New Delhi: Top executives from the fashion and apparel industry on Thursday highlighted the importance of a strong and transparent supply chain for fashion businesses and the increasing role of technology and data in brand building. The industry experts were speaking at ETRetail’s inaugural edition of the Fashion and Apparel Innovation Summit held on October 5 here in Delhi.
The summit saw participation from the who’s who of the fashion and apparel industry, fashion designers, lifestyle influencers, and celebrity speakers.
Opening the event, Shantanu & Nikhil Mehra, Couturiers and co-founders of Shantanu & Nikhil, in a candid fireside chat shared their journey of building a fashion label, partnering with the conglomerate ABFRL and thoughts on balancing between profitability and art. Commenting on e-commerce, Shantanu Mehra said, “E-commerce is a growth enabler that is also crucial in analyzing data.”
The inaugural panel discussion hosted top fashion retail CEOs including Rajesh Jain, MD & CEO of Lacoste India, Sameer Manglani, CEO & Owner, Meena Bazaar, Manjula Tiwari, MD & CEO, Cover story, and Deepak Aggarwal, Founder and MD, KAZO Fashion.
Commenting on the consumer demand in current macroeconomic situations, Tiwari said, “Demand for apparel has been low this year as compared to last year. We are figuring out the preferences of GenZs and millennials as they are the future consumers.”
Reiterating the need for a robust supply chain, Aggarwal from KAZO Fashion said that the supply chain has to be robust, system-oriented, fast and digitalized.
Highlighting the power of Made in India, Manglani opined, “Logistics support at the hyperlocal level is phenomenal in India.”
In a power-packed panel discussion on fast fashion success, speakers including Ayushi Gudwani, Founder & CEO, FS Life, Apoorv Sen, COO, Iconic India, Nitya Sharma, Co-Founder & CEO, Simpl, Rahul Bhalla, Co-founder and CEO, Latin Quarters, Anupam Bansal, Director, Liberty Group, and Manish Kapoor, MD & CEO, Pepe Jeans India shared their inputs on brand loyalty, customer experience, need for an agile supply chain, and role of technology.
Kapoor said that the way brands are showcased and portray lifestyle is important in a fast fashion environment. Adding to this, Bhalla commented, “We have to understand what our customer wants depending on the regions they belong.”
Sharma from Simpl highlighted that customer experience, both digital and offline is crucial. Taking note of the importance of technology, Sen said, “Technology is beneficial but usage of data helps make the loyalty base stronger.”
The event saw participation from other noted speakers including Lavanya Pachisia, COO, Zivame, Ambuj Narayan, CEO, Taniera, Preeti Gupta, Business Head – Owned Brands, Nykaa Fashion, Pankaj Kankar, Fashion Technology Leader, Ex-CTO, Ajio, Fareye, Lenskart, Freecharge, Shivani Agarwal, CMO & Co-Founder, Uptownie, Rahul Dayama, Head of Marketing, Urbanic, Udita Bansal, Founder, trueBrowns, Aakriti Rawal, Co-Founder, House of Chikankari, Umar Akhter, CEO, Koskii, Harsh Hari Modi, Co-Founder & CEO, Mulmul, Dr. Vivek Rastogi, Chief Technology Officer, Fabindia, and Akhil Jain, Executive Director, Jain Amar (Madame).
In an exciting trialogue, Fashion Content Creators – Sakshi Sidhwani, Insha Ghai Kalra, and Mohak Narang shared their forward-looking thoughts on how Influencers are democratizing fashion by connecting trends to reality.
Sidhwani commented, “This is the time for creators, brands can rely upon influencer marketing.”
The showstopper for the event was Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Actor and Entrepreneur. Sharing her personal journey, the fashion icon said that fashion has a huge part to play in the consumer’s mindset. Commenting on investing in fashion startups, she opined that one should invest in startups that one understands and believes in its longevity.
The day-long event was supported by sponsors including Valiance Analytics, Simpl, Netcore, Trustsignal, and Mai.Labs.
