Ram Das Mohan Lal Maheshwari: Crafting its niche identity

By Satrajit Sen

Notwithstanding the corporate retail chains or the exclusive ethnicwear outlets, the traditional dukandar of women's ethnicwear still contributes a significant share to the growth of the country's ethnicwear market. With minimum investments made for advertisement campaigns and marketing initiatives, Ram Das Mohan Lal Maheshwari in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh is another such contributor to India's ethnicwear market.

With ethnicwear collections sourced from various places of India, Ram Das Mohan Lal Maheshwari has successfully created a niche identity in the minds of the people in Hapur and is planning to expand its footprints in other parts of the country.

The Shop:

Established 60 years back by Mohan Lal Maheshwari as a small saree shop in Hapur, Ram Das Mohan Lal Maheshwari today has labelled itself as a well known brand in the NCR's ethnicwear retail sector. Catering to the emotions and desires of about 216,100 people of Hapur through its ethnicwear collection, Ram Das Mohan Lal Maheshwari has seen the evolving phase of people's lifestyle as consumers today want a blend of ethnic and westernwear. This probably is the reason why this niche retailer also stocks collections from brands including Raymonds, Grasim, Digjam, Reid & Taylor and Belmonte.

According to Madhav Maheshwari, the owner of the store, the womenswear market in India was always traditionally serviced and the concept of blending tradition and fashion is relatively new in the unorganised sector. "The modern Indian woman is equally comfortable in jeans and capris as she is in ethnic churidar-kurta. Our motive has always been to strike the right balance between tradition and modernity," says Maheshwari.

Explaining the rationale behind this motive, Maheshwari held that westernwear has been creeping into the consciousness of the young urban Indian woman, especially after the cultural upheaval brought by the rising level of information and media exposure. "Fusion fashion is the buzzword in the country's ethnicwear industry. The demand for Indo-westernwear is now gaining momentum like never before," he informed.

Explaining their understanding of the Indian ethnicwear market, Maheshwari said that the Indian population is unique in Asia and has maintained a niche identity despite the cultural onslaught in food, films and clothing from the West. "The sheer proliferation of retail space has definitely contributed to the development in this niche segment of Indian retail. With consumerism achieving new heights in the country, the availability of retail space has encouraged many ethnicwear retailers to open new branches in various cities," says Maheshwari.

The Consumer:

Women form 80 per cent of the shop's consumer base and the store is taking initiatives in making ethnicwear more popular among the male clientele as well.

"The Indian woman is proud of her identity and is happy to flaunt it. Design consciousness has made ethnicwear a fashion statement. Hemlines, necklines and colours follow global trends but are also very much in keeping with the local culture. Indian women want these and we have an expertise in providing the desired collection to our consumers," says Maheshwari.

However, the company is also working towards promoting ethnicwear among males. The urban Indian male, now, is not afraid to be seen in pink khadi kurtas and according to Maheshwari, "Today, men wearing short kurtas inscribed with 'Oms' and other religious motifs are as common a sight as men wearing stiff white shirts. Most of the ethnicwear brands also design cotton shirts for men in materials like raw silk and solid colours. This is a refreshing change that is being experienced in this segment."

The collection:

The company says that the bulk of shopping from its store is based on impulse. Consumer demand in this category is very seasonal which increases in the festive seasons and special occasions including marriages and religious ceremonies. Hence, Maheshwari feels that the stock and the collection displayed in their windows, needs to be strong enough to attract the consumer's attention.

"We want to give our consumer the best variety in ethnicwear fashion and so we select products from various places of India keeping in mind our customer preferences," is what Maheshwari says about his collection.

The store sources its products from various manufacturers and wholesalers in different parts of the country that include Jaipur, Kolkata, Pochampalli in Andhra Pradesh, Erode in Tamil Nadu, Salem and Jodhpur. It has a team of fashion experts who study the consumer interests very closely and then sources the collections accordingly.

"Our experts go to the weavers, manufacturers and wholesalers in different areas to get the stuff done according to our specification, keeping in mind our customer's expectation. Our carefully selected team of fashion experts perfectly translate the individual lifestyle embodied by the respective line," informs Maheshwari.

Speaking about the most retailed collection in the store, Maheshwari informed that hand and block printed short kurtas are all time favourites. Besides, designer kurtas in vibrant colours; long crinkled skirts with gota edges and khari work and white cotton or chanderi dupattas are among the most retailed products in the outlet.