Exclusive | In a first of its kind, Allen Solly partners with Wimbledon

In a first of its kind strategic collaboration Allen Solly a smart formal dressing brand has announced their partnership with the prestigious tennis event in the world, The Championships, Wimbledon 2015. Solly which began operations in 1993 in India is an established player in the market today. To be in line with international formats, the brand revamped themselves in 2012 and introduced interesting communications like Friday Dressing and their launched their “Stag” logo.

Allen Solly which is into men’s, women and kids wear introduced Solly Sport last year and today this brand is the official partner with Wimbledon. Currently, catering to the men’s segment, this brand intends to expand into the women and kids segment as well.

Today consumers look at an opportunity to explore and this new baby in the Solly family will surely attract the consumer, apart from the fact that Wimbledon is an iconic brand and anyone would love to flaunt a shirt or a t-shirt from the Solly Sport collection. Not to forget that this is one of the fastest growing segments.

To understand more about the association with Wimbledon and to get more insights on the BRAND we at Adgully caught up with Sooraj Bhat, Brand Head, Allen Solly.

Elaborating on the alliance, Bhat said, “We’ve have been closely working on this association for about a year now and the association will last for ten years.” On asking about the marketing plans for the same, he said, “We’re still in the discussion stage and you will hear about it in a few weeks.”

Indeed we await to hear from this brand on their upcoming marketing plans. However, Solly Sport will largely be present on digital and will also use a lot of audio-visual. Allen Solly on the other hand has created campaigns like ColorLab, Hot Fridays for the digital space and have majorly been advertising on print media.

The association with the sport is very close to the brand’s imagery. On asking Bhat about why they chose Tennis and not any other sport, Bhat said, “Tennis is a great fit for us. We did think about other sports as well, but Tennis was the best fit for our brand.”

Bhat adds, “With the Wimbledon collection, we will offer Indian consumers a chance to experience the essence of the tennis championships through more than 200 stores while establishing itself as the only brand in the country to foster such a partnership.”

Tennis brings in a lifestyle element. He tells us, “We have partnered with Wimbledon to exclusively market lifestyle apparel and a casual wear line under a licensing arrangement for Solly Sport, Allen Solly's sub-brand. Without Wimbledon, there would be no tennis! It has created this global phenomenon not just for sports enthusiasts but for its fashion and lifestyle elements as well. That's where we saw a strategic business opportunity."

"We felt the need to bridge this clear gap in India, where tennis lovers could get access to the official Wimbledon apparel. Our stores and team are buzzing with excitement as The Championships come closer. We are really excited about such an association with one of the most iconic global sporting event" he went on to add.

Solly Sport will market an exclusive line of men's wear lifestyle apparel under a licensing agreement with Wimbledon. The line was designed in collaboration with a French design firm to bring cutting edge on and off court tennis fashion to the Indian consumer. Bhat adds, “We will soon introduce women and kids wear in this segment.”

Similar to Allen Solly’s unique proposition of Friday Dressing which revolutionized men’s fashion in India, the Wimbledon line through its partnership will offer Indian consumers a chance to experience the essence of The Championships. Solly Sport as a sub-brand has already shown a lot of promise in the market with an estimated revenue of Rs. 40 crores and this category is likely to grow to Rs. 200 crores in the next two years.

Interest levels for Tennis have been increasing in India with children and adults signing up for the game and even more enlisting each year as role models of iconic Indian sportsmen encourage players to aspire to the highest laurel in the sport.

Commenting on this association Mick Desmond, Commercial Director of Wimbledon said, “We are delighted to be announcing our exciting new association with Allen Solly.  Tennis and Wimbledon have a long and illustrious history in India and it is on that great foundation that we are looking to build an equally long and successful future.  Our partnership with Allen Solly will be key to helping us achieve our aim of growing awareness of the Wimbledon brand in this important market and we look forward to working together over the coming years.”

Allen Solly is currently retailed from 207 exclusive stores across India and is present in all leading menswear stores and department stores. Overall, Allen Solly has been growing assertively and aggressively at a CAGR of 34% and has generated over 800 crores as revenue for the current year.

The Wimbledon collection will also be retailed from approved menswear stores across the country as well as from its official brand website www.allensolly.com along with www.trendin.com, Madura Fashion & Lifestyles exclusive E-commerce portal. By Archit Ambekar | Twitter: @aambarchit