A mono store brand, Bharat Ahuja's Desire Design Studio has emerged as a leading menswear label in Northwest Delhi. Ahuja talks to Paulami Chatterjee.
What has been the impact of Covid in terms of sales, staff cutdown, rentals, stocks etc?
Covid definitely impacted sales what with the store shut for months to curtailed weddings and celebrations. We faced a tough time last year and we are still trying to overcome that setback. However, we did not cut down on our staff. It helped that our store is not a rental property.
Sustainability and circularity are the buzz words today. How do you incorporate them into your product lines?
Indeed, these two words are becoming the buzzwords in our industry. We always try to use mono fabrics in our outfits and try to keep fabrics and garments in use and reuse as much as we can.
What is the USP of your products?
We specialise in custom tailoring and bespoke designing. We bring the finest handwoven clothes from our in-house master tailors at affordable prices. We customise clothes as per the requirements and needs of customers. People always come to us with a specific design in mind. We listen to them and give our suggestions so that the final product meets the requirements and wishes of our client.
What is your market positioning?
We have only one Desire Design Studio store in Northwest Delhi, and have emerged as a go-to shop for menswear. Our brand was listed in the topmost trusted brands in the apparel category for 13 consecutive years. Our brand's outfits have also been worn by many celebrities.
What kind of brand building strategies do you implement?
Focusing on opening stores all over Delhi NCR by the end of 2022.
Which other product categories do you plan to move into future?
We specialise in menswear outfits, footwear and accessories. We will stick to these categories in the near future.
What was the inspiration that led to the formation/founding of the brand?
I always had a flare for fashion and style since I was a child and wanted to start my own menswear brand. It was a dream come true when I established the Desire Design Studio in 2005, and since then I have been tirelessly working towards my goal to make it a leading menswear brand.
Who are your target audience?
We cater to all age groups (only men)
What are the price points of your clothes? Which category sells the most and what is the price point?
The price points vary from economical to high range. And the categories that sell the most include wedding and casual wears
Which are your major markets in India and abroad?
Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Chandigarh.
What has been your growth story in the last three years (excluding 2020)?
We have managed to grow our list of elite clients in the last three years and that is the actual growth for us.
What is the annual production capacity at your in-house manufacturing facility?
We can come up with 15k to 20k pieces of outfits annually.
What kind of machinery does your manufacturing facility boast of?
We use all high-end brands of machines like Juky, Kazze, Jack, Swift to name a few.
How much is spent on machine upgradation and maintenance annually?
Approximately one to two lakh every year. (PC)
This article was first published in the February 2021 edition of the print magazine.
Published on: 25/03/2021
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
