Vimal’s revival plan gets Italian cut

MUMBAI: Reliance Industries (RIL) plans to re-invent the Vimal brand by giving it an Italian cutting edge, literally. Under the Vimal Masters Assemblage Symposium, RIL���s textile division has brought down Italian master designer Maurizio Bonas, who has been training some of the ���suit craftsmen��� ��� as RIL calls them ��� to update them with the latest in international trends, fashion and of course the legendary hand-stitched Italian cut.

Besides a huge upgradation at their Naroda plant in Gujarat, the textile division, known for its Only Vimal campaign, is putting its faith in the hands of a few of India���s chosen master cutters across four metros where it will launch in April. The idea is to form an Indian Master���s Tailor���s Club. ���The core focus is the revival of the Vimal brand and this is a below-the-line marketing effort.

Using the new fabrics we have developed, we will look at forming associations with certain top-end tailors and look at formal, premium end menswear, but at surprising prices. The club will be a foundation to discuss the evolution of fashion and trends in India and international markets,��� says Chetan Desai, vice president (marketing), textile division. To bring the youth into the tailored market, Desai says the new offers will have a combination of fabric and cut at attractive prices. It will also aim at the corporate traveller and make a new line called the shirt jackets which are luggage friendly.

���The shirts jacket is unlined, light weight, cut smart and Italian way and can be taken out of a bag and worn without it getting crumpled,��� explains Italian master, Bonas, who is also the president of the Italian Council of Made in Italy. To begin with Vimal will launch 20 new-look stores across the four metros and revamp some of the existing stores which are strategically located.

���Indian tailors are very good, they just need to adapt to the modern needs and develop a lighter touch, there are after all only three countries in the world which still has a ���hand-stitched��� market ��� the UK, Italy and India. I am glad I am transferring some of Italy���s best practices to India and maybe one day they can sell in Italy under the ���Made in India��� label,��� says Bonas.