Twelve designers, six sizes, 60 stores across India. Pradeep and Neha Hirani, directors of multidesigner boutique, Kimaya, have big plans for Karmik across the country, and Hyderabad seems to be on the list. The brand was launched at the Lakme India Fashion Week in March, after the couple decided to capitalise on the women’s ethnic segment in the market. With the market for saris and ethnic wear valued at `31,000 crore, according to a Technopak Analysis (a Gurgaon-based management consulting firm), this seems like a rational move. “There is no brand chain from where a woman can buy ethnic designer wear,” says Pradeep, who plans to position some of his 60 stores in two and three tier cities, including Ludhiana, Chandigarh and Kochi. The good news? The designer wear (Rohit Bal, Anamika Khanna, JJ Valaya, Abraham&Thakore and others) will be affordably priced, between `3,000 and `8,500. With Karmik currently operating in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Ludhiana, Chennai joining the club in a few days, Hyderabad will likely be next on their list the end of August.
The number game
Ask Pradeep how this pricing is possible and he puts it down to ‘the scale.’
“Normally, designers retail through four stores. Here we are putting up 60 stores, so the prices will drop down automatically. So what the consumer buys today for `25,000 will be available for `6,000,” he offers. There will be kurtis, salwar sets, saris and tunics in 35 styles and six sizes, from each designer, in two to three colours. The brand is targetting working women from the upper middle class, between 20 and 32. The collection will be updated every three months. As for men, Pradeep has no plans for now, as he believes they have “moved on to the western silhouette.”
Three ‘A’s
Kimaya which was their first enterprise, is also getting an outfit in Hyderabad soon. So, how different will Karmik be from Kimaya? “The latter is high-end, whose average price is `30,000, while the former is in the middle range. Karmik is born out of the concept of three aces - aspirational, affordable and accessible,” answers Hirani, who handles finance and business prospects, while his wife takes care of the merchandising. Plans are on for a Kimaya portal, which “will be different.” Meanwhile, at Karmik, three designers will be added later this year, from Pakistan, Dhaka and Colombo, and Pradeep hopes to cross `250 crores by 2015.
Details: facebook.com/ KarmikOfficial
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