Off-White™, the Milan-headquartered luxury streetwear brand, expects to earn close to Rs 30-40 crore in India over the next two years and aims to reach Rs 50 crore by FY28, Abhinav Kumar, Co-Founder, Brand Concepts Limited told IMAGES Business of Fashion. So far, the brand has opened stores in Bengaluru, Delhi and Kolkata with plans to open four to five outlets in total.
Founded in 2013 by late Virgil Abloh, Off-White™ entered India last year under a franchise agreement with Brand Concepts Limited and Sportlux General Trading. Under the agreement, Brand Concepts gained exclusive rights to distribute and retail Off-White™’s product portfolio in India which spans apparel, footwear, bags, belts, wallets, swimwear, and a range of fashion accessories. Brand Concepts is also known for licensing Tommy Hilfiger, United Colors of Benetton, Superdry, Aeropostale and Juicy Couture in India.
Retail rollout: four stores in phase one
The first store opened at Mall of Asia in Bengaluru, followed by one at DLF Promenade in Delhi, and a third at Quest Mall in Kolkata. A fourth, at the Palladium mall’s new wing in Mumbai, is due early next year, once the wing is complete.
Together the four stores cover the north, east, south and west. The company plans four to five stores in total and says it is not pursuing large-scale expansion.
Kumar said, “We do not see a 50-store journey for Off-White™. It is a luxury brand, so you cannot have that. We have imagined probably four to five stores in total. With Bombay, we will have completed one market each in Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Bangalore, and the only market pending might be Hyderabad. We want to build up on these four stores first, and later, if more luxury malls come up, we might look at exploring other markets. But the first phase is what I’ve described, and by early next year we will have completed phase one.”
Ownership varies by city. The Bengaluru and Kolkata stores are company-owned. The Delhi store is run with franchise partner Sparsh, which also handles Off-White™ Kids merchandise in India. Kumar said future stores will depend on location and on finding partners who understand the brand.
Each store carries its own design rather than a common template. Kumar explained, “The Bangalore store and the Delhi store are very different from each other. They are not cut-and-paste copies. Every store is thought through, and this is how Off-White™ does it worldwide: every store looks different from the others.”
Off-White™ is also sold through luxury multi-brand retailer Collective and is launching through streetwear and sneaker specialists, including Crepdog Crew and EDC. On e-commerce, it is launching on Tata CLiQ Luxury, with other luxury platforms to follow.
Pricing: at par with international levels
Off-White™ has set Indian prices at par with its international prices, a departure from the common practice among global brands that enter the market through local partners, Kumar said. “Unlike a lot of international brands that launch in India through partnerships, their pricing is generally higher than their international pricing. We were very cautious of that, and hence we have kept the pricing at par,” he said.
Kumar said the approach reflects how Indian luxury customers buy. Most have travelled and shopped abroad, he said, so a price gap between markets directly affects when and where they purchase. Prices are based on a euro conversion from Milan, where the brand is headquartered. At current exchange rates, Indian prices would be somewhat lower, Kumar noted.
Experience as part of the price
Luxury pricing reflects the full customer experience as well as materials and craftsmanship, Kumar said. “You’re not only buying the product, you’re buying the experience,” he said.
Off-White™ offers home shopping, in which customers select pieces on the website and the store manager has them delivered to try, he said. The company also runs community activities for its customers. “It’s like having a concierge at your beck and call.”
India business model
Off-White™’s India business operates as a franchise, importing the international collection. Kumar said India-based operations are controlled locally, in consultation with the brand’s principals. “It’s never a monologue, it is always a dialogue,” he said.
The brand also operates an India-specific social media handle and website, which he noted is not generally permitted in other markets, conveying that the brand treats India as a long-term market.
Consumers and categories
Internationally, Off-White™ is rooted in art, music and culture, and the brand is following the same philosophy in India.
Kumar describes its target audience as younger people, who are defined by attitude rather than age. “It’s defined by the mindset you have. Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and cricketers Abhishek Sharma and Kumar Sangakkara are among the few celebrities seen wearing the brand though they all belong to different age groups. So it is hard to put an age bracket to this. Off-White™ is meant for people who like streetwear as a fashion and who like wearing something that’s a little offbeat. It is not just a logo brand but has a design sense to it. It is a very culture-driven brand. So a younger audience is our primary target.”
The India range is drawn from the global collection and features a few select items alongside a set of core pieces that define the brand. Selection factors for India include the mild winters outside the north and the body types of Indian women, particularly in womenswear.
Limited-edition drops will also be part of the India offerings.
Additionally, Kumar notes that sneakers, t-shirts and jackets are the main sellers so far. Hoodies and bottoms will take longer to build. Accessories, including belts, wallets and bags, are also drawing demand, and he singled out women’s handbags. Across the wider streetwear market, he said sneakers, eyewear and caps are resonating, along with relaxed-fit t-shirts.
Marketing: culture-led, not celebrity-led
Off-White™’s marketing is anchored in art, music and culture, as it is globally. For the Bengaluru launch, it invited rapper Divine rather than a Bollywood celebrity, in line with its art-and-music positioning.
The launch campaign used an “if you know it, you know it” approach, with the brand name as the main element. The company is in talks with art and music groups and is open to collaborations with Indian designers and artists. “Collaboration with designers, artists or cultural figures is definitely on the cards. Internationally, for example, they launched “10 on 10,” a collaboration with ten different artists. But we have just launched the brand, so we will take some time to figure out that DNA. We are absolutely open to collaborating with artists and designers in India and doing something exciting. That’s part of the brand’s DNA, and it excites us too,” he noted.
Targets and outlook
Over the next 24 months, the company will focus on building the brand and its community rather than adding stores. “Four to five stores is the plan. For the next two years, our focus will be on seeding the brand, building the community and getting all of that right, rather than on store expansion,” Kumar said.
The brand is targeting a revenue of Rs 30 to 40 crore in the next two years, with plans to reach Rs 50 crore by FY28.
