Published 5 years ago on Aug 01, 2020
by Ramesh GunasekaranView: 1053
We are all aware of what happened when NOKIA refused to adopt to ANDROID OS... It became redundant!!
Any business which refuses to change with the times becomes redundant and eventually perishes. Most often than not, they realise this rather late.
In this article I will talk about a segment which holds key relevance in the post pandemic market dynamic.
In my experience, I have come across very few apparel companies & vendors who have taken this segment seriously & offer products. The few who do, are often missing product offering in the wovens category.
As the pandemic has caused severe damage to the world economy, the consumers buying ability is impacted. Though the time is challenging, the consumers will be forced to buy for this segment.
I am sure you have guessed which category I am talking aboutYes, its KIDSWEAR!
It's the key while we unlock!
This is one segment which will always be in demand. In fact, we have scenarios where consumers end up spending more for their kids than for themselves, be it tops, bottom, denim or dress etc.,
In the current times where showrooms & other offline formats are unable to function due to the lockdowns, online sales are the only reflection of the market demand.
The online channels show a glimpse of positive sales figures in this category. While the brands which are predominantly driven by mens or womens wear categories are seeing a dip in their sales, the kids wear brands are showing better sales figures & in some cases meeting the yearly projections as well.
Demand vs Supply is one of the key aspects to bring in balance in any business format.
Kids wear is one segment which always had high demand irrespective of the market, be it domestic or international. As kids keep out growing their clothes with age, parents are left with little choice but to buy new clothes.
I know all the above holds true & everyone in the industry is aware about this. What made me to take this topic up was to discuss the gaps in Demand vs Supply in the “KIDS WEAR” segment. Though we have adequate manufacturing base to produce kids garments, we still struggle to get exclusive & innovative inputs for this category, primarily in woven’s.
Mill week and vendor presentations rarely carry an exhaustive collection of “KIDS WEAR” fabrics, except a few who specialize in it.
It’s the right time for the vendors to understand these Gaps & increase their product development & maximize the product offerings in this category.
Gaps to work on;
- Vendor/Mill design teams should work on exclusive KIDS WEAR collections which are in line with current market trends in the form of colour palettes, print artworks, yarn dyed cads & should be presented to the buyers along with the fabric quality feelers.
- Product development teams should start offering Smart products which carry kidswear specific decorative elements & give an impressive look on the garments by adding value to it in the forms of trims, tapes, elastic etc.,
- Sourcing team should work & identify right fabric sources who have specialized offerings in fabric qualities relevant to kids wear with right quality & different compositions, blends which enhances the look of the garment. At the same time quality standards should be taken care of.
- Marketing & Merchandising teams should keep an eye on market trends in terms of product offering & ensure the current trends are captured in their design, product, sourcing teams workings.Thereby ensuring dynamic costs are quoted to their buyers while offering the presentations to them.
Kids wear as a segment has huge potential to grow & offer better gains to vendors in the current competitive world. If we take it up with seriousness & start offering relevant products to the buyers be it domestic or international, it will be a win win situation. It requires special focus & attention to grab this business opportunity. It will reap good results in terms of orders with better margin if vendors started working for this segment with specific interest.
The title of this article is inspired by famous Italian brand which is known for its premium kids wear collections.
Let’s unlock the apparel business by holding the additional KEY to the “KIDS WEAR” business.
RELATED TOPICS:#Sourcing,Apparel,Fashion,Supply Chain,clothing,brands,fashion industry,Fashion Retail,Fashion Brands,supply chain strategy,apparel industry,Sourcing Strategy,kids fashion,kidswear,category,supply,kids brands,Ramesh Gunasekaran
Ramesh Gunasekaran
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39 Comments
SUMEET BAHETIAug 09, 2020 at 11:04 am
Thanks Mr. Ramesh for all thoughtful and informative articles ... keep up the good work. My request to share some thoughts on recycle products which seems to be future, especially rec Viscose and rec poly. Awaiting more from you. Thanks
Ramesh.GAug 09, 2020 at 14:14 pm
Hi Sumeet, Thanks for taking time to share your views. Will cover blog related to recycled viscose and poly soon.
S N SureshAug 06, 2020 at 23:54 pm
Very well said Ramesh, post covid kids is the highest selling category across formats. Very well said
Ramesh.gAug 07, 2020 at 12:11 pm
Happy to hear from you Suresh, thanks for your comments in vouching my views
AshishAug 06, 2020 at 19:27 pm
Well Said Ramesh. Kids business is one of the most promising and growing business in India. It is yet to see it's peak. Kids business in America is extraordinarily big and I am sure in times to come many brands out of India will start hitting dramatically big numbers. Already seeing surge in numbers of specialized players !!
Ramesh.gAug 07, 2020 at 12:14 pm
yeah Ashish, you are absolutely right on the thought process. Hopefully INDIA will capitalize this segment soon.
AshishAug 08, 2020 at 17:38 pm
Indeed and you will have to play a big role :)
Sakthivel - Sakthi TextilesAug 05, 2020 at 09:30 am
Ramesh sir, True, we are doing little on this area. Quantities will be less and styles will be more.
Ramesh.GAug 05, 2020 at 15:49 pm
Happy to know sakthivel, you can explore more doors for this segment as market has a demand which will open up soon once we are out of the current tough time.
NandaAug 05, 2020 at 08:07 am
well said, yes hv to think about middle class budget oriented products for kids
Ramesh.GAug 05, 2020 at 15:47 pm
Well said Nanda, cost and quality are the two major driving factors which everyone should keep in mind while working for these segments to succeed
MahendraAug 04, 2020 at 10:59 am
Thanks for the input, can't agree more and will surely keep this in mind while planning SS22
Ramesh.GAug 04, 2020 at 19:48 pm
Hi Mahendra, Thanks for your comments.Glad to know that you will be keeping this in mind and work towards the same in upcoming season. Happy to know
Vadapalli MohanAug 03, 2020 at 20:41 pm
Good article Ramesh. Yes, There are no mills that offer range for kids. Most of the time designers make the range from Men's/women's range.
Ramesh.GAug 04, 2020 at 19:50 pm
Yeah mohan, this article is the reflection of real time experience. Thanks for sharing your comments.
Ravi Surendra SinghAug 03, 2020 at 18:18 pm
Great thought Ramesh ji Best wishes For any fabric requiredment Please what's up me Ravi singh Ex....mkt manager of Swan mill
Ramesh.GAug 04, 2020 at 19:51 pm
Happy to hear from you ravi & thanks for your comments. Yeah sure we will connect with you offline for my requirements
PulkitAug 03, 2020 at 17:11 pm
Great inputs sir..
Ramesh.GAug 04, 2020 at 19:56 pm
Hey Pulkit thank you
Nagendra kumarAug 03, 2020 at 15:10 pm
Well said ramesh ji
Ramesh.GAug 04, 2020 at 19:57 pm
Thank you Nagendra
BALAJI KMAug 03, 2020 at 13:55 pm
Dear Mr.Ramesh. , The industry now understood.the focus of online sales is.mostly for KIDS compared to other segments, parents are always happy spending more for their kids while they keep their purchase less. Catering right products and quality is driving factor to keep the business in higher scale.. keep writing boss your views are most valuable
Ramesh.GAug 04, 2020 at 19:57 pm
Balaji thanks for vouching my views here. Much appreciated
Vijaya KrishnanAug 03, 2020 at 08:38 am
Excellent Insights Mr.Ramesh . Lounge wear and kids wear has a very good profitability if it is handled well right from PD , sourcing and execution.
Ramesh.GAug 04, 2020 at 19:59 pm
Absolutely krishna you are on dot with your experience. Handling well should be a self hygiene factor for the future of survival..
AjayAug 02, 2020 at 15:48 pm
Very Well factored and the most under-looked category in India as Brand -Kidswear. We still rely on local market and tier three cities have a huge potential for this category. For International Brands to procure we requirement stringent safety norms. Are the suppliers ready to pay attention for Safety norms for manufacturing toddlers , little kids and Big kids product?
Ramesh.GAug 04, 2020 at 20:03 pm
Hi Ajay, That was the main reason for opening up this topic in this forum so that it gets notified by larger pool of industry specialist. Stringent norms are common for every vendor if somebody can follow and do in our countries the. It shouldn’t be an issue for others to accommodate. It requires a willing heart and passionate working then things will fall in place easily is my view.
ChandrooAug 02, 2020 at 15:06 pm
Hi Ramesh, Congrats! it's a great idea. keep doing! Regards
Ramesh.GAug 04, 2020 at 20:04 pm
Thank you chandroo
LoghuAug 02, 2020 at 14:04 pm
Dear Ramesh. I am watching your blog all the time. Yes your forsee is absolutely right that the parents spending more to kids rather than themselves. The varieties also can see more in this category. The vendors also less as it contains compliance from their Nominee. Since we are all in Apparel industries, We eagerly expect how the amount impacts on Knits & Woven catagories in terms of Thames, Designs, price, local, export etc after pandemic..
Ramesh.GAug 04, 2020 at 20:18 pm
Nice views Loghu & thanks for your valuable comments. It’s good thought to have a topic for one more blog to cover those listed above.
NithyanandhanAug 02, 2020 at 13:35 pm
Dear ramesh, First of all I would like to thank you for writing the article on regular basis and useful message in simple manner that everybody can understand. Yes kids is the one which doing good in current scenario and need to be focused on this.. As you said in the article though it has been talked by many of them, but bringing them to the attention on the correct time and writing about that is really superb! Keep on rocking
Ramesh.GAug 04, 2020 at 20:15 pm
Thanks Nithya for the positive feedback and encouraging me always.
Venkata rajAug 02, 2020 at 13:25 pm
well thought Ramesh. "Kids Need" is a powerful physiology.
Ramesh.GAug 04, 2020 at 20:14 pm
Yeah VR it’s a important one can’t ignore
Venkatta ManavalanAug 02, 2020 at 13:14 pm
It is a very good article .keep rocking .
Ramesh.GAug 04, 2020 at 20:04 pm
Thank you venkat