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The market for jeans and all sorts of
denim products is thriving overseas.
From designer denim wear including
dresses, vests, jackets, jumpsuits,
rompers and shorts to school uniforms,
and accessories such as handbags, shoes,
belts, caps, denim is increasingly being
used in different types of conceivable
products. In India however, the market
for denims is dominated only by jeans
wear.
Rapidly changing lifestyles and influence
of western culture is fuelling the need
and demand for designer denim in India.
International brands have been
increasing their operations and they
continue to be a preferred choice for
the Gen-X, since the Indian brands are
lacking in the design element.
Last year, at Lakme India Fashion Week,
Bollywood star Akshay Kumar created
ripples with the denim designs created
by
designer Tarun Tahiliani for Levi’s,
and this year,
designer Narendra Kumar brought out
a special denim collection for Killer
Jeans. Both are indicative of some joint
efforts being made between Fashion
Designers and Denim Manufacturers, but a
lot more still needs to be done to
fulfill the domestic demand and fuel the
growth for designer denim brands. Read
on.... |
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 Fashion
trends come and go as each decade goes by, but one trend
that has remained intact over so many seasons is the
beloved denim. A trend that was born in Nimes, France
and raised in America, denim collections have undergone
tremendous changes through the passing years.
Created in the 18th century for miners due to the
durable nature of the fabric, denim didn't become
popular until the 1930s. The popularity of denim
continued to grow during the following decades, and were
was transformed forever in the 1980s with debut of high
fashion denim. Jordache,
Calvin Klein and Sergio Valente were
amongst the pioneers in creating slimmer, tight fitting
designer jeans
The economic recession of the early 90s slowed down
sales, but it struck back with a vengeance. Ever since
the launch of the premium jeans
7 for all Mankind in 2000, denim brands and
jean labels have been mushrooming internationally, and
even the recent period of recession has seen launch of
new brands bringing in newer fabrics, fits, and styles. |
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In line with the global trend, demand for denims in
India has also witnessed a sea change. The Indian denim
market is among the
fastest growing market with an anticipated growth
rate of 8-12%. The retail boom has lead to a a surge in
domestic denim demand. Undoubtedly the Indian market
currently presents a huge potential for jeans makers to
spread their wings. International brands such as Levi
Strauss, Wrangler and Lee Cooper have recently
accelerated their retail expansion.
But with the entire world becoming a global village,
Indian shoppers feel that the denim range available in
India lacks the luster and stature easily available
overseas. India has witnessed launch of some indigenous
denim brands like De-Extase by Aarvee Denim and
Export Limited, and i Jeanswear by Shopper Stop;
however, they can not truly satisfy the appetite for
denim of the globe trotting Indian youth as the fabric,
cuts, styles and finishing by enlarge are very basic.
 According
to Dr. P. R. Roy, the father of Indian denim
industry, designers in the western world, from
Georgio Armani, Calvin Klein to Donna
Karan, have not been able to stay away
from denim fabric and have had to play with denim in
some way or the other. On the other hand, the
designers in India have not experimented much with
denim. He feels that the established players in
the Indian denim industry need to holistically explore
the untapped potential of denim by taking initiatives
and working with designers to come out with designer
denim and jeans line.
Today, the industry is enjoying a strong domestic
demand. Research reports are going gung-ho about the
potential India holds for luxury products including
luxury denim. The market in India is vast and the
Indian consumer is willing to pay the price for a
high-end quality product. Maxxis Group, a retail and
distribution platform has earlier this year brought to
India iconic luxury denim brand 7 For All Mankind,
German denim brand Mustang has been launched via an
exclusive retail tie-up with Shopper's Stop.
 As
Vikas Pilania, Brand Manager – BHPC, Spencer’s Retail Limited, opines "Branded
wear will help the local denim industry immensely, as high-end fashion
trickles down the cycle of the fashion wave and ultimately ends up as large
volume in-demand trends in the mass market chains."Supporting the
luxury reports, Pilania, further adds “The luxury denim market
is a multi-million dollar industry in most International countries and its
time has come to hit the Indian market. Luxury denim helps mass-market
business from the trend cycles down to price the friendly level.”
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 Parvesh
and Jai, the famous designer duo agree, that the Indian designers have
not been able to utilize the real potential of denim fabric. The reasons
behind this, they feel, is the fact that
Indian fashion started expanding recently and Indian designers have
started marketing themselves only in the past decade. Additionally, denim
quintessentially is a western fabric, and Indian designers have been more
focused on reviving Indian crafts and hence not yet fully explored
potential of the magical denim fabric.
While one may agree to what the designer duo feels, we
cannot ignore the popularity denims currently enjoy in India. Designer
clothes worn on the ramp rarely make an appearance in the wardrobes of the
not so rich and famous, denims are nonetheless an integral part of almost
everyone’s wardrobe.
 Citing
the reasons behind why Indian designers are yet to explore the possibilities
of venturing into designer denim den, well-known designer Jattinn Kochhar
asserts, “Internationally, the whole trend is to do collaborative
projects. For example, designers do design forecast, and fabric and colour
forecasts are done by experts from the respective fields so when you have
many minds working on something, you always get a unique final product. Here
in India, everybody works in isolation and designers don’t have the kind of
infrastructure, technical support or funding to experiment with the fabric.”
 On
similar lines, designer Samant Chauhan says, “Indian designer
wear market is occasion wear. People buy designer clothes for occasions.
Most of the designers are doing only occasion wear, no one is investing in
designer denims because the infrastructure facilities required are totally
different compared to the production of occasion or designer wear. I have
been wanting to come out with a denim collection since long time, the
concept is ready but I am looking forward to a denim manufacturer, who can
support me.”
Parvesh and Jai also feel that there is likely to be birth of new
ideas and newer denim products if denim companies sponsor potential
designers changing the perception of denim, in the minds of Indians, from a
rough and tough fabric to that of a luxurious and fashionable fabric.
So what can bridge the gap between the demand and supply of designer denims
in India? Or will Indian consumers have to continue to rely upon whatever is
available here or wait for an overseas trip to procure trendy and chic
denims? |
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The positive and prospective future of the Indian denim industry lies in the
collaborative effort by the denim manufacturers and the fashion designers
fraternity.
Internationally, collaborations between high-fashion designers, brands and
denim manufacturers are the order of the day. Last year
Dow Fiber Solutions partnered with Paige Premium Denim to launch DOW
XLA™ fiber in exclusive “Paigeaholic Jeans”.
Wranglers collaboration with Adam Thomson & Nicholas-Guy Smith,
Proenza Schouler (a high-end line of women's apparel) with J Brand,
Vivienne Westwood with Lee Jeans are among the noteworthy collaborations
for Summer and Fall 2010 collections.
Levi Strauss is perhaps leading the collaboration revolution to bring out
limited and unique collections for the different markets. Collaboration with
Japanese designer, Junya Watanabe for printed jeans collection,
collaboration with the Cone Mills factory for Vintage 501®XX 1915
collection.
Jattinn Kochhar, opines “A lot can be achieved in the field of
denim with the variety available in terms of colours and styles. However,
one needs a different set up for designing denims since denim in itself is a
totally different area. None of the big manufacturing houses (eg. Arvind) or
others are working with the designers. There has to be a collaborative
effort by the mills and designers to explore the real potential of denim
fabric."
He also feels that the Indian consumer needs to be
educated about denim, as a large number of Indians still
perceive denim as a thick fabric and are not fully aware
about fit, cut, fabric weights and the fact that their are
different variety of denims for summer and winter.
The thick denim is a coarser denim with a tighter and
heavier weave, usually offering a minimal amount of stretch
and are best for colder weather. Light weight denim the
weave is tight but not dense, allowing these to be ideal for
jeans and other denim garments for summers. Choosing the
right fit and cut are also very essential to finding a pair
of jeans which are comfortable and drape well.
Well informed consumers are better able to appreciate the
finer nuances of different types of fabrics and the value
addition to a garment using processing and finishing
techniques. An educated consumer is more likely to be a
repeat consumer.
Samant Chauhan, subscribing to a similar view that a
collaborative approach is the way forward feels “India
has been mainly seen as a sourcing hub. There are lot of
exporters, who can make a mark with their denim brands
internationally but they are not doing it. They have to work
on the new ideas with young designers who are coming up with
fresh concepts and ideas. This is the right time for the
industry to connect with each-other. Designer denims are not
regular high fashion garments."
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According to the reports India holds a huge market potential
for premium denim jeans right now. We continue to hear about
well-known premium denim brands like
Diesel and
Replay looking at entering the Indian market and
existing international brands like
Pepe
and
Wrangler planning expansion of their retail network.
“Indians are ready for anything which is really
luxurious. If we give denims a real designer look, then the
prospects are bright”, stress Parvesh and Jai.
Vikas Pilania, Spencer’s Retail Limited also feels
that the Indian market is ripe for designer denim brands and
says, “The future of denim in India is wide open to
newness and innovations of both fit and washing. The premium
denim trend is just starting to show up in the local market
and the demand will continue to grow. It's a very exciting
time to be a denim brand in India, as the possibilities are
endless.”
However, Jattinn Kochhar has a different view and
feels that even though a luxury market exists in India, it
is not really as big as it is projected to be. Like many of
the youngsters, he personally does not like the cuts and
fits for jeans available in the Indian market, be it a
domestic brand or International. He prefers to purchase
jeans from Bangkok where he is able to find the perfect fit
easily.
 International
exhibitions and shows for fabric and trend forecasting for
upcoming seasons have been around for quite some time, but
the versatility of denim which puts it in a different
segment has heralded a trade show specifically dedicated to
the denim industry, Denim by Première Vision, the
one-stop-shop denim show for weavers, accessories'
manufacturers, laundries, garments & finishing companies,
fibers producers, etc. There is a strong need for such
denim-dedicated shows in India - which shall enable the
designers and manufacturers to come close and understand
each other's perspective. It is very important that the
industry makes an all-out effort to attract not only the
established designers, but it must also try and reach out to
the budding designers in the design schools across the
country.
India has recently witnessed a few collaborative efforts
with
Arvind Ltd. having formed collaborations for their
various denim lines,
Levi's collaborated with Tarun Tahiliani for an
exclusive range, and most recently, Killer Jeans joined
hands with Narender Ahmed, all of these are significant
steps in the right direction but just mark the beginning.
There is a long path to be traversed to bridge the gap
between the fashion designers and the denim manufacturers in
India. It is imperative to not just form collaborations, but
also necessary to organize events and tradeshows to provide
provide a unified platform and a congenial environment for
forming and promoting sustainable collaborations.
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