Kazo is a premium high street westernwear brand offering latest fashion for dressed up occasions for the new Indian woman. The brand is a home for latest chic contemporary fashion which represents a mindset and an attitude; not an age. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, Kazo’s creative director Divya Aggarwal speaks about apparel retail in India and the brand’s future plans.
How would you describe the current state of apparel retail in India?
With new fashion trends emerging consistently and style evolution, the Indian retail market is proliferating. Globally, India is now among the top five retail markets. This means people are becoming more aware of their fashion needs and trends, which, in turn, is leading the apparel retail industry to expand its target customers. Currently, the growth in apparel retail is not restricted to just urban areas but also expanding in rural areas.
What are some of the top consumer trends in apparel retail?
Online orders and referrals for fashion brands have been rising steadily, giving way to the acceptance of new trends. The definition of shopping is no more restricted to offline, and now includes online shopping which is preferred by people for its ease, speed, and convenience. In the apparel retail industry, there is a growing trend of relying on social media for the discovery of new products. Since Gen Z has taken the lead, they have also become fashion influencers as they post their product discovery on social media platforms to be seen by others.
What are some of the factors driving the growth of apparel retail in India?
The growth of apparel retail in India is an ongoing process. Several factors like advertisements, growth of women’s employment, and entry of foreign retailers are contributing to its growth.
What is the USP of Kazo?
Kazo is a customer-centric brand expanding its categories to ensure every style need is addressed. The brand has always been flexible when it comes to satiating these versatile fashion needs. However, one thing that really stands out is that we offer occasion wear with top-notch quality and designs that exude a luxurious look. Even though we consistently keep up with trends, we also ensure to make our clothing classic simultaneously.
Kazo ensures that it not only caters to the women of today but also offers designs that boost confidence, have impeccable quality, and fashion that will last.
Which are the best performing categories for the brand?
Kazo is an occasion wear brand with tops and dresses as the best-performing categories. In winterwear, our outerwear and pullovers are in demand. Additionally, we are also noticing growth in our accessory category, offered through our sister brand Details By Kazo, which has led us to open exclusive stores for the same to offer a complete look to the Kazo women.
Which are the best performing markets for Kazo in India?
Our best-performing markets are concentrated in Delhi, Punjab, and Kolkata, as these cities offer us a strong hook in apparel retail.
What has been the growth story for the last two years and the target set for the next two?
Within the past two years, Kazo has expanded to become a fashion house with three more brands under its umbrella. We launched an accessory brand, Details By Kazo, for a complete look. We also launched a unisex brand, KZ07, where fashion meets athleisure. Recently we started a luxury namesake couture label, Divya Aggarwal, offering the perfect amalgamation of modernity and Indian craftsmanship.
Have the sales numbers increased to pre-pandemic level?
Kazo has noticed a phenomenal growth, so the sales are surely back to the pre-pandemic level. Post the second pandemic wave, we have opened 25 new exclusive stores and also collaborated with big online retailers like Shoppers Stop. We have gained 25 per cent of increase in our LFL (like for like) sale, while attaining a total increase of 85 to 95 per cent.
What is the plan in terms of physical and digital expansion?
Currently, we have 185+ POS (points of sales) across the country, and we visualise to continue expanding our offline presence. While we are growing the number of our stores, we are also creating an online presence through social media and by being available on other retail websites. In 2022, Kazo also touched the heights by going global with Noon and Sivvi—fashion retail websites based in the UAE.
Published on: 16/01/2023
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.
