Hand-crafted for trousseaus

New Delhi based label Megha & Jigar blends India's unique handcrafts with traditional and  contemporary styles. Designer Megha Kumari talks to Fibre2Fashion about the major achievements of the brand since its launch in 2013, the branding strategies the label implements and the new product categories lined up ahead.

Fibre2Fashion: What is the story behind founding of the brand?

Megha Kumari & Jigar Mali:

F2F: What categories is the brand into? Who is your target audience?

MK&JM:

F2F: Which category sells the most? What is the price point of the clothes?

MK&JM:

F2F: What is the retail and web presence of your brand like?

MK&JM:

F2F: What is the USP of your products?

MK&JM:

F2F: Which are your major markets?

MK&JM:

F2F: What kind of brand building strategies do you implement?

MK&JM:

Change is the only constant. What we need to keep a check on is what might stay in trend in the future. The collections are planned in advance with the thought of our core audience in mind. Alongside, we also have in mind to keep it pocket friendly for our audience to buy and fancy their outfit at the same time. We have already started working on having a strong social media presence and be accessible to the right audience.

F2F: Which other product categories do you plan to move into future?

MK&JM:

F2F: What has been your growth story in the last three years (excluding 2020)?

MK&JM:

F2F: What has been the impact of Covid in terms of sales, staff cutdown, rentals etc?

MK&JM:

Approximately 15-20 per cent of sales had gone down due to the pandemic. With the on-going pandemic, the brand has been able to manage the expenses of its staff. So, there were no staff cut downs. The rentals too have not been affected and remained the same more or less. The stocks have been the same and we are coming up with a new collection very soon. This time we have noticed a change in the pattern of Indian couture, and we'll be coming up with lighter pieces for bridal and bridesmaid couture as well.

F2F: How do you choose your vendors? What are the top 3 qualities are you looking at beyond the givens of quality, lead time, compliances etc?

MK&JM:

F2F: Where are your manufacturing facilities based at?

MK&JM:

All the manufacturing of label Megha and Jigar takes place in New Delhi.

F2F: What is the annual production capacity?

MK&JM:

F2F: How is the supply chain expected to change with increasing digitisation, AI, VR etc? And how is this going to impact the business of sourcing?

MK&JM:

F2F: What kind of machinery does your manufacturing facility boast of?

MK&JM:

F2F: How much is spent on machine upgradation and maintenance annually?

MK&JM:

F2F: Sustainability and circularity are the buzz words today. How do you incorporate them into your product lines?

MK&JM:

Sustainability and circulation are definitely what the world should work upon. Label Megha and Jigar believes in the use of the pieces in different ways of styling. A garment can be used in multiple ways whether it be a blouse that looks like a crop top in contemporary fashion and can be paired with denim or a light lehenga that can be reused as a long skirt for other occasions apart from weddings. Eco-friendly products are used too to maintain sustainability.

F2F: What are your long-term sustainability goals?

MK&JM: