CONTENTS

PARTICULARS PAGE NO

 Declaration

 Acknowledgement

 Executive Summary

 History of Fashion in India

 Fashion Trends in India and Changing

Consumer Needs


 

DECLARATION

We hereby certify that this Project Report is our original work. Any References
made from any secondary data sources have been duly acknowledged and I firmly
certify that if found otherwise our project will render itself null and void.

Dated:
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The submission of this project report gives us an opportunity to convey our

gratitude to all those who have helped us reach a stage where we have
immense confidence to launch our careers in the competitive world. The
most important influence on our work was Dr. Pankaj Kant Dixit (H.O.D. of
M.B.A), who set our context and strengthened us resolve to take provocative
stand and stimulate progress. His critique, sense of organization, attention to
detail, and aggressive nitpicking contributed greatly to the overall substance
captured in this Project Report.

Our acknowledgement goes to project guide, Ms. Ramanpreet Kaur who

guided us throughout the duration of our project and has rendered his
suggestions whenever needed.

This project is submitted to “Pranveer Singh Institute Of Technology” in

partial fulfillment of the requirement of the WINTER PROJECT on Recent
Trend Of Fashion Industry In India.
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The word ‘fashion’ connotes a lifestyle trend and the business of fashion
significantly meets the ever-changing needs of ever-changing lifestyle
trends. It gives, always, something new to aspire for. The business was
much simpler till a decade ago. It was then all about manufacturing –
whatever one thought would sell and reaching them out to consumers
through various channels of distribution.

The fashion industry today is one of the most exciting and glamorous
industries to work in. It throws up fantastic opportunities to experiment and
explore. Fashion has always served a need – be it social, sexual, cultural or
individual. More than anything else, it is the practical aspect of fashion that
takes it to the streets, into one's home, or to the place of work. The business
of fashion is all about anticipating these very needs of the people and turning
them into desirable stylistic trends.

Marketers spot opportunities from every changing situation – economical,

social, political or seasonal, and find a reason to sense a new trend. We
have heard of the various authorities in the business of forecasting trends
and then there are designers, brands and manufacturers working with them
to weave out possibly what could become a trend. Celebrities and the media
are the most vital elements influencing a trend.

In the context of brand/product deliverables, we often hear brands and

retailers saying it loud – We make/sell what consumers demand. But come
to think of it – can fashion business grow if it has to provide only what
consumers want? Here we are not talking about their basic needs or their
wish lists.

There can be no end to the list of consumer needs or their wishes. A few
things they can afford and others remain on their wish list. The situation in
India is very different from what it is elsewhere. However, with fast-changing
lifestyles and increasing affordability, Indian consumers are beginning to
look at new avenues that can make them more compatible with the changes
around them and that is where the incremental business opportunities lie.

To be in business and to be ahead of competition, we not only have to

understand their needs but actually create new needs for them. How to tap
into consumers' latent wants and needs? Fashion thrives on innovation and
in 99 instances out of 100 consumers are not even aware of the need till
they are made aware of it. Scientists, designers and fashion creators are
always busy innovating products that add comfort and excitement to
people's lives. Continuous innovation is critical to success in any consumer
industry today and fashion is no exception.

Three elements are fundamental in this respect:

• First – knowledge of the marketplace – an insight into consumer

needs and wants; prediction abilities of what could be their future needs
that become the base for any business development activities

• Second – research and development capabilities, which enable new

technologies, products and processes to be born

• Third – Marketing expertise to excite the consumer about the

product/concept.

Today, most developed markets are experiencing downsales, global over-

capacity, high retail inventories, aggressive cost competition and acute
pressure on margins and all these make for difficult times for the entire
industry. To be able to succeed in such an environment, it is essential to be
extremely innovative in setting revolutionary trends.

We are fortunate (or should we say unfortunate) to be in a market where so

far even the basic needs of the people are not met. But then the situation is
changing with an electric speed. The traditional formula of progression may
not apply in the context of changing consumer behaviour in this country. It is
not necessary that while shifting from a traditional dhoti to a trouser the
customer has to go through a series of gradual upgradation i.e. first trying a
tailor made, then a (local brand) readymade and then switching over to a
branded one. They may straightaway go for an upmarket brand. A rich
villager can go for a Plasma TV at the first go itself.

Barring a few in the business, our fashion industry has somehow lacked
marketing initiatives. It is imperative that fashion makers understand that our
fashion business needs to be more marketing driven rather than driven by
the market.

CHURN OUT IDEAS, GET GOING

Creative minds move the world – converting dreams into reality. Achieving
feats that most would find impossible with sheer passion and positive spirit,
these leaders make innovations their way of life. The art, of course, is in the
execution which can make ideas come alive – at times they turn out to be
better than what was originally dreamt of.

Many have been successfully selling dreams and inspiring people to live
their dreams. I often wonder about the three Chaturvedi brothers, Akhil,
Nikhil and Salil, who have created the new generation clothing brand,
Provogue. ‘Redefining fashion', they came out with the most extraordinary
ideas and executed them to perfection. How did they manage to create so
much hype for their brand? They held a show at the Gateway of India, roping
in leading film personalities to endorse their brand, managed to be seen or
get associated with mega events. Considering their scale of operations, they
couldn't be spending the kind of money that is required for such associations
and promotions. Then, how did they do do it?

“There's nothing great about the shirt these guys make but they invent a new
style to wear Provogue. They make Fardeen Khan wear it with chest buttons
open and that sets a trend,” says B S Nagesh, CEO & MD, Shoppers' Stop.
While in most cases celebrities endorse a brand and make it popular, in the
case of Provogue, Fardeen Khan has gone on record saying that Provogue
gave him a new life, took him places and made him a style icon. That is what
is called setting a trend in style.
The inherent need of today's youth is making a bold statement in style.
Some do it with folded sleeves or trouser bottoms, some with collars up
while with Provogue, they loved showing their chest. The trend caught up
well, particularly with gym-going youths.

Kailash Bhatia of ColorPlus is yet another example, and he hardly speaks.

Many of us saw him speaking a few words for the first time at the Images
Fashion Forum but he won IFAs ‘Most Admired Brand Professional of the
Year' for three consecutive years. It's been amazing how he has been able
to create a trend called ColorPlus.

Capturing the pulse of consumers, many other Indian clothing brands have
also been successful in converting needs into desirable fashion trends. The
concept of Friday dressing by Allen Solly changed the way Indian executives
dressed to office. The time was just ripe as the office going executive came
under immense work pressure and he began to hate being neck-tied and
suited booted 24/7. Allen Solly was a big relief.

Zodiac created a new clubwear segment by introducing Zod! Gini & Jony
made substantial gains by identifying the tween desire to look a teenager.

Identifying the hidden need is indeed crucial for any brand's success.
Today's consumers are ready to experiment. Show them new uses of the
product (scarves as stoles with ethnicwear, trousers as bottoms for ethnic
shirts). No wonder the trend of mix n' match by womens ethnicwear brands
like Fab India, W, Stop and Westside have been successful.

It is not always that the need of consumers set the ground for new ideas of
market creation. At times, ideas emerge out of desperate situations. Way
back in early Eighties, cottons came back in trend with the offloading of
export surplus in the domestic market.

There are many others who have excelled despite odds. Such examples
bewilder others but certainly creativity, ideas and innovation are what
empower business. Business leaders and strategists focus on innovations
that can provide an advantage or otherwise strengthen the competitive and
financial position.

How can one instigate the existing customer to buy more? We can learn a
lot from the greeting cards and gifts industry. They have created reasons for
customers to keep coming back to them…Father's Day, Mother's Day,
Friendship Day, Family Day, White Day, Valentine Day, Rose Day,
Chocolate Day, etc.

Why can't we create the urge to feel young and sporty among 50+
consumers. Senior Citizens Week – a category not exploited to its fullest
potential. Think of a Sports Week in autumn or spring. Why not a Bermudas
Week in summer? Every man and woman in India would like to wear a kurta
at least a few days a year, given a reason. There could be hundreds.
Someone only needs to set the trend.

Organise celebration of birthdays and marriage anniversaries in mall atriums

and you can set a trend of celebrations with strangers. Who knows it can
become a fad!

‘Back to school' means big business in America. Why not in India ? There is
a latent need for monsoon clothing. Why hasn't anyone thought of turning it
into a fashion trend yet? It was interesting to see a monsoon specific display
at the Globus window last year. Why must umbrellas and raincoats have to
be so boring? Water resistant finishes in clothing can be a jolly good reason
to shop in monsoon that can not only create a new season but also cut down
on traditional monsoon discount sales.

Cellphone makers are reaping the best out of the new generation youth that
picks up any new trend in a jiffy. The peer group influence is tremendous in
this segment. The marriageables are yet another group spotting for new
trends. Then there are many lonely ones always looking for some
excitement. Opportunities there are aplenty. However, fashion continues to
lose ground against newfangled hobbies. Lest fashion takes a back seat, we
have to be vigilant of the changes around us and turn every opportunity into
a business success fashionably.
HISTORY OF FASHION IN INDIA
Any account of historical Indian costumes runs into serious difficulties not for
want of literary evidence or of archaeological and visual materials: of both of
these there is a fair measure that is available. The difficulty arises when one
tries to collate the information that can be culled from these sources. The
descriptions in literary works, for all their great poetic beauty and elegance,
are, in the nature of things, not precise and one has to guess and
reconstruct.

Sometimes the descriptions are so general that they can fit more than one
costume quite different from each other. All this is not to say that a broad,
general idea cannot be formed of the kinds of costumes worn in the ancient,
medieval or the late medieval periods in India.

What one is denied is the possibility of going into the many subtleties that
Indian costumes possess. Their range is remarkably wide, according to the
great size of the country, and geographical differences, and the bewildering
diversity of its ethnic groups is added the complex factor of the coming in, at
regular intervals, of foreign peoples into India at different periods of time and
in varying numbers.

The costumes that these people brought along did not stay necessarily apart
from the mainstream of Indian dresses - that one could have dealt with - but,
with the Indian genius for adaptation and modification, these costumes
become altered, even metamorphosed, and eventually assimilated to the
broad, native Indian range of dress.

A question that needs to be disposed of rather early is whether, in the

indigenous Indian tradition, stitched garments were known or used at all.
From time to time statements have been made that the art of sewing was
unknown to the early Indians, and that it was an import from outside. Serious
and early students of Indian costumes, like Forbes Watson, have stated,
mostly on the authority of other scholars, that the art of sewing came to India
only with the coming of the Muslims.' This statement needs no longer to be
taken seriously.

Here, we touch very briefly upon the history of some of the major
developments in Indian costumes, for they form the background to the
costumes that figure in the present collection.'

From the earliest period of Indian proto-history, the Harappan culture, the
evidence about textiles and dresses is scant but not unimportant. The
survival of an actual fragment of cotton cloth, and the upper garment draped
around the body like a shawl as seen in a sculpture, offer interesting
examples, although it is difficult to give to these pieces any kinds of names.

The lower garment worn by women, much like a sari or dhoti of later times,
is reminiscent of the descriptions of the niti in Vedic literature. Elaborate
head dresses, with tremendous decorations and pannier-like projections,
give some clue to the range of fashions prevalent in this regard.

Access to literary sources, in the Vedic period followed by the Pauranic or

the classical, we get a whole body of material with regard to the materials for
costumes, for it is with much pride and beauty of words that these textiles
and materials are referred to.

Not only do we hear of yarns (tantu), warp or loom (tantra), and woof (otu)
but of 'well-woven' and 'perfumed' garments in the category of vasas.
Materials like woollen blankets of a fine kind (kambala), dhussa (dursba) and
panvad are spoken of, but so also is ksbauma, most probably linen.
Garments made of the skins of animals as worn by gods and sages and
tribals alike are referred to.

In terms of costumes, however, one is by and large in the world of timeless

garments, both for women and men. The veil that women still use so
extensively in India, something like the dupatta or odhani of modern times,
has its early prototype in the Vedic period, and various words signifying the
same article of apparel are used, with differences between one and the other
that may not be easy to identify.
Trousers of a close-fitting kind were not unknown in early India,, judging
from the evidence of sculptures. Kings and soldiers alike are seen wearing it,
but the written references to this garment are extremely scanty. One is, in
any case, not certain of what is being referred to in some of the terms used
for men's lower garments.

Speaking of 'early India' as a unit is a little simplistic, for it is clear that there
was, throughout this period, a great deal of coming in of sartorial fashions
and influences from outside. It is not easy to exactly identify what came with
which group, but it is legitimate to assume that the invading foreign tribes
brought with themselves their own garments and retained them, not only for
the sake of keeping their own identity but also for the specific function for
which they were designed, till they were modified to suit the new climatic
environment, or till they got assimilated into the mainstream of Indian
costumes and remained no longer easily identifiable as foreign imports.

The crucial period in this respect seems to be the first two centuries of the
Christian era, when the tribes that came in from outside made India, at least
the northern part of it, their home and intermingled with the local populace.
Stitched garments like cloaks and trousers and tunics may not have been
introduced first by the Shakas or Kushanas or the Scythians, but their use
must certainly have received considerable fillip with the coming of these
peoples.

The classical period of Indian history, as it is called, is marked by a

considerable addition of a formal kind to our knowledge in the matter of
textiles and costumes. The remarkable expansion in poetic literature apart,
much evidence can be culled from the earlv Puranas that are datable to this
period and contain a great deal of detailed if scattered information.

Sewn garments like the chola or the chandataka worn by women are
specifically referred to, for instance, as are full boots worn by the Kushana
and Gupta kings, and known as khapusa. But the truly dramatic addition to
our knowledge comes from the range of sculptures and paintings available
from this period, those at Ajanta being especially valuable, for the paintings
there for the first time give one a clear idea of the colours and patterns used,
apart from the manner in which garments were worn.

With the coming in of the Mughals in the 16th century, yet another stage
seems to be reached in the history of Indian costumes. In the first two
reigns, those of Babur and Humayun, a strong self-conscious link with
outside, with their own heritage in fact, is kept by the Mughals and their
nobles in respect of their dress. Babur's references to the dresses that he
saw the people of India wear are scanty and not full of any great
enthusiasm.

THE 19TH CENTURY

Dr. Goetz speaks" of changes in fashion introduced in the early 19th century,
even at the Mughal court, following impulses received from the courts of
Kabul and Teheran outside India. As he says:

The basis of the development was the fashion of the court of Nadir Shah of
Persia; knee-long, mostly red colored, dress, with pointed neck, open till the
girdle and closed by an insertion. Round the neck, sometimes, a broad,
richly embroidered collar; the legs in high boots. On the head a pointed cap,
its summit being crushed, wrapped with a small cloth and a pinned sar-pesh,
short full beard.

Nearly the same costume is seen on the picture of Ahmed Shah Durrani, but
different in the fari dress and a whole ribbon of pearl-ornamented sar-pesh.
The new fashion included the old qaba, but the neck was let to the girdle and
filled with a tight insertion.

The jama was worn a little more than knee-long. Under it, wide long trousers
(pyjamah), boots or slippers with high curved points. Over the jama, an over-
dress with short sleeves, often with embroidered collar or with rich ribbons.
This dress was always closed over the chest. Usual is a fur bordered faiji
dress.

Clearly the jama and its variant, the angarakha, continued to remain a
favorite as a formal article of court dress, but it underwent changes of
different kinds. In the early 18th century, in the period of Farrukhsiyar and of
Muhammad Shah, it attained a greater length than in the 17th century and
came right down to the feet, sometimes covering them and trailing in its
fullness on the ground. In fact, art historians tend sometimes to date
paintings using this length of the jama as a guide.

At the Oudh court", the jama not only became long and trailing, but its seam,
at the waist, went up considerably higher than the waist, and its girth
increased dramatically. More or less the same kind of point can be made
with reference to the cut of the payjamah.

For long, following a cut that showed it fitting quite tightly around the lower
leg, the payjamah started easing out in its girth, especially in the 19th
century; and with Lucknow clearly is associated the fashion of wide-legged
payjamahs that came to be adopted not only by men but also by women.

These sad pajamas or, as they were sometime called, arz ke paincbon ka
payjamah, were comfortable to wear if somewhat floppy in their appearance.
But they seemed to combine well with the upper garments which were
undergoing changes too.

The wide legged payjamahs in fact became ubiquitous as a sight not only in
Lucknow but places which had a long tradition in fashions of their own, Delhi
and Benaras, for instance. When the poets of Delhi and Lucknow weave in
references to dresses in their elegant Urdu verses, they speak of this
emphasis on new fashions, and observant writers with a descriptive bent of
mind like Abdul Halim Sharar and Khawaja Hasan Nizami document much
that was happening in the field of fashions in these parts.

By and large, the list of the costumes in favor at the Oudh court reads as
being not much different from that popular at Delhi in the 18th century, but
the changes in the cut gave them another look. A new introduction was ti-re
kurta which was a modified version of the old nima or nimcha; but, made of
fine material and with a great deal of embroidery work in white on white, it
acquired a presence of its own.
Likewise, the tppi, dupalli as it was called, simply made but elegantly
finished and sometimes rakishly worn, was made of very light material. The
upper garment, the angarakha, yielded in part to a chapkan which was a
modification of what was also called a balabar, and came to be very widely
adopted both by the upper classes and the men who worked as low officials
or servants in the circles connected with the officers of the court or, in a fast
changing context, were employed by the officers of the East India Company.

The achkan and the sherwani were other outer garments that came in, the
latter especially popular at the Hyderabad court. Viewing the sartorial scene
in general, however, what strikes one as of interest is the accentuation of a
tendency to narrow down the differences between the dresses worn by the
members of the two major communities.

The Abbe Dubois had remarked that where a coat was worn in India, the
Brahmins and the Muslims could be distinguished from each other by the
fact that the former fastened their coats on the left side and the latter on the
right. Much the same situation was noticed in Kashmir where to distinguish
the Hindu from the Muslim was not difficult if one knew the subtleties in the
styles of wearing the same dress, but one really had to know this well.

A comment by W.R. Lawrence is eloquent, "The Pundit wore the tuck of his
white turban on the right, the Musalman on the left. The Pundit had long
narrow sleeves, the Musalman short full sleeves. The Pundit wore tight
drawers, head dresses of narrow white cloth of 20 yards in length and
smooth skull caps; Musalmans on the contrary wore loose drawers, pagris of
broad white cloth never more than ten yards in length, and skull caps with
raised patterns. "

Yet another feature of the 19th century seems to be the de-emphasizing of

the differences in the dresses worn by men and women in one respect and
between women of the different communities in another. The situation
obtaining at Lucknow where some women wore kurtas and sidha or wide-
legged payiamahs, much in the same manner that the men did, or that which
obtained in the Punjab where both men and women wore relatively short
kurtas with full but tight-legged payjamahs, can be observed as much in the
literature of the times as in the paintings from this period.

Quite naturally, certain differences remained and certain articles of garment

continued to be preferred, but the trend is quite noticeable. At the same time,
the sharpness of differences in the dresses worn by women of the different
communities tended to become blunted.

If some of the Hindu women, especially of the dancing classes, adopted

what can be called Muslim fashion, one finds the women of Gujarat and
Rajasthan, especially those who belong to the tribal or pastoral communities,
dressed much in the same fashion regardless of whether they were Hindu or
Muslim.

The choli-ghaghra-ohbani combination, for instance, an ensemble that had

existed for a very long time indeed among the Hindus and was rarely
adopted by Muslim women, came to be accepted by a far greater number of
Muslim women in the 19th century than one can imagine happening in the
centuries preceding. Likewise, the adoption of the Hindu way of wearing a
sari by the Muslim women of Bengal, is some kind of a pointer in the way
things were developing.

All these statements remain, however, in the nature of things general and
not specific. In fact, there is scarcely a statement that can be made which
can sum the situation up with any degree of accuracy without inviting
comment or contradiction. Much of what has been said and written in
accounts of Indian costumes rarely takes into account the local styles and
materials of dress from every part of the country.

What would be true of the northern plains of India or of areas like Gujarat, of
the belt from the Punjab all the way east up to Bengal, may have no
relevance to what was happening in the field of costumes in, say, north-
eastern India or the south, for instance. What is true of the Punjab is not true
of the northwestern frontiers; what could be seen as a norm in Maharashtra
could not be seen as being applicable in Goa or Malabar.
With all its limitations, then, this brief recounting of the developments in the
area of Indian dress has been gone into because it has some bearing on the
collection of costumes in the Calico Museum. Through this, it is hoped, some
of the dresses seen here can be placed in some kind of historical and social
context.

The collection does not take into account the European style dresses that
came in from the end of the 19th century and made such deep inroads into
Indian styles in the 20th. An occasional waist-coat or the modern front-
fastening choli worn with a sari hint at this presence, but by and large this
most recent chapter in the history of Indian costumes is of little relevance to
the present collection, and is as such left out of consideration.

A brief word at the very end. In the nature of things catalogues tend to be
repetitive, and sound somewhat sterile. When entries are read singly, they
often tend to feel devoid of all spark of life. In the case of costumes, the
difficulty is even greater, for nothing, absolutely nothing, succeeds in
capturing the world of colour and shape and ornament and fabric that
belongs to the world of Indian dresses.

These dresses have to be seen worn and used for one to be able to take in
their magic, for then alone do they begin to breathe a life of their own. For
getting something of that feeling one has to turn to the present in the case of
the dresses that are still in vogue, as with the cholis and ghaghras and
odhanis, or one has to enter the silent but vibrant world of the paintings of
the past. It is there that dresses come to life, and become part of a pageant
that is virtually without compare.
 FASHION TRENDS IN INDIA AND CHANGING
CONSUMERS NEEDS
Since the invention of the wheel, civilization has come a long way. Every
preceding decade has left behind a great legacy, a cornucopia of arts, crafts,
science, music, technology, the works. And in this ever expanding
vocabulary rests a term that has evolved over time and is today synonymous
with people, business and the economy. "Fashion". No longer considered an
indulgence of the rich and the famous, fashion today has a new 'avatar'. It is
a well-orchestrated repertoire of costumes, cultures and lifestyles. It has a
spirit that is local in flavour yet global in appeal. It sets trends that transcend
not just geographical boundaries but also the age-old issues of region,
religion, caste and sex.

Some interesting developments have been taking place in our country in

recent times. A 79 year-old leader is being projected as a 'youth icon' in the
forthcoming general elections.

Students and industry leaders are highly vociferous in expressing their

(adverse) reaction to the recent moves by the HRD ministry to reduce fees
at the IIMs.

Role models for the new India include Preity Zinta, Shahrukh Khan, Sachin
Tendulkar, Arun Jaitley, and Narayana Murthy. Relatively conservative
magazines like The Week carry special issues on the subject of 'love'!

In 2004, estimated value of cell-phone ring tone downloads is likely to be Rs

400 crore (Rs 4 billion) while the 'Valentine's Day' business is likely to cross
Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion).

Preferred career options now include some really interesting ones such as
Vj-ing/Rj-ing/media related professions/biotechnology/sports and sport
management/image management/fashion stylists/environmentalists/fitness
and yoga instructors etc.
What has changed? If it can be explained by any single phenomenon, it
would be the dramatic change in the demographic profile of India. Almost
unknown to many of us, India has become the youngest nation in the world
in terms of the age of its population.

There are over 500 million Indians below 21 years of age leading to a
median age of the country at an astonishing 24 years! By contrast, the
median age in the USA is 36, 30 in China, 37 in Russia, and 38 in the UK.
Even in 2025, India's median age would be just 31 years while the rest of
these countries would have moved up to 39-44 years.

Such a young population, with a significantly enhanced access to education

as compared to their parents, significantly enhanced exposure to the world
outside India due to the very high penetration of electronic and print media,
and a visibly increasing level of self-confidence on account of emerging
successes of India in IT and other sectors, is behaving very differently to
what most 'experienced' professionals would have imagined or known.

The changes in demographics can, simply put, explain almost everything

that is happening around us in India these days including the very sudden
emphasis of the ruling political alliance on 'development' issues rather than
the traditional ones, and a sudden increase in the prominence of its younger
leaders.

The young India is redefining value perceptions -- almost concurrently

upgrading its aspirations and spending levels on product categories such as
consumer durables, telecommunications, home, education, personal
transportation, and leisure while downgrading (in terms of spending levels)
on food and grocery, clothing, and jewellery. The young India is redefining its
relationship with brands -- adopting new ones while discarding traditional
ones.

The young India is redefining the shopping high street, giving resounding
acceptance to new generation formats such as malls having integrated
shopping/entertainment/eating, as and where such options make their
presence.
With over 600 new shopping malls likely to make their debut in the next five
to six years, the entire consumer shopping behaviour across the country
would undergo a very dramatic change. By the way, these changes are not
only confined to metros or a select few large cities.

How should Indian companies engaged in the business of offering consumer

products and services react? The starting point has to be an
acknowledgement of the fact that India is changing and therefore they must
change with India.

Likewise, it would help Indian companies to accept that the Indian consumer
is changing, and hence they have to change with the consumers. This
would, in many cases, imply going back to having a new look at the very
basics of their businesses and then in some cases, creation of new
products/services for these new consumers.

Once these new products/services have been created (with the appropriate
value proposition), in many instances the distribution and retail channel
strategy (and the communication strategy) may have to be redefined.

The leadership of all businesses must make a conscious effort to 'think

young' and encourage 'young'. The new India offers incredible opportunities,
and this itself should be motivation enough for established businesses to
change!

Although the term 'fashion designer' became familiar to the Indian masses
only a decade ago, the very trade of fashion is as old as time itself.
Civilizations, whether ancient or modern, have always had a preoccupation
with clothes and subsequently with vanity. There have always been tailors,
designers and stylists, who set the trends for their times within the
parameters of morality, religion and class. The very profession of dressing
up people is not new to us, though the tag might be.

Till some time ago, the Indian masses were unaware of the concept of high
fashion clothing. Fashion to them was something that was easily available. A
few houses away, hanging from a nail at the local darzi's shop. Trousseau
represented the face of high fashion and the darzis were the 'designers'.

Many of them had a flair for design as well, borrowed as it was from the
flickering images of the then Bollywood divas. They churned out customized
creations, though the style vocabulary was limited and repetitive. The term
'fashion', with all its global connotations came into the picture much later. It
began with a bunch of young-trained designers who were able to see the
entire country in it's various geographic and demographic divisions. They
were able to see a wider discerning consumer base out there that was
yearning for something more specialized, personal and individualistic.
"Exclusivity" was the key.

But breaking into the fortified walls of the Indian garment industry was no
easy job. It was wrought with difficulties from the start. The term 'Fashion
Designer' was much frowned upon. It was projected as a frivolous activity
that was devoid of business acumen. Thinking, living fashion designers were
reduced to a bunch of grainy, pixilated page-3 socialites, who according to
most, lived in their own jewel encrusted ivory towers and had no perceptions
of consumer expectations let alone the ground realities of the market.
Fashion was refused the status of being considered a serious industry that
could streamline and influence the much scattered and disorganized
garment sector and contribute effectively to the growth of the economy. The
industry in all its naivete never took notice of the designers and their
potential.
 FASHION TRENDS
The launch of the National Institute of Fashion Technology in 1987 brought a
sea change. For once, there was such a great media focus on fashion.
Media played a key role in projecting the fashion industry as an integral
component of the apparel industry. With time, even fashion designers felt the
need to come together and establish themselves as an industry. NIFT was
also instrumental in the setting up of the Fashion Design Council of India
(FDCI), which aims at fostering the growth of not only the Indian fashion
industry, but also at widening the base for designer wear. As a consequence
of this effort, the first India Fashion Week was held at Delhi in 2000.
Featuring diffusion and pret styles from leading designers, the fashion week
serves as an annual interface with the retail industry.

In the past, the relationship between designers and retailers was one that
was understood by neither in totality. Retailers took on big designer names
without going into the finer nuances as to whether a certain designer's
concept was in harmony with the company's or store's image or not. There
was little or no emphasis on building a strong 'Brand Identity' that consumers
could identify with. In the process of catering to all consumers, they did not
cater to even one specialized consumer segment totally.

A successful liaison between a designer and a retailer can happen only

when the following parameters are met:

1. Both the designer and the retailer must be aware of the image of
the company they represent.

2. Utmost importance must be given to the brand identity and the

same must be communicated clearly and effectively to consumers.

3. Consumer preferences must be given due importance and

thought.

4. Merchandisers, buying agents and others in the retail chain must

provide a detailed feedback to the designer.
 5. Since a lot depends on the careful selection of the designer, the
designer must be one whose sensibility matches with that of company
and the brand identity.

6. The entire retail and production team must work at taking the
business headache off the designer's mind so that he/she can
concentrate on their creative energies into the actual purpose of
designing.

The idea of a trend forecast is not just to forecast trends, per say. Instead, it
is a business strategy to woo consumer by offering a certain style or trend in
advance before it is actually launched in the market.

Muji, a Japanese store, which is an 'Attitude Store' stocks everything from

stationery to lifestyle products to kitchen items to personal bric-a-bracs. Not
only the merchandise but also the store décor and window displays send out
the same message. It's phenomenal success stems not only from the
practicality and affordability of the merchandise, but also from the fact that
everything about the store talks of an individual brand identity, which
collectively forms the store identity.

And this is what is missing in India. Retail stores wish to target everybody
and in the process end up targeting nobody. They do not wish to identify with
a select section of the society. Every store wants to sell every designer.
Retailers should be stocking only those designers whose look blends
effortlessly with the identity of their store, which will ultimately impact their
buyers. So, the need is for more and more specialty stores that offer not just
'Brand Identity' but aim at building 'Brand Loyalty' through top of the line
merchandise at competitive and affordable prices.
 FASHION WEEKS IN INDIA
Historically, India has been globally acknowledged as a country for its rich
textile heritage, but fashion, as an industry, continues to be challenged with
several infrastructural and industry issues.

Until recently, leading Indian designers primarily focussed on couture lines

and wedding trousseaus. Over the last 4-5 years, as increasing number of
people have joined the designer/fashion industry (designers, textile
designers, models, make-up artists, hairstylists, stylists, photographers, etc).
However, the target customer base has witnessed limited growth in the
same period.

Hence, the need for affordable pret-a-porter clothing, priced between Rs

500-10,000. This would help expand the customer base significantly, and
grow the Indian fashion industry.

Recognising this, in 1998, the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) was
born as a single entity representing the buiness interests of the designer
fraternity across the country. To address the need to grow the target
customer base and the industry, FDCI launched their 'fashion week'
initiative, which would serve as a single platform to facilitate buyer-seller
interaction within the fashion industry.

The event was titled as 'India' Fashion Week, to represent the national
scope of the fashion industry of our country unlike fashion weeks held
internationally, where they are 'city' specific (such as New York Fashion
Week or Milan Fashion Week).
 LAKME INDIA FASION WEEK 2007
The biggest fashion extravaganza of the country - Lakme India Fasion Week
2007 – was held at Delhi with 61 designers (55 showcasing on ramp and 6
opting only for stalls) showcasing their collection with the primary objective
of creating business relationships and facilitating a dialogue between
designers, trade buyers and media.

The participating designers will showcased their Pret (ready-to-wear) and

Diffusion (a line between ready-to-wear and couture) lines in Indian, Indo-
Western and Western categories at the country's largest fashion event.

Nearly 60 international buyers from 12 countries, including UK, US, Hong

Kong, Japan, Singapore and the Middle East, and about 90 domestic buyers
also participated in the event. Amongst the big international buyers who
participated in the fashion week were Selfridges, Harrods, Okra and RCKC.
Prominent domestic buyers included Ogaan, Shoppers Stop, Be, Elan
Couture.

Designers who participated are:

Abhishek Gupta Bobby & Manju Grover Malini Ramani Rina Dhaka
Abu-Sandeep Dabiri by Divya & Manish Arora Ritu Kumar
Vandana
Anamika Khanna Deepika Gehani Meera Muzaffar Ali Rocky S
Anant by Shobhna and Deepika Govind Monapali Rohit Gandhi & Rahul
Vijay Arora Khanna
Anita Dongre Falguni & Shane Monisha Jaising Sabyasachi Mukherjee
Anjana Bhargav Peacock Namrata Joshipura Sanskar by Sonam
Dubal
Anju Modi Geisha Designs by Nandita Basu Satya Paul
Anuradha Vakil Paras & Shalini Narendra Kumar Shantanu and Nikhil
Aparna Chandra JJ Valaya Niki Mahajan Shantanu Goenka
Aparna Wangdi Kavita Bhartia Payal Jain Sonali Mansingka
Arjun Khanna Kimono by Kiran Pria Kataria Puri Tarun Tahiliani
Ashima – Leena Uttam Ghosh Rabani & Rakha Varun Bahl
Ashish & Smita Soni Krishna Mehta Raghuvendra Rathore Wendell Rodricks
Ashish Pandey Lalit Jalan' by Lalit & Rajesh Pratap Singh
Sunita Jalan
Balance' by Rohit Bal Le Spice - Suneet Ranna Gill
Varma

Models who participated are:

48 leading models displayed the creations of India's top designers and
added glamour to the prestigious Lakme India Fashion Week 2007.

The established and well known female models who participated are
Jasmeet Kaur Randhawa (Jessei), Fleur Xavier, Vidisha Pavate, Nina
Manuel, Tupur Chatterjee, Diandra Soares, Viveka Babaji, Bhawna Sharma,
Carol Gracies, Kiran Rao, Binal Trevedi, Michelle Innes, Sapna Kumar, Joey
Mathews, Laxmi Rana, Poonam Nath, Indrani Das Gupta, Sampada
Inamdar, Shivani Kapur, Sonalika Sahay, Neha Kapur, Nolana D'Mello and
Shivani Sabikhi. In the male category the list includes Ignatius Camilo,
Muzamil, Upen Patel, Rajneesh Duggal and Gaurav Sachdeva.

The new female models who walk the ramp in LIFW for the first time were
Krishna Somani, Sohini Jaitley, Himani Thapa, Tanvi Singh, Deepika
Padukone, Monikangana Datta, Kiran Vajpai, Sucheta Sharma and Sunita
Nagi. The male models making their debut were Aryan Biju Baruah, Bharat
Arora, Amit Rampal and Sunny Arora, while the supplementary male models
were Kushal Tandon, Abhinav Shukla, Rahul Jagtiani, Farhad Shahnawaz,
Rahul Chaudhary, Navnit Sharma and Andre.
 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In order to accomplish the objectives of the study, it is essential to articulate

the manner in which it is to be conducted, i.e., the research process is to be
carried-out in a certain framework. The Research Methodology, which
follows, is the backbone of the study.

The study is a combination of doctrinal and empirical research. The doctrinal

research relied on of data which includes articles from journals, magazines,
and internet. The empirical research was based on interviews and
questionnaire.

DATA COLLECTION APPROACH

The plank on which the edifice of a study rests is information. The data
contained here in is a mixture of that obtained from both primary and
secondary sources of data.

SECONDARY RESEARCH

The secondary research was undertaken through collection of above

mentioned secondary data which has been presented in the report as the
literature review. The information relevant to the topic i.e. the impact of LIFW
on changing lifestyle of Indian Consumers has only been included in the
report. The information obtained from these secondary sources provided a
good foundation of knowledge to carry out primary research.

PRIMARY RESEARCH

The different options available for the purpose of collecting the primary data
were as follows:

Interviews: Interview is a technique used to gain depth information on the

subject, feelings and attitudes of the interviewee.
Questionnaires/surveys: There are three types of questions in a
questionnaire, which are open, closed and a combination of both open and
closed questions.

The questionnaire was designed on the basis of literature review and was
presented to respondents in Delhi to collect the informatin.

The researcher considered the survey to be reliable because the

respondents were people who were associated with the
Fashion Industry for quite a reasonable length of time;
therefore they had knowledge of trend sin consumer buying
pattern for fashion accessories.

Limitations of my research

For every research there are restrictions and limitations. Without them the
world does not exist. Similarly there are some restrictions in my research
work, which could not be controlled. The following were some limitations,
which I faced in the making of this research.

Time constraint: The time allotted to conduct the research is not enough.

Industry is still evolving: There is no doubt that the fashion industry has
gained momentum in India, but its still a relatively new industry
which is still evolving.
 ANALYSIS
Number of Respondents: 50

Location: New Delhi

1. Do you feel that LIFW is a trade event that aims to facilitate buyer-
designer interactions?

Yes No

45 5

2. Do you feel that most of the designer wear trade is accounted for by
sales of women wear?

Yes No

47 3

3. Which of the following category of designer wear is fast growing:

Men’s Wear a. Women’s Wear

32 18

4. Do you feel that LIFW has an impact on Domestic Consumers?

Yes No

36 14

5. Do you think that branded fashion and accessories market segment is

slated to grow rapidly in the near future as increasingly customers are
becoming more 'personal image/fashion conscious?
 Yes No

45 5

6. Do you think that the decision of the Fashion Design Council of India to
host two India Fashion Weeks every year will help Designers and
buyers?

Yes No

39 11

7. Do you agree that Fashion has always served a need – be it social,

sexual, cultural or individual?

Yes No

37 13

8. Do you think that the success of any business lies in influencing a

change in the lifestyles of consumers and capitalising on it

Yes No

48 2

9. Do you agree that the Indian fashion and lifestyle scenario has
undergone a perceptible change in the last couple of years with a lot of
heads of stores augmenting their fashion merchandise.

Yes No

49 1
10. Is Lakme India Fashion week helping Indian brands seem to be making
their presence felt in the global arena.

Yes No

46 4
 IMPACT OF LAKME FASHION WEEK

From couture, to diffusion, to prêt. The designs of fashion in India, since the
inception of the India Fashion Week just five years back, has seen the high-
brow fashion designer stoop to meet the masses at their price points. From
sheer drama on the catwalk to a drama created to draw buyers and not just
mere applause to the rounds of cocktails and Pg 3 titter, the success of the
annual Weeks can now be measured in terms of this gradual movement.
Incidentally for this edition, ‘Join the fashion movement’ was the avowed
motto of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), the apex body that
organises this seven-day ritual of fashion pomp and pageantry.
Understandably so, the mood at the recently concluded Lakme India
Fashion Week (LIFW) was gung-ho. The parties rocked (Ok, a couple didn’t
quite). The shows ran late, but business they sure transacted – better and
bigger than the last four. The turnout of buyers was reasonably global with
those from chains like Be:, Piramyd, Shoppers’ Stop, etc to a sizeable
number from West Asia (Jeddah, Dubai, Kuwait, Sharjah), Hong Kong,
Singapore, London and New York, many of whom have signed up plenty of
designers.

According to FDCI business transacted at this Week was around 30-35 per
cent higher than the Rs 28 crore at last year’s event. And, that’s what
matters. What matters also is the fact that suddenly fashion has become
fashionable in India – prêt no longer a vague term used only by those in the
business of fashion.

In a way, it all started with two Indian beauties triumphing on the global
stage. Suddenly there was a rash of beauty pageants all over the country
with a hunt on for a Miss Mokokchung in northeastern Nagaland and even
perhaps a Miss Bulandshahar, a town in Uttar Pradesh that one gets to hear
or read about mostly with reference to criminal activities. Along with beauty,
the focus also was on fashion. Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit Bal, Abu
Jani, Hemant Trevedi, and the likes were beginning to be uttered with a
certain amount of awe – at least in metros and mini-metros. Fashion isn’t
shining as yet among the masses (Can it really afford to? But, that’s
digressing from the issue), though the awareness has seeped in. And it is
this growing awareness in tandem with the ongoing malling of the country
that has made the erstwhile haute couture couturier look inwards too.
There has been a realisation that big profits may not necessarily come from
the big pockets looking for an elaborate trousseau – that there is a teeming
market out there. That fashion is also about selling big numbers, that fashion
also means funds to grow big and that a lot of this can be achieved by
selling in big numbers – prêt, indeed, is the answer. The target, thus, has
gradually shifted from the NRI or the richie rich as they wafted from one do
to another. From the elite to also the hoi polloi, it’s been one long herring-
bone to running stitch, though some like Tarun Tahiliani would still rather not
step into prêt. “What is prêt?” he questions almost acerbically. “It does not
mean rolling out some fifty T-shirts in cheap fabric and run-of-the mill
designs in some garage somewhere. Prêt means to produce in a factory
where you are knocking off around a lakh pieces or so. Even your prêt must
feel luxurious and styled. I am just biding my time. Almost 95 per cent of the
people in our industry are struggling to bring themselves to this level.”

“M&S”, Tahiliani cites an example “is prêt. It gives you fantastic quality”.
While he may not have deigned it fit as yet to tap the growing midsegment
population’s crave for reasonably priced but ‘designer’ clothing, more and
more couturiers are joining the prêt flock, seeking to retail at Be:, Shoppers’
Stop, Lifestyle and other such chains where the footfalls are as mixed as any
Indian town or city can get; where big time conversions can happen if the
designer merchandise costs anywhere around Rs 300-3,000 – no shadow
work here for a designer range that till recently began nowhere less than at
least Rs 5,000-8,000.

So along with Ritu Kumar and Rohit Bal, there are a whole lot of designers,
old and new, who in a bid to sell off the rack have gone prêt or are beginning
to go prêt stitching stylish, well cut, affordable and wearable clothing. And, it
was along these parameters that we asked a cross-section of the buyers to
rate the designers at the fifth LIFW. Surprisingly, many from within and even
outside the country did the rating only after we promised that their individual
preferences would not be disclosed.

The now-not-so-new-kid on the block, Sabyasachi Mukherjee topped the list

followed by Tarun Tahiliani and Priyadarshini Rao in the second spot, and
Rohit Bal, Nikhil and Shantanu, Aki Narula, Puja Nayyar, Rajesh Pratap
Singh, and Monisha Jaisingh in a tie for the third spot with an equal number
of buyers rooting for them. The fourth spot was taken by Ritu Kumar,
Muzzafar and Meera Ali, Wendell Rodericks, Manish Arora, Malani Ramani,
and Ranna Gill. The fifth place was claimed by Rina Dhaka, Narendra
Kumar ‘Chai’, Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna ‘Cue’, Paras and Shalini
‘Geisha Designs’, and newbie Varun Bahl.

Mukherjee’s “clean lines, great price points, and amazing sense of style and
design” won over most of the buyers. Tahiliani’s jewelled T-shirts were a hit
and of course his “classic style and excellent workmanship”. Rao’s price
points and “very prêt” outfits ensured her a place along with the master
couturier. The most aspired for buyers, Albert Morris from Browns, London,
and Michael Fink from Saks Avenue were stiff-lipped about their individual
preferences, though Morris let out that Ashish and Smita Soni were “very
good” and for Rajesh Pratap Singh it was a simple “love him”.

“There is a great potential here”, averred Morris, adding “it’s like a diamond
in the rocks. All have to be nurtured.” Asked for his rating, Fink commented
that “it is not so much about rating as it is about finding the right creativity,
quality, and touch of whimsy – something that touches the emotions. It is
also about a sense of style that is both global and individual.” The duo said
they had shortlisted some designers but would be able to stitch a deal only
after details like volume, pricing and shipments are worked out.

The LIFW is very young. Give it time to grow. It needs patronage from the
government. There is no retail system here that can support the Indian
designer and that is the starting point. Plus, it has not got the amount of
exposure it deserves. We also have to look into shipment problems, the
seasons for which the designers have prepared, and so on and so forth. Cut,
stitched and packed away for another year, the LIFW has traversed a long
path in a short time. It has matured and going by the response from the
domestic market, another event, a ‘market week’, will be organised this
October to showcase spring/summer ‘08 collections for retail chains like
Shoppers’ Stop, Lifestyle, Pantaloon, Be:, etc. Normally fashion weeks are a
bi-annual event. The industry here too is growing and maturing. The big
chains had expressed their desire to buy twice a year and so instead of
having a second Week, the industry proposes a market week in October
every year.

The success of the fashion industry also lies in better understanding of

fashion and fashion business. The media can be of great help in projecting
fashion as a serious business and giving it due importance. On foreign
shores, the media plays an important role both in propagating new fashions
and in the launch of new designers.

Indian fashion has made it to the world stage courtesy LIFW. So what's the
utility of the Week? To some like Deepika Govind - spending around eight
lakh rupees - it is just a way to get noticed by the national media. Media may
not know much about fashion, but somehow if you are not on the tube during
the Week, you are assumed to be dead. To others like Paras and Shalini of
Geisha Designs, the Week is responsible for whatever business they have.
The Fashion Design Council of India has definitely given fashion a serious
look. This time we have been provided with the buyer list, their turnover and
how many persons would be accompanying them.

FDCI still swears by "affordable fashion but with real estate prices escalating
and imminent chances of imposition of new taxes, designers are finding it
difficult to control the costs. "Most senior designers burnt their fingers by
rushing to prêt because they didn't have the support base to excel in the
retail market. It's designers like Anita Dongre, who changes the slant of
stripes on shirts with seasons who really benefited. This year most are
expected to return to the diffusion category," says an industry source.

It's essentially a battle of mindsets. An industry expert says, "Despite all the
media hype we have not been able to attract the consumer away from the
tailor next door for his daily requirements. It's only on occasions that he
ventures into a designer store."

On the design front though, thanks to the Week, Indian silhouettes have
been seen in new light on the world ramp. After kurtis, it's churidars and
salwars, which have caught the imagination of Armani, Cavalli and Versace.
But still we are selling our outfits as separates? "Jodhpuris, lungis and kurtis
all have made fashion statements as separates only. Japanese Kimonos
made itthe same way. We are still at a growing stage and I believe on the
right track," says Suneet Verma. Experts believe the real trade push is
coming from West Asia. The way things are moving, soon we could have an
Asian Fashion Week rather than Tokyo, Hong Kong, Dubai Weeks. Deepika
says the European market is saturated and Americans don't like
conservative clothing so India is an obvious market for fashion houses the
world over. "To begin with they are interpreting Indian silhouettes," adds
Deepika. The interplay of revelry and reality continues.

Two areas of large-scale market action came to light.

First, that department stores are reaching out for a piece of the pie to
diversify their product range and in the process, build aspirations for Indian
designer brands.

Second, from the immense options abroad, that Middle East is perhaps
largest single international focus area for Indian fashion, whether high-end or
more market-friendly ready-to-wear.

With 300 malls slated to come up across the country over next 18 months
(figures courtesy KSA Technopak), organised retail sector is booming and
stores are rushing to fill their tremendous shopfloor space.
For instance, Pantaloon will host 15 lakh square feet of retail space by 2007
with target turnover of Rs 1000 crore, while Shopper’s Stop aims at 35
outlets in 12 locations in the country by 2008.

While many designers are yet to do their homework — some talk of reaching
out to India’s middle class of 450 million, others bemoan the ‘exclusive pret’
demand that some customers make.

KSA Technopak India chairman Arvind Singhal says a study by them threw
up potential market size of six lakh households in 25 cities across the
country that earn more than a lakh per month.

Teamed with India’s favourable demographics (40 per cent of India’s

population is less than 15 years old), the new generation’s global attitudes
and lifestyle, the favourable infrastructure and business environment, those
numbers mean opportunities for Indian fashion industry are increasing
domestically itself.
 MERCHANDISING MIX FOR CASUAL BRANDS

INTRODUCTION

Branded Apparel Market in India

The apparel market in India is largely divided as Ready-to-wear and tailored

segments. Traditionally, tailor-made garments have found favor with the
Indian masses but the trend has largely bent towards the ready-to-wear now.

Proportion of Ready-to-wear in different customer segments

Category Ready-to-wear Tailor-made
Men 63% 37%
Women 79% 21%
Kids 88% 12%
Total 73% 27%
Source: Images Yearbook Vol. III No. I

Within the readymade segment there are branded as well as unbranded

players. The branded segment is one wherein manufacturer or marketer
makes a conscious effort to promote the brand name of the offering through
advertising and other means. Such players can be national brands like
Pepe, Spykar and so on or local brands with limited regional presence.

There are various foreign brands that have successfully established their
presence in the country. These players may have come in tie-up with
domestic concerns or via the license route. Some brands like Levi’s, Adidas,
and Nike compete on their own while Tommy Hilfiger, Marks & Spencer, etc.
are retailed through franchise channels.
Besides that there also exists a category of private labels in large format
stores. Some the successful names include John Miller, Bare, Stop, and
Splash.

Proportion of branded in different categories

Proportion of branded in different categories
Category Share of Branded Share of Unbranded
Men 33% 67%
Women 22% 78%
Kids 10% 90%
Source: Images Yearbook Vol. III No. I

GROWTH DRIVERS FOR CASUAL BRANDS

The branded segment is growing at 18-25% annually from 1998 onwards
(the industry growth rate is only 5%). Sec A&B contribute almost 98% to the
branded segment.

These figures simply mean that the Indian consumer is showing an

increasing fascination for branded wear. The reasons are clear –
i). the increased disposable income of Indian households
ii). the fast paced changes in the ready-to-wear industry.

Today’s customers are fussier than ever before – they are more aware of
current trends, are totally in sync with the latest in fashion and demand the
best products as well as service at an affordable price. And manufacturers
and retailers are going all out to keep them happy. Definitely, the ready-to-
wear business is in vogue.

The growth in the branded wear category can also be attributed to the fast
paced changes in the retail scenario. The evolution of retail channels in India
is being driven by the evolving preferences of the consumer whose
awareness level of fashion trends, disposable income and consumerism are
all high. A significant positive shift is taking place in Indian consumer’s
buying behaviour and expectations that no longer follow traditional retail
practices.

This can be attributed to:

i. Change in Lifestyles
ii. Entry of leading international brands.
iii. Greater awareness and exposure to international media.
iv. Foreign Travel

New retail formats that are more consumer friendly and offer a significantly
enhanced ambience and overall shopping experience have also contributed
greatly. Today the retail structure in India, as it moves from disparate and
unorganized sectors to a more concentrated system, has many players
getting inspired and drawn to the retails magnet.

ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT CASUALS

1. DENIM

JEANS

India's jeanswear phenomenon began really in the eighties, when brands

like Avis, Wings, Flying Machine, UFO, along with international brands like
FU’s set off the awareness momentum. And in the mid-nineties, Newport
penetrated into the mass psyche with realistic pricing and a "Good jeans for
less" proposition. At the same time, the first international majors stepped into
one of the world's most lucrative consumerist economies. Even as the
market adjusted the Indian youth's fashion aspirations to the economic
realities of pricier denim, the consumer base itself subtly upgraded to higher
spend brackets, making life easier for the fast-growing 'premium' category of
jeanswear brands. However, evolution has also meant tough times for other
segments of the business - one of the underperformers being a mass-market
jeanswear brand. With the objective of putting a figure to the latent denim
demand and resultant opportunities, IMAGES and KSA Technopak
collaborated to quantify the size, character and make up of denimwear
consumption in India.

Like elsewhere, bottomwear propels denim consumption in India.

Unlike possible every other apparel category in India barring innerwear,

Jeanswear too, is very attached to brand tags. Even when tailored, a label
tag is a must on the back waist panel.

Percentages vary in each category as regards share of the branded

component, but on the whole, as an average, roughly 79 per cent of the
jeans worn in India carry a label, the balance comprising no-name jeans
supplied by tailors and localised manufacturers.
 5%
Rs.1500 + Super
Premium
Rs.250 cr
Rs.700 – Rs.1500 Premium

Rs.400 – Rs.700 Mass Market

25% Rs.1250 cr

Below Rs.400 Street Wear

70% Rs.3500 cr

Source: VF Arvind Brands

Disparate socio-economic, cultural, emotional and functional backgrounds

and applications have given birth to four clearly demarcated sub sections of
the branded jeanswear marketplace - Super Premium (Rs2000+), Premium
(Rs1000-2000), Middle (Rs.500-1000) and Economy (Rs.300-500).
Jeanswear at the lower and unorganised end of the market are being
considered as priced under Rs.300

The first subset includes brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, AN Jeans,
Rocky S Jeans, Rathore Jeans etc.; the second includes Pepe, Levi’s, Lee,
Wrangler etc. Most Indian brands have ranges that fall into both Middle and
Premium categories, while the lowest comprises names such as Ruf n Tuf,
Newport, Impact, Thunder as well as in-store labels like Westside's SRC and
2Fast4U that are priced between Rs.375 to Rs.600. The lower end of the
market is now catered by private labels of hypermarkets as well, e.g. DJnC
by Big Bazaar.
 G
- Market
S
Tommy
t Segment
Hilfiger
a s
High

r
Nautic Super
a Premium

Wrangler

Levis Le
Premium
e
Mid
Price

Spyka
r Killer
F
M
Live Middle
in
Po al
Op ity

ten
un
Low

t/
po

ti

por uf
rt

w T ed
Ne uf n nd
R bra Economy
Un

Basic On-trend Emerging Trend

In the year 2004, IMAGES published the first edition of the Apparel Market
study, which said 34 million pieces of jeans were sold in the year 2003-04,
denoting a market value of Rs1363 crore.

At this time, the Economy subset (Rs.300-500) formed the chunk of

consumption, at about Rs.500 crore. The premium (Rs.1000-2000) and
middle segments (Rs.500-1000) raked in about Rs.150 crore and Rs.400
crore respectively.

Until this phase, spend per pair of jeans remained predominantly under the
Rs.1000 ceiling.
In the subsequent fiscal (2005-06) however, there was a distinct pattern - the
premium and middle segments grew at roughly 20 and 15 per cent
respectively. In other words, more new numbers of jeans priced above
Rs.1000 were selling than those under.

The Economy category grew at about 10 per cent, while the overall market
size grew by about 10.8 per cent over 2002-03, with 37 million pairs of jeans
raking in just over Rs.1500 crore in sales in 2003-04.

The Images and KSA research determines the premium segment as

showing the most visible and accelerated growth of all the price bands. Last
fiscal, this subset grew at 25 per cent with a market value of Rs.225 crore.
The Economy segment maintained constant growth at 10 per cent with a
shade over 15 million pieces in the Rs.300-500 price bracket moving off
retail shelves. Thanks to the accelerated growth in the premium segment,
coupled with a strengthening of the high-value Super-premium ranges
(30,000 pieces bringing in Rs.9 crore in sales), the overall jeanswear
business also grew at a percentage point higher – 11.9 per cent to touch
Rs.1690 crore.

“This major upgradation of the super premium price range within a few years
is remarkable. In 2001, if a brand was launched at Rs.1100, it was seen as
'super premium' while the same price, the same product in 2005 would make
it barely to premium segment,” says Harminder Sahni, associate director,
KSA Technopak.

The IMAGES-KSA study estimates for the current fiscal indicate a further
acceleration in growth for jeanswear as a category, at about 12.5 per cent.
Once again, the fastest enlargement is expected to come from the Premium
segment, though growth will remain at 25 per cent. The Middle segment is
also estimated to maintain last fiscal’s growth – at 15 per cent, and fetch
about Rs.608 crore from eight million pieces. The Economy segment is also
showing constant growth – 10 per cent - with nearly 17 million pieces moving
off the retail shelves.

About 43 million pairs of jeans are estimated to be sold in the year 2005-06,
with menswear taking up the major chunk – 76 per cent, womenswear at
17 per cent and kidswear at seven per cent. By the end of the current fiscal,
the jeanswear market in India would record a valuation of Rs.1902 crore.

Besides womenswear, the prospects in denimwear branding in kids'

wardrobes look to be an opportunity to tap. For children, besides just
clothing, denim can be played with more extensively, in accessories and
functional products.

Agrees Riyaz Patca, director - sales & marketing, Ruff Kids. “Though denim
continues to be strong in jeans, its versatile applications in other sectors like
jackets, shirts, caps etc. have definitely played a great role in the demand.
The denim sales alone comprise 45 to 50 per cent of the total sales at Ruff
Kids,” he says.

However, there remains some ambiguity on how to deal with the somewhat
lukewarm attention to the 10-15 years age segment. This is a consumer set
that does not fit into most jeanswear brands' core target - 16-25 years - and
is also not quite prepared to be treated as 'kids'. For denim, there exists a
large base in this age group, which will willingly adopt structured
merchandise that connects with their distinct preferences.

CONSUMER SPEND ON JEANS IN INDIA - SEGMENTS & GROWTH

(Volume in million pairs and value in Rs. Crore)
 2003-2004 2004-2005

Price Price Average Volume Value Volume Value Growth

Positioning Range Price (mn. (Rs. (mn. (Rs.
Pcs.) Crore) Pcs.) Crore)

Super 2000+ 3000 0.01 3.0 0.02 4.5 50%

Premium

Premium 1000- 1500 1.00 150.0 1.2 180.0 20%

2000

Middle 500- 750 5.33 400.0 6.1 460.0 15%

1000

Economy 300-500 400 12.50 500.0 13.8 550.0 10%

Lower and <300 200 15.50 310.0 15.8 316.2 2%

Unorganised

Total 34.30 1363.0 36.9 1510.7 10.8%

2005-2006 2006-2007

Price Positioning Volume Value Growth Volume Value Growth

(mn. (Rs. (Rs.
Pcs.) Crore) (mn. Crore)
Pcs.)

Super Premium 0.03 9 100% 0.06 18 100%

Premium 1.50 225.0 25% 1.9 281 25%

Middle 7.05 529.0 15% 8.1 608 15%

Economy 15.13 605.0 10% 16.6 666 10%

Lower and 16.13 322.5 2% 16.4 329 2%

Unorganised
Total 39.8 1690.5 11.9% 43.1 1902 12.5%

OPPORTUNITIES DENIM

As the IMAGES-KSA Technopak India Jeanswear Research illustrates, the

arrival of premium price points in denim market is also driven by the fact that
the market was in a major slowdown in 2001-2002. Hence, the brands were
forced to offer more value-added products to make consumer look at denim
differently. The denim with embroidery and innovative washes, styling and
cuts was positioned more as a fashion apparel as compared to “workman’s
apparel”. This shift in positioning allowed denim to explore newer and higher
price points. And also opened doors for many international brands to try
higher price points by bringing in their more evolved merchandise. In
addition to this, the acceptance of denim wear as fashion apparel attracted
many Indian designers to add this to their offering. That of course, also
contributed additional merchandise to the premium and super premium
ranges.

The Economy and lower price bands seem to have been overlooked in the
jeanswear branding push. Not that things have always been that way.

Newport in the mid-nineties and now Ruf n Tuf (via the Arvind Brands and
Pantaloon Retail joint effort) are the few exceptions of having even tried to
reach out to this really big and untapped market opportunity. Ruf n Tuf today
is available with Big Bazaar.

While the denim brands for their survival have found some respite at the
premium end, the real pace where denim belongs is still untouched. The
rough estimates are that at a price point of Rs.300 for denim jeans, the
market could be as big as Rs.2000 crore i.e. greater in value than the total
market today.

The emergence of modern formats of retailing - be it large format

department stores or numerous malls allowing more exclusive brand stores
to open, has also helped the growth of the premium end, whose
merchandise requires a different level of ambience and service levels for
display, trial and purchase decision that was not possible until recently. With
exponential growth projected in retail sector, the scenario can only improve
further for premium end brands.

As endorses Hemang Savla, managing director, Rocky S Jeans, "Upscale

fashion needs a distinct retail identity, even if housed within a large
department store. Formats such as Buzz in Shoppers' Stop allow the
ambience that communicates the attributes of a pricier brand."

The markets trend clearly show that the denim may be going for another
downturn soon, but it seems that with all these new products and
innovations, premium brands may be able to sustain it much better as
compared to last time.

While talking about the premium end, we do not wish to forget about the real
big opportunity - Dr. C K Prahlad’s bottom of the pyramid (BOP)!

With a much more mature third part - logistics suppliers like Safexpress (who
charge for services provided and are not seeking margins over sales) and
fast evolving retail formats like Big Bazaar, many hurdles can be removed
and the huge potential for denim jeans can be unlocked.
According to the IMAGES-KSA Technopak Report all possible pieces are
either already in place or can easily be created to serve the “bottom of the
pyramid”. However, the missing part is an aggressive company to put all
these pieces together and convert this potential into real business.
DENIM DILEMMA: GO UP OR TOUCH BASE?

•The Jeanswear market in India is growing - at 12.5 per cent this fiscal, up
from 11.9 per cent in 2004-05.

• About 80 per cent of the jeanswear in India is branded.

• Over three quarters of the jeans sold in India are in menswear. About 17
per cent are sold to women, and seven per cent under kidswear.

• The primary core consumer group is the 16-25 age set, which buys denims
largely for emotional connectivity.

• The secondary target’s - 25 years and above - purchase decisions are also
influenced by emotional appeal, but largely by functional appeal of jeans.

• The 10-15 years set can be detached from the 'kidswear' fold, via specific
merchandise.

• At 25 per cent, the premium segment (Rs.1000-2000) is the fastest-

growing of all price bands in jeanswear.

• The Super-premium subset (Rs.2000 and above) is strengthening, with

increased brand presence, though currently dominated by non-Indian and
domestic ‘designerwear’ labels.

• With the above generating, and realising revenues from, the top-end of the
demand set, this segment shows promise for domestic brands to upgrade to
higher-value price brackets.

• The entry-level under-Rs.300 jeanswear segment is massive and largely

untapped. Estimated valuation is about Rs.2000 crore, greater than the total
jeanswear market size!

• Newport's success in furthering jeanswear penetration into the lower end of

the market in the nineties, is a lesson in mass branding. Today however, the
concept of an Indian mass-market jean remains largely, a pipe dream.

• Fashion denim, as a sub-category, shows great prospects, allowing

opportunities for super specialisation in jeanswear brands.
• Expanding the consumer base is required to enlarge the demand for
denim. Allen Solly’s Clean Jeans can be treated as a case in point, as a key
to generating additional demand via functionality.

• Brands like Levi’s, which touch the US mass market through the $10
‘Signature’ jeans, also do this through a well thought out retail address -
Wal-Mart. Thus, the right retail format is critical to achieve exclusivity or
mass volumes, whichever the case may be.

• The retail arrangement between Ruf n Tuf and Big Bazaar is an instance of
matching product appeal to the retail character.

• The American label “Seven for all Mankind” invests heavily in product over
promotion, and creates demand-pull through controlled supplies. As a
strategy, this works for ‘fashion’ brands in the nascent Super Premium
segment.

Imagesfashion.com
2. CASUAL JACKETS

The Images-KSA Research estimates the value of the casual jackets

segment at Rs.478crore, illustrating a share of 6% in the overall domestic
winterwear market. The segment registered a year-on-year growth of 12% in
2006.

Almost the entire segment (95%) falls in the readymade category. A minimal
number of casual jackets get tailored in this country. Of this, the branded
players account for Rs.91crore, or about 19% of consumption. Men buy
more casual jackets than women. Thus, this largest consumer base bought
casual jackets worth Rs.342crore in 2006. Women bought Rs.86crore worth
of casual jackets, followed by children with Rs.50crore.

Casual jackets & windcheaters are increasingly becoming a popular fashion

item. Exhibiting 20% growth in the branded segment, casual jackets is
amongst the fastest growing clothing categories in all domestic winterwear.

There is an increasing preference for jackets over sweaters by youth, since

they are easier to maintain, and reflect a certain ‘cool’ fashion attitude that
makes an emotional connection with the 16-25 years age group

There is also a preference for nylon jackets and windcheaters by two-

wheeler drivers as a protection against cold and dust. This provides a
tremendous opportunity for jackets’ manufacturers and marketers, as the
two-wheeler automobile sales boom.
THE T-SHIRTS MARKET

The ubiquitous t-shirt sports many a hue. From casual and active wear to
corporate-casual, it remains an all time favorite across wardrobes,
accounting for 2.79% of the total Indian apparel market. Valued at
approximately Rs.2,465 crore (both men and women), this market is on a
upward curve, driven by fast yet carefree, cool lifestyles. The t-shirt
market as such constitutes a minor percentage of the entire apparel
market, but facts and figures indicate a very positive growth potential in
this particular segment.

Men

The men’s apparel market in India, valued at Rs.36,558 crore for years
2006, has grown by 12.01% over the previous year in value terms,
though volumes have grown by 3.9%. Though t-shirts constitute merely
6.4% of the total men’s apparel market, there is a tendency among
consumers upgrading to premium brands and labels, thereby driving
volumes in this segment.

T-shirt is one category that has been steadily increasing its market share
over the years. Such is the popularity of this product category that we
find t-shirts being sold at price points unheard of in the past as a result of
fierce competition. There are several brands offering a tee at about
Rs.1300 or above.

And yet there is room for premium brands as value appreciation was
higher than 33% in super premium range, where volumes also increased
by 20% in 2006. In the premium range too, value appreciation remained
as high as 18% as against 10% increase in volumes.
 Premium range t-shirts are sold through MBOs as well as exclusive
outlets. There remains potential for brands in the mass segments, where
volumes and value growth appear to have dipped to a low of 3%.

Men's T-Shirts

2005 2006
Category Volume Value Average Volume Value Average
(units in (in Rs. MRP (units in (in Rs. MRP
‘000) Crore) (in Rs.) ‘000) Crore) (in Rs.)
Super 370 45 1190 444 58 1309
Premium
Premium 4790 395 820 5269 467 886
Middle 10650 510 480 11396 600 528
Economy 31010 680 220 31785 7358 231
Low 36280 305 80 37368 315 84
Total 83100 1935 86262 2175

Women

The Rs.28,375 crore womenswear apparel segment comprises 32.1%

share of Indian apparel market in value terms. In volume terms, the
market share of womenswear is 1% higher than that of menswear but in
value terms its share is 5% lower than that of menswear because
branded segment in womenswear was practically non-existent till a few
years back. Today it is the most attractive segment for investment.
During 2006, volumes grew by 5.5% while the value appreciation was
15%.

Currently, womenswear constitutes less than 30% of all branded apparel

sales, which is only 50% the size of the men’s branded market. More so,
within women’s ready-to-wear items, the share of branded clothing is just
22%. This growth is indicative of rapid changes in women’s purchase
behavior in recent times, especially among the young and working lot
who now increasingly prefer western formals as officewear and love to
 experiment with their dresses. Ethnicwear, though, still controls three-
fourth of women’s apparel market.

Within the womenswear apparel market, the t-shirts category accounts

for around 1% share and has been growing steadily both in terms of
volume and value. Overall value appreciation in this category was 14%
with volumes increasing 6%.

Women's T-Shirts

2005 2006
Category Volume Value Average Volume Value Average
(units in (in Rs. MRP (units in (in Rs. MRP
‘000) Crore) (in Rs.) ‘000) Crore) (in Rs.)
Super 80 5 730 91 7 788
Premium
Premium 700 35 510 784 43 546
Middle 1470 60 420 1617 72 445
Economy 4340 75 170 4687 84 180
Low 11020 80 70 11571 84 73
Total 17630 255 18750 290

WINTER SHIRTS/ TOPS

Touching Rs.590 crores in value terms, for branded manufacturers, this was
the fastest growing (22%) of all winter wear clothing categories in 2006. The
growth has resulted from more stylized merchandise from brands in the form
of topwear that is both fashionable and functional.
Winter topwear that carries more functional, sporty characteristics is
extremely popular with the youth.
SUMMARY

 Winterwear market in India has had an impressive growth of 10%.

Menswear account for more than 60% of this market. Menswear also
account for the maximum share in winter outerwear categories all of
which have been facing at high growth rates.

 Winter outerwear for men has huge potential especially in the

branded segment.

 Pullovers/ cardigans occupy the largest chunk of the market but has
the lowest growth rate in winterwear. However, in branded segment
this category is growing at an impressive rate of 15%.

 Casual jackets is the fastest growing category in winter outerwear

market. Men form the largest consumer base occupying almost
71.5% of total size.

 Casual jacket is an entirely readymade category, with only 19% of the

total being brand, a huge potential remains to be tapped.

 As per the article on outerwear trends in India, the demand for casual
jackets & sweatshirts has been readily growing replacing the
sweaters which has become a mere undershirt.

 Manufacturers foreseeing the huge demand for jackets have started

concentrating on the segment. They are developing jackets in variety
of styles & imported fabrics.

 Most of the leading menswear brands have & sportswear brands

have jackets & sweaters as a part of their offering.
 CONSUMER QUESTIONNAIRE ANALYSIS

CONSUMER PROFILE

Sample Size: 150

A conscious effort has been made to interview people in the age group of
25-30 years which is also the identified target group by the brand.

AGE

70 65
60
PERCENTAGE

50
40
30
17 18
20
10
0
<25 25-30 >30
AGE GROUP

In the survey held, the men is to women ratio is 60:40

GENDER

WOMEN
40%

MEN
60%

The analysis is done separately for men and women.

Therefore, the sample size for men is 90 and that for women is 60.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
MEN

BOUGHT APPAREL FROM HYPERMARKET:MEN

NO
28%

YES
72%

When asked, 72% of men said that they had purchased apparel from
hypermarket at one point or other.
An attempt has been made to understand why men have bought apparel
from the hypermarkets. The pie chart below shows the answers given by
men as reasons of purchase.
Quality as a reason for purchase was answered by 43% of the respondents,
and good deals by 31%. Both these top answered reasons are subject to
personal perceptions. Convenience and need for the product also are
important factors in influencing the purchase decision.

REASONS OF PURCHASE:MEN

NEED
10%

CONVENIENC
E
15% QUALITY
43%
GOOD DEALS
31%
When men were asked whether they would buy casual wear from the
apparel section in hypermarket, a major percentage of respondents were
unsure. Only 28 percent said that they would purchase casual wear from the
apparel section.

BUY CASUAL WEAR FROM HYPERMARKET IN

FUTURE: MEN

YES
28%
MAY BE
44%

NO
28%

The respondents who had never bought apparel from hypermarket and
respondents who said they do not look forward to buy casual wear from the
hypermarkets, were asked what can induce them to buy apparel from
hypermarkets.
A whopping 44 percent of the respondents said that availability of brands in
the hypermarkets would induce them to buy apparel from the hypermarkets.
 FACTORS THAT WOULD INDUCE TO BUY: MEN

GOOD
BARGAIN
BETTER 14%
DISPLAY AVAILABILITY
6% OF BRAND
44%

QUALITY
PRODUCT
36%

WOMEN

Female respondents were asked the same set of questions as men.

58% of the female respondents had purchased apparel from the
hypermarkets.

BOUGHT APPAREL FROM

HYPERMARKET:WOMEN

NO
42%

YES
58%

The reasons for purchase were identified as quality and good deals, again is
qualitative data that is perceived differently by different people.
 REASONS OF PURCHASE:WOMEN

NEED
10%

CONVENIENCE
17% QUALITY
43%

GOOD DEALS
29%

When women were asked whether they would buy casual wear from apparel
section of hypermarkets, only 34% said yes, and 43% were unsure of their
purchase decision.

BUY CASUAL WEAR FROM HYPERMARKET IN

FUTURE:WOMEN

MAY BE YES
43% 34%

NO
23%

Respondents who had not purchased apparel and do not intend to purchase
were asked what could make them buy from the apparel section.
Availability Of brands was answered by 46% of the female respondents.
PRICE POINTS

PRICE POINT FOR DENIM

300 - 500, 17%

500 - 800, 37%

>1100, 22%

800- 1100, 24%

37% of the respondents were ready to purchase jeans in price bracket of Rs.
500 – Rs. 800.
24% of the respondents said that they were ready to pay Rs. 800 – Rs. 1100
for a pair of denim.
Further 22% of the respondents were comfortable to purchase a pair of
denim in the price range of Rs. 1100 or more. Only 17% of the respondents
said that they prefer to buy jeans in the price bracket of Rs. 300 – Rs. 500.
No one opted for the price range of less than Rs. 300.

PRICE POINTS FOR NON DENIM

44%
45%
40%
35%
30% 25%
25%
% 17%
20%
14%
15%
10%
5%
0%
500 - 800 800- 1100 >1100 300 - 500
PRICES

44% respondents said that they prefer to purchase a pair of non-denim in

the price range of Rs.500 – Rs. 800, followed by 25% of respondents who
prefer to purchase it in the price range of Rs. 800-Rs. 1100. Only 14% of
respondents said that they preferred to purchase the non-denim bottoms in
the price range of Rs. 300 – Rs. 500.
 PRICE FOR T-SHIRTS

90%
77%
80%
70%
60%
50%
% 40%
30%
20% 15%
8%
10%
0%
200 - 400 100 - 200 >400
PRICES

77% of the respondents said that they prefer to purchase T-shirts within the
range Rs.200–Rs.400. 15% of the respondents preferred the price points of
Rs. 100 – Rs. 200.

PRICE POINT FOR SHIRTS

>600
19%

200 - 350
11%

350 - 600
70%

70% of the respondents preferred to purchase a shirt for Rs. 350 – Rs. 600.
Further, 19% said that they are comfortable to purchase a shirt for Rs. 600>

PRICE FOR JACKET

35%
35% 33%
30%
25%
20% 17%
%
15% 12%
10%
5% 3%
0%
1000 - 600 - 1000300 - 600 >1500 <300
1500
PRICE
35% of the respondents prefer to buy jacket in the price range of Rs. 600 –
Rs. 1000 and 33% for Rs. 1000 – Rs. 1500.

JEANS

MEN

FABRIC FOR JEANS

70
58
60 49
PERCENTAGE

50
40
30 24
20 18
20 9 8 7
10
0
DENIM-HEAVY DENIM-LIGHT CORDUROY LYCRA
FABRIC

MEN WOMEN

MEN: 58% of the male respondents said that they prefer to buy heavy
weight denim, followed by only 20% of the respondents who opted for light
weight denim.

WOMEN: 49% of the female respondents said that they preferred to buy
light weight denim followed by 24% who preferred to buy lycra denims.

MEN: Weighted average has been calculated to determine the rank for fits.
Regular and Bootcut are preferred fits by large number of respomdents,
followed by straight fit.
T-SHIRTS

FABRIC FOR T-SHIRTS

80 69
PERCENTAGE

57
60
40
23 19
20 9 11
2 6 4
0
0
COTTON COTTON POPLIN LYCRA POLYESTER
VISCOSE BASED
FABRIC

MEN WOMEN

Cotton is the preferred fabric for both men and women T-shirts. Knit T-shirts
are preferred according to the respondents interviewed.

MEN T-SHIRT SLEEVES

DOCTOR
SLEEVES
17%

HALF
SLEEVES
FULL 50%
SLEEVES
33%

Besides the half sleeves and full sleeves T-shirts, whose preference is also
a function of seasonality, Doctor sleeves are preferred by 17% of the
respondents.
 WOMEN T-SHIRT SLEEVES

SLEEVELESS
18%

HALF
FULL SLEEVES
SLEEVES 55%
27%

55% female respondents preferred half sleeves and 18% sleeveless. Full
Sleeves was preferred by 27% female respondents. As mentioned when
discussing sleeves for men T-shirts, the sleeve length is a function of
seasonality.

T-SHIRT DESIGN MEN

SOLID WITH
LOGO
22%
PRINT
45%
SOLID WITH
DETAILING
11%
STRIPE
22%

22% male respondents prefer solid tees with just a logo as compared to 11%
who prefer solid color tees with some detailing. Overall, 33% male
respondents preferred solid T-shirts, 45% preferred print and 22% stripes.
Print T-shirts include graphics, chest prints, message T-shirts, etc. under the
category.
SHIRTS

FABRIC FOR SHIRTS

100
79
PERCENTAGE

80 66
60
40
20 9 12 19
6 6 2 0 1
0
COTTON DENIM CORDUROY POLY POPLIN
COTTON
FABRIC

MEN WOMEN

Both male and female respondents prefer cotton for casual wear shirts.

DESIGN FOR SHIRTS

50 42 42
PERCENTAGE

40 33 33
30 22
20 17
11
10
0
0
SOLID CHECK STRIPE PRINT
FABRIC

MEN WOMEN

33% of the male respondents said that they prefer solid and stripe each as
against 42% of the female respondents who prefer solid and stripe casual
wear shirts.
JACKET

FABRIC FOR JACKET

50
PERCENTAGE
60
50 41
40 33 29
30 14
20 6 9 6 3 3
10 2 3
0
N

IN
Y

N
ER
M
RO
O

NE
X
NI

TH
TT

RE
DE

LI
U
CO

A
RD

LE
CO

FABRIC

MEN WOMEN

50% of the male and 41% of the female respondents prefer to purchase
denim jackets, followed by 33% male and 29% female who prefer cotton
jackets.

COLOR FOR MEN'S JACKET

indigo white black

8% 7% 21%
olive green
13%

grey
blue
8%
light blue 26%
17%

Black, blue, grey, olive green and white are the colors preferred by male
respondents.
Blue, black, pink, grey, and white are the colors preferred by female
respondents.

COLOR FOR WOMEN'S JACKET

indigo
dark blue blue
8%
11% 22%

white
6%
red black
4% 15%

grey pink
light blue
8% 11%
15%
FINDINGS OF THE CUSTOMER SURVEY

The following can be concluded for each category from the Analysis of
Customer’s Survey.

1. Consumer Behavior
a. 72% men had bought apparel from hypermarkets at some
point of time. The reason’s for their purchase were cited as
quality [43%], good deal [31%], convenience[15%] and
need[10%] for the product.
b. Among those who had purchased apparel, 44% were not sure
whether they would purchase casual wear from hypermarkets,
28% said that they would be purchasing and another 28%
refused to buy casual wear from hypermarkets.
c. Among those who haven’t purchased and who do not intend to
purchase apparel from hypermarket, 44% were of the view that
availability of a brand in a hypermarket could induce them to
purchase apparel from the hypermarket.
d. 58% female respondents said that they had purchased apparel
from hypermarket at some point or another. The reasons cited
for the purchase include quality [43%], good deal[29%],
convenience[17%] and need[10%].
e. Amongst those who had purchased apparel from the
hypermarket, 43% were not sure whether they’ll buy casual
wear from hypermarket or not, 34% said that they would buy
apparel from casual wear section in hypermarkets and 23%
said that they would not buy apparel from hypermarkets.
f. Among those who haven’t purchased and who do not intend to
purchase apparel from hypermarket, 46% were of the view that
availability of a brand in a hypermarket could induce them to
purchase apparel from the hypermarket.
 2. Preferred Price Points

S.No. Category Preferred Price Points [in Rs.]

1 Jeans 500-800[37%], 800-1100[24%]
2 Non denim casual 500-800[44%], 800-1100[25%]
Bottoms
3 T-shirts 200-400[77%], 100-200[15%]
4 Shirts 350-600[70%], >600[19%], 200-
300[11%]
5 Jacket 600-1000[35%], 1000-1500[33%]

3. Jeans

S.No Variable Men Women

.
i. Denim-Light, Lycra
Fabric Denim-Heavy
Denim
ii. Wash Basic Jeans[67%], Basic[58%]
iii. Embellishment No [94%] No [83%]
s Yes[6%]- Print [50%] Yes[17%]- Print [50%]
iv. Regular, Bootcut, Slim,
Fits Bootcut, Regular, Straight
Straight, Capri
v. Waist Height High Waist, Mid Waist Mid Waist, Low Waist
vi. Shades of Blue and
Color Shades of Blue and Black
Black

4. Non Denim Casual Bottoms

S.No Variable Men Women

 .
i. Fabric Cotton, Corduroy Cotton, Corduroy
ii. Light Blue and Basic
Basic colors:
colors:
Color Black, beige, blue, brown,
Black, brown, blue,
etc
grey, etc.

5. T-Shirts

S.No Variable Men Women

.
i. Fabric Cotton [69%] Cotton[57%]
ii. Half Sleeve[50%], Full Half Sleeve[55%],
Sleeves Sleeve[33%], Doctor Sleeveless[18%], Full
Sleeves[17%] Sleeves[27%]
iii. Round without
Neck Style Round without Collar[47%]
Collar[51%]
iv. Design Print[45%], Solid[33%] Print[42%], Stripe [33%]
v. White, Black, Green,
Black, White, Pink, Blue
Color Red, Light Pink and
and Bright colors
other pastel colors.

6. Shirts

S.No Variable Men Women

.
 i. Fabric Cotton [79%] Cotton [66%]
ii. Full Sleeves[8%], Three
Half Sleeve[56%], Full
Sleeves Quarter[50%], Half
Sleeve[44%]
Sleeves[42%]
iii. Don’t Know [50%],
Don’t Know [46%],
Fit Regular[25%],
Regular[27%], Slim[27%]
Slim[25%]
iv. Collar Soft[100%] Soft[100%]
v. Design Solid[33%], Stripe[33%] Solid[42%], Stripe[42%]
vi. White, Baby Pink,
White, Light Blue, Black,
Color Yellow, Light Blue,
Light Pink, and Green
Black and Olive Green

7. Jacket

S.No Variable Men Women

.
i. Denim[41%],
Fabric Denim[50%], Cotton[33%]
cotton[29%], rexin[14%]
ii. Sleeves Full Sleeves [89%] Full Sleeves [92%]
iii. Fleece Without fleece [90%] Without fleece[95%]
iv. Black, Blue, Grey, Olive Blue, Black, Pink, Grey,
Color
Green and White and White

CONCLUSION

Indian fashion has been attracting international attention for some time. The
event is an attempt at giving the still nascent Indian fashion design industry a
serious corporate structure and to attract both local and international buyers
of Indian designer wear. Leading designers include Rohit Bal, Raghavendra
Rathore, Tarun Tahiliani, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Ritu Kumar in an event that
attracts more than 15,000 visitors.

The Indian fashion industry is making global inroads. But observers wonder
how international attention will translate into business. The Indian clothing
industry is estimated to be worth $12bn - half of it exports. But the fashion
design industry is still nascent and is estimated to be worth around $50m.

But industry opinion is still divided over the importance of India Fashion
Week. Since it started, there has always been a tussle between the event
being hosted between Delhi and Bombay, with both cities having strong
designer representation. But the fact remains that the Indian fashion scene
still needs to mature and says most fashion events are "still a social circus
attracting a lot of media hype". In cases of LIFW unlike international fashion
events, the front rows are usually reserved for socialites and Bollywood
celebrities. It will be a while before India Fashion Week gets serious
coverage instead of the current glamour-struck coverage seen in most
media. However, some designers have started attracting corporate attention
in a bid to tap into the huge domestic market. Indian designers should first
establish themselves domestically before they can make any serious
international impact.

CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR

1. In a hypermarket format, no known apparel brand is present.

2. The common reasons for purchase of apparel in a hypermarket were
cited as good quality, good bargains, convenience of shopping at one
destination and need for the product.
3. Availability of brand could entice people to buy apparel from
Hypermarkets. With the growing market for hypermarkets, there is a
huge potential for a brand to grow.
4. The apparel brand in a hypermarket should have proper tags.
DENIM JEANS

5. The preferred price points by customers do buy a single pair of denim

is Rs.500-800[37%], Rs.800-1100[24%].
6. Heavy weight denim is preferred by men whereas women prefer light
weight denim and lycra denim.
7. Basic pair of jeans is preferred by both men and women. Any wash
has significantly lower contribution.
8. Embellished jeans are a slow moving category.
9. Boot-cut, regular and straight fit are fast selling for men whereas
straight, regular, boot-cut, slim and Capri are fast selling fits for
women.
10. Men prefer jeans with mid waist and high waist whereas women
prefer jeans with mid waist and low waist.
11. Shades of blue and black are preferred by all the respondents.

NON DENIM CASUAL BOTTOM WEAR

12. The preferred price points by customers do buy a single pair of non-
denim is Rs. 500-800[44%] and Rs. 800-1100[25%]
13. Cotton and corduroy are preferred fabrics for non-denim bottom wear
by both men and women.
14. Basic colors, like brown, black, beige, olive green, etc. sell fast for
both men and women. Light Blue and light pink are also preferred by
women.

T-SHIRTS

15. The preferred price points by customers do buy a single piece of T-

shirt is Rs. 200-400[77%] and Rs.100-200[15%]
16. Cotton is the preferred fabric by both men and women.
 17. Length of sleeves is a function of seasonality. However, besides half-
sleeves and full sleeves T-shirts, Doctor Sleeves has gained
popularity amongst men and sleeveless T-shirts among women
respectively.
18. Round neck without collar is the most preferred and fast selling neck
style by both men and women. Any other neck design that was
recorded during the study has a significantly lesser share.
19. Print and solid are the preferred designs by men whereas print and
stripe are preferred by women.
20. Besides, black, white, pink and blue, which are preferred by both men
and women; men prefer bright shades and women choices are bent
towards pastel shades.

SHIRTS

21. The preferred price points by customers do buy a single piece of

Shirt is Rs. 350-600[70%], Rs. >600[19%], and Rs. 200-300[11%]
22. Cotton and cotton mix shirts are the most popular shirts’ fabric for
both men and women.
23. Sleeve length is a function of seasonality. However, three quarter
sleeve length is popular among the men.
24. Fit and hem style were found to be variables not affecting the
consumer purchase decision.
25. A soft straight collar is preferred by both men and women.
26. White, light blue, black, light pink and green are the colors men prefer
for casual shirts.
27. White, Baby Pink, Yellow, Light Blue, Black and Olive Green are the
preferred colors by women for casual wear shirts.

JACKET
28. The preferred price points by customers do buy a single piece of
jacket is Rs. 600-1000[35%] and Rs. 1000-1500[33%].
29. Denim cotton and corduroy are the preferred fabric for jackets by
men.
30. Denim, cotton and rexin are the preferred fabric for jackets by women.
31. Full Sleeves are preferred by both men and women for jackets.
32. Jackets without fleece are preferred by both men and women.
33. Black, blue, light blue, grey, olive green and white are the colors
preferred by men for jackets.
34. Blue, light blue, black, pink, grey and white are the colors preferred by
women for jackets.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Retailing Management by Levy & Weitz, P – 334, Year -2005, Tata
Mcgraw Hills
2. Marketing Research by H.W.Boyd
3. Marketing Research by Kress
4. Fabric Knowledge by Pizutto
5. India supply chain council [organized retailing]
6. An Insight into the Growth of New Retail Formats in India by
P.K.Sinha, S.K.Kar, Indian Institute of Management, Ahemdabad
7. Images Retail
8. Emerging Market Priorities for Global Retailers: The 2006 Global
Retail Development Index
9. consumer markets in India – kpmg
10. Morgan Stanley, “India and China, New Tigers of Asia, Part-II” [June
2006]
11. retailing news spring 2006
12. www.rvgonline.com
13. Indian retail on fast track - kpmg
14. www.hindubusinessonline.com
15. www.levisisgnature.com
16. www.globalgiants.com
17. www.indianretail.com
18. MarketResearch.com
19. Rediffnews
20. Fibre2fashion

APPENDIX

CONSUMER QUESTIONNAIRE
Dear Sir/ Ma’am,

As a part of an academic project we are doing a study on the casual wear

market and are therefore meeting people to understand their requirements of
product. The insight provided by you would help us understand the market
beyond the scope of any theoretical read. We request you to spare some
time to talk to us. We assure you that the information provided by you would
be kept strictly confidential. Please tick the answers wherever applicable and
mention further details where required.

1. Have you bought apparel from hypermarket?

(i) □Yes (ii) □No

2. If yes, then what induced or generally induces your purchase of

apparel from hypermarket?
_______________________________________________________
_
_______________________________________________________
_____________

3. Do you look forward to buy casual wear from apparel section in

hypermarket?
(i) □Yes (ii) □No
(iii) □May Be

4. If in Ques. no 1 and 3, answer was no, then what do you expect from
the apparel section of the hypermarkets that would induce you to buy
apparel from there?
_______________________________________________________
 _______________________________________________________
_________________________

5. For the following categories, please tick whichever price point you
prefer to pay to purchase a single unit of the category.

a. Jeans: i). <Rs 300 ii). Rs. 300 – Rs. 500

iii). Rs. 500-Rs.800 iv). Rs.800 – Rs. 1100
v). >1100

b. Casual Bottoms: i). <300 ii). Rs. 300 – Rs. 500

iii). Rs. 500 – Rs. 800 iv). Rs.800 – Rs. 1100
v). > Rs 1100

c. T-shirt: i). <100 ii). Rs. 100 – Rs. 200

iii). Rs. 200 – Rs. 400 iv). > Rs.400

d. Shirt: i). <Rs 200 ii). Rs. 200 – 350

iii). Rs. 350 – Rs. 600 iv). >Rs. 600

e. Jacket: i). <Rs. 300 ii). Rs. 300 – Rs. 600

iii). Rs. 600 – Rs. 1000 iv). Rs1000 – Rs1500
v). >Rs. 1500

6. What is fabric that you prefer the most for each of the following
categories?
f. Jeans: (i). Denim-Heavy
(ii). Denim-Light
 (iii) Denim-Lycra
(iii) Corduroy
(iv) Any Other: Please
Specify_______________________________________
g. Casual Bottoms excluding jeans:
(i). Corduroy (ii) Cotton
(iii) Garbadine (iv) Linen
(v) Any Other: Please Specify

h. T-shirts:
(i) Cotton (ii) Cotton Viscose
(iii) Poplin (iv) Polyester
(v) Acrylic (vi) Lycra Based
(vii) Any Other: Please
Specify__________________________________________

i. Shirts
(i) Cotton (ii) Denim
(iii) Corduroy (iv) Poly Cotton
(v) Poplin (vi) Any Other: Please
Specify________________

j. Jackets
(i) Cotton[Knit] (ii) Denim
(iii) Corduroy (iv) Leather
(v) ) Any Other: Please
Specify________________________________________

7. I would first like to discuss Bottom wear, i.e. denims and non denims
like capris, cargos, etc. - what are the different kinds of finishes
(washes, embellishments, etc.) that you prefer to buy or buy?
 a). In denims, what kind of washes/finishes that you prefer to buy?

S.No. Description Men Women

(i) Basic Jeans
Basic Jeans
with a
(ii) different style
of thread
work
Faded Jeans:
Please
(iii)
describe the
faded jeans.
Any Other:
(iv) Please
Specify.

b). Do you prefer any kind of embellishments [in the kind of prints,
embroidery, sequence work, crystals, lace, etc] on your pair of jeans
(i) □Yes (ii) □No

If yes, then what type of embellishments are preferred by the customer?

__________________________________________________________
_________

c). What are the colors that you prefer to buy for your pair of Denim
Jeans?
Color 1_______________________________________
Color 2_______________________________________
Color 3_______________________________________
 Color 4_______________________________________
Color 5_______________________________________

d). What are colors that you prefer for Non Denim casual Bottoms?
Color 1_______________________________________
Color 2_______________________________________
Color 3_______________________________________
Color 4_______________________________________
Color 5_______________________________________

8. I have a list of fits here for bottom wear. If you could please rank the
most preferred fits [1 being the most preferred, 2 following 1 is the
most preferred and so on]

Fits Rank
Straight fit
Boot-cut
Bell bottoms/ Flares
Slim fit/ skinny jeans
Regular/ Comfort fit
Capri
Any other
(PS____________________)

9. Could you please rank the top three waist height for denims that are
preferred by you? [1 being the most important, followed by 2 and then
by 3].

Waist height Rank [1 to 3]

High waist/ hipsters
Mid waist
Low waist
Extremely low waist
 10. Let us now talk about T- Shirts

a. Could you please specify the length of sleeves preferred by you?

(i) □Half Sleeves (ii) □Full Sleeves
(iii) □Sleeveless (iv) □Any Other: Please
Specify._________________

b. Could you please specify the designs on T-shirts that you prefer and
usually buy?
(i) □Solid, with just a brand logo and in different colors
(ii) □Solid, with little bit of detailing
(iii) □Stripe
(iv) □Print [Specify
type]___________________________________________
(v) □Any Other: Please
Specify._____________________________________

c. Could you please tick the collar styles that you prefer to buy your T-
shirts with?
(i) □Polo (ii) □Round/V neck without collar
(iii) □Round/V neck with collar (iv) □Any Other: Please
Specify_____________

d. Could you please specify the preferred hem [the bottom of your T-
shirt] details?
(i) □ Never noticed (ii) □ Straight
(iii) □ Diagonal (iv) □ U/Round
(v) □Any Other: Please Specify.______________________

e. Could you please name the colors that you prefer the most to buy
your T-shirts in?
 Color 1:__________________
Color 2:__________________
Color 3:__________________
Color 4:__________________
Color 5:__________________

11. Now let us discuss a few details about Casual Shirts.

a) Could you please specify the length of sleeves that you prefer for your
Casual Shirt?
(i) □Half Sleeves (ii) □Full Sleeves
(iii) □Three quarter (iv) □Any Other: Please
Specify.______________

b) Could you please specify the designs that you prefer for your Casual
Shirt?
(i) □Solid (ii) □Stripe
(iii) □Check (iv) □Print [Specify type]_____________
(v) □ Any Other: Please
Specify._________________________________

c) Could you please specify the collar style that you prefer for your
Casual Shirt?
(i) □Soft Collar (ii) □Stiff Collar
(iii) □Any Other: Please
Specify._________________________________

d) Could you please specify the preferred hem [the bottom of your Shirt]
details?
(i) □Never noticed (ii) □Straight
 (iii) □U/Round (iv) □Any Other: Please
Specify.____________

e) Could you please specify the fit that you prefer to buy for your Casual
Shirts?
(i) □ Regular (ii) □Slim
(iii) □Don’t Know (iv) □ Any Other: Please
Specify______________________

f) Could you please name the colors that you prefer the most to buy
your Shirts in?
Color 1:
____________________________________________________
Color 2:
____________________________________________________
Color 3:
____________________________________________________
Color 4:
____________________________________________________
Color 5:
____________________________________________________

7. Could you please answer the next questions keeping in mind your
preferences for jackets?

a. Could you please specify the length of sleeves preferred by you for
jackets?
(i) □Half Sleeves (ii) □Full Sleeves

b. Do you prefer your jacket to be with or without fleece?

(i) □With Fleece (ii) □Without fleece
 c. What colors do you prefer for your jackets?
Color 1_____________________________
Color 2_____________________________
Color 3_____________________________

8. PERSONAL INFORMATION – Please fill in your details. This would

help us understand the answers better:
a) Age:__________________________________________
b) Gender [Male/Female]:___________________________

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND COOPERATION.

SUGGESTIONS

In present scenario, fashion industry is earning a huge amount of recognition

and profit. It is an creative field where designers give shape to their
imaginations.

Some of the suggestions made are as follows:

1. It is suggested that the range for every category of brands be divided
in two segments on the basis of price and product details.

On the basis of product details:

It is suggested that the range be divided into three parts, namely

a. Basic
b. Fashion-Basic
c. Fashion

The maximum merchandise is available in Fashion-Basic and the

major chunk of sales also comes from the same.

The merchandise under “Basic” is very simple in terms of design. The

purpose of this range is to offer a product at low prices to compete
with other regional brands and private labels by having a presence in
the price range. This part of range basically serves to provide a
lucrative starting price point to attract the consumer.

Under “Fashion” the quantity of merchandise is less and it is

fashionable. It can also be called as Fashion Forward. This bracket
ends where brands operating through other channels start their
product offers. Keeping the offerings in this segment, though major
sales come from Fashion-Basic ensures that the aspiration value of
the brand is built and consumers who had always wanted to wear a
brand can wear fashion from the brand has the brand taking care of
their needs too. It is intended to provide them a good bargain. And the
segment takes care of the customers who are ready to spend in this
price bracket.
 The Fashion-Basic category has fast moving merchandise which is
simple, smart and trendy. The product is good and should be priced in
a manner that consumers find the offer lucrative which results in high
sales with less efforts.

On the basis of price:

It is suggested that the price brackets of the entire range be

developed keeping it in sync with the product offerings too. So
similarly, it can be grouped under three heads, following the format for
product offerings too.

a. Low: This has Basic products as its offerings. The price is the
starting base in the range. It includes promotional price too.
This is just to attract the consumers by having a low starting
price for brands in sync with the competitors.

b. Mid: This is the bracket where Fashion-Basic products should

be priced. This bracket should be developed keeping in mind
the high/fast selling price points. Hence, it is expected that the
major chunk of sales would come from this bracket.

c. High: This is where Fashion merchandise comes in. It fulfills

the needs or wants of a small target group only, and serves as
aspirational for the consumers shopping from the brackets
discussed above.

2. Moreover the company should maintain a strong supply chain and

logistics system to ensure the smooth flow of merchandise to all the stores
for high sales.

Submitted By
Mridul Shukla
M.B.A.-4th semester.
0816470027
P.S.I.T.