BY JAGDEEP KAPOOR

In today’s world people aspire and desire for great attire.

Wear your heart on your sleeve.

Tear the clutter with designer clothes.

Care for your grooming because you are making a personal statement.

Today the Indian consumer is forever looking for an outstanding attire combination which comes out of his desire. It may be a kid, housewife, corporate manager or a senior citizen; everyone has a special ‘Attire desire’.

If you walk into shoppers stop in Delhi you get a wide choice of garments with different brand names and styles. The store is flooded with people who would like to splurge money on good, good looking and smart clothing.

The Marks & Spencer at Mumbai is full of international designs of clothing which the sales girl patiently explains as being the same collection as sold at Oxford Street at London or Orchard Road at Singapore.

At Lifestyles or Globus or Pantaloon or Westside or Wills Lifestyle the entire range of the attire for young and old is keeping in line with the latest trends will all national and international brands vying for the consumer attention.
What has suddenly happened to the Indian consumer? He or she was always wanting to be well dressed but the quantum and frequency range and spread that is brought worn discarded and new things bought has increased in intensity to a years large extent.

The main reason according to me is that everyone every individual want to be a human brnad. To be that not only is content important but the packaging component is equally important to succeed. What do you wear? Is it appropriate? How do you carry the clothes you wear? Is ethnic better than foreign for a particular occasion? Which brand of shirt should I be wearing to the office presentation? Arrow or Allen Solly or some other? Which ladies suit should I be wearing to the evening party a Ritu’s or something else. All this is important for Indian consumer because he or she is no longer just an Indian consumer but is a proud Indian consumer and also a world class consumer. Just like a product or a service a human being also needs to be packaged in a manner which reflects his or her personality. Right from head to toe the appropriate packaging of the human firm in terms of his /her attire is becoming more and more significant in the Indian market.

Whether it be a cap or a hat or a turban the appropriate and relevant material as well as the choice of colors make a big difference to the person wearing it. As you move forward the right pair of sunglasses whether they are brands like a Ray Ban or a pair of spectacles, which are branded reflect the outlook and vision of the consumers. It is important to note the consumer whether male of female whether kids or adults whether teenagers or senior citizens are all very conscious about the their looks and feel. With exposure on television and greater travel within India and abroad brand conscious consumers are accentuating their looks and outlooks

In the case of shirts and trousers the brand of Arrow shirts has made major strides in the category and has increased its market share as well as its image in the minds and hearts of consumers. Starting off as corporate attire it has now moved forward in the areas of casual attire also. Other shirt brands which do extremely well are brands like Allen Solly Louis Phillipe, Provogue and many other home grown brands which meet the needs of different people. Gone are the days when the tailor ruled the category. Today the readymade garments industry is worth over ten thousand crores and a major chunk of that is contributed by shirts.

These days the people are very particular in using their pants or shits rather than losing their pants or shirts. Ready made trousers with an excellent fit as well as jeands wheather they be Dockers, Wranglers or Levi’s all of them are aspired for as preferred attire by the Indian consumers. Not only does the Indian consumer want to wear a brand of trousers which is a cut above the rest but he also wants to make sure that he has a wide range both in terms of colours and shapes

Today modern Indian woman also indulges in buying and using the best attire whether it be in terms of western clothing or ethnic wear. Right from brands of sarees like Nalli from the South to Kala Niketan in the west the Indian women want to look good and fuel good. Whether it be Ritu Kumar’s designer wear from the East or branded attire from the north, Indian girl and women are choosing a good blend of western attire and ethnic wear for different locations and different occasions.

Jewellery is an extremely vital part of the Indian attire and brands like Nakshatra, Gilli Agni and D’ Damas offer a wide choice and range. This definitely helps in enhancing the packaging of the human form. Not to be left behind foot wear also brings in a spring in every step of the Indian consumer.

Indian have understood the value of packaging of the human form and their desire for good attire is at its peak. Brand managers look out the Indian consumers have changed their outlook.

Brand packaging of the human form is in. Dress well to win.

Copyright © 2005, All rights reserved with Jagdeep Kapoor – Managing Director, Samsika Marketing Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
No part of this document may be modified, reproduced, stored, deleted or introduced in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (Electronic, Mechanical, Photocopying, Recording or Otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of the document.

The author is Jagdeep Kapoor, Brand Guru and Managing Director of the successful Samsika Marketing Consultancy.
Tel: (022) 28477700/7701 (022) 28470214/15
Fax:022 28477699
E-mail : jkapoor@samsika.com