Fine Fair to launch ‘Kair brand for kidswear

He might be diminutive in size but he definitely has the capacity to think big. Having opened over 20 outlets under the Fine Fair brand in West Asia, its Managing Director, Mr Ismayael Rawther is planning to open 50 new children's garments outlets in India under the brand name Kair.

The children's outfits are exclusively produced by the company at their Tirupur facility and sold extensively across the Gulf countries. Now Fine Fair is extending its reach to the Indian sub-continent, initially with 20 stores in South India, under the brand name Kair.

“We are going for the mall concept and will be opening our first two outlets in Kannur and Kozhikode in Kerala. The decision to start with Kerala was not only based on the easy recognition of the brand by the Gulf expatriates, but also because of the ready-to-occupy mall facilities available in these north Kerala cities,” Mr Rawther said.

CHANGING MARKETS

Mr Rawther started out small, beginning as the marketing executive of the menswear brand Zodiac in Bangalore before embarking on to the happy hunting grounds of the Gulf. When the quota system was abolished by the US, the Gulf countries were wiped out from the global textile markets and developing countries like India made fresh gains. Mr Rawther's job itself came into question, forcing him to venture out on his own.

Fine Fair was conceived as a small entity in 1998 and soon rose to occupy all key points in the garment value chain with strong vertical and lateral integration. The company now controls the entire production process: right from ginning stage all the way up to the merchandised garments and display at several company-owned outlets. Fine Fair today commands a turnover of $ 100 million of which $30 million comes from Kair brand.

SOURCING

With the state-of-the art manufacturing facilities based out of India, support comes from units in the Philippines, Egypt, Sri Lanka, China, Bangladesh and the UAE. Specialised children's garments which require intricate and labour intensive work called smacking is sourced from the Philippines. Socks, gloves and stockings are sourced from Egypt while several large-order items from China.

TRAINING

The company is already planning big. Some of the staff has already been deputed to study textile designing at Polimoda University in Milan, Italy. Some others have moved on to study at Birmingham University. The company has acquired land to build a 300-acre Fine Fair Textile City off Coimbatore, which will be supported by in-house fashion designers from Milan.

And the prospective market is already there. Branded children's garment market in India is estimated at Rs 35,000 crore today. And it is expected to grow three-fold by 2015, Mr Rawther said. Fashion is not only about design and the cut but also involves forecasting trends and colours. The global choice for children's wear for the summer of 2012 will be based on the colours of the earth: green for young leaves, yellow for old and withering leaves and blue for the sky, Mr Rawther said.

Control over the entire production chain enables the company not only to ensure consistent quality but also to keep the prices low and affordable. Since the product is mostly made in Tirupur, the prices are likely to be lower than several of the Indian competitors.