AgTalk | Aiming is to make Paris Hilton Bags as "affordable luxury brand': Brand Concepts' Abhinav Kumar

Fashion and lifestyle industry is growing by leaps and bounds. It's increasing its base from only designing, manufacturing and delivering fashionable clothes, to products that compliment a fashionable outfit. One of such business outfit's is Brand Concepts. Indore based distributors, Brand Concepts is a pioneer in licensing of accessories in India. Brand Concepts is an exclusive licensing company for accessories like Tommy Hilfiger, Arrow, Rocky S, Trave Gean. It recently came into limelight as the only fashion licensing partner for Paris Hilton bags and accessories.

Adgully caught up with Abhinav Kumar, CEO, Brand Concepts to understand this new and considerably uncovered market.

Adgully (AG): Tell us a little bit about the market size of the industry and the share that Brand Concepts holds in it...

Abhinav Kumar (AK): Brand Concepts as a fashion and accessory licensing company deals in about 3 : 4 categories. The industry, though highly unorganized, approximately is of the nature of about 1500 crore. The belts and wallets category is of about 1200 crore, while that of handbags is about 1000 crore. Different segments have a different market share, but unfortunately the organized sector in this industry barely touches the 4 % mark.

AG: Share with us the reasons behind the launch of Paris Hilton bags in India...

AK: We have always been associated with internationally acclaimed brands. Associating ourselves with the stature of Paris Hilton is like going another level upward. Paris herself as we all know is very stylish and fashionable. And the fact that she hails from a business empire, her business sense is also commendable. Also affixing a popular face like Paris Hilton always has advantages in terms of brand recall. This, like in any other any business is always important for the brand itself. Thus, a business outfit like ours coming together with that of Paris Hilton seems quite obvious and exciting.

AG: What is the pricing strategy that Brand Concepts will follow for this particular venture?

AK: The product range is this venture is huge and wide. We are focusing on good quality, fashionable products that attract everyone from all segments. We are making this association as an "affordable luxury brand'.

AG: Is the focus of the product launch and its availability only metros or do other towns and cities also see Paris Hilton bags coming their way?

AK: The metros will always be a vital part of the market we look at, but B and C towns are also becoming a highly potential space for us. We have learnt that the disposable income and the purchasing power of the people in these towns and cities is growing rapidly, and in some areas exceeds that of metros as well. This we believe opens a new road for us since; accessibility of products like these is very low in these areas. Hence, we would like to tap these geographies as well.

AG: Tell us a bit about the distribution and availability pattern of this bag range...

AK: Initially, the Paris Hilton bags range will be distributed in three ways. Firstly, it will be available in stores like Lifestyle, Shopper's Stop etc. Also, we plan to have Paris Hilton standalone stores, along with a franchise model as well. This works as an advantage from sales point of view since it helps increasing the product's visibility and accessibility to its target consumers.

AG: What would the marketing strategies that would go in promoting this venture?

AK: The Paris Hilton bag range has a persona of upper premium presence. So in the process of promoting this, we are not painting the town red. We have planned to come across through premium niche magazines, and are involving in a lot of BTL activities. To attract our target, apart from regular end : of season sale, we have also made an effort to reach out through the digital front. The Facebook page of Paris Hilton India has recorded about 25,000 hits in the first 6 days of its opening. Very soon, we shall hit Twitter as well. For all these activities, we have a very strong team behind us. Percept Swift is the ad agency on board, while Adventure and Percept OOH will handle the media and outdoor duties respectively.

AG: Tell us about the expansion plans for Brand Concepts as a business outfit...

AK: Currently, our focus is on the big venture -Paris Hilton's bag range. Tough in the initial phase we shall import all the goods, since the expenses in manufacturing them here will involve high costs. But we definitely see something big in the near future.

AG: Can you shed some light on the growth strategy and the road map for Brand Concepts...

AK: One of the few fastest growing segments is branded apparels segments. While the apparel industry is about 8 : 10 % organized, we see a huge scope in the accessory sector since currently, its just 2 : 3 % with a total growth bracket of about 30 : 40 %. Thus a clear and big opening for people like us is all that is required for growth. | By Ankita Tanna [ankita(at)adgully.com]