The textile conglomerate starts something new for women‘s fashion. with its new seamless brand ‘channel nine’ the company seeks to swing the Fashion ladies their way.
A range of ‘seamless’ garments
Sangam (India) Limited, one of India’s leading textile conglomerate forays into the women’s branded apparel category with the launch of a new aspirational brand ‘Channel Nine’. The brand introduces seamless technology in the country for the first time.
Through Channel Nine, Sangam (India) introduces an innovative concept and inspires a new culture in intimate wear and active wear by setting women of today free from uncomfortable side seams thereby giving them unrestricted freedom of movement. It helps discerning women, who are always on the move, to enter the world of seamless experience with garments which are high on comfort, fit, quality and style quotient.
The Channel Nine range comprises an exquisite range of seamless garments for women including intimate wear, active wear, yoga wear, shape wear, casual wear, outerwear, products for fitness, shaping and technical products. The brand strikes a unique balance by maintaining international standards in design, quality and comfort while keeping the price points within the reach of its target customers.
Pranal Modani, Chief – Business Development, Sangam Group, says, “The Channel Nine brand symbolises the multiple facets of a woman’s life – the spaces she navigates every day and the forms in which she expresses herself. It encompasses the essence of what it means to be a woman through a myriad of roles, which she performs, in her everyday life. Channel Nine aspires to establish a new outlook towards intimate wear, active wear and casual wear so that it blends seamlessly with women’s lifestyle today while meeting their aspirations in terms of range, colour and style. Channel Nine garments are designed to provide the woman of today, ultimate freedom of movement, comfort, fit and an enhanced fashion quotient, as she rushes about her daily business.”
V K Sodani, Executive Director, Sangam (India) Limited, says, “Our first retail brand Channel Nine will transform the dressing style of Indian women. Channel Nine represents the maiden seamless garments journey for Sangam Group. Seamless garment technology eliminates the process of fabric laying, cutting and sewing. By eliminating the cutting and sewing process, it provides an opportunity to save time and provide garments that are preferable for durability and functionality. Sangam has installed 36 circular knitting machines imported from Italy, the world leader in seamless knitting technology, and has an installed capacity to manufacture 10,000 pieces of seamless garment a day. Seamless knitted garments are used worldwide in the wellness industry, for yoga and sportswear.”
Market analysis
The brand is a result of a lot of painstaking research on the needs, demands and aspiration of Indian women. According to the research, while choosing a lingerie brand customers are influenced by key parameters such as product fit, quality, fabric, trendy and emotional connect. There is increasing health consciousness across all age groups and a marked shift from formal attire to comfort-oriented casual attire in urban India. Global trends reveal that customers’ prefer active wear that meet their need for continuous comfort. Consumers show less concern about the price of active wear. Apparel with performance features like odour resistance and moisture management find loyalty with customers. The rising per capita income and change in lifestyle has increased demand for quality branded products. However, with the increasing exposure to international fashion trends, the Indian consumer today wants more than just need-based clothing. In addition to old parameters like basic functionality, comfort and price, better look, perfect fit, and trendiness have also become key purchase parameters. Innovations in casual wear products are primarily related to product design, color selection options, and fiber mix.
Talking on the market dynamics and the role of its new brand, S N Modani, Managing Director, Sangam (India) Limited, said, “As a pioneer, thought leader and role model in the textiles business, Sangam Group is proud to present ‘Make in India’ gen-next seamless technology through the launch of our first and new brand for women – Channel Nine brand. For this retail foray, Sangam India is venturing into the seamless garmenting segment. We are in the process of achieving manufacturing volumes of 3.6 million units pa. Our capacity expansion plans have become a reality and propelled us to foray into new product segments. Through Channel Nine, we intend to make aggressive inroads into the domestic lingerie retail market estimated to be approximately Rs. 15,000 crore now and growing at a CAGR of 20-25 percent. And we shall leverage ‘Make in India’ initiative to target sales from international markets through exports.”
Retail planning
Channel Nine will be available pan India through the Group’s vast distribution network including national retail chains, multi brand outlets, exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) and online digital platforms including its very own e-commerce website www.channelnine.in. The brand will be starting its operations with its distributors in 20 states across India. The company plans to place its product across 500 touch points through its distribution network. The brand is also planning to establish its own Exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) and would look at opeing 10-15 shops in metros and mini-metros in the next one year.
The company has also launched its own online retail platform, www.channelnine.in. This is a brand-centric online shopping portal aimed to provide world class shopping experience, product advice and engaging relationship with the consumer. At www.channelnine.in, the company will be offering exclusive range of women’s lingerie, active wear, casual wear, yoga wear and shape wear to Indian and international customer. Innovation being the key driver, the company believes that it has adopted a philosophy of ‘Start Something New’ to give retail a new dimension. The company expects to achieve a turnover of Rs. 60-70 crore in the first year of operations.
