With the onset of the pandemic, when most of the retail went on-line and the trends became more suited to incorporate a comfy WFH life-style, brands signed up for a mastering curve. GUESS, the international style brand with a legacy of just about 4 decades in bringing trendsetting apparel and accessories, lately relaunched its 1st shop at the DLF Mall of India, Noida. The brand has initiated its expansion spree with collections that are tailor made for the post-pandemic landscape. To study more on this, TheSpuzz spoke to Manoj Kumar Nair, Chief Executive Officer at Gaurik Lifestyle. Excerpts:
What are the upcoming style trends in terms of accessories that will be major in 2021?
According to a Unicommerce Report, the on-line style sector has grown 51% in this monetary year. Accessories are becoming the favourites of the new age customer. We really should be searching at bold, statement pieces to accentuate the more casual athleisure apparel. Chunky, gold-tune jewellery paired with pastel coloured, more than the leading sunglasses is a thing that balances the casual aesthetic. We’re once more going intense with the bags- from mini, shoulder bags to big totes, all the things tends to make sense to Gen Z and Millenials.
Can you share the new solution lineup by GUESS in India? What other new collections really should we look forward to?
We are an iconic brand that caters to a wide age demographic ranging from a teenager to even a retired person. We have relaunched in the marketplace with the new Spring/Summer 2021 Collection that brings our trendsetting, timeless variety of denims, dresses, apparel, footwear, and so significantly more to the customers. The upcoming collection features vintage florals, entertaining prints and classic pastels, and it represents the young, modern and timeless vibe of the brand that it is renowned about the world. A important component of the collection will be the accessories and wide variety of handbags- from satchels to totes and backpacks to luggage, there is a thing for every person at the shop.
The upcoming Fall/Winter Collection 2021 will witness the exclusive athleisure put on getting into the Indian markets. This will feature chic, comfy and playful styles crafted to suit the work from home, multitasking atmosphere. The collection will give the customers the comfort they are searching for, without having compromising on the style.
We see a shift in trend to more comfort-driven clothes post-pandemic. What are some other adjustments the style sector is probably to witness? What is the USP of Guess’s athleisure collection?
Well, the style sector is unquestionably adapting to the post-pandemic landscape. The existing state of style is comfort. It signifies that comfy, casual-aesthetic clothes is becoming the consumers’ life-style now. Working from home without having any limitations has cultivated this atmosphere suited for multitasking.
Even beyond that, the contemporary customer has also grow to be more wellness conscious, they want to look just after their wellness & fitness and athleisure is generating it a lot easier for them. They now have more designer style selections that are comfy as effectively as fashionable.
We are coming up with our Athleisure Collection this fall/winter season to address the identical shift in trend. For far also lengthy, there have been a restricted couple of solutions for activewear in our nation. What the customers need to have is a more style-centric, trendy method to activewear which this collection will be introducing. Guess’ Athleisure Collection will be the bridge among comfort and style and sits suitable at the junction of exclusivity.
What will be the style sector outlook by 2025? What does it imply for the brands getting into India?
I think, in the coming years, it will be crucial for a brand to leverage all the channels of communication with its customers. We need to have to note that even even though digitalization of purchasing has gone up throughout the pandemic, brick and mortar is right here to keep. It enables a brand to produce an experiential atmosphere for the customer. So, one has to complement the other for the brand to survive.
Another important element to observe in the following years is the incoming sustainable revolution. Millennials and Gen Z, who account for more than half of the sales in the sector, are the flag bearers of this revolution and they want to associate themselves with brands that align their values with eco-friendly and sustainable manufacturing practices. Moreover, becoming eco friendly and sustainable is more than just a industrial choice, it is a moral duty.
Even at Guess, we are totally transforming our production processes to be more sustainable and atmosphere friendly. We’re searching into recycling plastic waste to produce yarn and applying organic cotton for our denims, introducing the Indigo Flow Process which reduces the water consumption for washes by 70% though escalating the dye penetration, and minimizing the use of chemical compounds massively.
Can you share some Guess’ India small business expansion plans and retail technique for FY 21-22? What are the expectations?
As per the Retail Association of India, the retail sector accomplished 93% of pre-covid sales in February 2021. The marketplace size is projected to attain close to US$ 1.3 trillion by the year 2024. Things are searching fantastic for the retail sector in India. At GUESS, we count on to attain the 300 crores mark in the next 5 years.
Guess is a international style brand with a legacy of just about 4 decades in bringing trendsetting apparel and accessories. As component of our expansion technique, the brand 1st plans to expand the base to the tier-1 metropolitan cities and gradually penetrate into tier-2 metros, touching the leading grossing malls for the ease of our customers. Then, we will steadily look into approaching the micro markets and launching accessory retailers in smaller sized cities that will carry our important categories like handbags, watches and so forth.
We opened our 1st shop at the DLF Mall of India, Noida lately and are preparing to additional open up at prime areas in Mumbai and Pune in the coming months. The aim is to launch more than 10 retailers by the finish of this monetary year.
The marketplace sentiments post-pandemic have been really buoyant in terms of retail. The customer demand has continued to strengthen just after the second wave which paves the way for our entry in the Indian Market.