Seraphine is a British maternity brand providing affordable luxury fashion for mums-to-be. In a chat with Fibre2Fashion, franchise owner of Seraphine, Rajat Kapoor discusses how the newly launched brand in India managed to tide over the pandemic situation, and its aspiration to make all mums-to-be look great even during those gloomy days of pregnancy.
When was the company established?
The company was founded by French-born designer Cecile Reinaud in the year 2002 and we took the franchise in 2019. Based out of London, UK, Seraphine has stores in Dubai, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, United States and France.
What has been the impact of Covid in terms of sales, staff cutdown, rentals etc?
2020 has been difficult for all of us. Covid-19 left no room for hopes, as we are into maternity fashion so we will talk about pregnant women; none of them were venturing out. Infact, not just pregnant women, but nobody was venturing out last year. So the sales were really low.
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has impacted everything from individual life to businesses and we are no different. People were locked up in their homes, our stores were shut, the economy has slowed down. While the Covid-19 outbreak is responsible for this downturn in the traditional way of marketing or selling to be precise, we have turned towards the usages of online content, social media, etc. We did step into online selling through our websites long back.
We did not cut down on our staff during the pandemic. All of us are sailing in the same boat -- it was hard for all of us to survive.
If you are looking for vendors, what are the top 3 qualities are you looking at beyond the givens of quality, lead time, compliances etc.
Besides understanding of the market, we want the vendor to understand the product and know how to handle conversations with pregnant women.
What categories is the brand into?
Category that we are into is maternity wear precisely!
Who are your target audience?
As a maternity wear brand, the clothes we make are best for mums to be who want to put their best even during those gloomy days of pregnancy. All the mums-to-be who want to look chic while staying comfy!
Sustainability and circularity are the buzz words today. How do you incorporate them into your product lines?
The aim of a circular economy is the resource-efficient and sustainable use of natural resources, their reuse and recycling within a circulatory system and the prevention of waste. The waste generated by us is utilised somewhere or the other.
What are your long-term sustainability goals?
To contribute to the well-being of our planet, we are into green apparels. The fabric produced is therefore made from environmentally-friendly fabrics (such as sustainably grown fibre crops or recycled materials), and we also use natural resources efficiently and carefully. We are planning to opt for renewable energy resources very soon.
Which category sells the most?
Knot front maternity and nursing dress, stretchable maternity denim wear
What is the price point of the clothes?
Depends on the product.
What is the retail and web presence of your brand like?
Both online and offline; offline at our store at Select City Walk, Saket, New Delhi. We have our own website and present on other e-commerce websites as well.
What is the USP of your products?
USP would be our products are comfy yet chic, exactly what you need during that phase of your life when your body is changing so much. Proper clothes during pregnancy is very essential as a prenatal care, and women have to be careful about it.
What is your market positioning?
We market ourselves as an upper mid segment brand, providing an experience and comfort to all pregnant ladies.
What is the breakup of your product categories (salewise) for the export market?
We do not export. As we are the franchise and the main brand is UK based (London).
Which other product categories do you plan to move into future?
Nothing as of now, let's see what life has in store for us. Primarily our focus is to make the mum to be feel special during that special phase of their lives!
What has been your growth story in the last three years (excluding 2020)?
We started out in 2019 so it's only been one year as of now. So it's too early to comment on the same.
This article was first published in the February 2021 edition of the print magazine.
Published on: 28/05/2021
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.
