Prêt-a-portal: Hi fashion on virtual ramp

It’s an exclusive online fashion store that’s how www.99lables.com can be best described. The members only retail store started by Ishita Swarup along with Anchal Jain and Anup Prakash in 2009, is one of its kind in India since the time

it was incepted. “Nobody in India has done it till now, trying to sell fashion lifestyle as a category. One had more doubts before starting on it than after. We had reservations and people dissuaded us. With that as a background what we have managed to achieve has come as a surprise. We have seen growth and women buying our products,” says Swarup. Indeed the trio took a concept which is internationally a huge success and translated it in the Indian context.

The site has numerous built-in features which address the touch and feel aspect. It offers a huge style range and if one is not satisfied, they have an easy return policy. It also offers a cash-on-delivery option if people don’t want to use credit cards. While membership is free, it’s strictly by invitation. There are three ways by which one can become a member explains Swarup. “We have people in metros that we want as our members. However, the need of people in Tier II-III towns is that they have no access to a lot of brands. So we give them access to products and services at their doorstep. We focus a lot on people in these towns. We also talk to NRIs who want to buy say a Ritu Kumar garment. There are a lot of Indian designers we offer to our NRI audience. So these are the three specific consumer groups we cater to,” she says. From time to time they send out invitations. Also the site does select digital advertising. “Demographically we are focused on anyone between 22 to 40 years. And if you manage to find us, we allow you to register. Then we do a lot of work through the media. We are active on Facebook and Twitter. We have our own blog and are featured on some fashion blogs,” explains Swarup.

Of course, getting the big brands on board was not a big deal. In fact, the site has roped in a number of top brands and designers. On offer is apparel from Wills Lifestyle, Beverly Hills Polo Club, Cadini, Satya Paul, Tie Rack of London, Ritu Kumar, Rina Dhaka, and Ashish Soni’s. Watch brands like Cavali and Moschino are available. They have done Esprit, Guess, Kenzo watches as well. For children the site has offered a lot of Disney merchandise from time to time. Okaidi, a French brand, for children too has been retailed through the site.

As the site catches on, Swarup is confident of bigger things in the future. On the anvil are association with movies and fashion shows for marketing purposes and deals around events and special days. Also on the cards is increasing the member base.