Sonari: The changing face of Indian lingerie industry

Innerwear label Sonari has come a long way from offering basic lingerie sets for mid-segment to premium class series under Sonari Breeze, which would be unveiled in September this year. The parent company Shalibhadra Trading

is also looking at exploring markets beyond India. Explains Dipesh Kubadia, Director, Shalibhadra Trading, “The brand’s positioning was mid-level till and now we are taking it to the premium level. We will launch the new range this September. We want to be compared with international brands. The product will have separate packaging and different styles, colours and patterns.” A new factory is coming up at Bhiwandi near Mumbai which will be operational by March 2013. Spread over one lakh sq. ft., it will have 200 machines and the capacity will be 20,000 pieces a day. A part of the production will be for the exports market since the brand is are looking at exploring the Gulf, Africa and Asian markets like Sri Lanka.

Sonari has a deeply ingrained culture of understanding the lifestyle of its target audience and this is reflected in its lingerie line. With the creativity of in-house designers, the company sets new standards using innovation as a tool. Sonari products are present with 3,500 retailers in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. “We are in metros like Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai. We have 60 to 70 distributors all over India. Every year we add 200 to 250 MBOs. We are also with Pantaloons, D Mart and Big Bazaar stores,” Kubadia adds.

The brand was launched in 1972 by Bhogilal Kubadia and Dhiraj Kubadia, who started with a small lingerie manufacturing unit in Dadar. Today, the company boasts of a collective spread of 20,000 sq. ft. in various locations. Even without much advertising or fanfare the brand is known for its quality and fits. “Every year we grow by 25 to 30 per cent and currently have a capacity of producing 10,000 pieces a day. Attaining new heights with every new collection, it has truly established itself as leader in the Indian intimate apparel industry,” Kubadia opines.

Meanwhile the company has invested heavily in adopting modern technologies that match up to international standards and employs the best practices and processes of operation to give a new dimension to the lingerie industry in India. Kubadia signs off by saying, “We undoubtedly have the most well-equipped design studio in the country. Going the complete distance, a large amount of market research is undertaken to determine the latest developments in the world of lingerie and forecasts from international experts are also incorporated in their strategies, as the design team works hard to shape the face of the lingerie industry in India.”