Derby opts for rebranding as a premium brand

Derby, the casual wear mid-segment brand is working on an image makeover to emerge as premium national and international brand. According to Vijay Kapoor founder and chairman of the company Derby Clothing “Right now we are restricted

to the south. By the year-end we are launching in Mumbai and we will be in Delhi by next year and the entire northern belt. We want to be the first national and international brand in the fashion wear segment. We will learn to sell denims in Milan keeping the Indian origin in mind.”

In fact, till January 2010, Derby was a mid segment brand, happy with doing business in south India. However, in January Kapoor realized being a mid segment brand would not help him cross Indian shores. Therefore, he needed to make it a premium brand. So over the last eight months he dismantled the entire organization, resetting the design team, marketing team and manufacturing base. Apart from repositioning the brand image in terms of the market, the products have been redesigned. Even the stores have been dismantled and the concept of Derby 2015 is in place. Kapoor says in 2015, Derby should have 300 exclusive flagship stores across all the fashion capitals of India. “We should be in more than 300 large formats across India. And have 30 international flagship stores across all the fashion capitals of the world, Milan, London, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo.”

Launched in 1994 as a tailor shop, Kapoor’s is a quintessential success story of how a small business turned big. He started off his business with two-machine tailoring unit of 200 sq. ft. under the name of Derby Gentleman Outfitters. In 1998, he started selling the product under the brand name Derby. “I started making and selling readymade shirts and trousers and overnight we became a success.”

The first flagship store is coming up at Chennai’s Express Avenue mall, followed by another store at Chennai’s Anna Nagar and another store at Kochi. The brand plans to be national by early next year. “I won’t compare myself to any national brand because I feel we are much ahead in quality, styling and design element. We will compete with the likes of Jack and Jones and Diesel,” says Kapoor.

He also plans to launch eyewear, footwear, wristwatches and women’s and children wear in down the line. “National extension will first be into the entire men’s accessories. This will happen over the next two years. We have started research on eyewear. The footwear will be absolutely casual and street wear from a denim brand,” explains Kapoor. The brand follows the fast fashion cycle where they come out with a new collection every 60 days from ramp to street wear. “We adapt fashion trends to our country and put it on the street as fast as possible.”

Meanwhile, they are developing a website which will support e-commerce in a year’s time. The brand is also gearing up for an IPO by 2013 or 2014. “We are working right now on systems, processes and making the organization professional and building teams,” concludes Kapoor.