Lawman signs Kangana Ranaut as brand ambassador

Fashion

Lawman the casual wear brand from Kewal Kiran Clothing that was launched in 1998, has signed in Bollywood’s latest style icon, Kangana Ranaut as their brand ambassador. As Vikas Jain, Director, Kewal Kiran Clothing explains, “Kangana is now a youth icon

and our brand is associated with youth. So she’s the best choice for us. She’s very stylish. We will be looking at a signature line with her in the future.”

Coinciding

with this festive season, Lawman has launched the Vertebrae collection. What makes it stand out is the design effect of accurate washing and stitching. “The design looks like the human vertebral column. That’s how the look gets generated on the garment. You can’t get the look anywhere else other than in Lawman. Hence, we named it Vertebrae. It is the impression of the vertebrae on the garment,” says Jain.

Lawman also made news not so long ago, for their patented new stitch -- Y-fi. “It is a very innovative concept as there are 60 stitches in one minute, 60 stitches warp and 60 stitches weft. So it looks unique on the garment. At the same time the washing effect adds a different look to this particular stitch. The Y-fi stitch which has been done on a specialized machine is patented and registered by KKCL. Hence any other company has to take a license from us if they want to use the same stitch.”

The brand follows two fashion cycles in a year -- summer and winter. “In all there are four seasons, two fillers and two main seasons. The cycle of replenishment is 30 to 40 days. The percentage of replenishment depends on what sells more at a store,” avers Rakesh Singvi, Brand Manager, Kewal Kiran Clothing. Their product portfolio consists of denims, casual shirts, T-shirts in round neck, collars, polos et al. They also have cotton trousers, basic as well as fashion.

For autumn/winter 2011 the brand will launch pullovers, jackets and skivvies for women. For this coming autumn/winter ’10, they have the Mafia collection in party wear but their main focus will be the sub-brand Vertebrae. The color palette for the Mafia collection will be black. It will include black blazers, vests and tight shiny trousers. “The new range will be priced between Rs 1,299 and Rs 4,000 for blazers. Lawman Pg 3 is where we showcase the party collection. The Mafia collection is under Pg 3,” informs Singhvi.

At the moment, Lawman has around six EBOs—three in Mumbai, one in Bangalore, one in Aurangabad and one in Andhra. These outlets are about 500 sq. ft. and are a mix of franchise and company-run. “By the year-end there will be 15 more stores in places like Ujjain, Patna, Raipur, Bangalore and Chandigarh. Most would be in Tier II cities. We are targeting most of our stores on the franchise model. So there won’t be much investment in terms of retail. It’s a profit-sharing model,” adds Hasmukk Rathod, National Sales Manager, Kewal Kiran Clothing.

Lawman is also present in1,500 MBOs pan India. They operate through the distributor route. They have 18 distributors at present. By March 2011, the brand will increase the number of MBOs by 10 to 15 per cent. They are present in Globus and Central and are in talks with others. “We expect to be in most of the large retailers in coming months,” says Rathod.

Also on the anvil are Lawman fashion wear, foot wear and image wear. “With the brand getting popular, all kinds of lifestyle products will be developed. Personal care will have face wash, hair gel, deos and perfumes. We will be taking the licensing route. Innerwear and eye wear will also be under licensing, informs Jain.

Lawman