives. Therefore,
a solid B2B e-commerce marketplace has features that
enable this self-service model if companies choose to
do so. B2B Marketplaces need to be highly responsive
and intuitive to create an enjoyable user experience. For
example, when buyers seek out solutions for their business,
they often have to ask for quotes, submit orders, or track
shipments – the B2B Marketplace you choose should
support these functions.
3. Information security functions: Just like with any
digital platform, data and information security and
confidentiality are essential for organisations to feel secure
and comfortable using the platform. Ensure that the B2B
Marketplace you choose places emphasis on protecting
your private information so that you don’t need to worry
about data breaches.
4. Easy-to-use search navigation: A key aspect to a B2B
Marketplace is the ability to filter and search for specific
vendors and businesses. The right marketplace platform
has easy-to-use search functions that enable you to filter
sellers by brand, price range, and product availability
quickly and accurately.
5. Fast, flexible workflows: Flexibility and speed need to be
the cornerstone of your B2B Marketplace. We’ve all seen
how quickly markets and industries can change, and your
e-commerce functions need to be able to adapt alongside
them. Buyers and sellers need to be able to rely on a flexible
and customisable platform that allows them to personalise
onboarding strategies, change order submission and
processing practices, and replenish supplies when
necessary,
6. Integration options: The best technologies can work
alongside your existing apps and tools. Make sure that you
find a B2B e-commerce marketplace with functions that
seamlessly collaborate with any other software solutions
your organisation uses. This leads to a more streamlined
process and a better experience for both buyers and sellers.
Courtesy: Tradeshift
November 2022 | AO India 33
BUYING & SOURCING
Akhil Duggar Jain
Executive Director, MADAME
Vikram Singh
Sr. VP (Global Sourcing),
DBS Lifestyle
Nimish Dave
Founder, The Idea Smith
they have on this entire scenario.
According to Akhil Duggar Jain,
Executive Director of MADAME – a
renowned home-grown fashion brand
that also has Jain Amar Clothing Pvt.
Ltd., by its side as parent company, the
go-to strategy for a brand should be how
to create better and agile supply chain
and see how a B2B Marketplace assists
in that.
“Around 70 per cent of the products
that we sell through our brand is being
“Online marketplace
poses great opportunities
to fashion industry with
around US $ 30 billion
worth of market which is
poised to grow to US $ 300
billion in next 10 years. The
alignment of companies
that are building B2B
marketplaces is important
with this massive value.”
- Vikram Singh
produced from our factory. However,
as we are continuing to grow, there
seems to be an obvious need for a
third-party B2B supply chain which
is becoming significant need for us,”
mentioned Akhil.
Another important aspect while
discussing the functioning and offerings
of a B2B Marketplace is – how does a
company create demand for products/
services on Marketplace before there is
enough supply and vice-versa?
Dr. Stephen Patton, Director of
Sourcing (South Asia), Liverpool
Mexico has his say on this. He
elaborated, “Innovation has outpaced
adoption. By the time companies are
ready to adopt a concept, innovation
reaches to next level! A factory can ask
to explore what the buyers are looking
for and stop selling that they themselves
want to manufacture but start producing
what people (end-consumers) are asking.
It takes a little time to adopt. Modifying
a supply chain takes nine to ten months,
while changing a product line/collection
takes two to three weeks.”
Key expectation of
a buyer from a B2B
Marketplace
Buyers, as they say, are the ones that
drive the growth of manufacturing
factories by placing orders there. Buyers
and factories, thereby, need to be aware
of each other and a Marketplace needs
to be seen from that perspective so
that the experience on a digital B2B
platform can be enhanced for buyers in
terms of ease of finding factories, ease
of order placement and execution etc.
However, the key question here remains
– what is the working experience of
a buyer from a Marketplace? What
features do they believe are of more
value and what more do they expect?
Stephen asserted, “In our case, which
is Liverpool Retail Group, customers
expect a type of product with certain
quality level. They do not go into details
if it is direct sourcing or third-party
sourcing. It’s a series of assumptions
they make that are based on the
historical contacts of what the brand
represents to them. We have to ensure
that whatever we sell, should be aligned
to the company’s values. If it is not
aligned, it’s our name that takes the hit!
In order to manage these expectations,
brands need to align themselves
accordingly with suppliers if both are
associated on a Marketplace, monitor
quality and lead time closely. That’s a
simple but foremost expectation.”
34 AO India | November 2022
MANUFACTURING
EASTMAN EXPORTS
GLOBAL CLOTHING ON
GROWTH PATH, OPENING
OFFICES OVERSEAS
Despite tough challenges that
apparel exporters are facing, few of the
companies are continuously growing
and one such company is Tirupur-based
Eastman Exports Global Clothing.
The company recently opened its office
in the US and it is also in the process
to have offices in the Middle East and
UK. The knitted garment giant is also
expanding its manufacturing capacity.
The company, completing 40 years,
works with more than 30 top brands
and retailers like Gap, Tommy Hilfiger,
Board Riders Group, Decathlon,
Balmain and Harley Davidson etc., and
it has a turnover of more than US $ 250
million. In the long run, the company
also has a plan to launch its Initial
Public Offering (IPO).
S.Prakash, Whole Time Director, Eastman Exports Global Clothing
Positive about the overall market
conditions, S.Prakash, Whole Time
Director of the company told Apparel
Online (AO), “Our US office is mainly
a subsidiary office working like a
marketing office. The office also
has an American designer and one
representative from India. We feel that
being close to the US, we can convert a
lot of customers.”
He further added that despite ups and
downs in the market, India has a lot
of business opportunities in exports,
especially looking at the opportunities
that are still growing like the
Government’s strong efforts on FTA.
This is why the company will open
offices in the Middle East and UK.
Mainly offering fashion products in
men’s, women’s and kidswear, Eastman
has vertically integrated operations and
its own domestic brand ‘Hue Trap’ is
being synergised in terms of technical
know-how, infrastructure and design
inputs.
‘Eastman Brands’ vertical of the
company, a unique concept to support
emerging brands and start-ups, is also
strongly marking its presence in the
domestic market.
“We are not missing on any front, be
it manufacturing, marketing, export or
domestic or product category. Though we
are a fashion product company catering
to top brands and retailers, 3-4 per cent
of our total business is coming from
underwear exports,” S.Prakash says.
Though many companies of Tirupur,
Coimbatore have their manufacturing
units in overseas as well as in other
Indian states, Eastman strongly believes
that there is a lot of potential still to
be tapped in India itself – many job
opportunities can be created as and
when one can add new facilities.
“Land and labour is an integral part
of our industry and yes there are
few exporters who have moved to
other states, but as far as Eastman is
concerned, we believe that land and
labour are available in our state, we
have to do a thorough study on that
region and erect the facility accordingly,”
confirms S.Prakash.
The company is also strong on the
sustainability and CSR front as it has
taken many steps for its staff as well
as society covering skill development,
education and scholarships for
employees and their children.
“We have a dedicated manufacturing
unit operated by only women and
almost 2000 women are part of this unit.
It is rare in the Indian apparel industry,”
Prakash says proudly.
Founded by N. Chandaran, Eastman
Exports is now a 4-decades-old group
and it has many feathers in its cap like
the company has its first dyeing plant
in the region to achieve Zero Liquid
Discharge (ZLD).
November 2022 | AO India 35
MANUFACTURING
Tailor and Circus: Not in the business of making underwear but in the business of making people love themselves
KOLKATA AND TIRUPUR
ENSURING THEIR GROWTH IN
INNERWEAR WITH DIFFERENT
FOCUS ALTOGETHER
Innerwear market in India has been
sustainably growing for years, the
reason being the unorganised sector
moving towards being organised to
a great extent. The focus of Indian
consumers is rapidly shifting towards
buying right, and inclination towards
healthy lifestyle is also contributing
to the growth of innerwear segment.
Millennials and GenZ consider fashion
underwear a status symbol today as
they tend to change their innerwear
every 6 months on an average, as per
various reports.
Taking advantage of these demand
drivers, Kolkata and Tirupur – the
Nearly all the leading
brands of Kolkata have
facilities in Tirupur also but
the product focus of these
brands is mainly basic
garments in these units.
two established hubs of innerwear
manufacturing – are on the growth
track but in different ways. Mainly
known for men’s innerwear,
Kolkata’s giant companies and mass
brands Dollar, Lux, Rupa etc., are
continuously adding new product
categories in the knitted segment,
while Tirupur is focusing on innovative
raw material, newer prints, designoriented
innerwear. Especially, Tirupur
is witnessing new players in innerwear
manufacturing like Faso, Carnation
Creations, Cruso, Tailor and Circus
and more.
As far as Kolkata’s companies (mass
brands) are concerned, they are mainly
known for underwear and have natural
growth in the same. Over the years,
they started covering a wide range of
knitted garments which is continuing
36 AO India | November 2022
MANUFACTURING
“Our latest offering in brassiere
product range has opened
a new gate for the women’s
product segment and has
received good feedback
from the market. We are sure
that it will help us capture a
reasonable share of the market
in the coming years”
Vinod Gupta
MD, Dollar Industries
even now. The main reason for these
companies to add newer product
categories is that by doing so, they
can earn more with less effort as
from manufacturing to retail, they
have an entire system in place. And
in this exercise of expanding product
portfolio, their core strength and
major focus on underwear is not
impacted any way.
Kolkata-based undergarment brands mainly cater to masses with simple products
“Due to complete vertical
operations, we can ensure true
organic products compared to
any other company as we have
a strong hold right from ginning
to despatch of the final product.
It also makes us very costcompetitive
and increases trust in
customers for our products.”
T. Gokulakrishnan
VP, Faso
A few of such products which are
new additions are women’s innerwear,
athleisure, loungewear, gymwear,
sleepwear, warmers, leggings and vests.
Dollar Industries is now also focusing
on womenswear like brassiere.
“Our latest offering in brassiere
product range has opened a new gate
for the women’s product segment and
has received good feedback from the
market. We are sure that it will help
us capture a reasonable share of the
market in the coming years,” says
Vinod Gupta, MD of the company.
Another underwear giant Lux
Industries Ltd., is witnessing growth
in the underwear segment as it is
hopeful of making Lux Cozi a Rs.
1,000 crore brand in the next three
years. The company clocked a turnover
of Rs. 2,300 crore in 2021-22 and is
expecting around 12 per cent growth
and may touch Rs. 2,600 crore in the
current financial.
At the same time, it also has plans
to enter the kids’ segment in a big
way. Saket Todi, ED of the company
believes that there is no national brand
catering to the kids’ innerwear market
and so there is a huge potential to grow
the segment. Last year, the company
had crossed US $ 1 billion market
capitalisation in the fast-growing
innerwear market.
Tirupur’s companies
go for innovative
material and designs
Like Kolkata, Tirupur also used to do
a lot of basic innerwear but in recent
years it has evolved. Along with natural
reasons like overall growing demand
and cluster-specific benefits, the credit
also goes to the companies’ focus on
innovative designs and materials.
Relatively new players in this segment
have done remarkable progress! Not
only budding manufacturer Carnation
Creations, but a dedicated organic
cotton-based innerwear brand Faso (by
vertically integrated textile company
KPR Mills), Tailor and Circus, a startup
having its own manufacturing etc.,
are seeing tremendous success.
Carnation Creations – a manufacturer
of premium underwear and home
textiles – has expertise in fashion
innerwear and is strongly planning
to grow in this category. Akhilesh
Anand, MD of the 4-year-old
company says, “Understanding the
customer psychology, we found that
underwear is more a fashion garment
November 2022 | AO India 37
MANUFACTURING
“Understanding the customer
psychology, we found that
underwear is more a fashion
garment now and different styles
of packaging are there as well, but
things are slightly different when it
is MBO, EBO, e-commerce for the
same brand etc.”
Akhilesh Anand
MD, Carnation Creations
now and also requires additional
infrastructure. So along with
focusing on designs, we have added
anti-microbial finishes or whatever
is required for comfort, at the same
time, we have invested in all the
state-of-the-art machines required
for innerwear technology, so we can
offer the best in innerwear.”
“By giving the experience of
super-premium brands at
affordable prices, we have
successfully filled the vacuum in
the market. Year-on-year, we have
achieved 3x growth, so we have a
plan to increase our capacity and
the overall team as well.”
Vasanth Sampath
Co-founder, Tailor and Circus
Working with many top international
and national brands in India, Akhilesh
also highlights that it is not easy for
any mid-sized manufacturer to make
the fashion innerwear range due
to different styles and large SKUs.
The process gets complex owing to
fashion elements and changes made
by the client. Different channels have
different styles of packaging as well,
and things are slightly different when
it is MBO, EBO, e-commerce for the
same brand etc.
“We provide design inputs to brands
and solve their complexities, be it
packaging and delivery management,”
says Akhilesh.
Faso, a brand launched in 2019, has
recently expanded in Western India
through a dealer network, and is
adding almost one state every month.
Its target is to cover India very soon.
Further, it has massive plans for direct
retailing by opening 100 EBOs.
T. Gokulakrishnan, VP, Faso says,
“Due to complete vertical operations,
we can ensure true organic products
compared to any other company as we
have a strong hold right from ginning
to despatch of the final product. It also
makes us very cost-competitive and
increases trust in customers for our
products.” The company has advanced
infrastructure across the value chain
and the brand started with the vision to
offer pure organic innerwear to Indian
consumers.
“With the growing market, our focus
is to have a strong loyal consumer base
across India so that we can have longterm
sustained growth,” he adds.
Start-ups and D2C brands have
Faso is continuously growing in the market as well as increasing its product basket
Having state-of-the-art manufacturing units, Carnation Creations is making variety of products
and it has the vision to become a one-stop solution for brands and retailers
38 AO India | November 2022
MANUFACTURING
Enjoying growth in the
innerwear segment,
Tirupur companies are
also expanding their
product basket in intimate
apparel (for women).
Tailor and Circus is also
enhancing its thrust
on lingerie and its plan
is to come up with
the launch of unisex
underwear, sleepwear
and loungewear product
categories in comfortable
fabric. Faso recently
launched women’s
innerwear while Carnation
Creations, which was
already manufacturing a
variety of knitted products,
is entering into lingerie as
it has the vision to become
a one-stop solution for
brands and retailers.
Matching underwear by Tailor and Circus
disrupted the innerwear segment
and Bengaluru is a major hub for
start-ups. It has also created a
growth opportunity for Tirupur as
nearly all major start-ups and D2C
brands of this hub are sourcing
undergarments from Tirupur
which is just 320 km away from
Bengaluru while Kolkata is almost
1600 km away.
“Apart from proximity, Tirupur has
strengths of strong design sense,
catering to low volume orders and
supporting required R&D for startups
or D2C brands. If a brand or
start-up wants to take inspiration
or study the market, Tirupur is the
market where things can be studied
easily,” says Akhilesh.
Bengaluru-based Tailor and Circus, a
leading D2C and profitable innerwear
start-up, started in 2017 with a factory
in Tirupur. The brand is also happy
with its growth and it is soon expected
to get seed funding. It also has plans to
launch its EBOs.
Vasanth Sampath, Co-founder of
the brand who also takes care of
manufacturing says, “By giving the
experience of super-premium brands at
affordable prices, we have successfully
filled the vacuum in the market. Yearon-year,
we have achieved 3x growth,
so we have a plan to increase our
capacity and the overall team as
well.”
The company, having 45 per cent
customer retention rate, uses micromodal
and sustainable materials in
packaging also. It also follows the
concept of body positivity which is
not common in India. Newer prints
are also its focused area.
“Own manufacturing gives us
the strength to incorporate every
small or big feedback of customers
completely and quickly. It also
allows us to keep a lean inventory
and have better control of quality.
Similarly, 95 per cent of the total
sales comes from the company’s
website, 40 per cent of its sales is
organic (without marketing efforts)
which makes it more profitable,” he
adds.
November 2022 | AO India 39
MANUFACTURING / NEWS
www.apparelresources.com
Shahi Exports’ Anant Ahuja joins the Board of the BBI
Anant Ahuja of Shahi
Exports, India’s largest apparel
manufacturer, has joined the
Board of Directors of the
Better Buying Institute (BBI).
As the first South Asian
supplier to join the BBI Board,
Anant’s appointment is a
significant step towards the
industry-wide transformation
of buyer purchasing practices.
The move will further
strengthen buyer-supplier
relationships contributing
to the overall well-being of
supply chain workers and
improved environmental
practices. Anant joins fellow
Board members Nina Smith,
founding Chief Executive of
GoodWeave International;
Dr. Peter Cheng, Co-founder
and Chairman of Hanbo
Group; Tom Rausch, Global
Lead, Agrostart – BASF and
Michael Gilson, CEO and
Founder of Cormac Advisors.
BBI was set up in 2015 with a
mission to enable buyers and
suppliers to work together
with responsible purchasing
practices to achieve shared
goals of profitability and
social and environmental
sustainability.
Anant is also the CEO and
Co-founder of the Good
Business Lab, a not-for-profit
labour innovation start-up
that conducts research to find
common ground between
worker well-being and business
interests. He was also a part of
NITI Aayog’s ‘Champions of
Change’ initiative.
Anant Ahuja, Head of
Organizational Development,
Shahi Exports said, “Better
Buying has led the way
in measuring and raising
awareness about the state of
purchasing practices by driving
transparency, and this is an
exciting time to be joining the
Board.” He further added that
there is growing awareness
and acceptance in the industry
that purchasing practices have
a massive impact on workers’
well-being, environmental
sustainability and innovation.
Buyers are significantly more
open to working with suppliers
to understand the pain
points and develop win-win
partnerships, and suppliers
are increasingly aware of the
knowledge and influence they
hold in driving a sustainable
future for the fashion industry.
But there’s still a long way to
go in re-balancing the power
dynamics between buyers and
suppliers. The time for the
industry to come together and
act on purchasing practices
is now. Dr. Marsha Dickson,
President and Co-founder
of the BBI, said, “Anant has
a deep understanding of the
challenges suppliers face in
their business relationships
with brands and retailers.
He also has a track record of
implementing new approaches
to address workplace and
business opportunities. With
this valuable background,
Anant will be helping us
explore how Better Buying’s
work can add even more value
to both buyers and suppliers
as they collaborate around
new practices and ways of
working together.”
Stitching It Right, a book by Rajat Sikka to help budding
entrepreneurs
Rajat Sikka, Managing Director
and Co-founder of Delhibased
premier apparel export
house Saivana Exports, New
Delhi, has come up with a
book Stitching It Right, the
entrepreneurial journey from a
car garage to Harvard.
The book is a sincere effort to
help recognise the potential
pitfalls in what could be an
adventure. It is a therapeutic
look at the romance of
entrepreneurship and looks at
how several factors can impact
a start-up business, It also
gives some thoughtful points
to pivot upon and understands
how some of these challenges
may be seen as obvious but
unavoidable. Apart from getting
inspired by the real-life stories
of Rajat and his company
Saivana, the book also helps
to put entrepreneurial dreams
in perspective, and identify
factories that can impact
one’s business.
The book helps young
entrepreneurs to set up their
own fashion houses and help
them make it big. It talks about
possible hurdles he or she
might face as they grow their
company and also offers tips on
how to handle their people.
Talking about the motivation
behind the book, Rajat has a
spirit to help young aspiring
fashion designers to sustain
in the industry. Apart from
successfully running an export
house, Rajat is an avid angel
investor in numerous start-ups.
One of them is the Indian
Angel Network, which is
Asia’s largest network of
Angel investors keen to invest
in early-stage businesses. All
the learning and efforts of
Rajat to overcome small and
big challenges of business
reflect beautifully in the book.
This book has interesting
detailing of his years and
lessons from founding the
company. He brings on an
exploratory journey as reader
travels across the dusty back
roads of Tughlakabad (Delhi)
in the ’90s to the cobbled
streets of Paris and even the
ivory halls of Harvard.
40 AO India | November 2022
www.apparelresources.com
MANUFACTURING / NEWS
Draft released for PLI 2.0 for apparel and home
textile sector
Union Textile Ministry has
released the draft for PLI 2.0
scheme for apparel and home
textile sector. The scheme
brings around Rs. 4,300
crore of incentives to the
ecosystem and may generate
Rs. 1 lakh crore worth of new
manufacturing. Investment
criterion is within many of
SME companies’ limits of
Rs. 15 crore, Rs. 30 crore and
Rs. 45 crore in three different
schemes; importantly, all
kinds of textile manufacturing
companies can apply.
This scheme is open for all
products including cotton
(HS codes 61, 62 and 63),
which will create opportunity
for companies to choose their
preferred products. Companies
working with the PLI scheme
New teams for various trade bodies
Recently various trade bodies
of textile and apparel industry
got new office bearers. Major
change was in Tirupur
Exporters’ Association (TEA),
a leading trade body of apparel
trade body. KM Subramanian,
MD, KM Knitwear and a
mechanical engineer has been
elected the unopposed President
and N. Thirukkumaran of
Estee Exports India has been
elected unopposed for General
Secretary, while Rajkumar
Ramasamy of Best Corporation
and Elangovan of SNQS
Internationals have been elected
as VP, R Gopalakrishnan,
Royal Classic Mills has
can get good mileage with
domestic and international
buyers due to their visibility.
Notably, those companies
that take up projects with
PLI scheme can also avail
State Government incentives.
Besides, companies can
combine both to improve the
incentive component. The
incremental sales condition
for 5 years can help SMEs to
build the much-needed scale
and competitiveness.
If 20-plus companies are
executing projects together as
a Group, companies can get
benefits in terms of project
cost due to joint purchases.
Trade bodies are creating
awareness about the scheme
and motivating companies to
come forward and take the
been appointed as Treasurer
and DK Kumar of Eastern
Global Clothing has been
elected as Joint Secretary. KM
Subramanian said to Apparel
Online (AO), “We have a perfect
combination of experienced
and young entrepreneurs in
the new team. There are few
well-deserving representatives
in the EC who have got such
a chance first time, so they are
very enthusiastic to work for
the industry.” The new team
of TEA will work collectively
and more aggressively for the
growth of Tirupur’s apparel
industry. He further added that
as a priority, we are working to
benefit of PLI 2.0. With the
expertise and deep knowledge
of KPMG, Coimbatore-based
Indian Texpreneur Federation
(ITF) conducted an interactive
session with 50 textile
entrepreneurs of the western
region (Coimbatore, Tirupur,
Erode, Karur Namakkal) to
explain the fine details of the
scheme with practical working
models in various formats.
“It’s an opportunity for Tamil
Nadu textile sector to get more
on value addition. Revenue
from both export and domestic
are acceptable in this scheme.
We strongly believe that Tamil
Nadu textile and apparel sector
should use this opportunity
and invest in PLI 2.0 to build
scale and competitiveness,”
said Prabhu Dhamodharan,
Convenor, ITF.
have a hostel of at least 20,000
workers including men and
women. TEA has formed an
export promotion committee
also, which will make sure that
Tirupur can achieve apparel
exports of Rs. 30,000 crore.
Similarly, Zakir Hussain,
Director of Jaipur’s leading
apparel export house Cotfab, is
the new President of Garment
Exporters Association of
Rajasthan (GEAR), while
Ashish Ahuja of Ultimate
Expressions and Lalit Kumar
Arora of Jimmy Mode
International have been elected
VP. Arun Gupta of Kiran
Modes will be the new
General Secretary.
SNIPS
The district
administration in
Dindigul, a leading
textile hub in Tamil
Nadu, is taking up
a feasibility study
along with various
stakeholders for
integrated effluent
treatment plant.
The Uttar Pradesh
(UP) Government
has approved Uttar
Pradesh Textile
and Garmenting
Policy-2022 in the
cabinet meeting.
NIFT Srinagar will
introduce two more
courses next year
and efforts will be to
gradually increase
the number of
courses to 10.
The Communist
Party of India
workers staged a
demonstration at the
district collectorate
as they were seeking
the establishment
of a Textile Park in
Sattur at the earliest
and urged not to set
up a dyeing unit in
Thamaraikulam.
The West Bengal
Hosiery Association
has elected Vinod
Kumar Gupta, MD,
Dollar Industries Ltd,
as its new President
at its AGM.
November 2022 | AO India 41
MANUFACTURING / NEWS
www.apparelresources.com
Coats Digital’s GSDCost helps Vietnamese manufacturer
increase efficiency by 10%; on target to reduce manufacturing
production time by 50%
Coats Digital is delighted
to announce that following
the implementation
of its GSDCost, top
Vietnamese leisure and
sportswear manufacturer,
Son Ha Garment Joint
Stock Company, ( JSC) is
on its way to enhance its
efficiency improvement
goal by more 50 per cent.
‘GSDCost’, a well-known
method-time cost solution
for garment costing and
sustainable manufacturing,
initially helped improve
the core style Standard-
Minute-Values (SMV)
of the company by 10 per
cent. The much-talked
about GSDCost offers
accurately recorded SMVs
through helpful, standard
motion digitised codes so
that manufacturers can
optimise the costing process,
enhance manufacturing
efficiencies, introduce
achievable performance
targets and ultimately
increase sales to optimise
profitability.
It is a method analysis and
pre-determined timing
solution that is frequently
used by manufacturers
throughout the world.
With the help of this
new tool, brands and
manufacturers may easily
determine the fair living
wage allowed for a specific
garment in any factory
worldwide as well.
Notably, Coats Digital’s
updated Globalised Fair
Wage Tool incorporates the
International Standard Time
for each individual style
together with the nation’s
fair living wage, contractual
hours and specialised
production efficiency.
With the usage of
GSDCost, the Vietnamese
manufacturer Son Ha
Garment JSC has enhanced
productivity, order and cost
planning visibility, decreased
overtime costs, upgraded
on-time delivery and fair
wage negotiation in costing
proposals.
It has been progressively
integrated throughout the
organisation. The installation
across the unit also saved
hundreds of work hours.
As data and cost planning
reports were only based
on previously manually
obtained data, Son Ha
Garment JSC regularly
battled with productivity
because it was challenging
for team members to find the
information they needed.
Additionally, the lack of
accurate costing information
made it impossible to reach
a definite agreement with
customers, which wasted
crucial time.
Patrick Chau, Customer
Success Manager at Coats
Digital, said, “We are content
that Son Ha Garment JSC
has achieved such remarkable
efficiency results following
its deployment of GSDCost.
The only way that fashion
manufacturers can stay ahead
of the game is to quickly
digitise their processes, as the
industry is going to be more
competitive with constant
pressure to lower costs and
small orders. Standardising
SMV calculations is a surefire
way to boost production
efficiency, bring fact-based,
stable cost negotiations,
lower overtime costs and cut
down on material waste, all
the while motivating staff
with attainable performance
targets and quickly
responding to orders with
more complex requirements.”
42 AO India | November 2022
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November 2022 | AO India 43
November 2022 | AO India 43
SUSTAINABILITY
Shahi Exports has done a remarkable job for menstrual hygiene management
EFFORTS TOWARDS WOMEN
WORKERS’ SAFE PERIOD CYCLE
IS A WIN-WIN FOR ALL
Around 6 million women operators
are working in the Indian apparel
manufacturing industry and 60 to 70
per cent of them belong to the age group
of 18+ to 40. Women operators are
more disciplined, are known for better
productivity and also have less turnover
rate but at the same time every month,
they struggle for 3-4 days due to their
menstrual cycle and it impacts them
physically as well as mentally. In the
research conducted by the University
College of London, menstrual cramps
have been described as ‘almost as bad
as having a heart attack’. Looking at
the seriousness of the issue, a few of the
apparel factories have taken note of this
Providing sanitary products
is essential but not a
complete solution. Women
workers’ approach also
needs to change as the
majority of women feel
that menstrual blood is
dirty or impure. Such and
other myths and taboos
need to change as Humjoli
Foundation has a perfect
motto Periods – Sharm
Nahi, Shamta Hai (Periods
are not a matter of shame
but are about potential)
and come up with noble initiatives to
support women. And they have achieved
good results too. These factories have
supported women with proper guidance
and regular availability of sanitary pads
(free/ or on subsidised rates), and period
leave but thousands of factories are there
which are still missing on this front.
Looking at the entire scenario and
diversity, the top priority should be to
make menstruation a normal subject,
so that anyone can talk about it from
the board room to the shopfloor
openly without any fear and hesitation.
Menstruation should be accepted as
a routine fact of life, with easy access
to period products and necessary
44 AO India | November 2022
SUSTAINABILITY
facilities. The issue becomes significant
as women’s dignity, health and in
many cases livelihood is closely tied
to their struggle every month with
menstruation.
Life changing efforts
It will not be wrong to say that Shahi
Exports has done a remarkable job in
this direction. The company is working
in this regard for more than four years
and has conducted many surveys,
discussions and analysis. Its project
‘Pravah’ focuses on menstrual health
and hygiene training and awareness
and easy access to low-cost, highquality
sanitary products for its women
employees. There are biometric-enabled
vending machines in women’s toilets,
stocked with highly subsidised sanitary
napkins. The safe disposal mechanism
has also increased the hygiene level in
the toilets. The company also promotes
access and acceptance of menstrual cups
as safe sanitary products. These and
other such efforts not only help women
during their menstrual cycle but also
change their mindset that menstrual
blood is dirty or impure.
Another leading factory of Delhi-NCR,
Paramount Products is offering free
pads for the last two years and around
1800 women workers of the companies
are benefiting from this. Women are
now very much using these pads and
even guiding their daughters and other
women in the family about proper
hygiene. The company also has in-house
trained staff for creating awareness and
guiding women in this regard.
Not only leading exporters, a few
of medium-level companies are also
coming up with interesting initiatives in
this direction. One year ago Nandani
Creation Limited (JaipurKurti.com),
a Jaipur-based leading domestic player,
announced a period leave policy for its
women employees. As per this policy,
period leave of one day (over and above
the regular leaves and holidays) for
each month is available to the women
workforce. The company took this
step as it is moving towards building
a culture of acknowledgement for
women’s organic necessities.
Gain to the companies
Along with the women workers,
factories which put efforts for menstrual
hygiene also get benefits as in the
baseline survey of the Shahi Exports, it
was observed that 47 per cent of women
strongly agreed that the provision of
cheap pads makes them think that the
company cares about the workers’ health
and well-being; this percentage shot
up to 71 per cent in the endline. The
company also asked the respondents if
providing high-quality and low-cost
pads makes them want to work for more
years in this company. The percentage
of respondents who strongly agreed with
the statement went up from 32 per cent
in the baseline to 61 per cent in the endline
survey.
Rupali Agarwal, Head-CSR,
Paramount Products informed, “There
is a significant reduction in women
absenteeism and their overall health and
confidence have increased a lot. Women
are now more loyal and feel bonding
with the company.” She further added
that the company manages money for
pads from workers’ welfare fund and
doesn’t see it as an added cost.
Anuj Mundhra, CMD, Nandani
Creation Limited shared his experience,
“I was criticised by a few of the fellow
apparel manufacturers when I started
this initiative but I was firm to continue
with this and in one year, we have seen
that motivation of the young female
workers has increased and they are very
happy with this policy.” He also said
50%
of women aged 15-24
years use clothes
during periods, claims
National Family Health
Survey
Vending machines in women’s toilet at Shahi Exports
November 2022 | AO India 45
SUSTAINABILITY
that women are so enthusiastic about
this scheme that they manage their
work effectively so that their period
leave doesn’t impact the factory’s output.
Benchmark in India
Though the labour-oriented, apparel
manufacturing industry cannot be
compared with any other industry, but
there are a few examples that can be
said to be the benchmark. Still, there
are a few good examples as food delivery
service Zomato which has introduced
up to ten days of ‘period leaves’ in a
year for all women employees to build
a more inclusive work culture. Swiggy
also has ‘No Questions Asked’ Period
Time-off for women delivery partners
and a monthly two-day time off
policy during periods for them (with
a minimum earnings guarantee too).
There are also a few more companies
in various industries/sectors having
similar policies.
What more can be done
In Delhi-NCR or any other apparel
manufacturing hub in Tirupur and
nearby other hubs also, only few
factories are putting in efforts for
menstrual hygiene as factory owners
don’t have an interest and thrust on
this. “This issue is not in the factories
owners’ priority list. At our own level,
we do have some initiatives focusing
on awareness and subsidised sanity pad
distribution but the budget constraint
is there,” said A. Aloysius, Founder,
Social Awareness and Voluntary
Education (SAVE) NGO of Tirupur.
He further added that factories should
also have proper focus on the disposal
of used pads as a small chunk of women
workers who are managing pads on their
own, don’t have any options in factories
to dispose of the pads. And it is also
harmful for them.
Few State Governments are
distributing free sanitary napkins in
schools. Similar schemes can be there
for garment factory workers and the
cost can be borne by Government as
well as factories.
Efforts are also required at the policy
level as the Menstruation Benefits
Bill was introduced in 2017 in the
Indian parliament but so far there is no
proposal to grant menstrual leaves and
it is not passed yet. Interestingly Bihar
has had menstrual leave for women
employees since 1992.
Under the bill, women employed by
both public and private establishments
registered with the Central and State
Governments, are entitled to two days
of menstrual leave every month, which
would amount to 24 days of leave
annually.
Few of the buyers are having some
support of the factories for this like
VF Corp., has developed Menstrual
Hygiene Management modules as
part of the HER Project in Chennai
and Bengaluru. It is also improving
access to feminine hygiene products
Birla Cellulose, a part
of Aditya Birla Group,
has recently teamed up
with Bengaluru-based
GoNaturato to produce costeffective
and environmentfriendly
sanitary pads using
the viscose-based Purocel
EcoDry fibre as a top-sheet
in their GoNatura sanitary
pads. Birla Cellulose’
target is to overcome
the environmental
consequences endured due
to the global consumption
of plastic-based single-use
sanitary pads and curb
the ecological damage
through plastic-free natural
sanitary pads available
at an affordable price. Its
team has been working
tirelessly with GoNatura
to successfully integrate
through multiple product
trials in an effort to ensure
smooth integration of their
sanitary pads.
NGOs and platforms that
can support
• Swasti, The Health Catalyst
• Breakthrough
• Beyond Blood
• Goonj
• Humjoli Foundation
• Myna Mahila Foundation
• Project Baala
• Breaking The Silence
• Aara Health
to create an enabling environment
for women workers. The educational
pilot project was launched in 2018
and was expanded in FY 2020. It is
also improving access to feminine
hygiene products to create an enabling
environment for women workers.
To start with
If a particular factory doesn’t have
resources to support women workers
with period products, it can start
with awareness for imparting proper
information and guidance regarding
menstrual hygiene management.
NGOs like Sachhi Saheli have included
the initiative of Menstrual Café.
Soumya Dabriwal, Founder of Delhibased
Project Baala, another leading
organisation has exposure of working in
this direction with companies from few
industries.
She asserted, “We have done some work
with Shahi Exports and if any other
garment manufacturing companies
come forward, we will definitely work
with them.”
Factories can arrange the show of
Padman movie, (based on the true story
of a social entrepreneur who creates
a low-cost pad-making machine).
There are video messages from popular
bollywood actresses encouraging women
to break the silence on menstruation,
and these videos can be shared with
women on Whatsapp.
46 AO India | November 2022
www.apparelresources.com
SUSTAINABILITY / NEWS
Louis Dreyfus Company Project Jagruthi to
support farmers on Sustainable Cotton Farming
Louis Dreyfus Company
(LDC), a French merchant firm
that is involved in agriculture,
food processing, international
shipping and finance launched
‘Project Jagruthi’ in India, to
train and support local cotton
farmers in adopting more
sustainable farming practices,
as part of its commitment
to empowering smallholder
farming communities – in India
and around the world – to
improve their livelihoods for
the long term. In a statement,
the company informed that
as part of the initiative,
LDC conducted a series of
educational workshops to
support cotton farmers in
mitigating threats such as
pink bollworm and white fly
infestations that are affecting
cotton crops in India. During
the workshops, specific methods
were demonstrated alongside
technical advice from experts
to help minimise yield losses
due to pest outbreaks, thereby
increasing production and
income. Field demonstrations
of measures such as pheromone
traps were also conducted.
Sumeet Mittal, LDC’s Head of
Cotton for India, said, “LDC is
committed to working toward
a safe and sustainable future,
helping to feed and clothe a
growing global population
sustainably. Project Jagruthi is
a perfect example of what we
can do in this regard, and we
look forward to ramping up this
and other projects to empower
India’s smallholder farmers for
greater resilience and a more
sustainable future.”
SNIPS
M&S announces to
‘responsibly exit’
from Myanmar
amidst human
right violations
Decathlon,
in October,
undertook a
communication
initiative in
Belgium in which
the retailer has
renamed itself
‘Nolhtaced’
(‘Decathlon’ in
reverse) in order to
raise the public’s
awareness about
the possibility
of retailing in
the ‘opposite
direction’
SIDT and TAS to launch courses on Sustainability & ESG
Mumbai-based prestigious
institute Sasmira’s Institute of
Design & Textiles (SIDT) and
The Academy for Sustainability
(TAS) have announced a
collaboration to launch various
courses on Sustainability &
ESG for the fashion and textile
sector. SIDT is one of the
leading institutes for fashion,
textiles and merchandising
studies in Mumbai. SIDT’s
Centre for Sustainable Studies
(SCSS) was established in
2022 to educate and train
students and professionals
to meet the needs of the
industry and help inspire and
empower the next generation
of designers on sustainable
fashion designs. TAS was
established to empower
individuals, professionals and
organisations in sustainability
by building the capacity of
individuals and organisations,
creating and enabling awareness
of sustainability, and enhancing
sustainability communication
and reporting. This collaboration
aims to educate and train
students and professionals
to meet the needs of the
industry and help inspire and
empower the next generation
of designers on sustainable
fashion designs. The training
programmes will include online
and offline courses on the
basics of sustainability, fashion
sustainability, ESG, circularity,
sustainable design, CSR and
sustainability reporting for the
fashion and textile industry.
Dr. Krishnendu Datta,
Dean, SIDT, said, “Taking
action on climate change and
sustainability is an imperative,
and we all have a role to play.
As knowledge providers,
our goal is to contribute to
the growth of the industry
by empowering leaders,
professionals and students with
the skills they need to navigate
the demand for sustainability.
Our training programmes
will expand sustainability
and climate literacy. In
collaboration with The
Academy for Sustainability, we
will offer a robust curriculum
of sustainability training &
ESG courses.”
November 2022 | AO India 47
SUSTAINABILITY / NEWS
www.apparelresources.com
BHRRC highlights worsening human rights
among garment workers
Allegations of human rights
violations against garment
workers at the suppliers of
several major international
fashion retailers have been
brought to light in a new report
by the Business & Human
Rights Resource Centre
(BHRRC). Accusations were
levelled against 13 factories that
supply or have supplied to at
least 15 international fashion
brands, according to the report,
including the likes of adidas,
Bestseller, C&A, H&M, Hugo
Boss, J. Crew, Mango, Next,
Primark and Under Armour.
The organisation polled 124
union members and labour
activists in Bangladesh,
Cambodia, India, Indonesia
and Sri Lanka for the research,
which included interviews with
24 trade union members.
Respondents claimed that they
had continued to experience
discrimination, assault,
threats, false accusations and
arrests; many of the factories
in question appeared to be
utilising Covid-19 as a means
for these alleged attempts to
suppress any organised efforts.
Additionally, there has been
an increase in issues such as
intimidation and harassment of
trade union members. Around
61 per cent of respondents
reported the situation for
freedom of association and
collective bargaining had ‘got
worse’ since the pandemic.
30 per cent of respondents
reported an increase in genderbased
violence.
BHRRC advocated a statutory
framework for human rights
and urged governments,
companies and suppliers to take
measures to ensure freedom
of association. It concluded:
“Brands and suppliers are
encouraged to enter good-faith
dialogue with workers and
their representatives through
collective bargaining and
binding agreements between
key stakeholders.”
SNIPS
Sustainable
Chemistry for the
Textile Industry
(SCTI) appoints
Dr. Isabella Tonaco
as Executive Director
Spanish retailer
Mango is
collaborating with
cancer research
organisation FERO
Foundation for a
solidarity collection.
They’ve collaborated
before, and the
funds from this
campaign will go
towards breast
cancer research.
Ralph Lauren is now member of The US Cotton Trust Protocol
Ralph Lauren Corporation,
an iconic global luxury brand,
is now member of The US
Cotton Trust Protocol (‘Trust
Protocol’). This membership
will support Ralph Lauren in
its efforts to scale sustainable
practices in US cotton
production. Aligned with
timeless by design, Ralph
Lauren is working to improve
soil health through programmes
that support regenerative
agriculture practices and
rigorous impact measurement,
believing that these efforts
are fundamental to building a
resilient cotton industry in the
US and globally. Launched
in 2020, the US Cotton Trust
Protocol is aligned with the
UN Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs), recognised by
Textile Exchange and Forum
for the Future, and part of the
Sustainable Apparel Coalition,
Cotton 2025 Sustainable
Cotton Challenge, Cotton 2040
and Cotton Up initiatives.
The Trust Protocol drives
continuous improvement
in six key sustainability
areas—land use, soil carbon,
water management, soil loss,
greenhouse gas emissions
and energy efficiency. It
integrates these sustainability
metrics from Field to Market’s
Fieldprint® Platform, enabling
enrolled growers to measure
the environmental impacts of
their operation and identify
opportunities for continuous
improvement. Katie Ioanilli,
Chief Global Impact &
Communications Officer at
Ralph Lauren said, “Cotton
makes up more than threequarters
of our total material
use, and we are committed
to ensuring this critical fibre
is fully sustainably-sourced
in our portfolio by 2025.
Our ambition requires
collaboration and partnership
with organisations like
Trust Protocol as we work
together to make progress
on sustainable cotton goals –
within our business and the
wider industry.” “We are proud
to welcome Ralph Lauren
as a new member and aid in
their efforts to advance better
sustainability practices within
the industry,” said Dr. Gary
Adams, President of the US
Cotton Trust Protocol.
48 AO India | November 2022
TRENDS IN FOCUS / RUNWAYS
THE MEGATREND
ROUND-UP FROM
THE FASHION
CAPITALS
OF THE WORLD
S/S ’23 EDITION
The fashion weeks this season were filled
with a sort of joyous excitement owing
much to the fact that this season marked
a complete return to in-person physical
shows after the previous two years spent
assuming a hybrid model owing to the
pandemic.
For Spring/Summer 2023, avante-garde
looks and fashion-forward accessories
teamed up with thought-provoking themes
and inspirations marked the calendar
across New York, Milan, Paris and London.
There were also several significant style
trends. Layered looks reigned prevalent,
especially on slip dresses. Many designers
showed monochromatic looks and a
‘space age’ techno white look stood out.
After last year’s preponderance of miniskirts
and short shorts, ’40s style pencil
style skirts and dresses made a refreshing
comeback.
The accessory categories, including
footwear and handbags, are an important
part of any retail assortment, and the
runway season pointed towards boots,
soft plush handbags, metallic material et al.
Read on to discover the top trends set to
dominate the season!
Christian Wijnant
Saint Laurent
ALL
MATCHED UP
This season, several designers presented immaculately
tailoring pieces with coordinated separates. At,
Vetements, Guram Gvasalia presented a series of
tailored looks where everything matched among the
more expected streetwear and denim pieces his brand
has come to be known for.
That included some styles rendered in a checkered
pattern and texture reminiscent of Tati shopping
bags. Standout looks included a wide-lapeled belted
raincoat over a shirt and overlong pants, all in a
striking blue and red plaid.
Saint Laurent presented an oversized blouse with a
neck scarf and overlong pants, all rendered in a bold
black and cream polka dot print, whilst Christian
Wijnants showed three pieces in acid green parachute
silk; an oversized blouse and knee length shorts under
a trench coat.
Vetements
November 2022 | AO India 49
TRENDS IN FOCUS / RUNWAYS
Kenzo
Missoni
Ami
PREP
SCHOOL RE-RUN
MSGN
Max Mara
Prada
The ‘preppy’ look is back once again for S/S ’23
season - but this time around, it’s hyping up the
menswear segment.
For men, the trend is being presented with a new
twist: less Ivy League, more ‘sport & street’.
A wide range of colourways grace the trend - from
pale pastels at Rhude, and neons at MSGM to
burgundy and black at Dries Van Noten. Key items
and accents included cable knit sweaters, bermuda
shorts and collegiate lettering.
At Kenzo, Nigo used the concept of a ‘passing out
ceremony,’ inspired by one of Kenzo Takada’s 1980’s
shows which was based on the idea of a school’s
sports day. Staying true to their signature, Thom
Browne presented an array of looks, including tweed
coats, blazers, pants and long pleated skirts.
MIDI
LENGTHS
A ‘grown up’ approach to fashion, courtesy Miuccia
Prada and her design partner, Raf Simons, the midilength
silhouette made waves on the runways this
season. A mid-calf pencil silhouette was prevalent on
the Prada runway, whilst Missoni presented a bodycon
silhouette in various lengths.
At Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, the designer was
inspired by two iconic designers of the past, Giorgio
di Sant’Angelo and Romeo Gigli. The result was a
collection of slender silhouettes, enhancing the body.
Look 11 was a mid-length dress in a stretch fabric
with a Toile de Jouy print.
50 AO India | November 2022
TRENDS IN FOCUS / RUNWAYS
Ahluwalia
Marissa Wilson
MASHUP
Snow Xue Ga
Puma
Tom Ford
Tom Ford
Mix-and-match prints are making an impact this
season as consumers look to express themselves with
bold fashion choices.
Snow Xue Gao presented an interesting take with a
slip dress that featured an asymmetric hem. It was
rendered in two prints - a re-coloured camouflage and
a geometric flat floral.
For this season, Marrisa Wilson found inspiration
in the colours and culture of Guyana, from which
country her parents had emigrated to the US. Look
10 consisted of a mid-length dress rendered in three
distinct abstract prints.
Studio 189 is designed by Abrima Erwiah and actor
Rosario Dawson presented a multi-tiered style of five
prints including a stencilled floral, a large dot and a
variegated stripe, all in a medley of orange, pink, red,
yellow and white shades.
BOOT
CAMP
Carrying over from its winter reign, boots are making
a big impact for the S/S ’23 season.
The incredible success of over-the-knee boots in
recent seasons encouraged designers to continue
showing them for next spring. Tom Ford’s version
was rendered in high shine leather with a crocodile
pressed pattern and a strap and buckle detail, while
in Puma, the boot was heavier and featured their
signature white stripe and logo.
Metallics were all over New York Fashion Week
where Christian Cowans and Tom Ford both showed
metallic boots.
November 2022 | AO India 51
TRENDS IN FOCUS / RUNWAYS
Luisa Beccaria
Michael Kors
Prabal Gurung
Miaou
BEATING THE
MONDAY BLUES
The colour blue is in the limelight for the
approaching season with designers across the fashion
capitals including the hue within their Spring/
Summer 2023 offerings.
At Prabal Gurung, the focus was on individuality
and several designs displayed a state of dishabille
reminiscent of ‘nineties night clubbing attire’. Look
16 included a sky blue slip dress with a royal blue
overskirt. Meanwhile, design duo Proenza Schouler
showed a turquoise blue fitted lace shirt with a satin
collar and cuffs teamed with flared royal blue lace
pants on model Achenrin Madit.
Michael Kors showed a sensual collection reminiscent
of the 1970s. Look 50 included a sequined belowthe-knee
turquoise wrap skirt teamed with a deep vee
sweater in sky blue.
Koché
LEATHER
WEATHER
Head-to-toe black leather and ‘pleather’ looks
are in for the upcoming season, especially when
delivered as separates.
Christelle Kocher at Koché presented a black
leather cropped zip-up jacket and matching
pants with a western style belt, while Miaou
showed a black leather halter neck zip up top
with cropped moto pants. Monot showed one
of this season’s key items, the bralette, in black
leather matched to a black leather pencil skirt.
Monot
52 AO India | November 2022
TRENDS IN FOCUS / RUNWAYS
Altuzarra
Coach
Michael Kors
SOFT
HANDBAGS
Michael Kors
Jason Wu
FLORALS
Studio 189
In terms of fashion accessories for the season,
large soft shapes for handbags are trending
this season.
At Coach, Stuart Vevers showed a crossbody
bag in soft camel-coloured leather with the
C logo as a clasp, while Michael Kors used
a soft hobo shape in bright red as part of a
total look. At Altuzarra, a soft tote bag in a
monotone tie dye print looked fresh.
Placement prints and flat florals emerged as
total winners on this season’s runways.
At Jason Wu, a black silk slip dress was
embellished with a large placed print of a
yellow orchid. Monses presented a bright
green long-sleeved shirt dress with a large
flat white flower design, whilst Michael
Kors, presented a fun take on the trend by
introducing a shirt dress, with a sarong wrap
tie front featuring a fringe. The print was a
large white flat floral on a black background.
November 2022 | AO India 53
TRENDS IN FOCUS / RUNWAYS
Batsheva
Studio 189
STRIPES
SEASON
Bold stripes were used in many collections to
give emphasis to a variety of designs. Studio 189
showed a duo of looks that included a buttondown
maxi dress in a mix of stripes in peach and
white with a candy striped two-piece pant suit in
a medley of lilac, peach and olive shades.
Bibhu Mohapatra showed a mid-calf length
belted dress in a navy and white awning stripe
with emphasis at the waist with a band of solid
colour, whilst Batsheva Hay admitted to being
influenced by Gunne Sax, a brand made popular
in the ’70s and known for its ultra-feminine
details. For look ’23, she showed a blouse with
ruffles and balloon sleeves rendered in a banker’s
stripe of blue and white and accessorised with a
red pussy bow over blue denim jorts.
Studio 189
Beautiful People
Isabel Marant
UTILITARIAN
MOTIVES
Para-military, utilitarian style has been shown
on high fashion runways for the past two
decades and this season was no exception.
At Givenchy, Matthew Williams showed
loose-fitting khaki knee-length cargo shorts,
with a grey hoodie and a contrasting sparkly
gold jacket, whilst Beautiful People showed a
collection filled with military references. Look
8 was a tawny-coloured ribbed tank top and an
olive khaki full-length skirt with several utility
pockets.
Isabel Marant’s look 17, modelled by Gigi
Hadid, was an oversized jacket in a camo print
that looked sun-bleached.
Miu Miu
54 AO India | November 2022
FASHION BUSINESS
RIDING THE
METAVERSE WAVE -
WHAT BRANDS NEED TO KNOW AND DO
When it comes to ‘metaverse’, few business
leaders consider themselves experts. Some
may wonder if it even matters to their
companies. The short answer: Yes, it does.
At present, many companies are investing in
the space, aiming to deepen customer loyalty,
engage in new ways with their communities
and grow revenue. Yet there’s reason for
wariness too. The metaverse is suddenly hot,
even though the underlying technology trends
have been underway for years.
As in the internet’s early days, this innovation
likely contains pockets of speculation,
overvaluation and unwise investment —
especially since a true metaverse, as tech
visionaries imagine it, is still years away. The
good news is that it’s possible to separate
the reality from hype: understand what the
metaverse is really about and take practical,
affordable steps to meet your company’s
needs.
In its latest report, PwC has tried to demystify
the assumptions surrounding the space. We
aim to elaborate on them in this section.
November 2022 | AO India 55
FASHION BUSINESS
What is ‘metaverse’?
The ‘metaverse’ promises a
stunningly realistic 3D digital
world where you can purchase
and sell goods and services,
sign and enforce contracts,
recruit and train talent, and
interact with customers
and communities. As some
technology visionaries imagine
the metaverse, this world won’t
primarily run on platforms
whose owners control data,
governance and transactions.
Instead, customers (and
businesses) will be able to take
their identities, currencies,
experiences and assets
anywhere they wish.
Also unlike today’s web
experiences, much of this
digital world will persist even
when no one is in it.
With the metaverse you could,
for example, put on a virtual
reality (VR) headset and visit a
factory on the other side of the
world. It will allow you to see
and touch its machines, shake
hands with the local supervisor,
and inspect its operations
without leaving your desk. You
could even send one digital
version of yourself to that
factory, while another meets
with your board of directors.
Today, many younger
consumers already try on
virtual clothes at virtual
retail stores or buy virtual
merchandise for their virtual
gaming environment.
Already, companies are looking
to the metaverse to:
• Enrich the consumer
experience
• Introduce virtual products,
only available in the
metaverse
• Collect new data on
customers
• Market physical and digital
products and services
• Support metaverse
payments and finance
• Offer hardware and
applications that support
metaverse activities
The metaverse is an
evolution, not a revolution
The metaverse was first
described and named almost
30 years ago — but we’re still
in its early days. Computing
power, headsets, software
protocols and networking
capacity just aren’t ready yet
to support a truly immersive
and shared metaverse. But
this future is coming, as the
culmination of a long-running
trend: for innovative new
technologies to blend into a
greater whole.
Today, cloud technology is
addressing the processing
power and storage to
support extended reality
and immersive interfaces.
Hyperconnected networks
that leverage 5G are nearing
maturity. AI is helping to
create digital reflections that
combine computer vision,
speech and deep learning to
offer users experiences that
feel real.
The decentralisation of finance
and the economy, as supported
by blockchain, is making partly
automated financial systems
possible. Finally, digital-native
consumers and the pandemic’s
impact on consumption
habits are igniting demand
for the virtual products and
experiences that metaverse
offers.
Still what is largely missing
is the metaverse’s promised
interoperability: a digital world
where you and your customers
can transition seamlessly
among multiple experiences
offered by various providers.
This connectivity will require
a new architecture for the
internet, often called web 3.0.
Web 3.0, which internet
innovators and investors
are currently working
on, is supposed to be a
decentralised structure with
countless interoperable
platforms. Whether or not
this vision ever arrives,
enough components of the
metaverse already exist to
offer opportunities, along with
risks, today.
56 AO India | November 2022
FASHION BUSINESS
What makes a metaverse: key concepts to master
One way to think of the
metaverse is as a set of
opportunities from which
your company can select
a few to focus on. Based
on PwC’s years of work
with the technology trends
that are now converging
to form the metaverse,
they have identified six
concepts that we believe
will be its foundation. Most
are not yet fully mature
and hence the actual value
of true convergence is
still unrealised by most
organisations.
Yet some of these concepts
are already concrete enough,
so that they can grow on
the existing lines of business
and create new ones.
Companies in retail, real
estate, and entertainment
are already investing and
earning profits. For others,
less mature metaverse
components, getting in
at the start will help your
company be ready for
however the metaverse may
evolve into. Either way,
these components require
an attention to trust and
values — without care, this
new digital world could
exacerbate socioeconomic
disparities.
1. Economy
Cryptocurrencies, nonfungible
tokens (NFTs)
and other blockchain-based
digital currencies, assets
and exchanges will likely
underpin value exchange
across the metaverse.
Further innovation will be
needed as governments,
companies and new, digital-
only organisations work
to build trusted digital
monetary systems, offer
new data monetisation
propositions and conduct
lending, payments, real
estate investment and
more in the metaverse.
Decentralised autonomous
organisations (DAOs) —
with voluntarily agreedupon
rules enforced by a
computer program that
runs on a blockchain — will
likely play important roles.
2. Interoperability
A true metaverse requires
seamless interoperability
among users and platforms,
based on web 3.0 and stillto-be-determined
standards.
While this interoperability
will offer new possibilities
to reach and understand
customers, it will also raise
new challenges for gathering
and protecting data, and for
cybersecurity and privacy.
It may also undermine
business strategies built
around keeping users
and their data in a given
platform. Competitive
advantage may shift to
those companies that offer
(through hardware or
software) trusted ways for
users to enter the metaverse.
3. Governance
The metaverse will need
rules of engagement for
users, rules for how the
metaverse itself can change
over time and enforcement
mechanisms, including
for tax collection, data
governance and regulatory
compliance. Early movers
may be able to help set
these rules. Security will
be paramount, as a new,
decentralised digital world
may offer malicious actors
a new world of entry points
for attack. Authenticity
— and trust more broadly
— should also be front
and centre to reduce the
disinformation that has
often plagued the internet.
4. Identity
In the internet today,
identity is often linked
to platforms. It may be
true, pseudonymous
or anonymous. The
metaverse, decentralised and
interconnected, will need
trusted digital identities
— for people, assets and
organisations — that port
across platforms. Companies
active in digital identity
When assets, transactions and identities
simultaneously exist in physical and
digital worlds that billions of people
and organisations share, the old ways
of building and sustaining trust may no
longer apply.
now may both help set the
metaverse’s standards and
be able to offer a necessary
service. Digital identities may
also be central to permitted
data collection and data
governance in a decentralised
environment.
5. Experience
A shared, persistent and
immersive 3D digital world
will offer unique experiences,
based on its own aesthetics
— beliefs, ideals and tastes
as expressed in individual
choices. Some trends for
user experience are already
becoming clear in games
and VR / AR environments.
Companies that create trusted
metaverse experiences and
protect privacy rights may win
consumer loyalty, while those
that stay on top of metaverse
trends may be well placed to
forecast consumer preferences
and behaviour.
6. Persistence
A true metaverse should
reflect in real time the
changes made in it by
different participants, entering
and leaving it in different
ways, in different places, at
different times. When you
take your metaverse headset
off, the metaverse and other
participants will continue their
activities uninterrupted, with
(for example) smart contracts
enforcing agreements and
trading assets. This persistence
will likely require a new
approach to digital assets
and activities, including
services and applications that
are portable, dynamically
configurable and extensible.
November 2022 | AO India 57
FASHION BUSINESS
6 ways to start preparing for the metaverse era
so that no matter where
your asset goes, security
is maintained. To foster
trust among consumers,
shareholders, regulators
and other stakeholders,
communicate early what to
expect from your metaverse
initiatives and how you
will mitigate the potential
risks. Blockchain and
AI, for example, can in
some cases automate the
authentication of identity,
assets, transactions and
contracts.
Since no true metaverse exists
yet, but many of its concepts
are already business-relevant,
many companies would benefit
from taking six measured
actions. The first three focus
on opportunities and use cases
available today. The next three
will help build the capabilities
that will help support
metaverse success tomorrow.
Near-term actions
Get up to speed Most
companies — even many
technology companies
— lack institutional
familiarity with the
metaverse’s concepts,
which are evolving quickly.
Many may also lack the
skills and processes to
truly understand and trust
their digital transactions
and investments. Assign
at least one resource or
source of knowledge (such
as a group) to understand
key concepts such as
cryptocurrencies and
decentralised autonomous
organisations and their
relevance to your company,
and to follow the metaverse
as it evolves.
Develop a strategy Identify
gaps to close and longterm
opportunities to build
from the metaverse and its
key concepts, then work
on foundational measures.
Many companies, for
example, will likely benefit
from recruiting digital
native employees already at
home with the metaverse’s
key concepts, as well as
technical measures such as
making services extensible,
developing plans for
security and identity, and
publishing application
programming interfaces
(APIs) to core systems so
that others can connect.
Test the waters Select a few
opportunities available
within the metaverse’s
underlying trends today.
Lower-risk use cases
include selling digital
versions of physical goods,
offering virtual tours
of virtual products or
facilities, and launching
NFTs to enhance brand
awareness and connections
to customers. Companies
may also wish to consider
buying or leasing digital
real estate for sales,
advertising and customer
support. Digital real estate
is likely a higher-risk
option, since no individual
digital worlds have yet
proved that they will have
lasting relevance, but it
may be a reasonable choice
for some companies to
consider.
Long-term
foundations
Focus on trust The metaverse
and its currently existing
components offer new
challenges for cybersecurity,
privacy rights, regulatory
compliance, brand
reputation and anti-fraud
efforts. Companies should,
for example, consider
security at the services level,
Rethink core competencies
What offers competitive
advantage in a shared,
decentralised digital
environment may be
different from what you
have today. You may need
upskilling and recruiting
to close skills gaps, as well
as new approaches to data
and business relationships.
If, for example, your digital
strategy is based on owning
a digital platform, you will
likely need to accelerate
your services and security
infrastructure. If you are
working with a platform,
assess how ready they are
— and make sure that you
can take your data with you
if you switch providers.
Align physical and digital If
you have added or plan on
adding digital services and/
or assets to your portfolio,
drive for a consistent brand
experience across both
the physical and digital
constructs. Just as your web
presence needs to match
your physical location
experience — so must your
metaverse experience.
58 AO India | November 2022
DESIGNERS & LABELS
Gauri & Nainika -
Painting Reality
IN CONVERSATION WITH THE
CONNOISSEURS OF GLAMOROUS
EVENINGWEAR IN INDIA
Synonymous with an aesthetic that is
distinctly feminine and European, Gauri
& Nainika Karan’s eponymous label has
come to be regarded as the connoisseur
for eveningwear styles ranging from
glamorous cocktail dresses to elaborate
bespoke gowns.
Founded in New Delhi in January 2004,
the label quickly rose to fame owing
to its sensuous take on elegant and
chic clothing for the women of today.
Inspired by European fashion history,
art, music, books, personalities, theatre,
old Hollywood, red carpet glamour and
pictures of the Founder’s mother from
the ’70s, the brand pivots a romantic
design philosophy with styles that are
luxurious yet understated.
Over the years, the brand has undergone
quite a few changes, but yet, the
essence has remained. At the outset, the
designer duo used to cater to a younger
cohort of women but as the designers
themselves evolved, so did their business
- having expanded to embrace a wider
demographic and audience.
Commenting on the same, Nainika
Karan, Founder and Designer of Gauri
& Nainika, told Apparel Online India
(AOI) in an exclusive interview, “We
have always had a weakness for old
world glamour and for creating clothes
that are extremely feminine. Gauri and
I understand the female form and we
have always designed silhouettes that
flatter them. The essence of our brand
has always been to create timeless clothes
of excellent quality in luxurious fabrics.
The embroidery is minimal and the
emphasis is more on the cut, fabrics and
bold colours.”
THE FORMATION
Both Gauri and Nainika being
bureaucrats, their parents were keen
on them finishing their education in
Economics prior to pursuing fashion
as a career choice. Gauri completed her
MBA, post which both sisters went to
NIFT, Delhi together, to familiarise
themselves with the workings of design.
“We opened up our label immediately
after completing our education. At
November 2022 | AO India 59
DESIGNERS & LABELS
the time we started, we did not work
under any fashion label or designer as
all of them mostly created Indianwear,
and we were keen to create glamorous
westernwear which was not available in
Delhi or around India at that point of
time,” Nainika explained.
The label has operated as a small team
with Gauri and Nainika being the only
designers and not having a ‘design
team’ per say. The main manufacturing
unit is located in New Delhi with both
the production and manufacturing
being entirely done in-house under the
watchful eyes of the enigmatic sister duo.
USP, PRICING AND
PRODUCT ASSORTMENT
With a strong emphasis on fabric, cut
and colour, Gauri & Nainika’s designs
focus on shape, form and flattering
silhouettes. By combining tailoring with
Femininity forms the
essence of the label
where the paradoxical
combination of drama
and subtlety can be
seen in the event’s
simplest styles.
drapery, the garments are meticulously
crafted and have a timeless appeal where
old world charm, fantasy and elegance
are brought bang up to date to suit the
sensibilities of today’s customers.
Essentially a cocktailwear and
eveningwear brand, the prices at Gauri &
Nainika label range from Rs.15,000 for
tops to Rs.5,00,000 for bespoke gowns,
depending upon the material and level of
craftsmanship involved.
The product categories consist of tops,
jumpsuits, midis, dresses, rompers and
gowns for women, with the pricing for
dresses, midis and jumpsuits usually
range between Rs.40,000 to Rs. 80,000.
For the more dramatic high lows and
gowns, the prices are higher.
MANUFACTURING AND
SOURCING
“We have always worked with a wide
range of fabrics. Amongst pure silk,
we have worked with silk chiffon, silk
georgette, silk crepe, duchess satin and
taffeta sourced from either China or
Bengaluru. We also have worked with
polyester fabrics which are sourced from
Surat in India or imported from China
and South Korea,” Nainika corroborated.
60 AO India | November 2022
DESIGNERS & LABELS
When it comes to sourcing for raw
materials and fabrics, India is famous
globally, for its local markets and hubs.
A few areas that Gauri & Nainika
usually source their raw materials and
fabrics from are Chandni Chowk and
Lajpat Nagar in New Delhi or Surat and
Bengaluru.
The label comes out with four seasonbased
collections within a year namely,
Spring/Summer, Fall/Winter, Resort
and Pre-Fall. Each season features three
drops. In addition to this, their online
stock is order-based and in-store stock is
replenished with new arrivals every new
season with different drops.
Coveted both locally and domestically,
the label stocks its products at
multiple platforms both in India and
internationally, including - AZA,
Ensemble, Collage, ETA, Elahe,
Atosa, PSL, Evoluzione, Darusha and
S Style Group. The products are also
available to shop online at AZA, PSL
and Carmaonlie and the brand hopes to
expand into the international market in
the coming future.
SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
Sustainability can be incorporated into
any company from the smallest to the
biggest way. Even the tiniest initiative
taken can go a long way.
Elaborating on the same, Nainika goes
on to say, “From going paperless to
banning single-use plastics, these are
measures every brand/company should
undertake. One of the biggest initiatives
one can take in the fashion industry
is to upcycle the use of all old fabrics
and hence avoid wastage. Bringing
back older collections and reviving your
dead stock is another great measure
to integrate ethical practices. Another
most important factor is choosing the
kind of fabrics we use as a fashion label
responsibly and trying to incorporate
fabrics that are made from recycled
materials and are biodegradable. For
instance, recently we collaborated with
R-elan for the FDCI x Lakme Fashion
Week 2022, where our collection
proudly uses a wide variety of
sustainable offerings from the brand’s
now sought-after fabric collections.”
The designer duo presented an ecofriendly
collection titled ‘Midnight
Botanica’ in partnership with Reliance
Industries Limited’s (RIL) new
biodegradable R|Elan EcoGold
offering at FDCI x Lakme Fashion
Week 2022.
For their latest collection, Gauri and
Nainika chose R|Elan GreenGold,
R|Elan EcoGold and R|Elan
Freeflow. R|Elan GreenGold
fabric is made using 100 per cent
post-consumer used PET bottles
while using efficient and certified
manufacturing practices. Owing to this
breakthrough innovation, PET bottles
can be reduced from ending up in
landfills and oceans making R|Elan
GreenGold one of the most soughtafter
fabrics among leading brands,
November 2022 | AO India 61
DESIGNERS & LABELS
retailers, fashion designers and style
enthusiasts.
The collection features a rich, dark,
dreamy look with stark contrasting hues
of the night and botanical inspirations.
Lightweight dresses, jumpsuits and
red-carpet worthy floor-grazing Grecian
gowns in luxurious chiffons, crepes and
organzas form the crux of the offering.
Commenting on the partnership, Mr.
Hemant D. Sharma, Sector Head –
Polyester, RIL, said, “At Reliance, it has
been always our endeavour to enhance
the sustainability and circularity
quotient in R|Elan offerings. This
time we have achieved a breakthrough
in developing biodegradable
technologies - R|Elan EcoGold.
We are thrilled to have witnessed
the matchless fusion of sustainability
and style in the Midnight Botanica
collection of Gauri and Nanika.”
Florals have always been the mainstay of
Gauri and Nainika’s design sensibility,
which was once again visible via botanical
inspirations throughout the collection.
When it came to silhouettes, classic
corsetry was in focus with Greco-Roman
inspired fluted bodices over fluid, flowing
drapes. Key details included halters, offshoulder
accents, dramatic one-shoulder
visions along with techniques such as
ruching to lend that ultra-glam style well
suited for diverse body shapes and sizes.
“This has been one of the most exciting
collaborations – to be part of a global
sustainable movement. We’ve created
glamorous eveningwear with a diverse
variety of stunning eco-friendly fabrics,
most importantly R|Elans latest
biodegradable R|Elan Eco Gold, that we
are sure our customers will love,” Gauri
said about the partnership.
Here are some more excerpts from the
interview.
AOI: What is the one valuable lesson /
skill you learnt while running a successful
westernwear dominant fashion business in
the Indian landscape that you wish you’d
known prior to starting the label?
Nainika Karan (NK): One of the most
important things that we have
learnt over the years is that one has
to design for all women body types
whether apple, pear, glass figure or
a plus-size body type, as designers
Gauri and I understand what women
want. Over the years, experiences
have taught us what women want to
actually wear and that will suit them.
This is something that can only come
with experience and interaction with
the clients. We are very glad that
we include today a wide variety of
silhouettes in every shape and size
and that is a skill that we have learnt
over the years in business.
AOI: What is one thing that the Indian
consumer desires that western brands are
able to provide but Indian homegrown
brands struggle with?
NK: A lot of bigger western brands
are able to provide really good
pret and casual wear ranging from
athleisure, shoes to accessories etc. In
comparison, it’s difficult for Indian
homegrown brands to manage
production of high quality because of
the lack of economies in their favour
and infrastructure. This is one factor
that Indian brands struggle with - to
create a range of products that go
with their clothes and complement
their brand philosophy. We do not
have the quantity to be able to make
this in the best possible way.
AOI: What, according to you, is driving
consumption in fashion categories in the
Indian market?
NK: The bridal market is the biggest
driving consumption for the Indian
market followed by the number of
festivities we have in our country.
62 AO India | November 2022
START-UPS
START-UPS LEVERAGING
TECHNOLOGIES IN
SMART TEXTILES
While fitness trackers and
smartwatches are getting all the
attention when it comes to wearable
technology, there’s another area that’s
rapidly advancing: clothing made up of
smart textiles. Smart fabrics embark on
a journey that will completely change
the concept of ‘clothing for the future’,
both globally and across the country.
According to Global Data forecast, the
global smart clothing market worth US
$ 668 million in 2020 will see growth
of CAGR of 21 per cent and expand
to over US $ 4 billion. Therefore, it
looks like the segment has the potential
to even cross the bill mark of US $
30 billion by 2040 with the help of
technologies such as embedded sensors
that track vitals, actuators that control
fabric properties like stiffness and
transparency, or the use of conductive
fibres for communication or power
transfer medium. The possibilities for
smart clothing are truly vast and endless.
Indian start-ups in smart
textiles are thinking
outside the box
India is becoming a great potential
market for wearable tech companies as
more of the population is now putting
health first on priority. As consumers
increasingly look for methods to monitor
their health and well-being, demand for
smart clothing such as shirts, jackets,
vests, socks and other categories seems to
be on the rise. The large conglomerates
may not be putting a lot of money into
the concept of wearable tech, but Indian
start-ups are taking it to the next level.
With advances in technology and the
slowly growing demand from consumers,
India is providing market participants
with growth opportunities.
Broadcast wearables’ fastestgrowing
brand SYNGAL
There are a number of Indian start-ups
working to develop smart clothing, and
some have already achieved success in
overcoming the phase of initial adaptions.
One such company leading the way is
Broadcast Wearables Pvt. Ltd.
“Yes, the adoption of smart clothing has
been very limited as compared to other
kinds of wearables. The earlier versions
of smart clothing had bulkier electronics.
But if you compare offerings of today,
technology has evolved by leaps and
bounds; most of the quality smart clothing
products today offer touch, feel and use
factors, extremely similar to our regular
clothing, so much so that at times, the
user does not even realise that he/she may
be wearing smart clothing and not the
regular one. Although the earlier notion
has yet lingered on, this may just be a
contributing factor and not the primary
reason,” Saumil Shah, Co-founder,
Broadcast Wearables stated.
The company offers SYNGAL, a
whole range of smart garments, such
as Fitness T-Shirt with Navigation,
that connects to a mobile app. Its other
November 2022 | AO India 63
START-UPS
Brainchild of Ayyappa and Mahalakshmi Nagubandi, the start-up aims to disrupt the wearable
gadgets market with its innovative products
Textile-based wearable monitoring T-shirt that analyses physiological and biomechanical data
in real-time remotely
offering is the programmable T-shirt
that can be controlled via a mobile app,
allowing users to tap, draw or animate
on the T-shirt in real-time. The Motion
Capture Safety Cycling Jersey is the most
popular choice for cyclists who want to
be visible and safe on the road. The LED
hazard lights are activated by the motion
capture technology when the riders raise
their arms, making them highly visible
to drivers.
Nyokas Technologies serves both
the civilian and defence sectors
NYOKAS is into technical textile-based
wearables that have developed product
lines that can be used in both defence and
civilian applications.
The company has developed the ‘ZEAL’
wearable jacket, a textile-based wearable
that remotely analyses physiological
and biomechanical data in real-time.
It is designed to protect the wearer
from attacks or other life-threatening
situations. The sensors detect any force
applied to the wearer’s body and send
data to a removable piece of hardware
that analyses the data to determine if the
situation is dangerous. If the situation
is deemed dangerous, the jacket sends
SOS messages with the wearer’s location
to various numbers and emergency
numbers, thus saving lives.
Also in collaboration with iDEX , it is
working on a project for Indian Army ,
building a wearable monitoring T-shirt
that analyses physiological and biomechanical
data in real-time remotely
to judge the health status with the help
of ECHO or Bluetooth low energy and
which can be displayed and analysed on
Nykoas softwares.
Its R&D team is also developing an L1
& L5 bulletproof jacket for defence that
can be useful to protect an individual
from pistol bullets and AK47 bullets
respectively. Moreover, it is also working
on jackets for motorcyclists and forest
rangers as protective gear. Despite the less
acceptance on the consumer front, Cofounder
Ajay Sangwan is quite hopeful for
the market in next 5-8 years.
“Although there is still a long way to go,
consumer acceptance of smart textiles is
starting to pick up steam. Regarding the
The companies have very well
understood the pain points when it
comes to design and utility; adopting
new technology is the only way
to move forward to make it more
commercially viable.
defence application, however, we have
signed a few contracts with the National
Disaster Management Authority to cover
a few zones and are also in discussion
with the Andhra Pradesh Police force
for the trial runs. As there are more
conversations and prototypes are created,
awareness is gradually catching up.
The civilian segment will also see an
adaptation of this and implementation
of it. We have a great deal of faith that in
the coming years, high-tech, utilitarian
apparel will take precedence over
everything else,” said Ajay Sangwan, Cofounder,
Nyokas Technologies.
Digital Fashion Factory’s
intersection of software and softwear
One study found that women exposed to
higher levels of magnetic fields and nonionising
radiation had 2.72 times higher
miscarriage rate. In addition, children
exposed to mobile phones both before and
after birth had a 50 per cent higher risk of
behavioural problems.
To address such a serious problem,
DFF and AiQ collaborated with itie
Knowledge Solutions to provide Anti-
Radiation Wear Solutions.
DFF is a platform that combines smart
textile technology with world-class
digital expertise to provide solutions for
64 AO India | November 2022
START-UPS
Swatric’s collaboration with the Flag Foundation of India to develop advanced textile solutions for National Flag
TURMS’s intelligent apparel and performance-wear
health and wellness, high-performance
sportswear, industrial apparel and
edgy fashion.
One of its products is a smart garment
that uses conductive yarn to protect the
expectant mother and newborn from nonionising
radiation. This includes products
such as office wear, blankets and baby
wraps. The fabric is a blend of regular
textiles and special yarn-level 8-micron
anti-rad fibres whose effectiveness has
been certified by Indian and international
testing laboratories.
Swatric, the brainchild of the IIT
Delhi incubator
Launched by IIT Delhi, this start-up
is founded by researchers from IIT
Delhi’s Department of Textile and Fibre
Engineering, and is working to develop
cutting-edge technologies to help the
Indian textile and apparel industry
commercialise new and competitive
categories of smart and functional
products.
Products include textiles with
nanocoating, functional yarns and smart
fabrics that can change their properties
such as colour, opacity or even stiffness in
response to external stimuli.
Applications of this technology include
antibacterial fabrics, self-cleaning fabrics,
UV-protective fabrics, fire-retardant
fabrics, etc. Swatric is currently working
to develop commercial prototypes of
these products that can be used in all
industries, including apparel. A more
recent development involves aramid
fibres, a class of heat-resistant and
strong synthetic fibres. They have also
collaborated with the Flag Foundation
of India to develop advanced textile
solutions for National Flag.
‘TURMS’ by BigPhi Technologies
revolves around functional
finishes
BigPhi Technologies is an angel-funded
start-up that owns the smart menswear
brand Turms. It is one of India’s first
technologically advanced apparel and
wearables companies and was awarded
with the ‘Intelligent apparels &
performance’ fashion brand.
It offers smart clothing with functional
surfaces for the various needs of the
common man in everyday life. It has
anti-stain, anti-odour, anti-fungal and
cool-tech properties and can be worn
3-4 times without washing.
Considering the increasing immune
deficiency, it has refined technology to
add an anti-germ agent that is capable
of protecting against gram-positive
and gram-negative bacteria and a wide
fungal spectrum. It can also protect
against enveloped viruses like SARS-
COV and non-enveloped viruses as well.
“The active components in the anti-germ
formulation contain fatty oil and esters
that are natural and safe,” said Rameswar
Misra, Co-founder and CEO of BigPhi.
There are a number of reasons why the
above start-ups are foraying into the smart
fabric and smart clothing segment, but
all ideas revolve around one main idea of
‘why not hi-tech clothes, which solve some
purpose’.
The first motive is that it can help an
individual stay connected even if they
do not have their phone with them. For
example, if they go running and want to
track their distance and time, they can wear
a smart T-shirt that does all that for them.
Secondly, smart clothing can help one stay
safe. For example, if somebody gets lost
while hiking, a jacket with GPS could help
rescuers find them. Thirdly, smart clothing
can help them be more productive. For
example, if a doctor needs to access medical
records quickly, an intelligent shirt could
provide the data and speed up the process.
Technology enabling
greater experiments for
Indian Market
Integrating technology into textiles is not
a new concept, but only in recent years
November 2022 | AO India 65
START-UPS
has it become apparent that technology
in apparel is maturing year by year and
playing a larger role in ubiquity.
As technology advances, so do the
clothing we wear, and smart fabrics
and smart clothing are at the forefront
of this technological revolution. There
are a variety of different technologies
being used in smart fabrics and smart
clothing, each with its own benefits
and applications. Among the most
popular are Conductive Fibres, which
are specially designed-fibres that can
conduct electricity and are often used
for heatable clothing or garments with
built-in sensors. Electronic Yarns, which
embed small electronic components, can
be used to add functions such as lighting
or sound to a garment. Memory Metals
can change shape with heat or electricity
and are often used in smart garments to
create adjustable waist cuffs or hemlines.
Pressure-sensitive fabrics are used to
create garments that provide targeted
compression or support. Thermochromic
Fabrics, which change colour depending
on temperature, are ideal for sports
and everyday wear. Elastic Electronic’s
cutting-edge technology allows for the
incorporation of electronic components
into stretchy, flexible materials and some
smart fabrics can be equipped with
various types of wireless communication
devices, allowing them to send and
receive data.
Commercialisation is
a tough nut to crack,
however
The ultimate goal for apparel companies
presently is to create clothing that is so
seamlessly integrated with technology
that it becomes an extension of the
body. This allows people to expand their
physical capabilities and interact with the
world in entirely new ways.
However, a few concerns do rise which
results in little hiccups. Rashmi Thakur,
Professor, NIFT, Mumbai (India)
discusses that consumers aren’t very
keen on accepting a bulkier design and
they expect it to be extremely userfriendly
and sleek. She stated, “The
earlier commercial success had minimal
integration of e-textile into it and also
had the hardware, an electromechanical
device which had to be adjusted in the
shirt, so that seemed like a pain point
in terms of designs and agility for
consumers.”
Nowadays, businesses looking to
commercialise smart clothing are
studying the usage of flexible printed
circuit boards as well as increasing the
integration of conductive textiles, which
offers a dependable way to include
the electrical component into a textile
structure instead of that external bulky
hardware. In addition, the companies are
looking into ways to reduce the size of
the power source by using a small battery
with a voltage of 3.3V rather than 12V
and have begun to investigate conductive
yarn, which they use to construct woven
and knitted fabric before developing
a garment. Currently, many labs in
collaboration are working to create a
“Businesses looking to commercialise
smart clothing are studying the usage of
flexible printed circuit boards as well as
increasing the integration of conductive
textiles, which offers a dependable way
to include the electrical component
into a textile structure instead of that
external bulky hardware. In addition,
the companies are looking into ways to
reduce the size of the power source by
using a small battery with a voltage of
3.3V rather than 12V and have begun
to investigate conductive yarn, which
they use to construct woven and knitted
fabric before developing a garment.
Currently, many labs in collaboration
are working to create a self-sufficient
power source that might be included
in textiles. As the property of circuits
changes with washability, they are also
considering how to integrate a robust
system and design.”
Rashmi Thakur
Professor, NIFT, Mumbai
self-sufficient power source that might
be included in textiles. As the property
of circuits changes with washability, they
are also considering how to integrate a
robust system and design.”
Given the complex affordability of the
price tag of Indian consumers and the
extremely complex supply chain for smart
textiles, the goal of commercialisation
however seems to be far off.
Similarly there is lack of a one-stop
solution provider for all raw material
needs. The fragmented availability of raw
materials is also a concern.
On top of that, different application
categories of smart wearables have
varying requirements for mechanical
and electrical properties in their raw
materials, which makes it difficult to find
a need-based offering from these raw
material providers.
And the most important perspective is
the manufacturing side, where there is a
massive disconnect between traditional
textile manufacturers and traditional
electronics manufacturers. The design
process and business cycles are very
different, which is exacerbated by the lack
of integration of standards, certifications
and quality assurance measures.
Despite these challenges, there are a
few companies that have built their own
infrastructure for developing conductive
textiles. The companies are focusing on
greater R&D and developing products
while solving the pain points of the
prior-released smart clothing and focusing
on how it would be more and more
user-friendly with better integrations
and functionality. Thanks to these
breakthrough developments, it is possible
that companies will manufacture these
products on a much larger scale than they
do today.
Overcoming the challenges and
aggressively adopting technologies,
combined with a stronger supply chain
and customer demand, can truly transform
the simple piece of clothing into an
interactive piece that could be further
explored and enjoyed by Generation
Alpha and Beta.
66 AO India | November 2022
www.apparelresources.com
START-UPS / NEWS
DaMENSCH will have 100
retail stores by next year
DaMENSCH, India’s fastestgrowing
D2C men’s apparel
brand, will soon expand to 100
retail stores in metropolitan
cities by next year. The
company also expects its offline
business to contribute Rs. 500
crore in the overall revenue by
2027. The brand has opened its
first-ever exclusive store. This
1200 sq. ft. experience store
in Bengaluru is thematically
designed with set-ups and
fixtures in the brands’ signature
colours. This initiative of the
company is in line with its
commitment to expand its
omnichannel presence. The
store offers comfortable fitting
zones, spacious changing
rooms, an uncluttered shopping
experience and an extensive
range of premium intimate
clothing across various
categories. The brand also aims
to be available at 10,000 points
of sale avenues across various
formats, in the next 2 years.
With this initiative, customers
can better understand the
innovative and conscious
practices that go into creating
fabric from plastic PET bottles,
thermoregulation to 4-way
stretch and more. Elaborating
on DaMENSCH’s brand ethos
of ‘Fashion that thinks’ and
its compelling omnichannel
go-to-market strategy,
Gaurav Pushkar, Co-founder
DaMENSCH, said, “ In a
highly dynamic industry like
fashion – it’s critical we adapt
and redefine strategies from
time to time. This foray into
offline stores is a part of our
omnichannel-channel strategy.
We think that our whole
phygital approach is strictly
consumer-centric and will
soon synchronise with more
processes to create a unified
consumer journey. Our sole
aim to go offline is to serve the
larger fashion-conscious men in
the country. We will continue to
offer premium, earth-friendly
fashion at affordable prices.”
Ashmeer Sayyed, Chief Retail
Officer at DaMENSCH, said,
“At the offline stores, we have
well-trained staff who will
assist customers in facilitating
convenient shopping and ensure
that our offerings align with our
consumers’ needs and wants.”
DaMENSCH is on a journey
to create products for modern
men that are distinct in features
and most desirable in their feel.
November 2022 | AO India 67
TRADE STATISTICS
US APPAREL IMPORTS (January-August 2022)
Value of US apparel import crosses US $ 10 billion in August ’22
USA has imported US $ 69.27 billion worth of garments
in January to August period of 2022, noting 37.34 per
cent yearly increase. Particularly in August ’22, the USA
sourced garments worth US $ 10.36 billion – making it the
best month of the year in terms of value-wise import. The
import values in August were 11 per cent higher than the
imports done in July ’22. It was reported that most of the
big retailers in the US are holding back new inventories and
are not placing fresh orders in their partner factories located
worldwide. However, the data is contrary to the what the
global fashion industry has been discussing for a while now.
Reason may be the fast-approaching holiday season in the
USA as buyers don’t want to see bottlenecks in supplies due
to logistics issue closer to the festive season.
Global Apparel Imports by the US
(January-August 2022)
Change in Quantity
Change in Value
Change in UVR
20.58%
37.34%
13.90%
(Average UVR in the review period was US $ 3.07 as
against US $ 2.70 in the same period last year)
Change in Quantity
Cotton
Wool
MMF
Silk & Veg
13.57% 34.90%
62.76%
24.93%
48.09%
Change in Value
Cotton
Wool
MMF
Silk & Veg
61.61%
37.76%
61.54%
Percentage change in top 3 product
categories imported by USA
T-SHIRTS
Volume
(16.68%)
Value
(36.09%)
TROUSERS
Volume
(14.73%)
Value
(32.28%)
LADIES DRESSES
Volume
(27.50%)
Value
(55.09%)
UVR change in apparel imported
by USA (2-year comparison)
Jan.-Aug. 2022
Jan.-Aug. 2021
US $ 3.07
US $ 2.70
Month-wise USA
apparel import trend
Sep. 21 8.15
Oct. 21 8.33
Nov. 21 7.38
Dec. 21 7.30
Jan. 22 7.54
Feb. 22 7.48
Mar. 22 9.29
Apr. 22 8.12
May 22 8.51
Jun. 22 8.64
Jul. 22 9.33
Aug. 22 10.36
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
(Value in US billion $)
Percentage change in India’s top product
category export (T-Shirts) to USA
48.38%
Value rises
27.74%
Volume rises
Value-wise share to USA by
top 5 apparel exporters
6.01%
5.66%
9.59%
22.45%
18.49%
China
Vietnam
Bangladesh
India
Indonesia
USA has witnessed 15.63 per cent Y-o-Y
surge in its brassiere’s imports that
valued US $ 2.12 billion in Jan.-Aug. ’22
as compared to US $ 1.84 billion in the
same period of prior year.
US $ 1.84
billion
2021 2022
US $ 2.12
billion
(The information has been extracted from US custom site and further analysed.)
68 AO India | November 2022
TRADE STATISTICS
Total apparel exports to the US by 5 major manufacturing destinations
(January-August 2022)
Volume-wise export to USA
( Qty in mn SME)
Value-wise export to USA
( Value in US mn $ )
19.29%
7973.11
China 15554.84
37.16%
18.09%
3569.65
Vietnam 12808.60
33.62%
36.35%
2232.27
Bangladesh 6640.83
53.54%
35.52%
1121.03
India 4161.87
56.88%
40.74%
986.19
Indonesia 3918.46
56.47%
Overall apparel imported by USA was worth US $ 69.27 billion in the said period with 37.34% increased (Y-o-Y)
Item-wise quantity increase/decrease in apparel imports by the US: Jan.-Aug. 2022
(Qty in doz, legwear in dpr, babieswear in kg)
APPAREL TYPE
Total Imports by USA
Exports to USA
China India Bangladesh Vietnam Indonesia
2021 2022 % Change 2021 2022 % Change 2021 2022 % Change 2021 2022 % Change 2021 2022 % Change 2021 2022 % Change
Babies Wear 85,595,722 98,689,886 15.30 28,392,922 34,005,086 19.77 9,758,062 12,929,282 32.50 10,572,653 11,755,775 11.19 11,041,803 11,973,048 8.43 1,401,768 2,102,467 49.99
Foundation
Garments
42,413,066 44,627,007 5.22 21,115,203 21,050,543 -0.31 510,038 600,331 17.70 4,291,598 3,988,926 -7.05 5,251,696 6,375,042 21.39 1,850,515 4,361,961 135.72
Jackets & Blazers 23,862,461 34,965,943 46.53 9,906,136 14,459,877 45.97 374,979 663,807 77.03 2,335,829 3,305,429 41.51 5,002,148 7,920,679 58.35 1,338,876 1,503,422 12.29
Ladies Blouses 23,635,456 31,800,389 34.55 7,792,945 9,914,411 27.22 4,107,288 5,887,341 43.34 1,616,050 2,893,350 79.04 4,727,711 6,074,173 28.48 2,944,677 3,305,667 12.26
Ladies Dresses 35,713,765 45,535,739 27.50 14,668,203 18,133,607 23.63 3,827,125 6,142,556 60.50 1,542,110 2,097,079 35.99 7,536,958 8,933,164 18.52 2,402,796 3,414,007 42.08
Ladies Skirts 7,970,300 11,074,243 38.94 3,349,287 4,616,865 37.85 477,361 888,586 86.15 912,248 1,055,442 15.70 1,558,184 2,049,321 31.52 480,754 755,017 57.05
Legwear 270,796,989 279,164,175 3.09 190,914,247 199,856,604 4.68 1,841,169 2,298,870 24.86 485,486 198,429 -59.13 11,625,210 7,604,831 -34.58 483,246 488,244 1.03
Men's Shirts 15,975,969 24,330,764 52.30 1,963,163 3,811,614 94.16 1,495,894 2,811,403 87.94 4,620,793 7,338,872 58.82 2,490,740 3,610,895 44.97 1,518,300 1,288,720 -15.12
Nightwear 37,809,605 44,392,479 17.41 11,723,763 13,100,613 11.74 2,920,637 3,365,721 15.24 2,527,550 2,660,634 5.27 5,746,170 7,803,781 35.81 533,989 1,562,721 192.65
Suits / Ensembles 4,170,448 7,116,300 70.64 2,343,752 4,094,697 74.71 145,022 297,054 104.83 126,172 256,195 103.05 680,733 790,132 16.07 160,556 193,044 20.23
Sweaters 8,152,378 7,636,097 -6.33 5,707,523 5,069,920 -11.17 34,102 56,575 65.90 686,873 572,891 -16.59 385,862 461,368 19.57 139,094 388,994 179.66
Trousers 219,780,870 252,155,609 14.73 50,535,533 49,389,010 -2.27 4,784,189 6,821,925 42.59 35,280,432 48,063,539 36.23 46,087,132 49,463,118 7.33 10,171,047 17,186,666 68.98
T-Shirts 393,006,474 458,541,948 16.68 57,324,981 62,562,735 9.14 18,469,454 23,592,726 27.74 25,872,860 36,553,569 41.28 56,561,623 60,567,060 7.08 13,812,106 21,496,139 55.63
Undergarments 194,184,441 202,812,121 4.44 39,461,717 41,498,073 5.16 13,801,128 14,720,755 6.66 21,856,298 25,463,104 16.50 44,549,681 45,225,543 1.52 1,104,862 2,050,704 85.61
Item-wise value increase/decrease in apparel imports by the US: Jan.-Aug. 2022 (Value in US mn $)
APPAREL TYPE
Total Imports by USA
Exports to USA
China India Bangladesh Vietnam Indonesia
2021 2022 % Change 2021 2022 % Change 2021 2022 % Change 2021 2022 % Change 2021 2022 % Change 2021 2022 % Change
Babies Wear 1,755.15 2,028.28 15.56 599.25 628.79 4.93 27.30 38.80 42.13 68.39 78.21 14.36 352.16 460.76 30.84 160.21 248.27 54.97
Foundation Garments 1,838.11 2,125.48 15.63 607.10 638.56 5.18 28.68 41.44 44.48 103.72 112.42 8.40 357.73 470.67 31.57 166.94 254.12 52.22
Jackets & Blazers 3,220.90 5,090.39 58.04 977.06 1610.29 64.81 70.90 139.56 96.85 259.41 404.72 56.01 860.78 1414.57 64.34 154.85 249.73 61.27
Ladies Blouses 1,471.95 2,151.14 46.14 350.31 486.81 38.97 326.00 503.89 54.57 83.24 154.49 85.60 264.01 353.11 33.75 163.68 257.93 57.58
Ladies Dresses 2,558.56 3,967.32 55.06 827.06 1281.67 54.97 374.54 700.77 87.10 66.87 109.91 64.37 490.65 657.06 33.92 209.70 306.59 46.21
Ladies Skirts 437.44 707.40 61.71 128.71 204.84 59.15 40.29 73.53 82.48 32.36 48.59 50.17 91.31 147.88 61.95 26.65 55.14 106.92
Legwear 1,383.03 1,770.29 28.00 817.83 1051.10 28.52 28.00 42.83 52.96 0.29 0.42 47.02 56.30 59.30 5.33 2.59 4.87 87.90
Men's Shirts 1,310.35 2,093.62 59.78 114.59 231.95 102.42 117.47 220.97 88.12 267.96 474.29 77.00 228.57 366.08 60.16 85.41 124.17 45.38
Nightwear 1,669.04 1,833.37 9.85 721.13 486.93 -32.48 114.85 160.44 39.70 84.52 105.03 24.26 266.36 429.66 61.31 37.83 88.30 133.42
Suits / Ensembles 363.55 770.70 112.00 68.05 180.79 165.67 16.89 37.64 122.81 8.07 21.12 161.78 42.43 102.04 140.50 14.86 44.62 200.33
Sweaters 714.29 1,077.10 50.79 438.22 687.00 56.77 4.34 6.09 40.09 39.72 46.45 16.95 33.82 59.62 76.29 16.02 32.22 101.17
Trousers 12,654.63 16,739.09 32.28 1809.33 2168.38 19.84 294.01 456.55 55.28 1,931.62 2,955.09 52.98 2872.91 3511.54 22.23 682.59 1036.58 51.86
T-Shirts 13,915.99 18,938.46 36.09 1774.76 2382.67 34.25 658.36 976.89 48.38 680.27 1,116.83 64.18 2440.69 3177.16 30.17 656.21 1023.79 56.01
Undergarments 2,733.47 3,243.80 18.67 573.37 662.09 15.47 221.60 296.97 34.01 243.41 319.08 31.09 550.49 677.31 23.04 47.90 63.66 32.91
November 2022 | AO India 69
TRADE STATISTICS
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Canada Apparel Imports (Jan.-Aug. ’22)
August continues to be the best month for
Canadian apparel buyers
August has always been a great month for Canada in terms of apparel
imports as the buyers source huge number of apparels in this month
for their holiday season. August ’22 has continued to be the best
month of the year for the apparel manufacturing destinations as the
imports of Canada has crossed US $ 1.47 billion in the month, growing
by a significant 34.90 per cent on monthly basis and 41.08 per cent
on yearly basis. All major Asian countries improved their shipments to
Canada in August as compared to July. Cumulatively, from Jan.-Aug.
’22, Canada imported apparels worth US $ 7.96 billion, noting 32.19
per cent yearly growth.
32.19%
Canada Imports
40.54%
Vietnam Exports
38.66%
B’Desh Exports
60.95%
India Exports
The knitted apparel reported 31.77% surge
during the review period, whereas the woven
segment upped by 32.77% in value terms.
Knitted garment exports from Vietnam to Canada
surged by 33.73%, while export of woven garments
increased by 49.73%.
Bangladesh’s shipment to Canada upped by 41.05%
in knitted segment, while woven garment exports
increased by 36.32%.
The value of Indian knitted apparel exports upped
by 50.97%; while export value of woven segment
grew by 74.33% on Y-o-Y basis.
Japan Apparel Imports (Jan.-Aug. ’22)
Japan’s apparel imports continue to remain high
value-wise due to stronger yen
Japan’s apparel imports valued US $ 13.43 billion in January to August
2022 period, growing by 23.10 per cent on yearly basis. Though
values have increased, weight-wise apparel imports of Japan haven’t
seen significant rise. This is because of stronger yen that’s not letting
unit prices down. China, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam
remained positive in their apparel shipments to Japan both weightwise
and value-wise, while Indonesia and Pakistan declined in weightwise
exports.
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23.09%
Japan Imports
28.21%
Vietnam Exports
33.17%
B’Desh Exports
19.92%
India Exports
Japanese apparel imports increased by 3.69%
in weight, while values increased by 23.09%
in the review period.
Vietnam got a boost of 7.21% in weight-wise
exports to Japan, while values increased by
28.21% on Y-o-Y basis.
Bangladesh’s garment exports to Japan saw
growth by 33.17% in value-wise exports and
weight increased by 8.21%.
Indian RMG exports to the Japan upped
by 3.25% in weights and 19.92% in
values.
70 AO India | November 2022
November 2022 | AO India 71
November 2022 | AO India 71
EVENT / NEWS
www.apparelresources.com
Hyosung launches new Fall/Winter 23/24 Textile Trends at
ISPO Munich
Hyosung’s Fashion Design
Center (FDC) – an
interactive fashion studio –
has released its forecasted
Fall/Winter 2023-24
Textile Trend report, which
provides a vision of what
major apparel brands will
be incorporating into their
collection next year.
FDC’s textile mega-trend
for Fall/Winter 2023-24 is
called Interconnected Future
which is broken into four
sub-trends and subsequent
themes called Sport Smart,
Exploration of Outdoors,
Practical Aesthetics and
Science of Comfort.
Within each theme, the
FDC team recommends
a number of Hyosung’s
multi-functional and
sustainable yarns and
apparel applications- most
notably the company’s
new third party certified
creora® bio-based spandex
made with bio-based
materials derived from
industrial corn, along with
its MIPAN regen ocean
recycled nylon made from
discarded fishing nets.
Concept garments made
with recommended yarns
from the FDC Fall/Winter
23/24 Textile Trends will
be featured in the Hyosung
stand at ISPO Munich this
28-30 November.
“As the Covid-19 pandemic
has passed, we foresee an
enhanced interconnection
among social, environmental
and economic systems
triggering a mindset shift
from individualism to
interconnectedness shaping
new customer attitudes and
behaviour,” commented
Lewis Hong, Team/General
Manager, Hyosung Fashion
Design Center.
Lewis further added, “For
F/W 23-24, we foresee
textile trends focusing on
materials that are kind to
our environment and provide
multi-function and comfort.
Practical aesthetics and
interesting surface details are
also important now that we
are able to personally engage
in the community once
again.”
Elaborating on four subtrends,
Hyosung further
reports that the Sport Smart
sub-trend touches upon
essential base layers, winter
performance leisure hybrids,
core fabrics using smart
technology for in-home and
IRL gyms, year-round water
sports and futuristic meta
streetwear where physical
and digital worlds collide
through fantasy-inspired
aesthetics.
Exploration of Outdoors
sub-trend addresses the
ongoing rise in the
outdoorsy lifestyle trend.
Key themes include textiles
incorporating new levels of
protection taking extreme
weather patterns into
consideration, comfy knit
mid-layers in functional
fabrics, textiles that can
transition between winter
recreation and all-day wear
and functional outerwear
for urban nomads.
As consumers adjust to
the new work/life hybrid
lifestyle, the Practical
Aesthetics sub-trend
focuses on textiles suited
for comfortable officeready
apparel, loungewear
with fashionable detail
and textural interest, cozy
tactile teddy-looking fleece
fabrics for indoor and
outdoor wear, and practical
performance wear that
meets comfort for home
activewear.
And finally, the Science
of Comfort sub-trend
reveals that more diverse,
sustainable fibres are
leading the trend in new
next-to-skin layers, and soft
compression with additional
technical properties will
be key to basic underwear
and loungewear for all-day
performance comfort.
Additionally, playful digital
brights push classic lingerie
into fashion limelight.
“As a textile solutions
provider, we are grateful to
work and collaborate with
the entire value chain to
help our brand partners
continually innovate and
deliver products even before
their customers know they
want them,” said Hong.
72 AO India | November 2022
RESOURCE CENTRE
RESOURCE CENTRE
“Self-awareness is an
important ingredient for
success but most leaders in
today’s time lack this requisite.
IQ and EQ both contribute
substantially in making a
person a successful leader.”
André Lacroix
ANDRÉ LACROIX,
INTERTEK GROUP
CEO AND AUTHOR OF
‘LEADERSHIP WITH SOUL’
SHARES INSIGHTS WITH
APPAREL RESOURCES
“Around 3.3 billion people across the
world work every day. We, corporate
leaders, have a huge responsibility to make
the workplace a better, safer and more
sustainable environment for each and
every one of them,” reads the preface of
the new book Leadership with Soul, written
by industry stalwart André Lacroix, who is
currently the CEO of Intertek Group.
André was recently present in an event
organised by Intertek at The Oberoi,
“When I was a kid, I wanted
to be a surgeon. There is a
strong humanist character
in me which is what led me
to put human approach at
the heart of business too.”
André Lacroix
Gurgaon that gathered the company’s
key customers, CHROs and HR thought
leaders, and a few top media houses from
India including Apparel Resources, who
interacted with André about his book
Leadership with Soul and his leadership
approach of putting people at the heart of
companies’ growth strategy.
In Leadership with Soul, André Lacroix
reveals his model for business success,
built over more than three decades with
world-leading organisations such as Ernst
& Young, Colgate Palmolive, Burger
King, PepsiCo, Euro Disney, Reckitt
Benckiser, Inchcape, and now, Intertek.
Lacroix attributes his success to taking
an empathetic, human approach to
drive sustainable value for all: customers,
employees, shareholders, communities and
society as a whole. He has consistently
applied this thinking to address the
different challenges he has faced wherever
he has worked.
When asked about the message he
wants to give to the apparel and textile
industry, André said, “This is the time
when collaboration between brands and
vendors should be strengthened. Working
together in real-time using the right
independent data on how to satisfy the
demands of anxious consumers is what
the need of the hour is. This collaboration
helps in achieving the right quality and
right sustainability approach to design,
production and supply chain, which is
super-important.”
André is known as an authority on
sustainability in the corporate world, and
he talked about what sustainability is in
the true sense and how today’s leaders can
ensure success in businesses by ensuring
sustainable processes throughout their
organisations.
“Many people think ensuring only ESG is
sustainability but the implementation of ESG
alone is not sufficient. For any company in the
supply chain, true sustainability starts with
the right processes and control in the value
chain. On the other hand, a company needs
to have end-to-end processes throughout the
organisation to drive sustainability excellence
and make sure they have all the required
processes in place. These right measures can
include chemical management, health and
safety well-being, net zero, fabric content
and recyclability among other aspects. This
is where sustainability begins,” commented
André, further adding, “There is one chapter
on sustainability in my book that states how
leaders can focus on this concept to succeed in
business.”
Stay connected to read the entire
conversation between André Lacroix and
Apparel Resources!
November 2022 | AO India 73
RESOURCE CENTRE
ANJU MODI’S ‘DAMAYANTI’ COLLECTION
PRESENTED BY TENCEL FIBRE BRAND
Ace Designer Anju Modi’s
‘Damayanti’ collection presented
by TENCEL fibre brand at Lakmé
Fashion Week in partnership with
FDCI was a poetic fashion showcase
that created nostalgic romance on
the ramp.
Inspired by the ethereal paintings
of top Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma
whose muse was Damayanti, Anju’s
look for the show reflected the
western techniques and styles that
were pioneered by the artist as the
collection unfolded on the runway.
The graceful saris were organic while
the hand-crafted silhouettes spoke a
design language all of their own.
Anju’s design philosophy has always
resonated beautifully to empower
the craftsmen of the country and this
season too, it balanced perfectly with
TENCEL lyocell and modal fibres for
the new collection. The TENCEL fibre
brand’s dedication to eco-friendly
and impeccable quality products
was aligned with Anju Modi’s brand
throughout the line presented
during this show. The presence of
TENCEL fibres not only enhances the
aesthetics of the collection but is also
highly comfortable and breathable
for the wearer.
The luxurious TENCEL lyocell and
modal fibres added to the grace
and elegance of the collection, as
Anju visualised a look that was sheer
poetry on the ramp.
Actress Sanjana Sanghi created
dramatic magic on the ramp, when
she closed the show, wearing a
black/gold draped dhoti, maroon
bralette, topped with a black, velvet,
embroidered bolero and a royal
purple dupatta with gold motifs.
S Jayaraman, Senior Commercial
Director, Lenzing Group, said, “We
are highly pleased to collaborate
with a respected designer like Anju
Modi and see her exquisite collection
made from TENCEL fibres that was
presented at this season’s Lakmé
Fashion Week in partnership with
FDCI. It was an honour to co-present
this multi-faceted collection inspired
by the unique artist Raja Ravi Varma,
who is known to exquisitely breathe
life into every mythical character
in his creations. The multi-faceted
collection ‘Damayanti’ and its
timelessness will appeal to audiences
across genres. With this collection,
we seek to inspire and create more
traditional wear trends powered by
modern age fibres like TENCEL.”
He further added that their
collaboration with Anju Modi was
particularly significant as TENCEL
fibres celebrate 30 years of
sustainable fibre innovation along
with the designer who has completed
three decades in the industry. “We
are looking forward to driving
continuous innovation and building
stronger partnerships within India
over the next 30 years and beyond,”
Jayaraman added.
Designer Anju Modi said, “The
Lenzing Group’s dedication to being
the industry’s innovation leader by
offering eco-friendly, innovative and
impeccable quality products proves to
be in alignment with the brand values
at Anju Modi. The collection made
from TENCEL lyocell and modal
fibre gracefully captures the essence
of Raja Ravi Varma’s painting style
and aesthetics and will bring forth
romantic nostalgia on the runway.”
74 AO India | November 2022
November 2022 | AO India 75
November 2022 | AO India 75
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76 AO India | November 2022