With eyes on European market, Myntra opens London office

After establishing a strong presence in India, leading online fashion platform Myntra

is now looking at foraying into the European market. The Bangalore-based company is currently in the process of setting up an office in London and also has plans to expand its reach to New York in about a year. Meanwhile it has roped in Masaba Gupta as Creative Director of Anouk. The young designer known for her quirky design sense, was serving as the Fashion Director of Satya Paul for last two years, which ended a couple of months ago.

The London office is expected to look after its partnerships with brands in UK and Europe, while liaising with European design studios, following global fashion trends and generating fashion content. The company was acquired by online marketplace Flipkart earlier this year for an estimated amount of 370 million dollars or about Rs 2,200 crores. Keeping its big global plans in view, the company has appointed Mark Sebba, who retired as Chief Executive of UK-based online high-fashion group Net-a-Porter earlier this year. He would act as an advisor to its London office.

Riding high on the success of its private labels, the company plans to join hands with 20 brands to launch their product lines exclusively on its platform. The company has tied up with brands like Puma, Vero Moda, Jack and Jones, Biba, Lee and Wrangler, among others, to launch over 1,000 styles around the festive season to attract eyeballs and increase sales.

Meanwhile Gupta’s is at the Myntra office in Bangalore, taking stock of things. Her mandate is not only creating two collections every year but also overseeing the overall look and feel of Anouk, a more casual brand aimed at the masses, unlike Satya Paul, which was more luxury-oriented.

She recently launched a capsule collection of saris and accessories inspired by Chetan Bhagat’s book, Half Girlfriend. She was also roped in by Women’s International Cricket League (WICL) to create women’s cricket apparel. Her design label Masaba associated with WICL as the official sporting apparel design partner.