Arvind forays into premium worsted suiting with 'Primante'

Aims to capture 20% market share in worsted suiting in 5 years; Primante to be priced in Rs 2,000-1,00,000 a mtr range

Continuing to grow its textiles and branded retail segment, Arvind Limited on Monday announced its foray into premium worsted suiting with the launch of 'Primante' brand. To be sourced entirely from Milan, Italy, the Primante fabric will see a combination of Australian Merino wool and Italian design to conceptualised by Arvind for urban Indian customers.

In a bid to bring in further innovation into premium worsted suiting, Primante will see wool and wool rich fine count fabrics ranging from Super 120s to Super 200s with blends of silk, mohair, lycra, linen and poly filaments. With the worsted suiting market pegged at Rs 2000 crore, Arvind Ltd is eyeing a 10 per cent market share in next three years and 20 per cent in five years, Kulin Lalbhai, executive director, Arvind Ltd. said.

"We sensed the demand for innovation in the premium suiting category and took on the challenge of bringing something novel yet luxurious to the Indian consumer. Primante will set new benchmarks in product and design. Going forward, we aim to have a 10 per cent market share in the over Rs 2000 crore worsted suiting market in next 3 years and 20 per cent market share in 5 years. The kind of products we are coming with Primante will redefine the fashion in worsted suiting's category," Lalbhai said, while adding that the company will not go to mass market for the same.

The Primante worsted suiting fabrics will be priced in the range of Rs 2000 per metre to Rs 1 lakh per metre.

Apart from suit fabrics, offerings include fabrics for sport coats, tweed jackets and business coats. The product development and quality control parameters have been set of the global standards, with the attempt of carrying European fashion in the designs.

On the retail front, apart from selling Primante worsted suiting's in fabric form in Indian market through its exclusive brand outlets 'The Arvind Store', the company also plans to go directly to various multi-brand outlets, even as it aims to expand its exposure in high end 'made to measure' (MTM) customer suits business for India and global market though its venture Creyate.

In the fabric category, Arvind Ltd. is currently present across 200 Arvind Stores which are exclusive branded outlets (EBOs), 1500 Direct to Retail (DTR) outlets, 10,000 Multi Brand Outlets (MBOs) and 15 MTM outlets.

"In the first year of Primante, launch, we expect to cover 200 EBOs and 200 Direct to retail outlets. In the next three years, we expect to gradually increase Primante's presence across 1,000 MBOs. This is a part of our expansion plan of EBOs, DTR accounts and MTM outlets in next 3 years," Kulin Lalbhai said.

Talking about its custom clothing venture Creyate, Lalbhai said that the company was also planning to take the same global. "We will go for markets that are strong in custom clothing," he added.

Arvind Ltd. is also in the process of enhancing its garmenting business. "Currently, 10 per cent of our fabrics get converted into garments, we intend to raise the same to 20 per cent in near future," Lalbhai further stated.