In order to infuse life in its heritage textile brand, Vimal, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) will reinforce its presence in the fashion and lifestyle sector of the country. It will cling unto the fabric segment with a range of new offerings from the brand.
To create a unique place in the cluttered fabric environment of the country for Vimal, Mukesh Ambani led RIL is refurbishing the entire brand by giving it a new look and roping a new creative agency for the same purpose. “We are taking a new and fresh look in the area of fabrics which comprises nearly 80 percent of the textile business. Since the apparel segment is going to take a longer time to grow, it will be fabrics which will continue to be our mainstay,” said Mr. Anand Parekh, President,Textile Divisions, RIL. He added that the company intends to come up with several innovations in the area of fashion and value added fabrics. The new creative agency will revive the brand’s value by putting fresh ideas to promote the brand in the fabrics category. “Every year we try to do something extra in the fabric area and with a new agency we will also be unleashing a new campaign in the next 3-4 months with the launch of several types of fabrics in formal wear and fashion,” added Parekh.
According to the current market trends, the yester-year tailored fabrics are highly in demand. The textile players have moved back to the bespoke or customized model of tailored fabrics. Mr. Parekh feels that fabrics segment has unexplored opportunities for tailoring in areas of ethnic wear and jackets.Vimal is in plans to commence a dedicated line of fabrics sub branded as “Fashion” fabrics for producing ethnic wear, blazer and sportswear.
Vimal is also further planning to expand its store range. Currently, the textile brand owns 20-exclusive stores, 1,700-franchise stores, out of which 400 stores exclusively stock suiting, shirts, trousers and accessories of Vimal. “Expanding through exclusive franchises has been tough. Today, we have a presence across multi-brand retail formats,” said Parekh. The company also imparts tailoring services at all its stores, where the professionals are trained by experts from Italy.
“With the demand for tailored clothing on the rise, Reliance is rebuilding Vimal with renewed focus and trying to make acomeback in the fabric segment,” said Saloni Nagia, President, Technopak.