109 ̊F launches a breezy summer collection with designer Nishka Lulla

High street fashion label 109˚F and fashion designer Nishka Lulla unveiled their brand new collection at Tote on the Turf. The collection features jumpsuits, dresses, Nishka’s signature twin sets and more. The dominant motifs were dreamcatchers and florals accompanied by summery hues. The collection will be in stores in the first week of April.

Light and breezy, ideal for young women

The collection is ideal for the hot summer days. Bollywood newbie Athiya Shetty made a quick appearance at the show in a stunning bright sunflower yellow dress. The wide range of designs gives the young women a variety to choose from. It is inspired by the floral and tribal arts, and reflects the bohemian mood of the urban girl who is passionate and footloose. The young designer Nishka says, “The highlight of the collection is that it’s comfortable and can be worn for summer. It’s full of mix and match. I have used a lot of bohemian influences. I have used embroidery and motifs. It’s about creating something new on your own. There is a sensibility that’s mine that’s common in the collection I have done and my label.”

Women’s fashion is dynamic

The consumer is very smart and aware today. He knows about all the latest international trends and doesn’t mind experimenting. For the consumer the product is the hero. Besides, people like fabrics with good drapes and falls, and also which are maintenance free. Women’s fashion is the most dynamic as it keeps changing all the time. In the last couple of years, polyester has been one of the key fabrics that are being used. Also, fibres like viscose are coming in. And customers don’t mind buying different fabrics as long as there is comfort and style. What matters is the silhouette. Similarly, solids are important. For a company that has been in women’s fashion for the last 40 years, 109˚F is confident of giving the best to its women consumers. And as Radhesh Kagzi, President, Creative Lifestyles says, “It’s a very dynamic segment of business followed by children’s wear.”

Creative Group, the force behind 109˚F clothes, is among India’s leading exporters. It exports to most leading fashion houses across Europe and America. In 2006, it brought international fashion options with Indian sensibilities. And as Virendra Aggarwal, Chairman, Creative Lifestyle opines, “I expect 109˚F to have a good positioning in the next few years. And we are ready for competition. Competition keeps things alive. Indo western or fusion clothing has a great future.”

Lulla is a young fashion designer who is the brain behind two established clothing lines: Nisshk which is a traditional fusion line and the recent Nishka Lulla, the boho traveller chic pret-a-porter line. It was at the Lakme Fashion Week 2009 when she won the Creative Excellence Award for the ‘Barbie all Doll’d up’ show that she came into the limelight.

On teaming with Lulla, Rahul Mehta, MD, Creative Group says, “We looked for someone young, vibrant, having an emotional connect with our young consumers and zeroed in on her. We had a couple of briefings with her. And she came out with a vibrant and colorful collection. We launched it near Holi. At the moment designer collection is 10 to 12 per cent of our range.” Mehta say till now they have focused on large format stores and MBOs. “We thought it necessary for a brand to have exclusive outlets. In the first seven years, we opened 20 EBOs. In the last year, alone we opened 40. Over the next 18 months we will have another 40. EBOs will give us much better control over our selling processes, better engagement with the consumer. These stores would be either be 109˚F or Fusion Beat. There would be some stores, especially in Tier II and III, which would have both brands. But these would be very few.”

Mehta went on to explain they have launched a brand exclusively for the MBO market which is younger version of 109˚F. “It won’t be available at our EBOs or large formats. We won’t be doing any promos. It will be an Indianised version of western wear. There will be a five to ten percent overlap between the two brands in the product line. But there will be a distinction between the product positioning, the brands’ personalities. 109˚F is western wear. Fusion Beats is for the adventurous woman who wants to let go of inhibitions, who wants to freak out,” Mehta summed up.