Amante on an upswing in India

Sri Lankan apparel exporter MAS Holdings’ lingerie brand Amante is growing strongly in India.

It hopes to break even this year. The director of MAS Holdings Ajay Amalean says they are experiencing phenomenal growth in India, averaging 40 per cent. The category itself is growing at 10 per cent. He also pointed out that their competitors are struggling to break even, even after being in the market for 8-10 years. MAS, which supplies to top international brands like Victoria’s Secret, Nike, GAP and M&S, launched Amante (meaning lover in Italian) in India in 2007. The brand saw economies of scale and the geographical proximity, which was important and they also had the advantage of the Free Trade Agreement. The FTA allows duty free exports of apparel to India. The brand believes in having the right skills, manufacturing excellence, a very reliable supply chain, and design and development skills.

At the time MAS launched Amante, competition was very limited with Triumph at the upper end. The brand remained focused on its specialty product -- bras and panties -- and also used a very effective retail network of department stores. Other foreign brands which tried to enter the Indian market with products made for the markets like UK or Germany did not succeed whereas MAS designed Amante specifically for Indian women. Today, it is listed among the top brands in premium lingerie category. Earlier the brand had plans to start their own stores in a few prime locations but later they changed their plans because of high real estate prices. They prefer using a distribution channel for their retail.