ColorPlus keeps its focus on colour, comfort, craftsmanship

With men’s fashion evolving in terms of style, fabric and trends brands are becoming creative and innovative with their offerings. ColorPlus, the popular label from Raymond, known for its smart casuals, is among the frontrunners in men’s fashion. And Hetal Kotak, COO, Park Avenue and ColorPlus, underlines ColorPlus is known for its linen and the brand has been a dominant player in this space for nearly 20 years. Explains Hetal Kotak, “It has two broad clusters, one is Irish linen, which has a slight wrinkle-resistant finish on top; and the other is euro linen, which is fine linen washed, very supple and user-friendly. These two linen portfolios are one of the most premium selling brands in the space of linen shirts in the country.”

Linen has a loyal customer base and there are those who await the next offerings. “Even a new colour is also well-received. In fact, in the last trade show we did was on S/S ’16. The growth in linen category for us, with a fairly high base, was more than 40 per cent,” adds Kotak.

Rising awareness boosts category

Kotak points out consumers are aware about what to wear and when. Moreover, they like to experiment with their clothes as well, which enables them to try new things. “Thus, they may wear a crisp formal shirt, pair it with denim and wear a formal jacket. Eventually, the product on its own may stands for something, and what may be created out of it maybe something else,” explains Kotak.

ColorPlus adheres to consumers demand and the brand’s designers create and follow segmentation at the brand level. “Some of the usages determine how the end product looks,” avers Kotak. While casuals, or rather smart casuals are catching up, the super-premium segment is also doing well, opines Kotak. Therefore, in semi-formals brands are creating a ‘premium’ segment. “In ColorPlus we have a line called a ‘premium line’, which is focussed on premium products starting from Rs 4,000-4,500 going up to Rs 10,000,” explains Kotak.

Focusing on strong retail presence

As for retail presence and customer loyalty, Kotak states that the brand enjoys immense loyalty amidst customers and they have 125 retail stores across the country already. And in these 75 percent of business comes from loyal consumers. “These customers give us priority whenever we launch a new product. We don’t need to go with a promotion to them and if we do genuine innovation and have a good product. We come out with innovations, share with our customers, and then actual consumption takes place,” he explains.

Moreover, the brand also works on retail strategy to combat the onslaught of international brands. “We are game for competition. ColorPlus has been rubbing shoulders with international brands and commanding an equal premium or more than any of these brands with ease,” says Kotak. “Currently we are working on sharp TV commercials. For e.g., we have worked on a nice new retail identity for ColorPlus. It was launched around two and a half years ago and today there are 45 retail stores with that retail identity,” he adds. Thus, Kotak believes ‘premium’ is something that is perceptive. He feels if the product is excellent, it will enable consumers’ perception to move with effective communication. He also believes that Indian brands bring international trends and they understand the Indian mindset better.

Kotak says, “ColorPlus it is based on three attributes: colour, comfort, and craftsmanship. These are the pillars of the brand.” Also, as far as ColorPlus goes, Kotak says it is not about the young or old customer. The brand is about a discerning customer, who has an exclusive taste. “For that customer we have always been relevant’ we are only enhancing the relevance.” In conclusion Kotak says that in the casual space, ColorPlus is a frontrunner when it comes to comfort and craftsmanship. “These are the two larger segments we are focussed on,” he sums up.