Our brand’s ethos lies in adopting a ‘Product-First’ approach
Latin Quarters is a distinguished western wear brand for modern women, known for its commitment to style, quality, and size inclusivity since 2006. Blending global fashion trends with Indian sensibilities, it offers a versatile range of casual and occasion wear, designed to celebrate the unique style and individuality of every woman. Speaking to Fibre2Fashion Co-founder & CEO Rahul Bhalla discusses.
How do you see the fashion retail landscape evolving in the next five years, especially with the rise of e-commerce and changing consumer preferences?
We believe that brick-and-mortar stores can never be replaced by online stores since they provide customers with the ‘touch and feel’ experience that is not available in the online space. While e-commerce stores offer convenience and ease, they are yet to become completely personal, which is a crucial part of retail businesses. That being said, we can expect more digitalisation within the offline space and an omnichannel presence of all brands, along with hyperlocal deliveries.
With increasing emphasis on sustainability and ethical practices, what strategies do you believe fashion retailers should prioritise to minimise their environmental impact and promote social responsibility?
Every business operates with a different mindset and set of priorities. However, I believe the best way to go about minimising environmental impact and promoting social responsibility would be to recycle industrial waste and continue promoting slow fashion.
In the era of fast fashion, how can traditional brick-and-mortar retailers effectively compete with online giants while maintaining brand authenticity and customer loyalty?
Customers still show a strong preference for the experience of touching and feeling their products with respect to their shopping experience. Additionally, the return ratio of brick-and-mortar stores is lower in comparison to online stores.
What role do emerging technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) play in enhancing the shopping experience for consumers in fashion retail, and how do you foresee their integration evolving in the future?
AR and VR will provide an elevated experience with 3D product viewing for customers and enable brands to interact with customers on a much larger scale. Visual static branding has already been replaced by AR, creating significant marketing impacts.
As the concept of ‘see now, buy now’ gains popularity, how should fashion retailers adapt their supply chain and production processes to meet the demands of immediate consumer gratification while minimising overstock and waste?
Dynamic, data-driven decision-making with the help of AI and better merchandise planning can help adapt to ongoing demand fluctuations.
Could you provide a brief overview of the inspiration behind Latin Quarters and its journey from inception to where it is today?
In 2005, after completing our graduation from New York, my co-founder Saurabh and I began researching the Indian retail market and discovered some gaps where no Indian brand was offering affordable premium western wear for Indian women. Our vision came to reality with the launch of the first Latin Quarters store in Saket (New Delhi) in 2006, and since then, we have expanded our horizons, taking the brand’s presence to over 400 locations in 78 cities across India to date. We have also scaled our presence across major platforms, both offline and online, including Shoppers Stop, Pantaloons, Lifestyle, Myntra, Nykaa Fashion, and Tata Cliq.
What sets Latin Quarters apart from other fashion brands, particularly in terms of its design philosophy and target audience?
As a brand, we draw significant inspiration from global trends but customise the styles to suit Indian sensibilities and body types, using premium quality fabrics at an affordable price point because no one style fits all in a varied landscape such as India. Our brand’s ethos lies in adopting a ‘Product-First’ approach, which is why we have a strong organic customer base that trusts our brand. Our philosophy towards our customers also translates into bringing ‘Real Fashion’ to the forefront, ensuring that more women feel comfortable in what they wear.
How does Latin Quarters integrate cultural influences into its designs, and what role does this play in shaping the brand’s identity?
Each collection we develop is based on analysing and seeking inspirations from runways across the world. However, we customise our designs for Indian women, as our target market is India. All designs are curated according to Indian sensibilities and the varied size structure to deliver the best product to our target groups across cities. Additionally, cultural influence plays a significant role in our elemental design stage, contributing to projecting a premium label visual identity from a branding perspective.
What challenges have you faced in building and growing Latin Quarters, both in terms of market competition and maintaining authenticity in your designs?
In our targeted segment and market, our unique selling proposition (USP) of providing premium quality designs customised for Indian women mitigates our competition amongst our target group. We have been a profitable company for the last 17 years, apart from the COVID years, during which all retailers incurred losses. This period was also challenging for our brand. However, we phased out from that period by implementing strategic placement and data-driven procurement and allocation to mitigate the losses incurred.
What role does technology play in Latin Quarters’ operations, particularly in terms of e-commerce strategies and engaging with customers online?
We are a data-driven company in terms of our decision-making, so technology plays a crucial role in this regard. We have deployed various software solutions, such as Power BI, Retail Pro, and automated CRM solutions, to help us strategize better.
What are some of the key markets Latin Quarters currently operates in, and are there any plans for expansion into new regions or product lines?
Our key markets include the five major metros: Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Delhi, with Delhi serving as our headquarters. In the upcoming months, we plan to expand our horizons further into tier 2 and 3 cities, as they hold a lot of untapped potential, and our customers are increasingly exploring fashion.
In what ways does Latin Quarters engage with its community of customers and supporters, both online and offline, to foster brand loyalty and feedback?
For us, staying in constant touch with our customers is extremely important, as they teach us a lot about constantly evolving trends and the products they seek from us as a brand. We have Feedback QR codes installed across all our stores and offer a loyalty programme for our offline customers. For online customers, we collect data and feedback via telephonic calls.
Looking ahead, what are the future aspirations and goals for Latin Quarters, both in terms of business growth and continued cultural relevance?
We plan to expand our presence in tier 2 cities in the next financial year, and we aim to introduce new category lines such as footwear, delve further into accessories with belts, and expand our existing offerings.
