Skip to main content

What makes Fila unique is its attitude and aura of Italian heritage and workmanship says Abdon Lepcha of Fila

Images Business of Fashion interacts with Abdon Lepcha, the creative director of South Korean athleisure brand Fila

Bengaluru: Fila says it has been able to balance the product manufacturing locally versus import in its portfolio. The apparel manufacturing contribution is 80% India and 20% import. The brand is operated under Metro Brands since it was bought over from Batra Group. Fila will be present across all Metro and Mochi stores, Abdon Lepcha, the brand’s creative director informs Images Business of Fashion. Excerpts

Tell us more about product diversification that has happened at brand Fila.

As a Fashion Sportswear brand, the mantra has been “without beauty, there is no performance”, and as it rightly put, the products are an amalgamation of beauty, style and performance. The product portfolio consists of apparel, footwear and accessories under
which most of the lifestyle, sportswear and athleisure styles are covered.

In the apparel segment, the products range from crop and tank tops for women, sweatshirts, sweathoodies, jackets and joggers are important silhouettes that cover most of the athleisure pillar. Along with these fashion silhouettes, styles are introduced to give the x factor to the collection. Sneakers as an overall blanket covers the footwear category under which we have differentiated products like the tennis-inspired court sneakers, triple black and white sneakers, chunky silhouettes, fashion and style infused products for
daily lifestyle and new innovative products for outdoor run or training.

Which product categories are the best performing in the Indian market?

In footwear, chunky sneakers, classics, court sneakers, outdoor and retro. In apparel, tennis lifestyle, terrace wear, unicolor sets, normcore looks, tech and tennis.

Share with us the impacts (in terms of product demand, visibility and designs) Fila has experienced after its collaboration with Hailey Bieber.

The Fila x Hailey Bieber collab came as a limited edition range. The iconic archival styles such as crewneck sweatshirts pieces and tops were specifically designed and curated based on her style personality and the Fila DNA. The products were visible on all our platforms and the response has been surprisingly good considering the price was on the higher side. Indian consumers have evolved to understand the value of limited editions and the desire to own has increased.

What kind of manufacturing arrangement do you have in India? How much do you source locally?

As a brand, we have been able to balance the product manufacturing locally versus import in our portfolio. The apparel manufacturing contribution is 80% India and 20% import. We have partnership and ties with Indian factories who fulfill most compliances and have the expertise to make differentiated products and play with different materials as well. For footwear, we are working towards having a higher percentage of production in India not only due to BIS but also have products made in India which would help with the overall growth of the domestic economy. The footwear manufacturing in India is in an upward trajectory with the BIS being implemented, but currently there are challenges of procuring differentiated materials and trims but in due course of time, we will be able to find ways to improve and innovate.

How do you see Fila being positioned in India’s sportswear market heavily dominated by brands like Adidas, Nike and Puma? How much market share are you eyeing in 2023-24?

The sportswear market is filled with sportswear brands that have been present for a long time. FILA is considered a sportswear brand but the X factor lies in the fashion and style aspect with a rich heritage and culture. The brand has its own strengths and we will capitalize on that placing it in the mid to premium price segment and for a young consumer.

Please tell us about the operational arrangement you have in place with Batra Group and Metro Brands.

The brand completely operates under Metro Brands since it was bought over from Batra Group.

Tell us about your retail strategy and store expansion plans.

Currently our focus lies in connecting with our consumer. FILA will be present across all Metro and Mochi stores and will invest in key Ȅ agship stores across cities.

How do you view the Indian sportswear market in terms of growth, challenges and brands’ positioning?

India as a country is quite young in terms of pure performance sports and people have taken health as a major focus area. Pure activewear is still at its nascent stage but the sportswear lifestyle/athleisure has grown many folds. We have seen new younger brands as well as other category brands from formalwear to casual wear foray into the athleisure/sportswear category to take a piece of the pie.

As per recent studies, the sportswear industry in India is excepted to grow at 8-12% CAGR by 2026, which shows a healthy growth in this segment. As the sportswear market size increases, so does the opportunity to capitalize and grow as a brand as well. As a brand, we will focus on bringing freshness, style with premium quality to sportswear and fashion athleisure.

What separates Fila from other sportswear brands is the attitude and aura of Italian heritage and workmanship.

This article first appeared in IMAGES Group’s Business of Fashion Magazine June 2023 issue

The post What makes Fila unique is its attitude and aura of Italian heritage and workmanship, says Abdon Lepcha of Fila appeared first on Retail News | Retail Industry | Business Information & Latest News.



from Retail News | Retail Industry | Business Information & Latest News https://ift.tt/CGOnpe4
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eagle Labs launches impirica CBD brand

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Eagle Labs has launched impirica, a new brand of CBD intended to eliminate consumer fear, and increase confidence, in trying the exciting new cannabidiol category. Michael Law Although most Americans have now heard about CBD, many are very confused and concerned about product quality. This is inhibiting trial in the category and holding back conversion into sales. In fact, a 2017 study by Johns Hopkins University found that two out of three CBD products on the shelf did not contain the amount of CBD reflected on the label. Furthermore, in 2018 and 2019, the FDA sent notices to a substantial number of CBD manufacturers advising them of serious concerns about product quality or egregious medical claims. The impirica brand looks different than most CBD brands — the brand name itself connotes testing and trust, says Eagle Labs chief commercial officer Michael Law. “It doesn’t use the traditional category colors of browns and greens, and you won’t find a hemp...
68 comments
Read more

Coronavirus Recovery: Canadian Small Businesses Must Focus on Easing Employee, Customer Fears

By M. Tina Dacin and Laura Rees A small business has been  given the green light to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic . What does it need to consider for employees and customers? Small business owners are reorganizing physical space to account for continued distancing requirements and rethinking supply chains to deliver products and services in new ways to meet changing demand patterns. But they must not forget the hearts and minds of employees and customers. That doesn’t mean replacing a focus on the bottom line, but it helps address the need for a new set of expectations and ways of communicating in terms of product or service offerings, delivery methods and real-time feedback. Based on our expertise in organizational behaviour and past research we’ve conducted, we provide a set of recommendations to help small businesses thrive in our new COVID-19 economy by looking after the hearts and minds of the people most important to businesses — employees and customers. Fear, Anxi...
1 comment
Read more

World's 1st Pizza Subscription Service Launches in Toronto

general assembly subscription user opening delivery box of pizza. photo: general assembly pizza By Mario Toneguzzi Toronto-based General Assembly Pizza has launched what it describes as the world’s first pizza subscription service as it also plans to aggressively expand its product offering in the near future by opening a new concept in the market. "Since opening our doors in 2017, we have pushed for the best guest-experience possible — that's why our dough is 100 percent naturally leavened, that's why we have a purpose-built 400-square-foot pick-up and delivery area, and that's why we’ve launched a direct-to-consumer subscription-based ecommerce platform,” said Founder & CEO Ali Khan Lalani. “In 2020, providing the best guest experience means General Assembly Pizza has to be more than a restaurant. I'm proud to say that after almost six months of planning, many roadblocks, and countless pivots — all while maintaining our day-to-day restaurant operatio...
1 comment
Read more