Juliet plans a collection aimed at teens and men

Women’s innerwear label Juliet has aggressive expansion plans. The company is looking at launching two or three new collections for youngsters 16 to 25 year-old called Juliet Teens.

Teens in focus

The new range will woo teenagers and as Shashikant Trevadia, Managing Director, Juliet Apparels says “This in-house designed range and can be worn during day and night, for walking or to the gym. We are targeting the new generation. We are also thinking of launching lounge wear for men and boys by mid-2015,” informs.

Juliet has a presence all over India through 12,000 MBOs. “In two or three years we hope to take that number up to 20,000 MBOs. We export to UAE and have an office in Dubai. We have factories in Mumbai, Bangalore, Rajkot and Sri Lanka. All the factories are company owned and we supply 65 percent of our demand. We are opening a new capacity in Mumbai on two lakh sq. ft. area,” says Trevadia.

While he thinks brand loyalty is high, he is inducing retailers to educate customers decide which product suits their body type. “That will help retailers retain customers while benefitting customers as well. We prefer this method of directly reaching than through the mass media,” he explains.

The brand was launched in 1976 in the mid-premium segment. The collection consists of premium and basic panties, bras, kurtis , leggings, salwar suits , T-shirts, denims, tunics and tops. Trevedia feels, Indian consumers are not price sensitive anymore. “They are ready to spend. We have a premium bra segment called ‘Body from Juliet’ which is priced at Rs 500 to Rs 900. This product is made in Sri Lanka. We have a tie-up with a company there,” he informs.

Township for under-privileged women

The company also has strong CSR initiatives. It offers products free of cost to cancer patients. “We are devising new concepts for them. We enable such women anywhere in the world to specify their requirements on our website and we deliver. For this purpose, we have a separate factory,” avers Trevadia. It is also building a township for women in Gujarat to help them become independent by training them in design and development.

The township will have resident garment factories, similar to China. “The aim is to empower women from less-privileged backgrounds,” states Trevadia, adding, “We will train women in designing through NIFT graduates. Later we will have a tie-up with some institute. Women will form 90 percent of the workforce. We will enter into a three year contract with them. The salary will go into their account every month. For 15 days, every year, they would be free to visit their home towns. After three years, if they choose to remain with us, we will arrange for their marriage and bear the expenses. After marriage, they have a choice to continue with us.”

The township will be eco-friendly with green spaces and modern facilities like theaters, gyms, parlors, spas and hospitals. India has states which have a large proportion of marginalized people. The company will have tie-ups with social workers in those states.