For
Prakash and Anil Lakhani, children are indeed gifts of God. Thebrothers who own
Gini & Jony, India’s biggest children’s fashionwearbrand, have
seen their fortunes multiply ever since they decided toforay into the kidswear
market in 2003. Gini & Jony Pvt Ltd was a Rs20-crore company then. Today,
barely four years later, the company’srevenues have touched Rs 200
crore.
For the record, the brand does not take its name from Gini
Coefficient—a statistical measure of inequality of income distribution.
But the Lakhanis were banking on the fact that the more people’s incomes
grow, the more they would spend on what their children wear.
Chief financial officer, Harish Mehta, says that during the brand launch, the company had invested Rs 2 crore for branding and product positioning. “The tagline ‘freedom clothing’ was also included in the contract that was given to a Mumbai-based ad agency. We had consciously decided to position Gini & Jony as a global brand. But we had no idea we will grow so quickly.”
Premium kidswear wasn’t in vogue during those days. A few foreign brands were around though, but were struggling to fit in. The Lakhanis decided to change the rules of the game. “We targeted kids 2 to 19 year old who are style conscious and stress on a ‘head to toe’ fashion concept,” says Mehta. Do kids take a call on their dressing? “Maybe not. But upwardly mobile parents would want their kids to be well-dressed too and we conveyed that message to them,”he adds. The strategy clicked and Gini & Jony became India’s top childrenwear brand in barely 2-3 years. And now, the company is drawing up its foray into the European and South East Asian markets.
Currently, exports—to South Africa and the middle east—amount to nearly 10% of the company’s total turnover. But that is expected to multiply in the coming years.
In the meanwhile, the action is in the domestic market. “The premium kidswear market is estimated to grow at 20% year on year. We intend growing at the rate of 60% in the next one year,” says Mehta. The total kidswear market in the country is estimated around Rs 15,000-crore a year, of which a large chunk is unbranded. “Converting the unbranded segment into branded is the big challenge for us,” says Mehta.
Preparations have already begun. The company, which has a network of about 1,000 stores countrywide, plans to double that number in the coming year. “We would now be focussing outside Mumbai. We are prepared to shell out anywhere between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore per store anywhere in India,” Mehta says.
The company already boasts of a production capacity of 2 million units a year. It has also acquired the license to distribute the children’s wear range from United Colors of Benetton, Reebok Apparel, Levis’ Sykes Junior and Reebok Footwear.
But Kishore Biyani pulled out of it. Currently, while the financial arrangement with Gini & Jony continues, all operational ties are broken. But Gini says it can do it alone. The parent company—Gini & Jony was incorporated much later—began its operations from the industrial belt of Saki Naka in Mumbai in 1980. And from being a trading house it has transformed into a manufacturer of India’s top kidswear brand. What’s next?
Chief financial officer, Harish Mehta, says that during the brand launch, the company had invested Rs 2 crore for branding and product positioning. “The tagline ‘freedom clothing’ was also included in the contract that was given to a Mumbai-based ad agency. We had consciously decided to position Gini & Jony as a global brand. But we had no idea we will grow so quickly.”
Premium kidswear wasn’t in vogue during those days. A few foreign brands were around though, but were struggling to fit in. The Lakhanis decided to change the rules of the game. “We targeted kids 2 to 19 year old who are style conscious and stress on a ‘head to toe’ fashion concept,” says Mehta. Do kids take a call on their dressing? “Maybe not. But upwardly mobile parents would want their kids to be well-dressed too and we conveyed that message to them,”he adds. The strategy clicked and Gini & Jony became India’s top childrenwear brand in barely 2-3 years. And now, the company is drawing up its foray into the European and South East Asian markets.
Currently, exports—to South Africa and the middle east—amount to nearly 10% of the company’s total turnover. But that is expected to multiply in the coming years.
In the meanwhile, the action is in the domestic market. “The premium kidswear market is estimated to grow at 20% year on year. We intend growing at the rate of 60% in the next one year,” says Mehta. The total kidswear market in the country is estimated around Rs 15,000-crore a year, of which a large chunk is unbranded. “Converting the unbranded segment into branded is the big challenge for us,” says Mehta.
Preparations have already begun. The company, which has a network of about 1,000 stores countrywide, plans to double that number in the coming year. “We would now be focussing outside Mumbai. We are prepared to shell out anywhere between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore per store anywhere in India,” Mehta says.
The company already boasts of a production capacity of 2 million units a year. It has also acquired the license to distribute the children’s wear range from United Colors of Benetton, Reebok Apparel, Levis’ Sykes Junior and Reebok Footwear.
But Kishore Biyani pulled out of it. Currently, while the financial arrangement with Gini & Jony continues, all operational ties are broken. But Gini says it can do it alone. The parent company—Gini & Jony was incorporated much later—began its operations from the industrial belt of Saki Naka in Mumbai in 1980. And from being a trading house it has transformed into a manufacturer of India’s top kidswear brand. What’s next?
