Retail therapy

Sun, May 11 12:05 AM

It seems that our fashion designers have finally found their bearings on the retail front after the demolition of MG 1 and MG 2. The latest hub for fashion retail now is the MGF Metropolitan Mall that opened in Saket recently.

Mandira Wirk, Ashish Soni, Ashima-Leena, Gauri and amp; Nainika, Varun Bahl, Swapan and amp; Seema and Vikram Phadnis have opened their new stores there. Planned move With this, designer fashion retail has now spread to various places in Delhi.

As and when the DLF Emporio opens, some of the big names, I was told, will have their presence in it as well. Besides, being at good old Hauz Khas Village, they are also at the Qutub Minar area at the Crescent Mall; then there's the Garden of Five Senses where some of the designers have opened their stores.

Designer labels such as Rajesh Pratap Singh, Manish Arora and Abraham and amp; Thakore had opened in the Lodhi Market area and designer Puja Nayyar and Pratap have their retail centers at Select City Walk as well. Pratap plans to keep collections in this store that, in his own words, "you and I can afford.

" Pr and #234;t is the new mantra across the world for most designers. Volume will keep their cash registers ringing.

A couple of years ago, most of our designers, who had till then insisted on keeping their price tags heavier than their zari-zardozi encrusted creations, moved down a notch or two and came out with their pr and #234;t lines. However, their price tags even then weighed heavy on the average consumer's pocket.

Agreed, pr and #234;t does not mean cheap or economical. But I feel that prices should not hover around the lines of unaffordability in this segment.

I feel that there should be clear segmenting in fashion retail with regard to price. This must be strictly maintained if a designer has to succeed in retail.

For instance, take the case of fashion designer Ravi Bajaj. I know for a fact that Ravi took to the concept of designer retail much earlier than the rest.

He started his retail at in places like North and West Delhi while rest of his fraternity chose to float around snobbish South Delhi. The difference was that while Ravi gave the rest of Delhi what it wanted in terms of price points and styles, he opened his four-level flagship store at the N Block Market in Greater Kailash 1, arguably the finest designer retail outlet in the country for the Bentley/Audi segment.

An uber smart business move, if you ask me. Location loyalties The case in point is that location certainly matters when it comes to deciding price points.

Designers who have stand-alone stores in prestigious areas can afford to have high tags on their garments. But those who choose to have their stores at malls should be aware that this is a place where every one walks in to buy.

Here, I think what will probably work is what Rajesh has in mind, something that "you and I can afford." This is the reason why luxury brands prefer to stick around for now at five-star shopping arcades and not in South Extension or Saket community centers.

For them, those who come to do their hair or dine at these super deluxe hotels are their target customers. Well, if we take out some time to pause and think, the same reasoning should work in the other side too, isn't it? That location of the store defines the target customer? If a designer wants to make money off a single garment, then I feel he/she should not retail at general malls.

What say?.

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