The 25th edition of the India Fashion Forum began not with a keynote, but with an open mic. In a refreshing departure from formal presentations, retail veteran Sanjeev Rao set the tone with an energetic ‘open house’ warm-up session—inviting retailers, founders, technologists and strategists in the audience to share their most defining success stories. The room quickly transformed into a living archive of India’s retail evolution—spanning legacy businesses, D2C disruptors, AI innovators, global advisors and sixth-generation entrepreneurs.
What emerged was a powerful reflection of how Indian retail has moved from traditional general trade roots to an agile, omnichannel, tech-powered ecosystem.
Channel Agility: Campus Activewear’s 50:50 Pivot
Uplaksh Tewary, Chief Business Officer at Campus Activewear, shared one of the most compelling transformation stories of the session. When he joined six years ago, Campus was a Rs 700 crore business operating 100% through general trade. The mindset was entirely distributor-led. Since then, the company has executed a massive channel pivot:
- Built a strong online business, now contributing nearly one-third of revenue
- Expanded into modern trade and exclusive retail
- Shifted from an outright-heavy marketplace model to an 80:20 marketplace-led structure
- Launched its own .com platform—now its fastest-growing channel, selling close to 2,000 pairs daily
Today, Campus operates as a near 50:50 split between general trade and emerging channels, growing at approximately 20% annually over the last five years. The key learning? Channel-agnostic thinking. “You have to be wherever the consumer is, and you have to be channel agnostic,” he noted—whether that’s marketplaces, modern retail, quick commerce or D2C.
From D2C to Storefront: The Mom Store’s Organic Retail Pivot
Surbhi Bhatia, Founder of The Mom Store, shared a story that captured the post-pandemic retail shift. Launched six years ago as a digital-first mom-and-baby brand, The Mom Store gained traction during COVID as consumers increasingly turned to D2C platforms. But the real turning point came offline. As restrictions eased, customers began arriving at their modest warehouse-office in Yamlur, Bangalore—assuming it was a retail store.
“People started coming up to our office thinking that it’s a retail outlet,” Surbhi recalled. “That’s when the idea struck me that maybe I’m on to retail as well.”
The team launched a small concept store at the same location, which quickly began drawing footfalls from across the city. Two years later, the brand opened its first full-fledged retail store in Indiranagar and is now expanding further—while continuing to generate the bulk of its revenue online. Her journey exemplifies how today’s retail expansion is often driven by consumer pull rather than top-down strategy.
Legacy & Design Excellence: Building Retail Foundations
Mani M, a pioneer in visual merchandising and retail design, opened the session with a reminder of how far the industry has come. A graduate in Fashion, Merchandising and Retail Design from Southern California, Mani led the visual merchandising and store design functions at Titan and Tanishq between 1989 and 1994—at a time when organised retail in India was still nascent. In 1994, he founded RD&M (Retail Design & Merchandising), a Bangalore-headquartered firm that has now completed 32 years.
Among his many milestones was launching First Citizen, a 50-store chain for Citizen Watches in India. Though market dynamics and leadership transitions affected the chain’s longevity, Mani’s journey reflects the experimental spirit that shaped early modern retail in India. His personal highlight remains winning the International Visual Merchandising and Store Design Award in 1992.
AI & Retail Tech: Scaling with Intelligence
Vedagiri Vijayakumar, Co-founder and COO of Immersive, represented the new-age retail tech ecosystem. The two-and-a-half-year-old startup launched its AI-based sizing solution for fashion retail just 120 days ago—and has already seen rapid adoption. From three brands in the first month to six in the second and 12 in the third, the growth trajectory reflects retailers’ urgent need to solve fit and return-rate challenges in online fashion.
The company is now preparing to launch its virtual try-on solution this quarter—further blurring the line between digital and physical retail experiences.
Outdoor & Experiential Retail: The Columbia Momentum
Ankur Bhatia, CEO for Columbia Sportswear India, highlighted the rise of experiential retail post-COVID. Over the past five years, particularly after the pandemic, outdoor and trekking categories have seen strong traction as consumers prioritise travel and experiences. With Indian customers increasingly exploring extreme climates—from Himalayan treks to Northern Lights tours—performance-driven gear has become essential.
The success of outdoor brands, he emphasised, is not just about product—it’s about enabling lifestyle shifts and experiential aspirations.
200 Years of Retail: Assam’s Enduring Legacy
Vikram Bothra, Managing Director & CEO, Chandan Retail, a sixth-generation retailer from Assam, brought historical depth to the conversation. His family business, established in 1885, has survived colonial trade eras, traditional retail cycles and modern disruptions. Today, they operate two 50,000 sq. ft. big-box fashion and lifestyle stores in Assam.
In a region once dominated by tea exports and handicrafts, organised fashion retail is now gaining momentum—fueled by infrastructure development, aspirational youth and evolving consumption patterns. As moderator Sanjeev aptly summarised, “Your success story is that you survived for 200 years.”
Global Strategy & Cross-Border Expansion
Anna K. Johansson, Change Management Director, TAM Retail, is a retail strategist from Stockholm. Anna spoke about guiding brands through cross-border expansion and reimagining the physical store experience amid rapidly shifting consumer behavior.
Her advisory role in Apple’s European expansion into Sweden stood out as a major milestone—demonstrating how strong localisation strategies can drive market love and loyalty.
The Power of “Less is More” in Collection Strategy
Global apparel leader Timo Karanko, a Scandinavian-born global retail expert who calls himself “The Collection Coach,” brought a sharp strategic lens to the discussion. Having worked across continental Europe, Hong Kong, Asia and the US, Timo shared how he was invited six years ago to Finland to rejuvenate one of the country’s largest apparel businesses operating across Scandinavia. At a time when the market was growing at less than 1%, his intervention helped drive business growth of over 20%. The breakthrough insight? Simplification. By reducing and consolidating collections, offers and delivery drops by nearly 30%, the brand made its assortment easier to navigate for consumers. The streamlined approach improved clarity, reduced overwhelm and ultimately increased basket sizes. His core learning—less is more—resonated strongly in a market often obsessed with expanding options rather than refining them.
Performance Materials & Sustainable Innovation
From the technology side of fashion, Thiruvengadam Rajagopal, Commercial Director – South Asia at The Lycra Company highlighted innovation across the apparel value chain.
Two key developments include:
- Lycra FitSense Technology – offering targeted support within a single fabric without compromising stretch and comfort.
- Bio-derived Lycra fiber – 70% sourced from renewable inputs, now moving into commercial scale after a decade of R&D.
These innovations signal how material science continues to power the next wave of performance and sustainability in fashion.
A Retail Industry in Motion
From a 220-year-old retailer in Assam to AI sizing startups; from D2C mom brands to global apparel strategists; from legacy visual merchandising pioneers to performance footwear giants—every narrative pointed to the same truth:
Indian retail is no longer defined by format.
It is defined by agility.
As IFF celebrates 25 years, this warm-up session served as a reminder that the industry’s real keynote speakers are its practitioners—those building, pivoting, experimenting and enduring in real time.
