We want to make MADAME the biggest western wear fashion brand in India
MADAME is India’s leading women’s western wear brand that offers young fashion-conscious woman, looks for every season and styles for every reason. The brand celebrates this woman’s spirit to live each day as an occasion and treat each look as an expression. Launched in 1993, Madame offers hottest international trends at coolest price points – from denims to dresses, tops to jackets, festive edits to lounge-wear, and vacay styles to workwear. In a chat with Fibre2Fashion, Executive Director Akhil Jain discusses women’s western wear market in India, trends and more.
How has the market for women’s western wear evolved over the last decade?
The market has evolved for good as the demand for women’s western wear has been increasing consistently. There was a setback that the industry experienced during COVID-19 but it is now coming back to normalcy. As we move forward, we can expect the market to grow rapidly.
When and how did MADAME begin its journey?
In the 1980s, entrepreneur CL Duggar Jain realised that the Indian market for Western-style women’s clothing was ruled by Chinese and Thai imports. He noticed there was no Indian company making such apparel for women. This is when the idea of capitalising on this gap occurred to him. He saw an opportunity and realised that his family business firm Jain Amar, a clothing company, can be a launchpad for such products in India. Duggar relied on his vast experience in the textiles industry. His entrepreneurial journey had begun in the pre-Independence era, when he started Jain Amar in 1939 in Gurugram.
Which are the major markets for MADAME in India?
We have our presence across the country and receive love from customers of different regions. However, our top six markets are Delhi, Chandigarh, Indore, Lucknow, Jaipur, and Ludhiana. We are also targeting Pune, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata as we look to expand our presence in southern and eastern parts of the country.
Which are your best-performing product categories?
Our customers love all our styles but there are obviously some winners. During the summer season, our dresses, tops, ensembles, and denims are always in high demand. Similarly, in winters, sweaters, sweatshirts, long coats, jackets etc receive a great response.
Which point of sale has worked well for the brand—EBO, MBO, online store or marketplaces?
EBOs are our primary focus, followed by MBOs. Online stores and marketplaces are emerging trends and they have been beneficial for the brand as well because they allow us to reach customers in other geographic areas and expand our customer base.
What is the design process?
Well, we start with researching about the latest trends. Then we couple it with what our customers are expecting or demanding. Then, we try to make sure that an amalgamation of the two is created through our thorough design process. It takes a lot of time and brainstorming, but that is how we are able to come out with exciting collections every season.
How do you stay ahead of the game and compete with international high street brands?
Our mantra is simple: ‘Focus on the quality and fulfil the demands of the customers.’ For us, customer is truly the king, and we cater to their requirements. This helps us in competing with international brands. Since it is a homegrown brand, there is an added advantage of understanding the customer sentiment.
What are some of the major trends in the women’s western wear market?
For Spring/Summer ’23, the trends in prints are tessellating geos, psychedelic boho prints, bold abstract prints, and soft-focus florals. For silhouettes, wrap dress/blouse, shirt dress, cutout, ruffles, and asymmetric ties are in trend.
In terms of fabric, light weight fabrics like chiffon, rayon, poly, nylons, taffeta with metallic sheen, ombre, and two-tone effects are being preferred. Muted metallic and crinkled fabrics are also in trend. Satin is used extensively for dresses/co-ord set and shirts. Bright coloured geometric pattern inspired jacquards, and sustainable fabrics are also in trend.
Colours in trend are digital lavender, mid-tone greens, terracotta, hyper brights – pink/neon, tranquil blue, soft orange, and unbleached.
What are your expectations from upcoming budget?
A National Retail Trade Policy was developed by the government a few years back. The National Traders' Welfare Board was also established by the government with the goals of improving access to money for traders, promoting the welfare of traders and their employees, and simplifying the laws and regulations that apply to them. Making the National Retail Trade Policy a priority, it should be accelerated to give the fashion retail sector the much-needed Ease of Doing Business. The GST on all clothing should be set at a uniform rate of 5 per cent to give the fashion retail sector a much-needed boost. To enable unlimited refunds of unused GST on both services and capital items, the government should change the mechanism for computing refunds under the inverted duty structure category. The retail sector is anticipating the re-introduction of TUFS in order to lower the cost of technological advancement. PLI for the clothing sector, in which MSMEs are also eligible to participate, should be announced soon.
What are the future plans for MADAME?
We want to make it the biggest western wear fashion brand in India, and we are constantly working towards achieving that goal. Currently, we are looking at expanding our reach by opening exclusive outlets in the North-East, East, and West of India.
Interviewer: Shilpi Panjabi
Published on: 30/01/2023
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.
