The Hindu Business Line : The woman in Allen Solly

WHEN Madura Garments noticed demand going up for Size 26 and 28 trousers in the Allen Solly brand, it investigated - and found that women were buying those for themselves. It also found that women were admiring the colours the clothes came in, and it was so decided that Allen Solly would become the most suitable vehicle to test-launch Western womenswear.

Friday Dressing, or casual formalwear, a concept which the brand pioneered in India, is also the spirit behind this line of clothes that the company has launched. Kicked off in December last year and now going national, the range is aimed at the SEC A working woman who is looking for alternative clothes. This woman, according to Sailesh Chaturvedi, Brand Director, Allen Solly, is someone who is "relaxed and contemporary but not disrespectful of her own background". Hence the "original" styling which is "tempered to consumer needs", translates into Westernwear with an Indian flavour, as in the tops, which have side slits like kurtas.

The demand for womenswear had the company commission IMRB to study the market. Its findings revealed that despite women being a sizeable work force, heading offices and changing the way business was done, work clothes didn't seem to have kept pace with them.

While they loved ethnic wear, they found it cumbersome, elaborate and layered, and it tended to sag and fade. As for the Western apparel that was already in the market, its unsuitability to Indian builds and lack of international styling put them off.

Allen Solly's gambit is its offer of various fits for the Indian woman who, according to the company, falls into one of four body types. Comfort, straight, trim and regular are the various fits offered. The trousers range in sizes from 26 to 36 inches, with a 38-inch trouser in the pipeline. The comfort fit was reportedly a hit as women looking for Western clothing in large sizes found something for themselves here.

The brand also prides itself on its high quality fabric, a variety of colours and designs and pricing. The fabric includes cotton and cotton blends as well as tencel, polynosics, lycra, rayon blends and soft acrylic, which suit the demands of today's busy work environment. Knitted tops range in price from Rs 499 to Rs 999, woven tops from Rs 599 to Rs 999. Trousers are in the Rs 799-1,099 range.

Allen Solly's clothes will target the woman who wears Western outfits to work once or twice a week. This woman is also in the 22-40 year age group and self-assured.

It's not really focusing on converting the sari/salwar-clad woman, nor does it seek to cater to the segment which lives in Westernwear, as that would be very small and not exciting to target. However, it does see some spillover to the college-going crowd.

The womenswear market is estimated at Rs 6,000 crore, of which Rs 600 crore accounts for Westernwear. It could easily become a Rs 2,000-crore market, says Chaturvedi. Woven tops, trousers and knitted tops are the key product categories, especially among working women of all ages. Skirts are in the offing too, but "they have to be eased into the market", says Madura's designer Stephen King.

Chaturvedi refutes the contention that Western clothes do not offer the variety and colour that ethnic wear does. "In sari, you can experiment with colour and embroidery. You can do that in Westernwear too, and it offers the advantage of styling over and above that," he contends.

Madura hopes womenswear will contribute 30 per cent of Allen Solly's turnover in the next two years. The brand is close to clocking a Rs 100-crore income.

Rs 10 crore has been earmarked for Allen Solly and a large portion of it will be spent on promoting its womenswear. The range will be available at exclusive showrooms as well as multibrand outlets. About 10 showrooms exclusively selling Allen Solly womenswear are expected to get off the ground in a year's time.

Madura says Allen Solly has set out to redefine the Western womenswear market with its varied fits and Indian-international styling. It will be interesting to see if this has more women opting for Western wear, and more women going Western more often.

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