Synonymously associated with denim and limitless creativity
Pepe Jeans London was born in the iconic Portobello Road in 1973. The sheer inspiration to manufacture jeans with original labels, led brothers Nitin Shah, Arun Shah and Milan Shah launch the brand in India in 1989. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, Manish Kapoor, CEO, Pepe Jeans, discusses how the brand has grown to be a major denim player in the Indian market in the last 30+ years and its expansion plans for 2021.
Who are the founders of Pepe Jeans? What is the story behind this iconic company?
Pepe Jeans was born in London in 1973. It emerged thanks to the inspiration of a young man, Nitin Shah, who decided together with his two brothers Arun Shah and Milan Shah to manufacture jeans with original labels.
They began by renting a market stall on the Portobello Road in West London every Saturday. In a matter of years they had to move everything into a 25,000 square metre warehouse and set up new office spaces to handle the amount of business they were having.
By 1980 Pepe Jeans London was rivalling with all of the big UK brands for number 1 spot in the market place, becoming the most successful British jeans brand ever. Pepe Jeans London was launched in India in 1989. Pepe Jeans today is recognised globally as an iconic brand that is synonymously associated with denim and limitless creativity.
What is the type of R&D Pepe Jeans undertakes?
With the help of technology we have the ability to predict fashion. We have tied up with StyleLumia which is a fashion analytics site that goes to all the websites and gathers data on which styles are considered 'in' at the moment, what colour, what style is selling well. This helps in decoding the consumer buying pattern. With this tool, we are able to tap crucial information to predict current fashion in a better way to get the right kind of merchandise, understand the global trends. Moreover our in-house designers work closely with the global teams to develop a design strategy in keeping with international fashion trends and a constantly evolving fashion culture.
What is your retail presence - both online and offline?
Pepe Jeans has an extensive presence not just in tier I and tier II cities but also across small towns in tier III cities. We are present across the country by means of our multiple brand stores, SIS counters and Multi Brand Outlets (MBOs). 27 per cent of all Pepe Jeans stores presently are company owned, while 73 per cent are managed/owned by our partners. This allows the brand to have immense consumer accessibility and the opportunity to be spread across a vast geography.
What are the landmarks in terms of growth that the company has seen over the years?
Pepe Jeans London was launched in India in 1989. Looking back, the brand continues to remain devoted to its initial mantra and its pledge to create the most exciting denim-led fashion. While jeans and denimwear is the core offering; over the years Pepe Jeans has transformed into a complete casualwear brand for men, women and kids. The brand also offers a full range of accessories, footwear and innerwear for men.
Our partnerships with our brand ambassadors have helped strengthen the brand's identity and ensured strategic growth in newer markets. From Cristiano Ronaldo, Ashton Kutcher and Sienna Miller to Grammy award winner music icon Dua Lipa who is currently the brands global ambassador; Pepe Jeans has always been associated with pop culture and fashion's most promising names. In India too, the brand has been represented by Bollywood's very own Sidharth Malhotra.
Over the years Pepe Jeans has been recognised and awarded across various industry forums. In the year 2019 itself, the brand won India Fashion Awards 2019 - Images Most Admired Fashion Brand of the year: Kidswear; and India Retail Awards 2019 - Marketing /Advertising Campaign of the Year (Retail). The brand also won the much coveted - The Economic Times Award for Best Lifestyle Brand 2017-2018; as well as ET Now Global Awards Retail Excellence 2018 for Retailer of the Year - Fashion & Lifestyle; and ET Now Global Awards Retail Excellence 2018 for Retail Innovation of the Year.
To which market (premium/mass/luxury) segment is Pepe catering too? Who are your target audience?
Pepe Jeans showcases the most comprehensive and trendiest collection of denims and casualwear for adult and kids as well as a robust collection of innerwear for men and a brief collection of footwear for adults.
The typical "Pepe Jeans customer" is a young fashion forward individual that is looking for the latest trend to wear. We believe that our customers understand the price-product equation or the value aspect that Pepe Jeans is offering is better than everything else out there.
In 2019, Pepe Jeans introduced Beat London directed towards young and fashion-forward guys. The sub-brand is inspired by the urban pop culture scene that is reflected in its style that is vibrant, fresh and easy going. The price points are extremely competitive keeping in mind the kind of disposable income this particular set of customer has access to.
With jeans as the focal point, Pepe Jeans and Beat London by Pepe Jeans, both brands develop collections covering all occasions and fashion trend needs of the young adult.
What are your future expansion plans?
Looking at the potential of smaller towns, Pepe Jeans plans to open about 20 or so new stores in these markets as well as a few key stories in tier I cities. Our objective is to have an omni-channel presence to ensure that our consumers have a 'wow' experience every time they shop from Pepe Jeans - be it through our stores or via e-tail. Pepe Jeans soon plans to launch its own e-commerce platform. The brand is currently available on leading e-commerce platforms such as Myntra, Flipkart, Ajio and Amazon.
What has been the impact of Covid on your facilities around the world? What steps have you taken to tide over the crises?
Consumer behavior is constantly evolving, but the recent pandemic has only amplified and accelerated these changes for organisations to take notice and react. The requirement of having a single view of the customer demands a greater level of flexibility along with the need to improve communication and collaborations between functions. At Pepe Jeans we were quick to use the events of last year to reinvent the business with the customer at the center of change. With key formats like home delivery, Shop on Wheels and omni-channel implementation, we ensured we reached the customer in a safe and convenient way. Change is inevitable and the future is now.
What are the different fabrics, styles, designs of denims offered by Pepe?
Our in-house designers work closely with the global teams to develop a design strategy keeping with international fashion trends and a constantly evolving fashion culture. Pepe Jeans continues to be at the helm of some ground breaking product innovations.
Staying true to its commitment towards sustainability, the Tru-Blu range of denims is created using technology that utilises zero chemicals in the wash process thereby dramatically reducing water consumption. Wiser Wash is another range of denims that champions sustainable and responsible fashion. The washing process eliminates the use of pumice stones and toxic chemicals used in traditional washing, while still being able to achieve the same bright contrasts and abrasions.
The True-fresh range of denims uses a revolutionary technology that neutralises odour-causing bacteria on contact and can be worn often even without washing.
Powerflex denims come in a unique fabric with a dual-core technology to create a higher elastic fabrication with a minimum 60 per cent stretch; so that it stays in perfect shape and the wearer is treated to the ultimate comfort.
Gymindigo range of denims uses a technology that combines the joggers' comfort and jeans' performance and is perfect for the athletic, sporty and outdoor enthusiast.
How does Pepe Jeans position itself in the global jeans market? What is your USP?
Today Pepe Jeans is one of the world's leading iconic fashion brands that is synonymously associated with denim and limitless creativity. As a denim pioneer we have consistently reinvented the definition of denim to keep up with the trends. The USP of the brand lies in its ability to combine its denim heritage with innovation in order to deliver the best fits and trendiest designs that truly highlights craftsmanship.
Technology is proving to be a life-saving game changer in the time of the pandemic. Is Pepe Jeans accelerating further adoption of technology across its supply chain leading up to points of sale? Kindly elaborate.
For 2021 our investments would primarily be aimed at making us more agile to respond to consumer needs and would be focused on technology across value chain right from design, production, merchandising, warehousing, store to online. An important aspect of our front end technology will be to ensure Online Enables Offline. Omni-channel integrations have shown us the potential of what we can achieve in the coming years.
With touch and feel and try-ons restricted since the pandemic, what is your policy going to be at your stores?
Safety of our customers and staff is of utmost importance. The overall approach towards retail has changed, with social distancing as a key factor. Clothes tried on by customers are kept in separate boxes for 24 hours and are thoroughly sanitised soon after.
Sanitisation and social distancing has become central to all stores which further ensure that these rules are strictly followed by staff and customers alike. Temperature checks are mandatory before entering the store. Hand sanitisers are placed at multiple locations within the store. Store staff is required to properly clean and sanitise merchandise and high-touch areas while they're working. Additionally contact-less payment are encouraged in stores. These are just some of the measures that the brand is taking to ensure all safety and hygiene protocols are thoroughly maintained in stores.
Has sustainability become more important in the present crisis arising due to Covid-19?
We understand that the future of fashion lies in sustainability. We believe in its importance of in the production process, and the need to take our eco-conscious focus as seriously as our designs for the future of denim.
Under the Tru-Blu programme, we have has launched multiple responsible innovative product lines to further the cause of sustainable fashion. One of the brand's most popular and successful collections is Wiser Wash - a revolutionary development process that eliminates the use of pumice stone and toxic chemicals involved in traditional washing. There is no stone washing; and yet full decolourisation is achieved without corrosive chemicals, using less than a cup of water, which itself is recycled. The technology works to reduce energy consumption, using zero toxic chemicals and almost entirely eliminating water waste. Wiser Wash lets us achieve the classic denim details we love: abrasions and contrasts that show off the true magic of denim. (PC)
20230103183907.png)
