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J Hampstead, the premium fabric brand of textile major Siyaram, has signed up Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan as brand ambassador for its readymade apparel.

Roshan will endorse J Hampstead premium range of fabric along with J Hampstead readymade apparel, a company statement said here today.

“We already have Hrithik Roshan as brand ambassador for our J Hampstead fabric range and he will also endorse J Hampstead apparel,” Ramesh Poddar, Chairman and MD, Siyaram Silk Mills said.

J Hampstead is a brand from the house of Siyaram . J Hampstead is an international brand of worsted textile which was acquired by Siyaram in 1995.

When the brand was launched, it was positioned as a premium suit brand with a price ranging from Rs 1000- 1500 p.m. The high price was because the fabric was imported from Italy. Later the brand went in for local fabric and a price restructuring happened which saw the brand retailing at the range of Rs 500-1000 per meter.

J Hampstead is an interesting brand. I think this is one of the very few brands in the consumer space which have an ” Initial ” along with the brand name. Besides this trivia, the brand is interesting for its experiments with celebrity endorsements.

According to Financial Express (26 July 2008) the market size for worsted suiting is around Rs 1600 crores.

J Hampstead from the start itself has relied heavily on celebrity endorsements. It is also a brand that was unlucky because in most of the occasions their celebrities got into trouble and the brand had to discontinue the campaign.

The famous endorsers for J Hamptead was the tennis duo Mahesh Bhupati and Leander Paes.These tennis stars were roped in when they were in the peak of their careers. But the personal relationship between Mahesh Bhupati and Leander Paes became sour and led to lot of negative press coverage around their fight. This prompted the brand to take off the campaign featuring these players.

Then came the big gamble. J Hampstead was endorsed by the entire South African cricket team. Instead of choosing a single player, the brand took the entire team as the endorsers. The South African team was considered to be very professional and clean. There were campaign featuring the entire team wearing J Hampstead suitings. But then came the unpredictable misfortune. Hanse Cronje , the celebrated SA captain was accused of match fixing. This forced the brand to shelve the entire campaign.

At one point of time Geoff Boycott also endorsed the brand. Then for a long period, the brand kept off the celebrity bandwagon.

In 2008, the brand came back with the celebrity endorsement strategy but with a difference. J Hampstead is now endorsed by Ms Priyanka Chopra. I think that its the first time that a male textile brand being endorsed by a female celebrity. ( I am not sure whether any other brand targeting males are endorsed by female celebrity)

According to media reports, the agency feels that such an endorsement will be a communication innovation. The campaign featuring Priyanka has been shot in Paris and is currently on air in most of the channels

Watch the campaign here : J Hampstead

So the question arises whether the strategy of a female celebrity endorsing a suiting brand make sense ? According to reports, Priyanka Chopra is now the hottest star in bollywood with a huge ‘male’ fan following. The purpose of this campaign is to create brand recall rather than build a long term brand equity . Hence the logic using Priyanka works in advantage to the brand by tapping the ‘huge’ fan following. (This is the version of the agency)

The theme of the ads also reflects this thinking. Priyanka getting impressed /fascinated by a hunk wearing J Hampstead. Another ad showing Priyanka ‘ playing’ with the material getting impressed by the stuff.

The brand is being positioned as one for the modern independent stylish gentleman who can easily make an impact on the beautiful ladies. J Hampstead earlier had the tagline of “The world’s Finest Fabric”. For the new campaign there is a new tagline ” Nothing But the Best “. The brand is currently using both the taglines in the campaign.

The brand is facing competition from the likes of Raymonds and Reid & Taylor. Both these brands have created a clear cut differentiation. So will Priyanka Chopra measure up against Amithabh is the key question.

The brand is also looking at that perspective. Textile brands have roped in who is who of the bollywood. Shah Rukh ( Belmonte) Salman ( Mayur) Big B , all have been booked. Hence why not create a difference by choosing a lady.

Frankly , I am not able to predict whether this strategy will work for the target audience? Honestly I am not impressed by the ads because there is nothing new in what is being said.

There are advantages in using Priyanka Chopra because those who like her will watch the campaign. And if the news reports that she has a huge male fan following is true, then that will be positive although it has to be seen how much of those fans belong to the brand’s TG.

What I detest is the desperation of the brand about celebrities. Why should a brand go after a female celebrity when they feel that all male celebrities have been booked by the competitors. Does the brand have an identity on its own ? Suppose all celebrities die, what will J Hampstead do ? Will it kill itself ?

J. Hampstead, the premium brand from Siyaram, has forayed into the Indian premium men’s apparel market. The brand is planning to extend its existing product line from premium fabrics to apparel and has launched men’s premium shirts. According to Gaurav Poddar, Director,

J. Hampstead Apparels, the move to introduce premium shirts was taken keeping in mind Siyaram’s commitment to the Indian market and their focus on innovation. Aimed at the upwardly mobile young men, J. Hampstead premium shirts will offer international fabric, styling, color and fashion trends for varied occasions. With the new addition, Siyaram’s now has three ready-to-wear brands in its stable — MSD, Oxemberg and J. Hampstead.

“It’s taken us some time to build Oxemberg as a brand. Once that was consolidated, we told the parent company we wanted an extension in the premium wear segment, which is growing in size, and we believe that it is intelligent leveraging of a brand which is J. Hampstead,” says Prasad Shetty, President, Sales and Marketing, J. Hempstead. “After shirts, we will soon launch trousers. As the largest manufacturer and importer of the fabric, we are a complete wardrobe brand,” Shetty adds.

However Shetty feels that with other established players like Van Heusen and Arrow already present in the premium shirts segment, it may not be a cake walk for J. Hampstead. “We are up against formidable and established players. It’s war for us. The onus is on us to innovate and be more meaningful to our customers. Also, J. Hampstead has a certain amount of brand equity among premium customers. Besides, we have been in this trade, grown in this trade, and we would like to lead the trade,” Shetty adds.

The new shirt range is made of finest quality cotton fabrics, sourced globally. What’s more they are easy to care, which make it very convenient to carry while traveling. As for marketing, J. Hampstead will rely on their exclusive brand outlets called Siyaram’s Fashion. “We have four such outlets. These don’t have fabrics. All three Siyaram’s brands are housed here,” Shetty explains. Moreover, the brand is also sold through select multi brand outlets, “We use agency platform for selling J. Hampstead so we have control over which retailer to supply to. And we ensure the channel partner has a good rapport with select premium outlets,” he sums up.

J. Hampstead, the high end fabric brand of the Siyaram group, has unveiled its new international range of premium shirts on the first day of the 50th National Garment Fair in Mumbai. Actress Priyanka Chopra has been selected the brand ambassador for the collection.

This exclusive line of formal shirts incorporate a wide range of advance finishes like LAP and ETI in order to ensure inimitable softness and radiance. The ‘colour palette’ varies from blues to mauves to pinks and browns. Apart from sold colours, these premium shirts are available in stripes as well. The price range of these 100 per cent cotton shirts will vary between Rs1,000-1,500.

Gaurav Poddar, director J. Hampstead Apparels shares, “Our target age group is 35 plus professionals. With the aim of providing consumers an engineered product, we offer high quality fabric, craftsmanship, style and packaging. Also, moving ahead we plan to introduce bottom-wear as well”

– Cadini, Italy’s premier fashion brand, is a clear essence of Italian heritage & refined craftsmanship. The brand has signed on the uber stylish Nargis Fakhri to be the new face of the Cadini Power of Presence Campaign in India.

The Italian style which permeates throughout Cadini collections receives continuous appreciation on an international level in 40 countries across the globe. The search for the synthesis between elegance and comfort has led, over the years, to develop suits, jackets, coats, shirts and trousers of great versatility, with handcrafted perfection.

The focus of the brand has been fashion forward youth who not only follow international trends but also believe in power-dressing.

On this association, the actress Nargis Fakhri said “, I am excited as Cadini has always charmed me with their fabrics, design & ensemble men’s collection. I feel men are taking fashion pretty seriously these days. Cadini reflects a power of presence with the great cut, great style & exquisite fabrics that make the Cadini man stand out in a crowd. I am grateful to Cadini that they have chosen me to promote their brand. It’s a wonderful feeling to be the brand ambassador for such a spectacular brand”.

Mr. Ramesh Poddar Managing Director of the company said “The decision to sign Nargis Fakhri as Cadini’s brand ambassador was arrived at after a lot of internal debate & discussion & is based on a consumer purchase behavior research commissioned by us. The results were not very surprising, women play the most crucial role in grooming men in their life. Women are found to be more creative, innovative & progressive in their outlook which makes them a better judge of fashion. This became a strong reason for us to position our brand from a woman’s perspective. Nargis Fakhri was the obvious name to represent today’s modern woman because she is intelligent, stylish & a fashion icon whose power of presence matches with the brand’s message “

CADINI is one of the most popular fashion brands from Italy with its presence across 40 countries, including England, India, Mexico, Russia, U.S.A., China, etc. CADINI produces finest quality materials in its own factories in Tuscany, Italy. It has established its position as a leader in textile menswear business. From their fabrics and designs to their final products, CADINI shows an ongoing commitment to quality. Their collection consists of luxury men’s suits, shirts, fabrics, jackets, exquisite silk ties, and a variety of accessories. Cadini has about 15 stores in India Mumbai Pune Hyderabad, Patna Bangalore& Chennai

Italy’s fashion brand Cadini has signed on actress Nargis Fakhri to be the new face of the Cadini Power of Presence Campaign in India.

Talking about the association, Ramesh Poddar Managing Director of the company said, “The decision to sign Nargis Fakhri as Cadini’s brand ambassador was arrived at after a lot of internal debate & discussion, and is based on a consumer purchase behaviour research commissioned by us. The results were not very surprising, women play the most crucial role in grooming men in their life. Women are found to be more creative, innovative & progressive in their outlook which makes them a better judge of fashion.”

“This became a strong reason for us to position our brand from a woman’s perspective. Nargis Fakhri was the obvious name to represent today’s modern woman because she is intelligent, stylish & a fashion icon whose power of presence matches with the brand’s message,” said Poddar.

Fakhri said, “I am excited as Cadini has always charmed me with their fabrics, design & ensemble men’s collection. I feel men are taking fashion pretty seriously these days. Cadini reflects a power of presence with the great cut, great style & exquisite fabrics that make the Cadini man stand out in a crowd. I am grateful to Cadini that they have chosen me to promote their brand. It’s a wonderful feeling to be the brand ambassador for such a spectacular brand.”

MUMBAI: Domestic textile player Siyaram Silk Mills today announced joint venture with leading Italian lifestyle brand Cadini.

“We have entered into joint venture with leading Italian lifestyle brand Cadini. We have bought ownership rights to manufacture and market Cadini brand for its fabric segment in India, Sri Lanka and few other countries in Middle East,” Siyaram Silk Mills Chairman and MD Ramesh Poddar told PTI here.

“We want to give Indian consumer the Italian feel at a reasonable price by customizing it to our market. Some products will be imported from Italy, but a major portion will be from India. We will bring the Italian innovation and manufacture it over here,” Poddar said at the launch of the brand in India without disclosing the consideration.

He added, “Siyaram’s currently has annual revenue of around Rs 1,550 crore and expects to grow by 10-15 per cent annually this year. We expect Cadini to contribute around Rs 100 crore of our total revenues in the next financial year.”

Cadini will also help Siyaram’s in sourcing and designing. The brand will be available in India in superior fabrics followed by garments and accessories, while the company also plans to open its Cadini exclusive outlets and shop-in shop in the near future.

Expecting a great response from the humongous and fast growing Indian market Cadini Brand Director Daniella Nicolle said, “This venture has not only provided us a platform to showcase our collection to the Indian consumer but has also helped us to discover various avenues in terms of global marketing.”

Cadini derives 95 per cent of its revenues from international market and only 5 per cent from Italian market, Faralli said.

Siyaram’s has spent Rs 80 crore to modernize its manufacturing facility this year and will spend around Rs 70 crore next year funded through internal accruals as well as government incentive Textile Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS), Poddar said.

He added, this will enable the company to add 10-15 per cent more to its monthly sales of 65 lakh metres of fabric per month.

Italian fashion brand Cadini made its debut in India with the launch of its first flagship store in Colaba, Mumbai. Cadini embarked upon an investment of Rs 15 crore for its retail foray and is poised to open 10 to 15 stores in cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata this year, read a statement. The 1970’s menswear brand exists in Florence and Italy as a manufacturer of men’s garments and accessories.

In pursuit of expanding its global footprint, Cadini is establishing its presence in India as a part of the global venture of menswear brand Siyaram. At the launch, Brand Director of Cadini Daniella Nicolle Faralli said, “With the launch of this first flagship store in India, the brand is strengthening its global presence by establishing its footprint in India.”

He also said that ehe store reflects the characteristics of the brand in its interiors and merchandise as part of bringing the globally admired Cadini experience to the Indian consumers with a range of premium Italian menswear product offerings.” Cadini is positioned to gratify the luxury needs of the Indian man, he added.

Iconic Italian fashion brand Cadini has made its debut in India with the launch of its first store here.

Cadini, a brand known for its menswear, on Tuesday launched its first flagship store at upmarket Colaba here.

Cadini has embarked upon an investment of Rs 15 crore for its retail foray and is poised to open 10 to 15 stores in cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata this year, read a statement.

Cadini was founded in 1970 in Florence, Italy, as a manufacturer of men’s garments and accessories.

In pursuit of expanding its global footprint, Cadini is establishing its presence in India as a part of the global venture of menswear brand Siyaram.

Daniella Nicolle Faralli, Brand Director of Cadini, flew in especially for the store launch.

Faralli said: “With the launch of this first flagship store in India, the brand is strengthening its global presence by establishing its footprint in India.”

“The store reflects the characteristics of Cadini in its interiors and merchandise as part of bringing the globally admired Cadini experience to the Indian consumers with a range of premium Italian menswear product offerings.”

Cadini is positioned to gratify the luxury needs of the Indian man.

CADINI, an Italian fashion brand for men has launched its first flagship store in India at Colaba, Mumbai. CADINI has embarked upon an investment of Rs. 15 crore for its retail foray and is poised to open 10-15 stores during this year in the high streets and destination shopping malls of metro cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata.

Founded in 1970 and celebrated for its high quality and timeless “Made in Italy” style, CADINI has shown, since the beginning, great promise as a renowned manufacturer in the menswear sector. CADINI impeccably crafts the “total look” for the quintessential man and is an internationally sought-after menswear fashion brand with presence across 40 countries. In pursuit of expanding its global footprint, CADINI is establishing its presence in India as part of the Global Venture of India’s largest and most preferred menswear brand – Siyaram’s.

Sharing his pleasure at the launch of the first flagship store in Mumbai, Ramesh Poddar, Chairman and Managing Director, Siyaram Silk Mills Ltd said, “India’s menswear segment registered a retail value growth of 15% in 2015 with sales touching Rs. 1.3 trillion. Today, Indian male consumers are concerned about their looks and appearance and are willing to spend more on apparel and accessories. To tap this market opportunity, CADINI is bringing the best of Italian menswear dressing accessible across 15,000 sq. ft of retail footprint across metros in India within the course of this year.”

Daniella Nicolle Faralli, Brand Director, CADINI, said, “With the launch of this first flagship store in India, CADINI is strengthening its global presence by establishing its footprint in the country. The store reflects the characteristics of CADINI in its interiors and merchandise as part of bringing the globally admired CADINI experience to the Indian consumers with a range of premium Italian menswear product offerings. Our joy is doubled with the presence of the Ugo Ciarlatani, Consul General of Italy and Simonetta Bartolomei, Commercial Attache’ – Consolato Generale d’Italia.”

Inaugurating the store launch, Ugo Ciarlatani, Consul General of Italy said, “Italy and India are known to be connoisseurs of the finest luxuries while being rooted in their rich cultural heritage and values. CADINI offers the perfect harmony of trends and tradition and today’s store launch amongst many to come is a positive step towards bringing the best of Italian dressing that is recognized world-over to Indian consumers. I congratulate Daniella Nicolle Faralli and Ramesh Poddar and wish CADINI all the best and look forward to it creating its unique space in the burgeoning fashion industry in India.”

Shridhar Iyer, Asst. Vice-president, CADINI (Garments) added, “CADINI is targeting SEC A+ audience across the leading metro cities with an estimated revenue potential of Rs. 125 crore with the retail foray with each store having on an average an area of 1000-1200 sq. ft. Initially, CADINI stores will be company owned and operated. Subsequently CADINI will offer outlets on the franchise model as well.”

CADINI is positioned to gratify the luxury needs of the Indian man who is rooted to his rich cultural heritage and values. Its edge lies in offering high-quality unique menswear fashion that is inspired from the ‘Made in Italy’ concept and to a substantial extent is ‘Made in India’ leading to the best of Italian innovation and Indian manufacturing excellence.