For instance, LNJ Denim has begun offering these products at its '100 per cent Denim Boutique' in Jaipur. As the name goes, the store comprises varied categories of products made of denim or denim blends. On the other hand, apart from premium and mid-premium men's wear, fabric and denim jeans, newly launched 'The Arvind Store' in Ahmedabad offers indigo denim sherwani and other ethnic men's wear.
"The fusion category - a combination of Indian and western - is gaining more popularity in India. On traditional occasions like marriages and festivals Indian's are looking to expand their wardrobe choices and wear fusion clothes. Indigo ethnic wear is an attempt by the Arvind Store to service those needs. We intend to marry fabric innovation with styling so that consumers can discover how new denim concepts can come to life. A denim sherwani can only come together as a concept when you can couple the fabrics with styling solutions," says Kulin Lalbhai, executive director - new initiatives, Arvind Limited and son of Sanjay Lalbhai, CMD, Arvind Limited.
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Ask YC Gupta, chief executive officer at LNJ Denim, the denim company of the LNJ Bhilwara Group and he has similar views.
"While we saw innovation happening within the denim industry, there were no specific denim product stores. Hence, we thought of creating a denim store where all products which can be made out of denim will be displayed. Be it carpets, sofa cover, curtains, shoes, purse, jewellery pouch, kitchen apron, belts, ethnic Indian wear like lehenga choli, western outfit or even denim vertical blinds and denim burqas, you will find it in the store," says YC Gupta, chief executive officer at LNJ Denim, the denim company of the LNJ Bhilwara Group.
Post a soft-launch on June 10, 2013, LNJ's store has so far seen sales worth over ' 2 lakh. Prices for the products range from anywhere between ' 1000 and ' 15,000. Though a formal launch is awaited, the store is already finding visitors from outside Rajasthan as well. "We are trying to test the market and check consumers' preferences. While this is just a soft launch, we intend to launch it formally later in September-October when foreign tourist arrival increases in Jaipur. This way we hope to get maximum attention for the boutique," says Gupta. Lalbhai believes it is the consumer needs that is driving denim players to experiment with such variants.
"These are still early days for these concepts but we are confident that they will do well. Consumers are constantly looking for new concepts. As Indian consumers become more fashion forward and experimentative in their fashion choices, the market for cross over concepts will become larger. In addition to demand for conventional denims, the more unconventional uses are also likely to grow," says Lalbhai. However, considering the initial days of the store, industry experts such a step as "brave and innovative".
"Denim as a fabric has the latent need to find new uses. This is because if you are follow a single consumption pattern you will reach a glass ceiling. Denim industry itself had thought it had hit a glass ceiling until recently. However, a dedicated store for denim and denim-based value added products is a welcome move," says Harish Bijoor, brand expert and CEO of Harish Bijoor Consults.
Yet, in a country which still has a considerably low per capita of denim jeans pair of 3-4 as against some of the western markets where numbers run in double digits, a non-bottom weight denim product will take time to register among consumers.
"It is unlikely that variants will form a very large share of denim sales any time soon. Moreover, it is difficult to project a percentage share of business. For Arvind's in-house brands, the share of denim products vary from brand to brand. For denim wear brands like Flying Machine denims make up the majority of sales. For lifestyle concepts like US Polo or the Arvind Store it can range anywhere between 10-30 per cent," Lalbhai adds.
Meanwhile, experts state that there is potential for such denim variants in high end segment of consumers.
"At the top end of the market India is ready for such value-added denim products where a consumer wants to flaunt. For instance, a lady wants to wear denim sarees or one would now want to see one's bathroom full of denim blinds. Fusion product category where one type of a style marries another can work. Potential for such kind of an exercise is humongous. To an extent even khadi has experimented like this in the past such as khadi cap, khadi belt, khadi shoes and has found success," says Harish Bijoor, brand expert and CEO of Harish Bijoor Consults.