Comments
As more and more people look to reconnect themselves with Nature to get in touch with Mother Earth, brands are following suit. The farm-to-table concept is spilling over to the beauty and apparel sectors as well.
Apparel brand ITC Wills Lifestyle has made the shift to 100 per cent natural, breaking ground as the first mainstream Indian apparel brand going back to nature. As has consumer goods company Patanjali Ayurved Ltd (PAL) which has noticed a shift in consumerism.
West-centric couture
PAL’s advertising agency unearthed an insight during its research: Fashion in India continues to be West-focussed. “Barring a few such as FabIndia and Manyavar and a few local players, there is no national level India-centric fashion brand. Moreover, Indians feel slightly defensive about Indian fashion compared with Western fashion, unless it is ethnic wear,” said an official, detailing the findings of by the agency.
PAL wants to bring Indian fashion fabrics and styles into everyday life and thus was born Patanjali Paridhan. To prove that Indian fashion is best suited to our body types and climatic conditions, and to celebrate the country’s rich and varied fabric heritage, Patanjali Paridhan decided to create a movement: ‘Tann Maan Dhan Indiapan’, to remind people of the rich heritage of fashion that has been surrendered in the blind pursuit of Western fashion.
KN Singh, CEO, Patanjali Paridhan, points out that India was once the biggest exporter of clothing, textile and styles. “Changing language and cultures every 200 km ensured a blend of different weaves, textures and styles. However, we have moved to adopting too much of Western clothing and styling. The aim is to bring the focus and interest back to Indian clothing,” he said. After revolutionising the FMCG industry, Patanjali aims to build on the same brand values to provide a range of apparel under the Patanjali Paridhan brand.
Even as the move is expected to help State handloom corporations and weavers, prices of the apparel are to be marked down by 60 per cent of international brands.
The ad campaign is conceptualised by L&K Saatchi and Saatchi. Anil K Nair, Managing Partner, L&K Saatchi and Saatchi, said brand Patanjali is built on a “strong foundation of values that include pride and respect for our cultural identity, being comfortable in our own skin, celebration of our rich heritage, and being aspirational. And also moving public consciousness from a western-fashion-orientation to desi coolness and swag.”
ITC Wills Lifestyle, rebranded as WLS, is offering apparel that is 100 per cent natural. Abneesh Roy, Senior Vice-President at Edelweiss, points out that the tectonic shift comes at a time when consumers are increasingly becoming conscious of their impact on environment.
Conscious consumerism
It is the new age of conscious consumerism where anxious consumers are rejecting an industrial system that appears increasingly toxic and damaging to health, and are turning toward natural products as a solution.
Vikas Gupta, Divisional Chief Executive Officer, ITC LRBD, said, “Evolved consumers understand the consequences of their actions – on themselves, their communities and the planet. As global Indians demonstrate greater confidence and appreciation of the authenticity of Indian roots and heritage, they seek garments that reflect their identity. Our new direction is an amalgamation of these insights, inspired by all that is real and catering to consumers who value responsibility and originality.”
The company’s entire product cycle — from ideating and designing desirable garments, to sourcing and then manufacturing has been reoriented to live up to this promise.
Product range
In a world dominated by disposable garments, fast fashion and relentless consumerism, WLS will have only natural elements, be it fabric, or threads, or buttons, and labels. All garments will be made of cotton, linen, silk or woolen materials, and will be fully biodegradable.
WLS’ new brand logo, Tattva, represents the confluence of all the primary elements — earth, wind, fire, water and space.
The brand has been working towards this new promise through various exclusive collections over the last few seasons such as the Fabrics of India platform, Elements Collection and the 130s Basket Weave Blazers.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.