From two stores in March 2009, Bombay High, a formal wear brand for both men and women, has grown to 13 stores within a span of little over two years. What’s more, this autumn/winter, the brand is set to launch Bombay High Sport,
a premium line of colorful and suave casuals from denims to dresses, with new, designs in a classic format. The brand name aims to capture the essence of the metro it was born in, the city that never sleeps and is always full of energy. Its target audience is the young and vibrant crowd who are the makers of tomorrow. Right now Bombay High is focusing on apparel and the men’s tie category. But by autumn/winter 2012, the brand’s plan is to explore and expand more into the leather goods category like shoes, belts, wallets and bags. It is also working on a cuff links line.
The journey began in 2004 when the director of Mumbai-based Cottstown Fashion, Saurabh Pradhan, decided to try his luck in the garment business. He started by working for the garment industry in Mumbai on contract. Bombay High opened in 2008 and is today readying to become a global unisex apparel brand. It covers not just Mumbai but other metros and cities like Delhi, Chennai, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Aurangabad etc. Pradhan believes that there is a lot of buying potential in Tier II and Tier III cities, where people have a lot of aspirations to buy high quality, branded products. “There would be a lot of growth in these segments in the next three to five years as all good brands would have then entered these untapped markets.” Their aim is to aggressively penetrate the premium market by providing the best quality products, constant innovations in design and efficient customer service.
As of now the brand retails only through EBOs and there are 13 of them at the moment. Bombay High plans to scale up the number of EBOs to 25 by March 2012. “We are penetrating the national market. In the north, we are currently focusing on Delhi-NCR and Punjab. In the south, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are the prime focus. We would not just be expanding within India, we plan to simultaneously enter the European markets as well,” says Pradhan. By March 2012 Bombay High expects a turnover of around Rs 35 crores. Meanwhile, the e-commerce portal is under construction and online selling worldwide will take off thereafter.
