The devil wears denim

Three decades after its launch in the US, Calvin Klein jeans, considered the quintessential designer denim brand by some, is on Indian shelves, courtesy the Murjani group.

Creative director Kevin Carrigan is present to showcase the brand's American heritage and increasingly global approach. It's interesting that the Murjani group and Calvin Klein Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Phillips Van Heusen, has launched here with the denim sub-brand.

The arrival of premium denim in the Indian market is pushing the category upscale. Tommy Hilfiger, also licenced by the Murjanis, was the first "designer" brand of jeans to arrive in 2004. Though its jeans cost upwards of Rs 5,000, the Murjanis opened nine additional stand-alone Tommy Hilfiger stores in the first year.

Thanks, a multi-brand luxury store in Mumbai, sells a rotating list of designer denim brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Seven for all Mankind, Etro and Paige Denim. Its range starts from Rs 7,000.

Ashish Chordia, CEO, Thanks, says customers are very fashion conscious about their denims and their knowledge of "It" brands is "at par with the rest of the world".

Unfortunately for denim brands, the "It" label keeps shifting; in 2000, the Los Angeles brand Seven for all Mankind set off a barrage of denim upstarts. Chordia says Seven... "is flying off the shelves" in the Rs 7,000-10,000 range, but Carrigan insists, "We don't see these LA labels as threats."

Last year Italian brand Replay Jeans started retailing at Rs 7000-18,000, and will be available at 10 points of sale by 2009. "Spending on denim has gone up by 40-50 per cent, and it's the 18-30-year-olds who are spending the most," says Asheem Rath, brand manager, Replay India.

There's no direct competition for Replay at its price point, although Rath mentions the recent "soft launch" of Japanese cult brand Avisu in collaboration with Puma.

At Bangalore's Levi's Rivet store, Levi's Vintage denims sell for up to Rs 10,000. The company has also launched specific high-end models like the iPod compatible RedWire DLX with a built in docking cradle, control panel and retractable headphones (Rs 9,000-12,000).

"It's a very interesting time to be present in the denim market," says Carrigan. By next year, the Murjanis propose 20 points of sale for Calvin Klein jeans in India.

Next door to Calvin Klein in Mumbai's multi-brand store, Vama, ads are going up for Miss Sixty, yet another brand known for its (ladies) jeans, not luxury but premium all the same. The fit's getting snugger.