Celebrities launch own fashion labels to cash in on fan following
Taking cues from international celebrities, Indian film actors and cricketers are increasingly launching their own clothing and accessories brands to cash in on a category that industry executives and analysts believe has remained untapped so far in India.
Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar in January launched his own sportswear and cricket equipment range titled ‘Sachin by Spartan’ in association with an Australian sporting gear and equipment company Spartan Sports International. The range features three different collections and is being retailed in India and 12 other countries, including the UK, New Zealand and Australia.
Actor Shahid Kapoor, in October, launched his fashion brand ‘Skult’, in an exclusive tie-up with Aditya Birla Group-owned online fashion store abof. In the last one year, several celebrities, including cricketer Yuvraj Singh, actors Kriti Sanon and Sonam Kapoor (and her sister Rhea Kapoor), have tied up with designers and retailers to launch their own apparel brands.
Industry executives said the number of celebrity-owned fashion brands has seen a surge in the last one year. “The number of brands in this space is limited. So, the market is right for such launches. There is a big chunk of consumers in India who are influenced by celebrities,” said Anjana Reddy, founder and CEO at Tendulkar-backed celebrity fashion company Universal Sportsbiz Pvt Ltd (USPL).
USPL offers celebrity fashion lines of cricketer Virat Kohli (menswear brand Wrogn) and film actor Shraddha Kapoor (ethnic wear brand Imara). The company recently added another celebrity in its portfolio with the launch of women’s western wear brand Ms. Taken by film actor Kriti Sanon. USPL closed 2015-16 at ₹62 crore in revenue and is hoping to double the figure this year.
The inspiration behind these launches, some say, are international celebrities like singers Justin Timberlake and Jessica Simpson who own and operate large global portfolios of branded products.
Reddy, however, attributed the growth in the market to high demand from the smaller towns and cities across the country. “The demand is coming from tier-ii and tier-iii markets. In such tie-ups, celebrities are helping customers recall the brand.”
Mandhana Retail Ventures, the exclusive global licensee of actor Salman Khan’s Being Human clothing, is planning to expand its footprint across smaller cities by opening 100 exclusive Being Human stores in the next four years in Raipur, Bikaner, Guwahati and Vapi.
Between 2013 and 2015, Being Human’s sales turnover expanded nearly four times to ₹235 crore from ₹60 crore, according to KPMG.
Additionally, online marketplaces like Amazon, Myntra and Flipkart have further helped the brands to penetrate smaller towns and cities. Fashion portal Myntra, for instance, is the sole retailer of ‘All About You’ by Deepika Padukone and ‘HRX’ by Hrithik Roshan.