Accessories the new focus of apparel stores

Fashion is not just about wearing trendy clothes, accessorizing your clothes is equally important. And the Indian women seem to have understood this very well now. While customers of luxury brands have been indulging in accessories for years,

now it’s the discerning middle class women who have been swayed by the trend. As Amol Dhillon, VP-strategic Planning, Aero Group avers, “Accessories have always been important and says a lot about a person. It’s an extension of one's personality and what accessories you wear reflect on the kind of lifestyle you lead and visualize for yourself.” Manmohan Aggarwal, Director Bigshoebazaar.com further elucidates, “The demands of today’s customers are forcing organizations to focus their energies on developing this category. It is no longer viewed as filler rather it’s seen as a revenue stream with a huge growth potential.”

According to Govind Shrikhande, CEO of Shoppers Stop, over the last two years, they have seen that women’s wardrobe is being dominated by western wear. This in turn has led to growth not just in western clothes, but also boosted a need for accessories to go with this wardrobe. "Ten years ago, the apparel-non-apparel ratio was 75:25. Today, it’s 51:49. And accessories account for a major chunk of non-apparel," says Shrikhande. Ishita Swarup, CEO and Co-founder of 99labels adds, “The growth of accessories for women and men stand at between 10-15 per cent per annum.” In fact, for urban India, fashion and lifestyle is no longer related to just items of clothing; it has evolved from a pair of shirt and trousers to the right match of tie, socks, shoes etc. Similarly, for a woman -- the bag, the earrings, the stole or the scarf and the sunglasses hold great significance. Swarup feels accessories are no longer viewed as add-ons, but products in their own right.

Perhaps that is why most apparel brands have been focusing a lot on accessories in their product line. Woodland which is known for its apparel and shoes range is focusing a lot on bags these days. Dhillon says, “The person who is an outdoor enthusiast wants to take that spirit everywhere they go and for that they need bags for all occasions. We have belts, wrist bands, shoes accessories to a name a few.” The brand is planning to launch a new line of 100 per cent UV protection sunglasses in the coming year. Apart from this they plan to introduce GPS navigation watches for people who love traveling off the beaten path. Similarly, when Brandhouse Oviesse started rolling out their OVS stores, accessories accounted for around 10 per cent of the store merchandise. But looking at the response they are now planning to increase it.

Shoppers Stop too has its shop-in-shops for brands like Hidesign, Guess and Charles & Keith for bags; they increased merchandise in their private label Eliza Donatein and introduced bags in their apparel label Haute Curry. And while increasing the assortment of accessories by 25 per cent, they have seen an annual sales growth of 60 per cent in this segment over the past two years. Kabir Lamba, MD of Lifestyle says the demand for accessories has increased so much that sometimes, it is even the other way around —an interesting bag guides some customers to pick clothes they like. Both their private labels of Lifestyle — Ginger and Paprika — introduced accessories over the past three years and have seen annual sales growth of around 30 per cent.

Interestingly, the growth of accessories is still largely restricted to women as Indian men are still to learn to match their belts, wallets and cufflinks with each their clothes. Also, brands too need to spice up their offerings for to attract more buyers.