AgTalk | We have unique strengths: Anant Daga of Brand 'W'

With an aim to deliver high-end fashion together with functionality, the brand ‘W’ set up its first branded outlet in 2003 in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar. Catering to the needs to urban woman, the brand has today expanded to an impressive 120 branded stores and over 600 touch points across India. The brand is the property of TCNS Clothing Company which manufactures high-end apparel for Indian women. They satisfy the needs and aspirations of every pocket and have everything under one roof- ranging from work wear, festive wear and fusion wear comprising salwaar-kameez, tunics, skirts, tees, trousers and accessories.

To glamorize the wardrobe of its modern consumers for some special & memorable occasions, ‘W’ introduced the ‘Wishful’collection- a premium range available only at select stores. Bold painted florals, checks, stripes and polkas in a vibrant colour palette of indigos, mauves, peaches, pinks, greens, blues, reds, blacks & browns heightened with rich rust and whites blended with unusual prints & patterns make the assortment simply irresistible.

‘W’ provides its customers a full wardrobe solution right from apparel to accessories that are functional yet fashionable, creating maximum impact with minimalistic details. Customers can choose from interesting silhouettes and pair it with appealing, trendy bags from the W collection- must haves to undermine a run-off- the-mill look.

To trace the journey of the brand and talk about its future plans, Adgully caught up with Anant Daga, the Chief Executive Officer at ‘W’, TCNS Clothing Company recently.
In his leadership role, Anant Daga is responsible for spearheading operations at ‘W’, a leading women’s wear brand that mirrors the new age Indian woman.

With his vast experience in the retail industry, Daga came on board at the company in March 2010. He has been personally involved in the planning, strategizing and conceptualization of every facet that the brand has to offer the discerning business and the modern Indian woman.

Adgully (AG): Please shed some light on the positioning of your brand ‘W’? Who does your brand basically target?

Anant Daga (AG): ‘W’ is the leading women’s wear brand which designs manufactures and retails contemporary fashion apparel and accessories for the modern Indian women. It appropriates the mindscape of the contemporary Indian woman – a unique confluence of Indian and western sensibilities.

‘W’ revolutionized the Indian retail space with its unique design philosophy and since then has remained true to its promise of being a step ahead of the fashion curve. Over the years the brand has constantly worked on providing contemporary fashion to the consumers, taking inspirations for the latest fashion trends & forecasts from the west and transforming them into silhouettes and styles relevant to the contemporary Indian woman. W caters to a woman who is independent, spirited, confident and imbues modernity with an Indian essence.

AG: What is the approximate size of the market that you are in? Could you share with us the market growth rate?

AD: Indian Contemporary women’s wear is the fastest growing segment of the market today. It’s the largest category after ethnic wear i.e sarees. However, organized retail is still a small part of the business though growing at a stupendous rate. ‘W’ is the one of the largest organized player in the segment and enjoys the leadership position.

AG: According to you, what are the key success factors in this market that has helped you achieve this position today? What need gap does your brand fills in the market?

AD: ‘W’ was launched in 2003 by TCNS Clothing Co. which is part of a leading export house TCNS. The brand grew out of the need to offer the contemporary Indian woman, innovative ready to wear that combine fashion and functionality. With a unique design sensibility, the Indian salwar-kameez was transformed into its chic & urbane - yet comfortable form. This was the first such attempt at reinventing Indian fashion.

AG: Don’t you think the market that you are in is robust but a bit cluttered? What according to you are the key differentiators for your brand that makes the company distinct from the competitors?

AD: ‘W’ was the pioneer in building the contemporary women’s wear market in the country and enjoys extremely strong connect with the consumers. Despite emergence of new brands and labels, we have unique strengths which enable us to break the clutter. We have a unique design language which differentiates us from all other players. So much so, that even without an exterior branding on the garments, one can easy identify a ‘W’ kurta from any other. We have the best fits in the category. We are one of the few brands worldwide to have conducted an anthropometric study to arrive at the perfect fit for the Indian women body type. Again, we have a wide array of product offerings and are able to innovate and reinvent fashion season on season. All this makes ‘W’ the most differentiated brand in the market place and that’s the reason why we have probably the most loyal customer base which keeps coming back to us.

AG: What are your marketing and promotional strategies?

AD: We believe our retail stores, products and loyal customers are the best marketing and communication vehicles for us. Since our inception, we have followed a product focused approach in our communication. We strongly believe in highlighting the product and the belief has strengthened over the years. We constantly innovate and update our communication and the media vehicles as per the consumer’s media habits. In the last few years we focused on the newer mediums of communication as more and more consumers have moved away from the traditional mediums. An interesting marketing campaign was launch of a new size between M & L, which we named ML. It was a 360 degree approach that we took and got tremendous response from our consumers.

AG: Which media platform do you use most aggressively and what is the percentage mix? How important is digital marketing in your plans. How do you engage with your TGs?

AD: For our marketing and promotions, we at ‘W’ use a mix of various platforms. Majority of our campaigns are print based and we use out of home advertising format as well. We are extremely aggressive and strong on new age media e.g. SMS, digital and social. We have interactive in-store projection to effectively engage and communicate to the consumers. We communicate with ‘W’ women through mediums most consumed by them.

AG: Shed some light on your presence in different markets in India and going further how do you intend to build upon your presence in the country?

AD: Last three years has seen ‘W’ growing from a 10 city - 30 stores coverage to 60 city-120 stores footprint. Currently we have a 50:50 mix between the metros and tier 2 & 3 cities.

We are looking at adding another 50 stores in 2013. Apart from metros and tier 2/3 cities already covered, we will be venturing into 15 new markets like Jorhat, Siliguri and Kottayam. Apart from opening exclusive stores, we are also looking at other channels so as to ensure that the brand is more accessible to the consumer. ‘W’ is already available with leading MBOs, Large Format Stores and leading online portals.

AG: Also share your plans in terms of penetrating Tier 2 and 3 markets?

AD: We have been growing our presence both in metros and Tier cities and have seen great response at both ends. The bulk of growth still comes from metros. Almost 30 per cent of our growth comes from tier 2 cities.

AG: How strong is the company as far as overseas markets is concerned? What are your plans in this regard?

AD: International foray is also on our expansion radar. We are exploring the Middle East, the SAARC countries, Singapore and Malaysia markets.