Fabric for the elite
Fabric for the elite

Linen, as a fabric, has not been very popular in India. The Aditya Birla Group, however, with its Linen Club stores, redefined the concept, making linen not only acceptable to consumers in India, but also acquiring the right manpower for stitching the fabric into smart fit suits, shirts and trousers. Abhey Nair, Sr Vice President, Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd, tells us how Linen Club promotes linen as the perfect fabric for Indian conditions, and how the company trains tailors for that perfect fit.

Aadeetya Sriram (AS): You have told us about the process where you are engaging with the training of tailors yourself. Please explain how this arrangement works.

Abhey Nair (AN): We are hiring amateur tailors who have a knack for hand-skills required in the tailoring business. We recruit them at our Madura Garment factory and provide them with the opportunity to work with our brand, as after participating in this workshop, they are in a position to carry forward the education imparted to them. Nowadays, people feel the scope for opening up fashion institutes is greater than considering tailoring schools. The government should understand that the growth at grassroots level will only be possible if tailoring, as an art, is respected and given its due recognition. Even today, good tailors are in demand, which clearly implies that if a person maintains continuity, then he will definitely grow.

AS: What, according to you, are the reasons that linen has never got the recognition that the fabric attains in the international markets? Is the trend changing in the country?

AN: Linen, as a fabric, has never been accepted in India; the earlier era was focused on polyester cotton and others. Now, over the last decade, linen has started getting the recognition resulting in demand for the products in the country, which primarily has been due to effect of liberalisation. Also, the fact that people have started moving across the globe and the exposure hence attained has enabled them to understand the dynamics of linen in general.

AS: How is Linen perceived globally? Is the fabric conducive for tropical Indian weather?

AN: Linen is perfect for Indian conditions. The nature of the fabric is such that one can acclimatise to the varying climatic nature across the country from cold in winters to hot and humid in summers. Linens are not closely woven. Generally in Europe, people opt for heavy woolens during peak cold conditions.

AS: Where have you mainly positioned your 58 stores across the country? What are your plans for the near future?

AN: Linen Club, as a brand, functions primarily in the southern region, mainly because of the rental factor, which enables us to open large format stores at an affordable investment. On the other hand, if you look at Delhi and Mumbai, the rentals are so steep that one has to consider twice before opening a store. This is the reason why we have only four stores in Delhi. Our new store in Gurgaon will give us the opportunity to reach out to the affluent mass of the city, which, according to our research, is promising. We are planning to open close to 200 stores in Ambala, Chandigarh and other Tier II cities in the next 3-4 years. We are also available through 3,000 MBOs across the country.

AS: What is your marketing strategy and how much do you invest into it?

AN: Our marketing strategy revolves around our brand image, ie, Rohit Bal, who has been representing the brand for over 10 years now. We invest close to 3 per cent of our total turnover into marketing and from this year onwards, we have plans to foray into the TVC medium, which will increase the investment put into marketing.

AS: Who is your targeted customer and what are the price points that you offer?

AN: Linen Club’s targeted segment is the A+ and A++ classes. We focus on the business class because the products available with us are of niche quality. However, we cater to the B and B+ segments as well, with our fabric range that starts from Rs 400 per stitch, going as high as Rs 3,000.

AS: What is the format of your stores and what are the services that you provide?

AN: The format of our store is one-stop shop for all the customer’s needs pertaining to linen fabrics. A customer can choose the fabric from our wide range, get it tailored from our in-store team and even get his order delivered to his doorstep upon special request.

 

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