Collaborations are one way to keep shoppers hooked to a brand, and for the festive season, Amazon Fashion has signed on four leading Indian designers to launch a new label, River. The e-commerce giant tied up with DBS Lifestyle LLP to create this multi-designer brand, together with JJ Valaya, Suneet Varma, Ashish Soni and Manish Arora. It appears that affordability is key for this initiative that includes pret and occasion wear for both men and women.
There are 270 styles, from dresses and saris to jackets and trousers, with references to the designers’ DNA. Varma’s saris, for instance, come with his trademark flounces and frills and pastels and are heavily discounted already (at 50% and available for ₹4,999 and ₹5,999). JJ Valaya’s scarves and contemporary separates (cotton shirt dresses at ₹1,749) showcased are very different from what you would see at his fashion shows or showrooms, but he has mentioned that they are Indian in spirit with some modern ‘royal sport’ inspiration. Meanwhile, Arora’s psychedelic print dresses and tops and Soni’s athleisure influence point to a much younger audience. That these garments are manufactured by a third party could account for the attractive pricing. Now if only they were easier to find on the platform!
Mayank Shivam, director, strategic initiatives, Amazon Fashion India
“We have over 6,00,000 sellers, and hope an initiative like this will strengthen the backbone of the fashion fraternity, with its artisans, entrepreneurs, karigars and weavers,” begins Mayank Shivam, director, strategic initiatives, Amazon Fashion India, explaining how Amazon Fashion is looking at the larger picture with these projects. Sellers are listed from across the country, be it Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, Idukki in Kerala or Rajpipla In Gujarat.
Monitoring percentage growth week over week at 80%, he adds that two out of three customers are from tier 2 and tier 3 towns. With a price range of ₹999 to ₹9,999, “some originality in everyday wear, be it with trousers or kurtas” and designers creating scalable products, they expect to do well during the festive months, especially with buyers switching to categories like loungewear. “In 2019, we had 18,500 millionaire sellers on Amazon.in, and 3500+ crorepati sellers,” continues Shivam. Innovative sustainability measures are also encouraged among sellers, especially after Amazon India eliminated 100% single-use plastic in packaging originating from its 60+ fulfilment centres in India.