We have an entire wardrobe solution for men
Celio is a French menswear brand and is present across 1,000 stores in 60 countries. It carries the latest international range in India of casual wear, denim wear and smart work wear through its exclusive 60+ standalone stores and more than 700+ shops in leading departmental stores. Decoding trends, to offer smart and contemporary menswear, is the brand’s forte. Showcasing collections oriented to the different moments of a man’s life, Celio captures effortless style for men. In a chat with Fibre2Fashion, Celio India CEO Satyen Momaya discusses menswear market in India.
How would you describe the domestic market for menswear in India at the moment versus a decade ago?
India is the youngest country in the world and the youth here is very brand conscious, which is fuelling the growth of branded apparel in the country. We are well poised to witness a huge shift.
What has evolved and what remains?
Indians have always valued quality and that remains. What has evolved is the consumer understanding and focus on sustainability, giving back to Mother Nature. Also, digitisation in the country has evolved by leaps and bounds.
What has been Celio’s growth story since its entry in India?
We underwent a business transformation in 2017. Since then, the brand has witnessed 2.5X the market growth, which has significantly contributed to improving our profitability. The love we are getting from the consumers is phenomenal. Post the unlock, we have been amongst the stronger recovery brands, and hope to build on the positive growth momentum and grow at 25 per cent CAGR for the next 3-5 years.
Which are your major markets (online & in-store)?
The physical presence is a significant part of our business, but the digital push and also the omni-channel approach is helping us grow our digital business faster.
Which POS (point of sale) work well for you – EBOs, MBOs, fashion marketplaces or your online store?
We have a strong 700 + door multi-channel presence across retail, department stores, regional MBOs and the marketplace presence including our own website celio.in. All these work for us.
Which are the best performing categories in menswear?
We have an entire wardrobe solution for men. Our key categories are shirts, jeans and winter wear.
Which price points work well in India for menswear?
Indian market is slowly evolving from a triangle shape where mass is a huge chunk of business, to a diamond shape with the premium also becoming sizeable, and as the economy grows, we will witness a further shift. Though the mass or the economy market is still huge, it is shifting upwards.
We provide strong price value equation to our consumers by bringing in our global trendy and innovation range backed with excellent quality. We operate in two price segments—the premium and upper premium price points.
What new product categories do you plan to launch soon?
We are planning to introduce the city or the smart blazer range along with strengthening our linen and denim assortments. We also have a very good contribution with some of the exciting collaboration/licensing range.
What are the major trends in menswear?
Denim continues to grow strong. We are seeing the pants making a strong comeback, but with a different fabric composition. Also, sustainability specially on the fabric composition, is a strong trend.
What do you plan to focus on going forward? Physical or digital expansion?
For physical stores, we plan to introduce a new store format which is getting huge acceptance in our headquarters in France. We are focusing on the NEW RETAIL which helps deliver an elevated and a true omni-channel shopping experience. We are also accelerating our digital presence through both marketplace and digital DTC (direct-to-consumer).
(Interviewer: Shilpi Panjabi)
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