Designers rendezvous with malls over

They may attract a lot of footfalls, but malls don’t always

promise big business as many designers have learnt the hard way. Fashion designers are shutting down their shops in many high-end malls because of low sales. Also, some are facing problems with franchise owners. Moreover, customers at malls have plenty of ready-wear and high-street brands to choose from. Designer Shantanu Mehra who had opened his store at City Mall in Mumbai says customers who go to a mall are looking for different clothing than what designers cater to. Veteran designer James Ferreira believes the shortsighted business sense of the designers has led to this situation. He feels if a designer wants to cater to the masses, then he/she has to offer prêt lines. For instance, a Ritu Kumar prêt line will do better in a mall than her couture lines. People at a mall are looking for daily wear fashion, which is basically prêt. While a designer’s outfits are more couture.

To enlarge the customer base a designer thinks of opening a store in a fashion hub or a mall but the quality of clients makes all the difference to survive in a mall. It’s only during festivals that some footfalls and orders are seen but high rental is a big issue to survive for the rest of the year. So in the long run it amounts to losses leading to designers shutting shop. Designers like JJ Valaya, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Shantanu and Nikhil, Ranna Gill among others have already moved out of malls. Limited quantities are available, and not all products on display can be purchased. Designers have a limited budget.