Raymond goes ‘exotic’ with its new S/S ’16 collection

Design innovation with world-class quality and latest colours has been the hallmark of Raymond, making the brand ingenious over time. In keeping with this, Raymond has come up with its Spring/Summer ’16 collection inspired by the theme ‘Ingenious’ which means, a clever idea of invention which is known for its originality.

An ingenious range for S/S ’16

The colours for the new range emerge as a fusion of vintage and contemporary shades, there is a fresh palette for the summers. The design trends in the new collection include micros, checks with fine decorations and structure designs, while the fabric is fine dobbies, unconventional jacquard designs and prints, which have added elite fashion to the range. Speaking about the ‘Exotic Collection’, Ram Bhatnagar, Vice-President & Head-Sales & Distribution says, “It is an important part of our entire offering, synonymous to innovation, the new colours for the season, which we present after a lot of research.” Explaining further about the range he says, “This time, we are focussing on four trendy colours for the season. That’s how it starts in terms of fashion, and what consumers are looking for. It comes from a lot of research, the head of design team travels to Europe and sees what is in trend and what is apt for the Indian consumer.”

The colour palette for the new collection includes, bronze, which is a new metallic shade for the season with royal vintage look; pool blue, a fresh shade depicting the cool and refreshing attributes of colour blue. Emerald green, a saturated tone created by mixture of sea blue and algae green colour, which has evolved as a new trendy shade for the coming season. And earthy red, which is a matured and rusty cast of red that can add subdued bling to an article.

Explaining the new product line and innovation gone into it, Kishor Bhatia, Director-Product says “The Indian consumer is very demanding and their demands are changing fast. Initially, the focus was on quality and feel and now it has shifted to the look of the garment.” However, along with the look, the consumer is also aware about quality. So, it is very challenging to bring the new look with better performance, comfort, which is the key for Raymond. Bhatia says, the consumer is looking for value addition, so the question is how to bring this to the Indian consumer. “We do this by using fine microns of wool, exotic fibres, such as cashmere, angora, pashmina, etc. We try to make and develop a fabric, which is more suitable for India conditions along with the fashion element. That’s how we are driving the trend,” he explains.

Readymade vs stitched

With the onslaught of readymade garments, it is a challenge for fabrics and textiles. As Bhatnagar says, “We believe textiles will continue to grow and it is challenging, because if you look at the entire space, apparel is growing faster compared to the over-the-counter fabric. But Raymond always believed in investing in the brand and over the years, we have continued to invest in the brand. While the overall market for textiles may have gone down, it worked well for us because we have grown as we believed in brand investment and efforts we put in for the product.”

Bhatnagar also believes readymade plays a bigger role thus innovation is important. Raymond does offer a made-to-measure service in the bespoke luxury segment, which they are promoting. Bhatia feels readymade focuses on limited things and cannot offer a wide range. “Also, when you offer fabric plus stitching as a solution, you are making the garment as per your personalised fit, style and personalised fabric. Fabric and tailoring offers this unique value proposition. It brings a differentiation, a new personalised look. In Europe, to get fabric stitched is a luxury and in India it is an opportunity. So this is a big USP for the textile business. We are continuously investing in that,” he explains.

As for competition Bhatnagar believes Raymond is in a leadership position. “We have a market share of around over 75 percent in worsted wool, polywool. So there’s not much competition for us but there are many players in the overall apparel category. Even though international players are in the market today, the biggest strength for Raymond is the offering, any brand, global or domestic cannot offer the large collection that we present. In a year, we present more than 40,000 different types of fabrics, which is impossible for any apparel brand. The wide range, different products, fibres and colours we offer are huge,” he avers.

Bhatnagar believes that future for textiles and fabrics is bright. As for Raymond, the brand caters to each and every target audience. “We have a Chairman’s Collection, which is extreme luxury and we have another collection, for Rs 500-700 also. That is a challenge where we have to cater to different segments, different Tier cities. We are positive about the future,” he concludes.