Cadini brings Italian excellence to India through Siyaram

Leading domestic textile company Siyaram Silk Mills has inked a joint venture with Italian lifestyle brand Cadini. The company has bagged ownership rights to manufacture and market Cadini brand of fabrics in India, Sri Lanka and a few countries in the Middle East.

Elaborating on the association, Daniella Nicolle Faralli, Brand Director, Cadini said, “The 40-year-old brand, Cadini, is a genuine Italian brand. We have known Siyaram and Ramesh Poddar for over 15 years so decided to enter a partnership with Siyaram. We wanted someone with a good knowledge of Indian market, with strong manufacturer, and ability to offer Cadini products at Indian prices with a good network of sales.” Explains Ramesh Poddar, Chairman and MD, Siyaram Silk Mills “We want to give Indian consumers Italian feel at a reasonable price by customising it to our market. Some products will be imported from Italy, but a major portion will be from India. We will bring the Italian innovation and manufacture it over here.”

Eyeing India market share

Cadini is looking forward to positive growth through its new partnership. For the moment, the JV will focus on textiles and fabrics. “In Italy, we do only ready-to-wear. We source fabrics, do not sell fabrics. Ready to wear in India will be the next step. As of now, everything Cadini does is made in Italy. However, for the last few years, we have been seeing some gap in prices of lifestyle segment, which we may look at. The making of Cardini in India and exporting to other countries, may be possible, but we may explore it later,” avers Faralli..

Cadini had earlier tried to enter Indian retail spacem so it’s not new market for the company. “We did make some sales with certain retailers but we did not have a strong distribution set-up. And Siyaram offers this to us. We will cater mainly to the mid-premium price segment along with offerings for a high priced segment,” explains Faralli.

Prices for Cadini products will be different from Siyaram prices. The agents and distributors too will be different, though both will operate from the same office. “We have distributors and agents all over India. We will begin with 100 wholesalers. In future, we may have a shop-in-shop with textile retailers. We are targeting all Indian cities,” she adds.

Italian excellence for Indian customers

Florence-based Cadini, adheres to traditional Italian manufacturing. Italy has a strong tradition of garment making and fashion. In Italy, Cadini is a considered a premium brand. Cadini Italy also exports high quality products exclusively made in Italy right from fabric to the finished product to other countries. The men’s wear offerings include shirts, suits, ties, pants and accessories.

“However, it was important for us to expand into the Indian market,” says Faralli, adding, “We can help with knowhow of product and design. We can introduce fashion innovations into Indian market. We can also put Indian tastes into the product along with some Italian fashion. Overseas markets like China, South America and Central America are important for us in the high-end segment.”

Most products will be made in India since if the company imports them, they will be expensive. The brand will work as per traditional summer and winter seasons and have a range of 50 suiting and 50 shirting and jackets. Shirting will be both in linen and cotton and designs will be inspired by Italian designs. Talking about the collection, Faralli says, “We have 100 percent linen, 100 percent long staple cotton. Everything is with woven cellulose. We have linen jackets, TR jackets. We are developing different finishes for India, new yarn blends. We have developed new products for the brand that will be unveiled for the first time here in India. The high end products will be made in Italy.”