Creative Lifestyle unveils S/S ’15 range of Fusion Beats

Fusion Beats, a women’s label from the house Creative Lifestyle recently unveiled its Spring/Summer 2015 range meant for, what the brand terms ‘a gypsy woman’. “Gypsy embodies the free spirit, the desire to break out from the straight-jacketed, traditional formats. Something out of the box and unique, it is indo-western line having western cuts and western feeling but basic Indian sensibilities,” says Rahul Mehta, Managing Director, Creative Lifestyle.

Since its launch four years ago, the brand is witnessing 30 to 35 percent growth. “This clearly shows the scale of our success,” explains Mehta, adding, “We have started working on the range for next summer. For this we have involved more designers since it will be a designer range. We are hoping to double sales in next couple of years.”

A range for the bohemian woman

Fusion Beats creates western garments with an Indian spirit in them. In reality, it is an amalgamation of Indian ethnic wear and western garments. “We have eight different themes for the current season. The collection is for a woman, who does not want to leave her Indian heritage while wearing western garments. The eight stories are: Denim Studio, Club Tropicana, Tribal Mix, Shibori, Truck Art, Chalkboard Tribe, Earth Deco and Kora,” says Ritu C Jani, Design Head, Fusion Beats, elaborating on the Spring/Summer range.

The fabrics used include rayon, linen, cotton, georgettes and laces. The silhouettes are western and ensembles consist of long maxis with high low hems, beautiful dresses, tops with layering and crop tops that can be paired with long or teared skirts. In denim, the brand has incorporated ethnic motifs. “We have this denim fabric having ethnic jacquard motifs on it or a little hint of colours to the denims so that the ensembles flaunt a fusion wear look. We also have trendy jump suites and dungarees with ethnic embroideries,” explains Jani.

The Truck Art collection is inspired by indigenous art of decorated Indian cultural identity, funky gypsy truck apparel is highlighted with bohemian embroidery, Kutch quilting and smocked skirt with detailed handwork. Chalkboard Tribe range takes inspiration from the classic black and white, done in tribal pattern, while the Earth Deco line is inspired by earth and has flattering cuts which are constructed out of panels of organic linens and viscose. Metal tassels, attractive Aztec tapes, traditional pom-poms and beadwork are the key details.

The Shibori collection based on traditional Japanese Shibori blends with baroque presenting a fresh take on this S/S’15 line. Club Tropicana is a street style range with chic dresses in bold embroideries and placement prints in resort style, whereas the Kora collection brings the new silhouettes, elegant embroideries and lovely laces providing classic approach to the warm weather with simple and flattering designs. And with The Tribal Mix collection, the bohemian look makes a comeback this season.

On a steady growth path

The brand enjoys a strong offline presence. “We are not so strong online since it’s a new medium. We are available with all major e-commerce players. The same is in offline retail, where we are with almost every major player in large format retail. We are in 300 shop-in-shops and nine exclusive stores. Plan is to take this number to 15 by next year. We also have about 200 MBOs. Online, we are a small player but looking for a big growth,” says Mehta.

The company’s other label O₂xygen’s portfolio has not kept the same pace as Fusion Beats. “But we are doing good, learning fast and incorporating new things,” explains Mehta, “We have witnessed 150 per cent growth in Autumn/Winter 2014 in compared to the previous year.”

Mehta believes, women’s wear segment is growing much faster than men’s wear, in both western and ethnic categories. “The demand scenario has changed. Many organised players have entered. Large formats are also launching their own private labels, which are reasonable compared to brands,” he opines.