Corneliani continues its focus on India’s luxe market

Corneliani, the luxury Italian menswear brand recently launched a new range of suits, tuxedos and cashmere scarfs, as a part of its winter offerings. Growing at 10 to 12 per cent per annum in India, the brand is looking at keeping the same growth pace this year. With the ongoing wedding and winter season, the brand feels the market is promising for men’s suits and winter wear, especially top-of-the-range designer wear while there is constant market for basic suits throughout the year.

Exclusivity is the key

Designed for the demanding, fashion-conscious man, the brand combines most refined fabrics with tailoring details that creates the most graceful look. Sleek, inconspicuous shapes, precious materials can be felt under the subdued veneer. The new collection of suits has a varied but distinct range of colours and trendy checks. There are different blends such as cashmere and silk as well as all seasons’ suits with finest counts along with unique blends of wool and silk. Since Corneliani is known for finest tailoring with the preservation of hand sewing, the suits don’t come cheap, the price range starts at Rs 1 lakh and depending on the fabric count and may go up to Rs 6 lakh. Recently, Cornelani has started offering made-to-measure fabrics, where customers can select fabrics, patterns and linings of their choice and get the suit customised.

Prem Dewan, Retail Head of Corneliani says, “Our target audience is the younger generation as we are have tremendous innovation in our stuff. Our new range of jackets testifies the scale of our popularity among the youth. We have club wear in different combinations.” Dewan says, although their classic suit portfolio sells well throughout the year, the new India-inspired collection, specially crafted for Indian men, comprising tuxedos will do well. “People are experimenting and trying out new products, they are enthusiastic about new categories and trends, adapting them fast. Theme weddings are happening, giving the tuxedo market a boost. The category is becoming an essential part of cocktail and reception parties, people are wearing tuxedos to award functions and ceremonies to standout,” explains Dewan.

He says Cashmere scarfs sell well in winters and they have recently launched their India-inspired collection which is doing fabulously well. Suits this year are more dapper and well fitted. Light weight fabrics suitable for all seasons are favoured as they are easy to maintain, crush free and long lasting and the company is now trying out a special range using neno-technology which provides water-repellent effects to their product making this range popular throughout the year.

Nearly 60 percent of the brand’s suits are in the formal segment, business suits and suits for other important occasions. It also has a new range of tuxedos, tuxedo jacket along with a range of casuals such as sports jackets and cotton trousers, shirts, pullovers,track suits and other men’s accessories.

The brand is retailed through three EBOs at the moment located in Taj Mumbai, a store in Bangalore and Delhi’s DLF Emporio Mall. “We are very limited and exclusive, we target only the niche market. Luxury is evolving in India, people have enough money to spend. In future, we may set up more EBOs in other cities,” opines Dewan. Although Corneliani faces challenges such as the scarcity of luxury retail destinations in India and certain government policies, the company is still expecting its usual steady growth rate to continue this fiscal.