Pricing swimwear at Rs 8,000 onwards for a label only two years old in India seems like a gutsy move but the confident duo of Shivan & Narresh, who debut at WIFW SS 2013 have a plan chalked out.
Designers of luxury beach and resort wear, Narresh from the label says, “Design is the only reason this category will be understood and bought. We are catering to a certain lifestyle and people who live that lifestyle are willing to pay our prices.”
Displaying a collection titled ‘ZIP’ which draws from the works of abstract expressionist Barnett Newman, the duo want the audience watching their show to think of swimwear as an extension of body art. “Our creations are artistic and not fad oriented. A piece bought today can be worn several years down the line,” says Narresh.
In a market that’s still considered immature, launching a beachwear label itself would be termed an adventurous move by some. But the duo is hoping to cash in on the big gap that exists in the market. There isn’t a luxury label dedicated to swimwear in India, they say. In fact the pattern of their sales in India has surprised them. “We thought that the resort wear part of our collections would be the cash cow but surprisingly, out of total sales so far, 55% revenues come from swimsuits and the rest from resort wear. It’s a very positive sign for us,” says Narresh.
With two flagship stores already, international presence in two countries and presence at five designer boutiques within India, the boys are not doing badly when it comes to putting a business strategy in place. While they are looking at reaching non-metros by launching an international swimwear portal next month, they are also working on partnerships that can give them a pan-India field, even if it means lowering their price points.
With Indian women becoming increasingly body conscious and the understanding of luxury crossing the threshold of occasion wear, there is no doubt that there will be an interest in the kind of product that this young label stands for. The question is, does one need to think of a broader market when starting out or is going niche a good thing? I say how about a pret line of Shivan & Narresh swimsuits? Now that could get us hooked to buying more luxurious little somethings!