Ethnic fusion is the new in-thing
Ethnic fusion is the new in-thing
Suditi Industries Ltd, a listed textile industry that forayed into retail sector in the year 2010 with a casual wear brand - Riot, is primed to tap the women’s ethnic wear segment with its brand Indianink.  Projected as a brand that bridges the gap between western wear and Indian traditional wear, Indianink will be launched in mid of third quarter of the year. In a candid conversation with Retailer Media, Ajay Nihalani, CEO at Indianink shared insights about the brand, including brand’s presence, operational strategies and nature of outlets.  
 
What made Suditi venture into ethnic retail? 
The women ethnic segment is large and huge opportunity has been observed in this space. Market experts say this highly unorganised category with limited players provides ease for entrance, attracting women customers who are the most promising target audience. This led Suditi to venture into the women ethnic-fusion retail. 
 
What potential do you see in this segment?
This cluttered segment is perceived to be highly progressive. Unlike in the past, when ethnic wear was restricted to be an apparel of choice specifically to occasions, it has now changed over the years, into a fashion essential from a young girl to the elite socialite women. 
Though the casual apparel market is growing rapidly, traditional ethnic-wear continues to hold strong ground especially during festivals and other occasions. Moreover, women ethnic-fusion wear is grabbing many retailers' attention as women prefer to wear these traditional wear to work, thus increasing the demand in the market.
However, the entry of big labels and brands infused a new phase into women ethnic-wear and we see a lot of progression happening in this segment. It will not be mind-boggling to say that ethnic-wear along with fusion line is the new in-thing in the fashion space.
 
What would be the USP of brand and how will you strategise pricing?
Indianink is everything that an Indian woman craves for. The brand depicts traditional apparels with creative spirit and unique sense of contemporary fashion combined with functionality. The brand is for the new age woman who takes on the world with her confidence and style, yet is rooted to her home,culture and traditions. The collection is predominantly very ethnic-fusion and delves deep into our rich heritage of hues, textures and prints. 
We are keeping our prices very competitive. To cater to every target audience, we offer an array of ranges with varying price points that one can pick up from. Our range of mix matches starts from Rs 499 to Rs 1,899 and the salwar-kameez sets range from Rs 2,699 to Rs 3,999.
 
What are the target cities for retail store of Indianink and what will be the mode of operation?
To begin with, we are targeting cities like Mumbai, Lucknow, Bareily, Meerut, Delhi, Aligarh, Jaipur, Gurgaon, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Angul, Bhuvneshwar, Cuttack, and eventually spread across pan-India. 
Our presence will be seen at COCO (Company Owned Company Operated) EBOs, franchised EBOs, and MBOs. We have also closed on for space at large format stores. A rigorous distribution will be seen for Indianink in the rest of the country. 
 
What is you take on ethnic wear online? Is an online store of Indianink in pipeline?
There is a remarkable opportunity in women ethnic-fusion wear category. There was a time when shoppers would touch, feel and try on the garment; however, now due to busy work-life, shopping has become just a click away. 
Technology allows one to zoom-in the garment, share details on the product, design, artwork, quality, fabric and even its background story that allows one to get in-depth information of the product they like. This proves that there is a wide scope for online business and eCommerce is definitely in pipeline for Indianink.
 
What are the changing trends in this segment in terms of consumer behaviour, payment modes and demand?
An interesting trend emerging in the fashion landscape is that of ethnic-fusion wear. Women are no longer saddled up to the idea of classifying ethnic-wear and western-wear. Mix-n-match of apparel is in vogue and every woman tries to experiment a lot more than just following usual fashion norms. Women want style that can be clubbed with leggings or denims and can be worn for an occasion or at work place. 
Women mainly prefer shopping for cards either debit or credit, women of today is extremely capable and knows what she wants; she sees, likes and makes a purchase instantly with cards. 
 
What were the challenges you faced while planning the launch of Indianink and how did you address them?
With the changing and challenging phase of Real Estate, the foremost hitch we faced was in finding a space for the brand. The market is extremely cluttered and getting the apt space for launch was a dilemma. Currently, we have already identified numerous cities in India where we would want to be present, and we aim to get that task accomplished soon. 
Another challenge is the swift changing demands, hence, we need to be updated with what women want as well as go parallel with changing trends. And penetrating through the mindset of women is a mammoth challenge we need to face. 
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