Return
to Story Page
To print: Select File and then Print from your
browser's menu
Mini K Joseph
Bangalore, Aug 23: Madura Garments is all set to add a new sub-brand to its stable by launching `Elements' under its mother brand Peter England. The new mid-priced casual shirts, priced between Rs 395 to Rs 595 were scheduled to hit the market on August 23.
Madura Garments president George Zacharias told The Financial Express that the company ventured into the casual-line as it felt a genuine need for casuals under its umbrella. With the new launch, the clothing major also plans to increase its market share. ``We are targeting a 20 and 10 per cent market share both in Peter England and the new launch Elements, by 2001,'' said Zacharias.
Peter England's brand manager, Vishak Kumar said: ``Elements will be launched in a phased manner starting from Bangalore. We will cover the entire south region in two months, and later, the rest of the country.'' The Element range was targeted at current users of Peter England as well as other brands, he said. Competition for the new brand would be mainly fromexport-surplus casual wear and offerings from the unorganised sector, he felt.
Kumar said, the Elements range was available in around 70 designs including soft touch, enzyme wash, peach finish and anti-wrinkle fabrics. The new sub-brand also would include cargo shirts with pockets on sleeves.
Zacharias said: ``With Elements, we want to be the largest player in casual segment. This may not be difficult for us as we are part of a reputed clothing company having easy access to new trends, technology and designs.''
Over four million casual shirts and 22 million formal shirts are being sold in India a year while the country sells five million pairs of trousers both in the mid-range and formals.
Kumar said currently, the company was trying out different variations of wrinkle-free 100-per-cent cotton shirts. During July 1999, Madura Garments test-launched its wrinkle-free shirts in cotton and cotton blends and the market response was quite good, he added.
On its trouser brand San Frisco, Zacharias said:``By March 2000, San Frisco will be made available in all big cities in the country and by June, we will cover small cities too.'' Currently, the brand is available only in the South.
Allen Solly, he said, being a young and vibrant brand, the company wanted to introduce it to a huge volume of customers. The response towards Allen Solly was encouraging after the recent telecast of a TV commercial on the brand, he added.
Madura Garments has a full-fledged design studio that works on brands, innovations, product development and design collections. The studio helps the company incorporate the latest international trends and designs in fashion, clothing and styles into its brand portfolio.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
------------------------------------------------------------
This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
------------------------------------------------------------