A new dress code

Why men's wear brands are extending into women's apparel?

This is one of those anecdotes that have become part of corporate lore recounted by marketing professionals across the country.

When Madura Garments discovered that women buyers were behind the rapid sales of sizes 26 and 28 in its men's trousers range, the company launched Allen Solly Women's Wear.

Back in 2001, the Aditya Birla Group company was the first big men's wear brand to launch a western wear collection for women. Since then, several other traditionally male-oriented labels have extended their offers to include women's wear: Provogue, Scullers (from IndigoNation), Blackberry, Arrow, Van Heusen, Will's Lifestyle...

Now the trend has picked up speed. In the past few months, three large, men's wear brands have launched apparel for women: the Raymond group has introduced Color Plus Woman and Park Avenue Woman in quick succession, while ITC Lifestyle has extended the John Players brand to offer Miss Players. More brand extensions are planned in the coming months: Excalibur, Zodiac, Proline and Peter England, among others.

Does launching a women's line simply mean switching stripes for florals and offering more pastel shades? Or are there more complex dynamics at play in the women's apparel market? Here's a thing or two that new entrants can learn from Madura's Allen Solly experience.

Style strategy
There's a simple reason why all apparel manufacturers are feverishly stitching up plans for the women's market, specifically, the women's western wear market.

According to the KSA Images study of the Indian apparel market in 2006, at over Rs 30,000 crore, women's wear accounts for a third of the total market. But where the total market for women's apparel is growing at about 5.5 per cent, western wear is racing ahead much faster: suits and blazers at close to 12 per cent, trousers and skirts at 13 per cent, and tops at 6.8 per cent.

"The western wear women's segment is growing exponentially in India and is a natural fit into our overall growth strategy," Raymond CMD Gautam Hari Singhania said a few weeks ago at the launch of ColorPlus Woman.

That thought is echoed by others as well. "The segment is growing fast and will help us increase our portfolio of offerings," points out ITC Lifestyle CEO Chitaranjan Dar.

It is not just about entering a flourishing segment of the market. Competition from private labels is increasing, especially in the premium and mid-premium categories where most of these brands operate.

To tackle that threat, Indian brands are ramping up their retail presence, opening more stores in high-street locations as well as in shopping malls.

By offering greater variety in these stores "" typically by adding women's wear and accessories, although Peter England will extend its range to children's clothing as well "" not only are the apparel manufacturers spreading their risk, they are also ensuring wider appeal and, therefore, increased footfalls.

"This way, they not only spread the risk but also amortise the investment faster," explains Pankaj Gupta, head of consumer and retail practice at Tata Strategic Management Group.

Lateral extension is also a neat way of leveraging existing brand equity. Although some analysts see merit in creating a separate brand with a distinct, feminine identity, most agree with the idea of taking forward what the men's brands have already created.

There is sound logic behind that thinking. One, some brand managers believe that women customers are not as insistent on brands as men are. That's debatable, but the other point "" that the market is still small compared to men's wear and building a brand from scratch will be an expensive and time-consuming process "" makes sense.

"Even global apparel brands only extend. There's a Versace man and a Versace woman line, for instance. We see no reason to be different," declares Vikram Rao, director, Aditya Birla Management Corp, and business head of Aditya Birla Nuvo's textile and apparel business.

The complete woman
The brands may have been male-oriented, but the clothes in the women's collections can't be scaled versions of men's wear. Madura ensured that with Allen Solly. At the time, Indian wear was still the order of the day, even in corporate workplaces.

Accordingly, the Allen Solly range included shirts with side slits and other fusion elements, to make transition to western wear easier.

The emphasis on style is even more pronounced now. Western formal wear for work is increasingly common, especially among the younger, more upscale customers whom these companies are targeting.

These are women who follow the latest trends in international fashion, shop abroad frequently and are as particular about the fit and the finish of the outfit as they are about its colour and fabric.

"Women are increasingly demanding better style and quality in their clothing. They prefer western formals as office wear and also enjoy experimenting with their leisure clothing," points out Ashish Dhir, associate director with the retail consultancy, Technopak.

How are apparel manufacturers ensuring that they give this customer group exactly what it demands? Essentially, by following a two-pronged approach. First, they have retained the segmentation created by the men's wear brands in the women's collections as well, allowing them to focus better on different target customers and also cast their net much wider.

Thus, the Arvind group has Arrow Woman formals for older senior executives, while the to-be-launched Excalibur range of formal and semi-formal clothing is meant for the 23-28 age group. Raymond offers formal and evening wear for the 28-40 age group through Park Avenue Woman, while ColorPlus Woman's smart casuals are meant for the 18-25 age group.

While both ITC and Madura offer "complete wardrobe solutions", there's a clear line dividing their brands. Will's Lifestyle (ITC) and Van Heusen Woman are meant for an older, more sophisticated clientele, Allen Solly has wider appeal among 25- to 35-year-olds, and Miss Players is a young woman's brand.

Within the confines of individual brands, companies are paying close attention to sizes and styles. British designer Stephen King worked on the first Allen Solly collection, creating designs for four different body types.

He also made extensive use of new fabrics such as lycra, rayon blends and tencel, which drape better and are wrinkle-resistant.

Similarly, Raymond has created clothes for six different body structures. But Raymond Apparel President Shreyas Joshi points out that the company's research showed that women now want even more "" especially clothes that can seamlessly transition from practical office outfits to evening wear. So ColorPlus Woman offers shirts with collars that can be slipped off, as well as coordinated, layered outfits.

Then, collections are changed frequently, so stores don't look jaded and repeat customers keep finding something new. "Women have a very keen sense of fashion. It's extremely important to have a range that's in style," accepts Dar.

While Miss Players and Arrow refresh their ranges every month, adding 50 and 150 pieces each, Raymond updates its collections once a fortnight.

Looking the part
To be truly successful in selling to women, you need to get in touch with your feminine side. "Men's shirts are kept in boxes. You can't sell women's apparel like that," declares Rao.

Men's apparel companies seem to realise that: store managers who until now were content with simple shelving and racks in their showrooms are now paying attention to the colour of the walls, the look of the mannequins and the lights.

Most women's wear brands are creating separate areas for themselves within the men's showrooms, besides opening exclusive, women-only stores.

While Miss Players plans to have 10-15 stores, the others are aiming at three to five; even Allen Solly Womenswear has only six stores until now. The exception? Arvind Brands, which believes women will pick up formal work wear when they're shopping with men. So, no exclusive Arrow Woman or Excalibur Woman showrooms; instead, the company has created a women's section in over 20 Arrow showrooms across the country.

Even within the men's wear stores, the look and feel of the women's section is distinct: more mirrors, more mannequins, more trial rooms... The Park Avenue stores even offer multiple lighting options that allow potential customers to see how different outfits will look in their intended surroundings: fluorescent lighting to replicate the workplace, dim, coloured lights to check out party wear, and so on.

"Own stores are very important as women look for a unique experience and their own space," says Raymond's Joshi. The medium is the message
If women's and men's western wear are like chalk and cheese in terms of product and place, it stands to reason that promotion must also be different. And it is. Many premium men's wear brands advertise on television, but it would be a wasted exercise for women's wear.

All the new players plan to confine themselves to the metros, reaching out at best to the top 10 cities; even first-mover Allen Solly is only now considering opening women's stores in the smaller towns.

"Television will unnecessarily take the brand everywhere," points out Arvind Brands' Suresh. What will better serve the purpose is a targeted print campaign across upscale lifestyle, news and women's magazines. Visual merchandising and subtle promotions "" such as actor Bipasha Basu wearing Allen Solly outfits in Hindi film Corporate "" will work well.

It's still a small market, undoubtedly. But the potential is huge. Six years after its launch, Allen Solly women's wear offers clothes up to three sizes larger. The market for women's wear is clearly expanding "" in more ways than one.

Additional reporting with Meenakshi Radhakrishnan-Swami