Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
CHENNAI, INDIA, May 22, 2010: This summer, ethnic wear seems to be the flavor of the season. Cutting across departmental stores, kurtis and other apparel are flying off the shelves with customers queuing up for the latest in comfortable Indian wear even while western designer labels fret over silhouettes and sizes for the domestic buyers. Max, the value retail arm of the Landmark group, has been seeing encouraging sales in the segment. “Women’s Indian wear alone accounts for around 25% of our revenues,” says Vasanth Kumar, executive director of Max. “We’re now planning to introduce saris in our next store in Chennai.”
The biggest change comes from fusion wear. It is becoming a common sight to see women combine kurtis with jeans, clingy t-shirts with ethnic print skirts or tunics with chudidar-style leggings. Shoppers Stop has introduced a fusion wear label, Haute Curry, with musician Anoushka Shankar as its brand ambassador. “This brand is targeted at college girls and young women,” says Govind Shrikhande, CEO of Shoppers Stop. “Indian wear accounts for 25% of our sales and we’re positive on this category.”