Ms Shopper’s stop

With many more women entering the workforce, the need for contemporary clothing is urgent. Take, for instance, Pune-based Aditi Seth, 23, for whom a shopping expedition is a quick trip on Saturday mornings to the SGS Magnum Mall on Modelina Road. “I need a mix of casuals and semi-formals for work and I never have time for my tailor,” says Seth, a corporate communications manager with Tasmac in Pune. “Besides, these stores have nice styles and are reasonably priced.”

Clearly, the profile of the modern Indian woman has undergone a dramatic change, whether it’s how she shops or what she wears. Global exposure and the confidence that comes with earning have made the working girl more discerning and a more demanding consumer. While women have always spent on clothes, earlier the life cycle of a garment was much longer. In this buoyant economy, they are ready to change garments every season.

“Women everywhere in India are ready to spend. We’re just trying to keep pace by making the brand accessible everywhere,” says Salil Chaturvedi, director and founder of Provogue that has 131 standalone stores across India and 250 points of sale through other departmental stores. Provogue started in 1998 as a men’s wear brand. Last year, it tested the women’s wear market by devoting 10 per cent of floor space to women’s garments in 20 stores and found the scope for growth was 15 per cent more than in men’s wear. “Lack of shelf space has restricted the display of women’s garments in our outlets. But in our expansion plans, the ratio of men’s clothing to women’s will be 60-40,” says Chaturvedi. He also foresees an exponential growth in western wear for women in the next few years.

Vishal Mirchandani, the Mumbai-based CEO of Piramyd departmental stores that stocks a wide range of brands catering exclusively for women, agrees. “Definitely, in metros the growth in women’s garments is driven by non-ethnic wear,” says Mirchandani. “That can also be because the unorganised market for ethnic wear is large.” In tier-three cities, he says, fusion lines are more acceptable though trendy halter tops and skirts are making inroads into conservative markets like Ahmedabad. “In 10 years, all these smaller cities will catch up with Mumbai and Delhi,” he predicts. And Piramyd plans to add labels to the ladies’ segment to capture that market completely.

Yet, despite the tilt towards the classic, formal pant-suit, the salwar-kameez is still an essential component in an Indian working girl’s wardrobe. W, a chain of women’s clothing that has quietly established itself in the last three years with 30 stores across India and over 130 points of sale, commissioned a KSA Technopak study to figure out shopping preferences of women. The survey revealed that irrespective of whether they live in Mumbai or Meerut, Indian women of all ages feel very comfortable in ethnic wear. “Women go to the local tailor because they don’t find the right fit,” says Vijay Misra, CEO of W, who then hired an anthropometric expert from the USA to do a sizing study in India. They measured over a 1,000 women at 50 points on their bodies and came up with seven sizes. Voluptuous or petite, now women flock to W for the fit. The range starts at a reasonable Rs 600 and W has the latest western designs in a more traditional mould.

So what do women really want when they go wardrobe shopping? According to a study conducted by Wills Lifestyle, they mix and match garments that might have no co-relation when it comes to price. Attractive visual display is crucial and so are accessories. Evidently, they’re more likely to spend time in a store with women customer facilitators and so far, there’s little or no brand loyalty. Indian women will shop where the right price meets the right style. Garments should be contemporary, but not over the top. Delhi-based PR executive Pariena Jain, 33, for instance, wears a mix of salwar-kameez and pants to work. “If I like something, I pick it up. It could be either Indian or western,” she says. With dress codes becoming more elastic as long as the hemline hovers chastely below the knees, skirts and tops, or kurtis with pants are acceptable at the workplace.

The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) which started the India Fashion Week in 2000 may have kickstarted the fashion movement but Indian designers who’ve experimented with ready-to-wear lines have yet to see success. Suneet Varma started Spice and Ritu Kumar started a prêt line, Label, which does above-average sales but nothing compared to a Pantaloons or Provogue. Surviving in the ready-to-wear category will be impossible if designers don’t have corporate backing.

But Rocky S is undeterred by competition and is soon launching Sepia, a contemporary office line for women with Hakoba Lifestyle. “I’m competing with Guess or Mango, but my price point will make the difference,” he says.

The real challenge for companies expanding in the women’s wear space is to crack the impulse DNA to shop, intrinsic in women with a high disposable income. The market is large enough for designers, foreign brands and Indian departmental stores to co-exist and it’s going to get bigger. The shopping revolution has begun and the woman buyer has never had it this good.