Parvati Fabrics Ltd., are well-known as leaders in manufacturing and trading across India as well as exporting high quality fabrics and designer women’s wear to various countries all over the world. After operating successfully for over 30 years, the company decided to veer away from the beaten path and launched Raisin in August 2018 – an innovative, contemporary clothing line for the modern Indian woman.
Brothers Vikash and Vishal Pacheriwal are the Co-Founders of Raisin and Managing Directors of Parvati Fabrics Ltd.
They grew up in a business household and learned the tricks of the trade at a very young age. From working hard in the manufacturing unit to making successful deals as Managing Directors, they have come a long way. With 30 years of business experience in manufacturing a wide range of premium fabric qualities under their belt, they are all set to conquer the retail market with their ready to wear brand Raisin.
One of the main objectives of the brand is connecting the consumer with the manufacturer. This will not only ensure greater transparency in the garment making process but also will provide greater quality and pricing.
In an exclusive interview with IMAGES Business of Fashion, Vikash and Vishal Pacheriwal outlined their plans for Raisin and talked about how the women’s ethnic market is scoring on the fashion retail charts in India.
Tell us about Raisin and its launch journey?
Raisin was clearly launched to keep up with trends and create a range of apparel that successfully reflects the essence of a modern woman. Keeping this in mind, our overarching objective is to give the consumer a chance to connect with the manufacturer. With Parvati Fabrics Ltd., providing a strong backbone, Raisin fearlessly ventured into the fashion retail space,representing a perfect blend of Indian culture and modern influences. Oneof Raisin’s visions is also to position itself as a brand that provides modern women contemporary fusion wear that is not only exceptionally comfortable, but also stylish! The clothing line comes in a variety of styles including dresses, kurtas, tunics and more – making Raisin an ideal choice for the women of today.
Tell us about your retail spread. What are your expansion plans?
Most brands are available through the mediums of MBOs and EBOs only; Raisin wants to reach a larger audience through its SIS retail model.
The brand is available in cities like Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Surat, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Rajkot, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Muradabad, Dehradun, Saharanpur, Bareily, Anand, Nadiad, Gurugram, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Jammu. Eventually, Raisin wants to launch a minimum of 150 EBOs within a span of 3 years.
Raisin is actively available on the brand’s official e-commerce website, www.raisinglobal.com and is also available on e-commerce giant, Amazon. The brand has an active digital presence through its social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, Twitter and Youtube.
How would you define your customer?
We want to be a relevant force in the women’s retail market. We wish to understand the fashion needs of today’s women in terms of accessibility to the latest trends and giving extreme comfort. The brand’s target audience comprises women aged from 18 to 45 years; thus the wide range in our collection, gives different personalities and styles an array of choices to express their individual sense of fashion.
Tell us about your complete product portfolio?
The maiden collection, the Autumn/Winter/18 line consist as of 4 styles-song of the breeze, the blush of blue, shades of fall and the staple dews.
Entire collection is made in keeping with the season’s colours, styles, and trends, The product line consists of kurtis, dresses, tunics and maxis. The price range starts from Rs 749 and goes up to Rs 4,999.
Any plans of category/product expansion?
Raisin offers comfortable contemporary fusion fashion for women of all ages and preferences and will expand in the same category exploring various styles, in keeping with the latest trends with products like capes, skirts, bottoms, etc.
How crucial are tier-II and -III cities for your brand?
There has been a tremendous increase in the purchasing power for tier-II and -III cities. A large amount of Indian populaton resides in these cities an hence women from these markets accept new trends with a wide assortment of choices offered to them. One more factor which has made these markets an important one is the increase in population of working women. With increase in their purchasing power and with the availability of brands around them these markets are extremely important for any brand today.
Is your brand capitalizing on providing great fashion at affordable prices? How?
Raisin not only provide great fashion at affordable prices, but we also emphasize a lot on offering premium quality, comfort with latest fashion. We all know that clothing is a necessity but paying more for special clothing is a luxury. Everyone can’t afford and thus, to tap into the market, Raisin’s goal is to give the right price without compromising on quality.
Market Conversations
Tell us about the women’s ethnic wear segment in India? What has been the ratio of unorganized to organized players in the country?
In the overall women’s wear segment, the ethnic holds the largest share of 75 percent. This segment is expected to grow at the rate of 9.3 percent annually.
India is a traditional nation with lot of cultural events and festivities. This factor will always push the ethnic wear sales all the year round amongst its consumers.
Many parts of India which are culturally routed prefer only wearing ethnics. So generally seen sarees, salwar kameez, kurtis etc are always in high-demand for festivities and the sale of lehengas picks up during the wedding season.
The women’s wear market is dominated largely by the unorganized sector which is highly fragmented. It has various players in the market offering products in their respective areas mostly through offline channels. Whereas on the other hand the organized sector has a strong set of players in the market which offers products under brand names in a more sophisticated manner both online and offline.
How has fusion wear modernized pure ethnics in the category? Please give details.
The times have changed and so are the customer’s preferences.
More and more consumers are opting for modern approach in everything, including their clothing. Majority of women in tier -I and -II cities have an appetite for western and fusion wear clothing. So fusion wear has been widely accepted due to its nature of offering a blend of modern styles with a touch of ethnicity. Without having to choose between the two, the fusion wear clothing brings both ethnic and modern styles together.
How are product categories like sarees and salwar kameez performing? Has the growing popularity of western wear impacted their sale?
Modernization has definitely hit the everyday wear segment in ethnics. Demand of ethnic clothing is always high but fusion wear has bridged the gap and is being preferred by a lot of women across the country.
How has e-commerce changed the game of selling women’s ethnic wear?
Digitalization has had a huge and positive impact on all aspects of our lives, including the shopping experience. Retail e-commerce giants have taken over fashion shopping with offering quick and easy ways for consumers to order products from different parts of the country. Now, consumers living in remote areas can go online and can shop without the presence of a brand’s brick & mortar store. Online sales have grown in numbers and have taken over huge market revenue in comparison to offline shopping. Online carries ease and time saving attributes which also has pushed sales for the women’s ethnic wear segment.
What is the future outlook of the women’s wear ethnic’s category and what will be its major drivers?
Due to the heavy influence of acceptance of contemporary fashion in ethnic wear and expansion in e-commerce activities, the ethnic wear segment is expected to increase in numbers in the coming years. The key drivers of the category are influencer marketing, media exposure and changes in consumer preferences with time.
