Chikan set to get brand makeover

A multi-pronged branding exercise is on the cards for the famous Chikan fabric of Lucknow in order to make it more appealing.

The branding tools would comprise a dedicated Chikan website, ramp shows, online chikan trade fairs, buyer-seller meet, use of information technology to create virtual sample and shop-in-shop at leading retail chains.

The exercise will be undertaken both by the Uttar Pradesh government and the chikan manufacturers.

UP Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) joint commissioner Prabhat Kumar told Business Standard that a website dedicated to chikan craft would be developed with the help of professionals.

“We will also organise chikan-centric ramp shows by roping in India’s top designers and models to popularise the craft,” he said on the sidelines of a seminar on ‘E-marketplace: Branding & Promotion of Lucknow Chikan and Zari handicrafted products in the national and international market’.

Direct export of Chikan apparels is estimated at Rs 60 crore. However, bulk of the material is exported indirect through buying agents and trading houses. “Indirect export would be at least Rs 200 crore annually, which shows its huge potential,” Kumar said.

The Chikan industry is facing a tough competition from machine-made imitation of China that has flooded the international market due to low prices and intricate designs.

Though Chikan craft has secured registration under the Geographical Indication (GI) Act, the fabric has failed to attract the youth due to poor branding.

Co-organiser and chikan manufacturer Mansoor Lari said Chikankari suffered from lopsided branding and marketing. “Unless we improve product development and design, the fabric would continue to operate on the fringes,” he added.

Towards this, a Chikan trade fair would be organised soon in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry, Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts and banks, which may serve both as a buyer-seller meet and a retail marketing platform.

He informed there was a facility of creating a virtual Chikan sample for offshore buyers, in which the seller can create an online ramp show where models wear the designs.

“This saves a lot of cost and time in sending physical samples and the buyers get to see the product worn by models and which creates a better impact,” he added.

Meanwhile, B2B portal for textile fibre2fashion has offered to help the Lucknow Chikan industry in the branding exercise provided the manufacturers form a consortium and produce in bulk. The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development Institute, Kanpur, too has urged the state government to facilitate talks with leading retailers like Pantaloons, Shoppers Stop and Reliance Retail to showcase Chikan creations.

“Funds will not be a constraint towards popularising Chikan and things will start moving soon,” Kumar added.