Ello peps up bridge-to-premium kids’ segment

India’s kids’ wear segment is growing at an exponential rate, and this has created endless possibilities for many players. New entrant, Ello, aimed at both boys and girls is tapping the potential of bridge-to-premium segment. “*The journey began in April 2013, as we saw a huge potential in branded kids’ wear space and a gap in bridge to premium segment. The idea was to create a brand with international appeal,” says *Anju Shetty, Business Head, *Zivene Design & Development, the company behind Ello.

Banking on market prospects

Having adopted global trends and designs in its collections, Ello lays special emphasis on child safety parameters, which is one of its biggest USP. For the new season, the collections are inspired from European countryside called ‘Assembled’ to pop art era called ‘Intuitive’, and so on. “We have understood that kids want to show their lifestyle through how they project themselves. We play a lot with fabrics, silhouettes and wash techniques. This makes our casual wear special and fashionable. We have also incorporated elements like heat transfer labels instead of the traditional cotton/polyester labels, which makes our casual wear more comfortable,” says Shetty, elaborating on the collection.

For A/W 2015-16, the brand has experimented with interesting combinations and shades of bright, vibrant, earthy tones. Shetty says, shades of yellow, juicy orange, coral pink, peach, pillar-box red, chestnut, Irish blue and French navy colours are the flavour of the season globally. “Denims are evergreen, as per the child safety norms we follow, denim fits are such that they don’t hamper a child’s blood flow. We also have styles based on current global trends i.e., denims with cloud wash and/or vintage wash, med indigo, light indigo and dark indigo’s and tending towards the jap indigo look. In denims a lot of innovation is happening around knitted, looper fabrics, our denims have it too,” she adds.

Ello uses 100 percent cotton fabric and experiments with wovens, knits, herringbone fabrics, Madras checks, indigenously developed indigo fabrics, etc. “We are launching an interesting line of footwear. We are waiting for it to go on the floor next month. Leather boots, classic shoes, slim fashionable ballerinas, name it and you might just have the next flaunt worthy pair,” avers Shetty.

Retail opportunities for Ello

“There are a number of unexplored markets both within India and abroad. What remains a challenge is how to priorities these and succeed in the operational feasibility of servicing all,” opines Shetty, talking about the retail expansion plans.

Metros still continue to be a priority for the brand. Ello, started retailing with a focus on top 25 cities in India and is now expanding to cities like Guwahati, NCR, Chandigarh among others. “We have a presence in 61 large format outlets, 26 multi brand outlets and 13 online partners. We are growing rapidly with more channels of sales adding up,” informs Shetty.

Metros and Tier I cities contribute 64 percent of the company’s revenues and Tier II, III contribute 36 percent. In the next two to three years, the company anticipates growth from smaller towns to exceed metros and Tier I cities, with the revenue contribution still skewed towards larger towns.