Just I lines up women’s wear and new EBOs

Ahan Apparel makers of the brand Just I which specializes in men’s denims and shirts is working on plans to launch women’s wear. “We will have women’s wear by 2012, which will be denims and T-shirts. There will be two fits, a slightly narrow

fit and a skinny fit. T-shirts will be polos and crew necks or V-necks,” avers Arvind Gupta, Director Ahan Apparel. What’s more, the price for women’s wear will reflect good value for money.

The brand which has been a major sourcing company for many brands is now ready to launch its autumn/winter collection in stores. Gupta says, “We have taken dark and bright colors for autumn/winter. There are some checks also. In denims we have followed dark tones which are required for the winter season, more of blacks and dark navy with some grey tinge of washings with a little tinting. The specialty of autumn/winter is stretch shirts. We have played on the stretch shirts which also give a casual look and can be used as club wear.”

Also on the anvil is major retail expansion. The plan is to scale up the number of EBOs from 10 at present to 20 by the end of September. “We have stores in Patna, Raipur, Indore, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar and Puri. They range from 300 sq. ft. to 1,100 sq. ft. nearly 90 per cent of these stores are franchisees,” he opines. The new stores are coming up in quick succession from Mumbai to Bhubaneswar. “As a company, we will open a store every 15 days. That makes 24 stores a year. We will have 20 stores by September, so we can en-cash on the festival season,” Gupta adds. The first flagship store will come up in 2012 at Neptune Magnet Mall, in Mumbai. The brand is also targeting newer markets in the east and Northeast like Guwahati, Asansol, Durgapur and Kolkata.

The company which aims to be the fastest growing brand in India is working hard to build up an infrastructure which gives them enough presence across the country as a brand. In fact, the brand is already being sold through select naval canteens.  Gupta explains, “We have got a huge response from the navy. We are present in Goa and Mumbai. In about six to seven months, Cochin is in the pipeline. We will also be approaching CDS, which is a much larger base of 2,600 stores.”