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After acquiring majority stake in Ahmedabad-based Bandhej earlier this year, ethnic retailer Fabindia is in the process of scaling up the Indian craft-inspired brand to tap into the bridge to luxury segment.
Concept storesThe handcrafted and curated apparel, targeting women, will have separate concept stores to capitalise on the niche category.
“Lot of products are not Fabindia’s core strength. We don’t stock several high-end apparels in Fabindia as it distorts the customer’s perception of the brand.
We will be using the Bandhej platform to retail such craft-oriented apparel line,” Willam Bissell, Founder, FabIndia told Business Line .
Bandhej’s range starts from ₹2500 to over ₹40,000 plus. Started in 1981 by the National Institute of Design alumna Archana Shah, Bandhej has 10 mono-brand stores.
Bissell said Fabindia had acquired 51 per cent stake in Bandhej in January this year for an undisclosed amount.
Besides retail expansions, Fabindia will also be looking at e-commerce channel targeting buyers in overseas market.
Recently, Fabindia launched its western wear line Fabels. The company has been looking at various retail options to tap consumers who are attracted to fashion with contemporary twists.
Fabindia had a revenue of ₹540 odd crore in FY13. PE firm L Capital has stake in Fabindia.
Mono-brand storesArchana Shah, Founder, Bandhej, said, “We offer a range of products in apparels with contemporary sensibilities. We are looking to add 20-30 mono-brand stores in the next three years.
“The stores will be in the range of 1500-2,000 sq feet. Shah said the company may also look at footwear and accessories in near-term to create a complete ensemble.
New directions“Currently, we are focused only on apparels for women.
Craft is not treated like fashion novelty to be forgotten when not in vogue.
The attempt has been to constantly find new design directions for the same crafts,” she said.
While Fabindia will provide specifics on locations and building the retailing experience, Bandhej will manufacture and manage inventory from its head office in Ahmedabad.
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