Charath Narasimhan
Managing Director Indian Terrain Fashions Ltd
Indian Terrain believes in clothing that makes you feel good
Indian Terrain was launched in 2000 and it de-merged from Celebrity Fashions Limited, the parent company, in 2010. The company introduced the brand ‘Indian Terrain BOY’ in September 2015 in order to meet the increasing demand for smart-casual clothing for boys aged between 4-16 years. It is the first high street brand in India to get the Fairtrade Label certification. Managing Director Charath Narasimhan speaks to Fibre2Fashion about organised fashion market for men in India.
How would you describe the fashion needs of a cosmopolitan, young Indian man?
Fashion needs of young men is very simple. Indian men, especially, look for basic yet speaks for-itself kind of wardrobe. There is a general inference that men have less options to try and adorn but the important factor here is that men always prefer only to make subtle changes or revision of looks that makes their styling refreshing keeping it minimalistic. Recently, i.e., post-COVID the definitions of casual wear and formal wear have changed, and now many of them prefer to dress up comfortably rather than wearing a heavy-suited business attire.
How have the clothing choices of young Indian men changed over the last two decades since your company was launched in 2000?
We have witnessed that the customers are now more inclined towards wearing branded clothes; labels are important for any subtle clothes also. Earlier, brands were only noted for sportswear and athleisure. Today, consumers have more brand-affinity for casuals, formals and also ethnic wear as well. The consumers are spoilt for choices with ample number of patterns, colours, designs, quality and also fabric. We no longer see men wearing shirts that are just plains and checks that are personally made by neighbourhood tailors. Instead, they prefer more persuading prints which define their personality while remaining relevant to the occasion.
In terms of value, how big is the organised fashion market for men in India? Of this, what is the share of Indian Terrain?
India is still in its growth phase which has just begun. It is going to see tremendous opportunities, but in the field of clothing, we have been strong even when no other part of our economy was contributing. So, these are skills we naturally have. Our global exposure in the group makes us truly international, and we in Indian Terrain will be at least in the top three brands as preferred choice for every emerging Indian who has the purchasing power to buy clothes from us. We will price ourselves to be relevant to those consumers who are willing to pay the required costs involved in bringing top quality to our offerings. We are not targeting the luxury segment, but will provide luxury of choice, and quality to that emerging Indian customer. Indian Terrain should become an anthem to the emerging Indian. We expect our products to continue meeting the needs of the emerging Indians in terms of aspirations of style, design, colours and make, and also to inspire them to reach for the pinnacle. The emerging Indian is passionate, ambitious, and world class. We have to meet him at every turn and ride alongside him in this fascinating journey he is setting off on.
Is there any particular reason for selecting the brand name ‘Indian Terrain’? Is there any story behind it?
Indian Terrain was born 22 years ago. We wanted a brand name that brings to mind ‘zone of excellence’ when mentioned. We wanted a brand that will be strongly associated with an imagery of a new-age, accomplished man who does what he is best at comfortably. For example, when we see an artist or a sportsman doing their best, in that moment we would say he is on ‘Indian Terrain’. We also wanted the brand name to have an international appeal and not be confined to clothes or attitudes. To further elevate this, we developed the ‘Spirit of man’ logo, which represents a man soaring high.
Which categories from your clothing suite are more in demand? Why?
Workwear has changed drastically over the past two years than in the last 20 years, and we are seeing smart casual wear as the work attire most preferred by men. In fact, our customers are picking up more of smart casual wear these days.
What prompted you to start Indian Terrain BOY? How is the response? What percentage of your sales come from this 4-16 years segment?
Indian Terrain BOY was launched in the year 2015. We saw a huge potential in the boyswear segment post the millennial culture where teenagers pick up their own styles and attires and they are well-aware of their styling preferences. Another contributing factor for the growth of boyswear is well-informed parents who are inclined more towards branded clothing for their little ones leading to conscious shopping from leading brands.
Indian Terrain is the first high-street brand in India to get the Fairtrade Label certification. Please tell me more about this certification and how your organisation achieved it.
Indian Terrain believes in clothing that makes you feel good. In line with the value of the company, we extend our belief to our customers not only to feel good by wearing Indian Terrain clothes but also feeling good by contributing to the betterment of the earth on which we live. We follow a more sustainable value-chain approach, and we include natural fibres across our shirting ranges, use organic dye for products, recycled polyesters for zippers, and also compostable tags ensuring that our packages are also eco-conscious.
Published on: 15/12/2022
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.
