Indigo Nation not for dad

Men's apparel label Indigo Nation, from the stables of Bangalore-based Indus League Clothing, is sharpening its focus. The brand, which now has its cards stacked up in the broad men's formal category, is narrowing down to the under 30 age segment.

The company is launching formal wear exclusively for the young and has dubbed the range as "Contra Formals". Vineeth Nair, brand -head Indus League said, " Contra Formals are based on the philosophy that a young man should not dress old. Contra Formals will now metamorphose into Indigo Nation's mainstay business."

The company is patching up design and style variations with a dash of novelty to create the youth appealing clothes.

The concept of formals strictly for youth or contra formals is a takeaway from the fashion streets in Europe. There, younger brands like Zara and Next have adopted this tack to differentiate themselves from their established peers and also to make inroads into the fragmented customer segment.

Keeping in mind the purchasing power of the Under-30 segment, Indus League has priced the range at an acceptable Rs 899 to 999 band. While the company will offer over five shirt variants, to start with, it is limiting the trouser range to a a few styles, as it considers the current contra formal trouser styles prevalent in Europe too radical to excite the Indian customer.

Some of the shirt models include a two tone layered collar, horizontal stripes, a stripe and check combo, besides broader cuffs and collars with twin buttons. Running up to the launch the company has conceived several hard hitting promos.

With a punchline "Best before 30" and creatives stressing on facets like 'sexy not sixty' and 'don't dress like dad', the company is effectively narrowing the focus of the brand. Indus League's casuals label Scullers will, however, maintain its status quo and cater to all age segments.

Vineeth Nair said, Indus League has already soft-tested during the previous two season watered down variants of the range. Besides, he added, Contra Formals was pilot-tested in Kerala during Onam.

"About 25 to 30 per cent of our Onam offerings was in this range. Despite Kerala being a stubborn market, contra formal's sales met our expectations."

Incidentally other apparel brands too are now speaking up about their age positioning. While the denim players are perceived as players in the youth segment, players like Madura Garments are spelling out their brand focus. Madura says, it's Van Heusen label "" perceived as a office wear "" and Peter England are for the age segment 26 to 35.