Handsome Bucks, Beautiful Looks
In a cosy state of affordable luxury, how India’s independent fashion labels are sprouting
“Honey, would you like to wear ‘Meet me in the basement’ for today’s party?”
Don’t scratch your head understanding; what did I just read? Runaway Bicycle, a contemporary Indian fashion label, names their women’s clothing with separate names, and a slip green linen dress with pleat back and inseam pockets turn into ‘Meet me in the basement’. Among others, Empty room, Forget heels, Da Da Da Da and The mill girl are a few names of some beautiful dresses from Runaway’s inventory (1).
So what? It’s their way to individualise each product and treat it in a way like it’s one of a kind. Any brand can do that if they wish too, so where is the story?
The story has already been peddling its way from the past few years, but it has been lurking in the shadows of hyper niche audience only. Relying thoroughly on ‘word of mouth’ with negligible advertising spend, these contemporary Indian fashion labels are settling comfortably under the noses of global luxury giants like LV, Gucci and more.
Though there is no direct competition and some fashionistas might say that these home-grown labels are not even in the race, but none can deny that these independent labels have definitely spread their wings to cover enemy territories and serve global audience their unique style and thick expertise from the business.
Significant time has already been taken to mushroom their way in the state of affordable luxury and quaintly the time garnered was an unknowing necessity. These home-grown premium labels have caught the invisible shift of consumer preference in lifestyle fashion and showed a silver lining in the rut of standard prints. An apparent gap unidentified by the luxury labels is being complacently full-filled by brands like Nikobar, Nappa Dori, Jodi, Cord and more.
Start of the start
One’s eye may have caught the haste of global luxury brands such as Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, and Kate Spade when they started setting up shops in Indian metro cities, providing discerning consumers with the affordable luxury styles. This awakening of the Fashion and accessories brands from around the world was a sure sign of identifying the spending power of the aspirational Indian consumer.
India’s retail industry is booming, growing at a rate of 40% every year, according to a recent report by market research firm Euromonitor International. And while affordable luxury constitutes a tiny part of India’s huge luxury goods market, industry experts say its growth is outpacing the rest of the fashion sector (2).
This is where the home-grown Indian labels have carved a niche for themselves with their East-meets-West sensibility, sustainability quotient, differentiated pricing and exclusive minimalist designs. With Indian materials and craftsmanship, these independent labels are giving fashion-forward shoppers a chance to buy local, selling well-crafted attires and accessories at a price that is affordable in various means to many.
“A dress is more than a piece of cloth, from stating your fashion to subtly injecting confidence, it serves various purposes. Whereas the involvement is high, the holistic approach towards the purchase is a delight in itself, if done right”, said Avani Muley, a fashion consultant. Plus, “When I am looking for a dress in the market, and I have little more to spend for a good product, why wouldn’t I go for an ethically sourced, lovingly crafted, quirky-rich box dress for little more than a Vero-Moda price tag, minus the snaking billing queue”.
Brands like Cord, Nappadori, Good Earth, Nikobar and No Nasties serves this purpose beautifully. That’s how unknowingly, they have stratified lifestyle goods’ purchase in the nicest way — Serving the ‘Indian Modern’ the way they want and the way they deserve.
In a macroscopic view, it all began less than a decade ago when the Internet paved the way for e-commerce and global became ‘Glo-cal’. A term coined for modern lifestyle as nothing is far from arm’s length, so ‘Glo-cal’.
A collective fashion conscience could state that a void has been filled. A lot many wanted to experiment with style and fabric but were only limited to a select few Indian brands like Hidesign, Da Milano and Franco Leone. The up-notched premium offerings from celebrity designers like Tarun Tahilani, Anita Dongre (Global Desi & AND), Rohit Bal and Gaurav Gupta did offer solace but dwindled between reach and exclusivity.
“There’s a new pared-back, a palate-cleansing aesthetic that has steadily emerged, almost as a reaction against the embellished, colour-soaked mainstay of Indian fashion,” said Aishwarya Subramanyam, editor of ELLE magazine (3). True to its core, the statement outlays the problem and answers it as well. Design innovation was missing, and brands like Jodi, Bhaane, Sole sisters have wittily caught the cues.
Hence, the paradigm coitus of reasoning and conscience has given birth to these fantastic brands. Which are not just style statements or a comfortable bodily accessory; instead, they serve to make your soul glow with pride and positivity.
The brand story
Runaway Bicycle, a lifestyle design studio from Mumbai, began its journey in 2013, with zero experience in fashion and lifestyle, but with a passion for making art for everyday life. By following sustainable practices to make clothes and home furnishing products, Runaway works with weavers to make their own handlooms from scratch in addition to using organic cotton and natural dyes (1).
The story is somewhat similar for Delhi originated Nicobar (a subsidiary of The Good Earth), launched by Simran Lal and Raul Rai in 2016, Nicobar is positioned as a travel and leisure brand for the ‘on-the-go Indian with particularly minimal sensibilities’. The clothes are understated, with a mostly monochrome colour palette, save for a few splashes of colour. This home-grown brand creates elegant but straightforward clothing that is more likely to compliment your existing wardrobe with lots of layering options and stand-alone dresses or separates (4).
Following the same elegant & modern minimalistic philosophies, Bodice prides itself on creating crisply detailed sleek clothing. Founded by Ruchika Sachdeva in 2011 in New Delhi, Bodice uses only local Indian textiles, work with Indian artisans, and are committed to maintaining a responsible and sustainable production process, providing an incredibly Indian approach to fashion.
Another brand which has made ripples in the frozen Sari market is Anavila. Giving the quintessential sari a minimalist makeover, Anavila proves that traditional Indian clothing is easy-to-wear. Characterised by pure, durable linen, a free-flowing pallu, and a feminine silhouette, Anavila sarees champion functionality while exuding sensuality (4).
And the story continues for the accessories as well, Cord, a Delhi-based leather goods brand, pairs vintage styles with contemporary shapes to give customers exclusive options without leaving humongous carbon footprint behind.
Matter of experience
“Good experience is imperative in sales, nothing beats it, and nothing will,” said Gouri Khandelwal, Area sales manager of a luxury watch brand. “In my opinion, online shopping is a sad way to buy any lifestyle product; you are essentially missing the richness of touch, comfort and feel of the product, which is going to be your companion for next few years.”
So when La mills, a concept store for lifestyle luxury, was launched in Colaba a decade ago, it was a relatively new concept in India merely seen as a copy of concept stores in abroad. But as the consumer has shifted from product to purchase experience, the same concept store has garnered steep growth both in size and in sales.
Whereas, the home-grown labels have picked this cue from the beginning itself. Nicobar and Nappa Dori serves a fantastic amalgamation of a cafe and offers fashion boutique trendy magazines to peruse, and even photo-booths to play around with — Nico Caara and Cafe Dori respectively. (No wonder, in the age of the Internet, Nicobar’s 70% revenue is derived from their stores.)
And that’s not it! In a booming internet business, just sending the product in a cardboard box is nothing sort of an insult. So in this innovation shy industry, independent labels have come up with a few fabulous ideas.
Preeti Verma’s postscript-like message, imprinted on the tag of every one of her fashion label Runaway Bicycle’s floaty, sorbet products, echoes the sort of sweet and sassy exchange that forms the heart of female friendships: “N’aww! Really? It’s not too tight?”.
Well crafted newsletters of Nicobar exhorts subscribers for cuddles that evoke endless winter-sun-soaked chai sessions. It’s all you can do to not daintily sigh at your inbox.
The personal, one-on-one connection remains the cornerstone of the independent fashion label, however. Preeti Verma makes it a point to respond to all customer emails within the same day, and Jodi’s parcels arrive in custom-print wrapping paper, “like presents,” often along with personal notes from its founders (3).
It’s wide evident that a large part of these labels’ appeal is how nimbly they contextualise their customers’ lives. A good mix of social media, small operations, and intimate retail formats let them do this. What’s more interesting is that they are mostly run by digitally and culturally adroit millennials, who understand that multicultural & transnational world.
Spoilt with choices
There are two types of consumers in this market. The first type is the brand-conscious consumers who seek status symbol from their clothing and accessories. They can buy from fashion houses in Europe and the US. The usage of the products is infrequent and expenditure varies between Rs.15,000 to multi lacs.
The second type is the value-conscious category who prefers branded goods. Usage is more for informal settings. This consumer segment wants to know the origins of their fabric and indulges in information related to attire deeply. The average ticket size is around Rs.5k — Rs.30k.
Functionality varies with application, and the same goes for desires and needs. Below is the simple articulation of both.
The Maslows’ Hierarchy drawn parallel to luxury brands shows the sheer relation of luxury and need. Aspirations push consumers upwards, and if time stretches while stepping up, a gap is created. Identifying this gap and nailing it in the centre is what Indian contemporaries are doing well.
Moreover,
The road from high-end luxury to affordable luxury consists of numerous brands, but as modern men and women gain sensibility for their wardrobe, the consumer shift becomes lucid. The candidness to indulge in branded fashion products has made way for the growth of both international and domestic brands in India. With each brand having its sufficient space to serve distinct consumers, sales bloom is bound to happen, and so is the reaping of profits (6).
Independent labels may seem like an astounding property to look for, but neither they are here to compete Nike, LVMH or Hermes {Top players by economic profit (5)}, nor they are bridging the gap between premium and luxury. They are here to stay and cater to rising global millennials, they are here to offer individuality, and most importantly, they are here to dig a name for themselves. Though it’s going to take a long time before they reach the scale of foreign players. But for the brands themselves, their very presence, besides their growing success, is a sign that they’re on the right track.
Content References
(1) https://runawaybicycle.in/pages/about-us
(6) https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/325450
Picture Credits
(3) https://www.instagram.com/cord.in/?utm_source=ig_embed
(4) https://lbb.in/bangalore/good-earth-nicobar-in-bangalore/
(5) https://www.nappadori.com/cafe-dori
(6) https://lbb.in/delhi/time-to-redecorate-the-jodi-life-has-launched-a-new-collection-for-homes/
(7) https://fashionretail.blog/2017/05/22/the-pyramid-of-fashion-social-approach/
