Active Wear And Ethnic Wear Categories Likely To Mature During 2018, Say Experts

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Active Wear And Ethnic Wear Categories Likely To Mature During 2018, Say Experts

Active wear and traditional ethnic wear categories are expected to mature in 2018, Deloitte India’s Rajat Wahi has stated.

While Arvind Lifestyle Brands launched a new active wear range under US Polo Association called USPA Active, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) announced a national rollout of its Van Heusen athleisure range launched in 2016.

Ludhiana-based Monte Carlo Fashions Limited also forayed into the active wear segment with a new brand Rock It in November 2017.

According to Monte Carlo Fashions Limited Executive Director Sandeep Jain, there are not many brands which are operating in the athleisure space and there is a vacuum in pricing and designing of active wear.

Executives in the apparel industry attribute the spotlight on active wear to the generic sentiment of staying fit, which is further fuelled by the rise in the number of yoga centres, gyms and fitness centres across the country.

While athleisure emerged as the next big bet in the apparel space, traditional wear market is not far behind with new collections and store expansions.

Biba Apparels Ltd Managing Director Siddharth Bindra stated that the traditional wear category has been growing and shifting from the unorganised sector to the organised sector.

As of September 2017, total ethnic wear market was estimated at Rs 700 billion, according to data from Deloitte India. While women’s ethnic wear brand Biba Apparels Limited expanded its kidswear line with standalone stores (and forayed into the fashion accessories segment with jewellery), ethnic wear brand Manyavar ramped up expansion with new joint Manyavar Mohey stores.

During the year, Biba also launched its first television ad campaign, while Manyavar roped in actor Anushka Sharma as one of the brand ambassadors (other one being cricketer Virat Kohli) earlier in November.

However, experts like Technopak Advisors Pvt Ltd Chairman Arvind Singhal stated that both celebrity fashion and active wear categories are yet to mature.

Ethnic wear is a well-seized opportunity but active wear has not done as good as it could have because of the absence of brands operating in the space. A lot of brands have active wear offerings but there are not many full-fledged athleisure brands. The space requires fully focused companies, he stated.