Shloka: Ethnic kids’ wear in the offing

Growing at 25 to 30 per cent every year, ethnic wear brand Shloka from Nem Creation is targeting a 40 to 50 per cent growth in the coming two to three years. The brand will also introduce kid’s ethnic collection apart from doubling its men’s

ethnic range. Talking about Sholka’s journey since its inception in 2005, Nikhil Khimshia, Director, says, “Initially, business was good there were few manufacturers, so a large vacuum and big margins. We had no difficulties establishing the brand. Our competitive price range of kurta is from Rs 1,500 to Rs 7,500; sherwanis starts from Rs 3,500 and going up to Rs 35,000. We are also into exports, exporting our product to nine countries including UK, US, Singapore and Bangladesh.”

The Shloka range goes to 150 retailers in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The brand now has plans to enter the Northeast and Rajasthan. “Going ahead, we are planning to deal with the LFS at present. We are planning to open our own EBOs in cities like Hyderabad and Indore, and then another couple of stores in Tier I cities by 2012. However, the market is unstable and the global meltdown and continuation of price rise due to excise duty is still on. So we are still pondering on whether to launch our own EBOs this fiscal,” Khimshia explains.

For the ongoing festive season, the brand is focusing more on linen and Jhanwas from Banaras. Elaborating on the collection, Khimshia said, “High-end Jhanwas consists of pure silk and pure silver zari which is available for Rs 6,000 per meter. We use 100 per cent silk fabric, 100 per cent linen fabric, linen-silk blended fabric and linen blended wari fabric.”


Commenting on how the ethnic wear category has changed over the years, he says, “Earlier people did not buy one pair of ethnic wear even once a year, whereas now, people consider ethnic a fashion product. Everybody today purchases at least 3-4 pairs of ethnic wear in a year. Earlier it was more occasion based outfit, now people have started wearing it for smaller events as well. A change in lifestyle is bolstering sale of ethnic wear.”

He feels consumers are more aware about their wardrobe which is boosting sales both in metros and non-metros. “Though garment prices are unlikely to go down due to factors such as rising raw material costs, rickety infrastructure and sputtering inflation, I
don’t see any downturn for the industry in the coming years. People’s acceptance of ethnic wear signals better scope for the
industry in the future,” Khimshia concludes.