B:Kind to open three stores this year

With plans of opening three stores this year, B:Kind Clothing for women is targeting a CAGR of over 30 percent over the next few years and at over 20 percent over the longer term. Divulging details on how the company enjoys the upper-hand among

the tough competition from global western wear brands, Vidhi Shah, Creative Director, B:Kind Clothing says, “We have a first mover advantage in Tier II, III cities. The growth of international brands will not be very quick as they will look at acceptability first. Also we design our clothes with the Indian consumer in mind this is not the case with large companies who come to India. Prices are kept relatively low and we work on smaller margins, which for these brands will be difficult as they would want to maintain the level of their global pricing strategy.”

B:Kind is now looking for private equity funding to strengthen the brand. This will help them build brand recall and increase brand loyalty based on their quality and value.” The brand that we have developed, has been created purely keeping in mind the fashion scenario in India and the customer. However, the concept, feel and look of the brand can be compared to global standards,” adds Shah.

However, talking about the challenges of creating women’s western clothing in tune with today’s trends and quality standards, Shah explains that a brand like B:Kind is very difficult to develop and large scale production is hard. “The challenge is of sourcing good quality raw materials for women’s wear. It is sourced locally and is quite expensive to find. And since people in Tier II, III cities are not yet open to experimenting with pure ‘western wear’, breaking that stereotype is difficult, hence the quantum that we do currently could be drastically improved if we manage to educate the customer on this product. We design region wise and this planning takes up to six months, so we work on a season six months in advance.”

The brand is with 250 MBOs and the company also exports to a retail group with a 100 stores in the Middle East, who ensure that the brand gets enough shelf space. “We are slowly penetrating Egypt and increasing our presence in other counters of the Middle East. We are always open to selling to buyers in Europe and America,” states Shah. The collection is also available on e-commerce platform majorbrands.in and would soon be on Snapdeal, Jabong, Myntra and Fashionara as well.

While the brand’s collection focuses on top wear including jackets, coats, hosiery and dresses, this season, the company has introduced denims for women. Elaborating on the range, Shah says, “We have made a lot of neon colored styles in loose and comfort fits since that is the need of the day. Our range also comprises of different fabrics in solid colours that are a mandate for spring summer. We have added a new line called a ‘the new influencer’ which has some incredible mix and match techniques and prints.”