The sartorially-savvy are now wearing relax-wear: Valentine's Harshad Thakkar

Ashapura Apparels came into existence in 1999 courtesy a young man's ambition to create an attractive intimate wear brand. And this led to the birth of brand Valentine. Today, the brand has moved into the sleepwear, sportswear and loungewear space, and enjoys a large market share in each of them. The latest offering under the Valentine umbrella is relaxwear - a pioneering effort by Ashapura Apparels. The young and ambitious founder of the company, Harshad Thakkar, is its CMD and is leading the fascinating journey of the Rs 250-crore relaxwear brand. A few excerpts from a conversation with him:
Your story is inspiring. How has the journey been so far?
Exciting and challenging. I made up my mind to do something different in my business. I wanted to create a brand and make it big. The rest is history in the making.

Can you tell us something more about it?
Having lost my father at a young age, financial constraints led me to make my workplace my learning ground. From the age of 15, I worked hard to understand the nuances and intricacies of the intimate wear business. I learned from highend global brands before I set up Ashapura Apparels when I was 18. To cut a long story short, from the humble beginnings with an investment of Rs 4 lakh that we received as my father's insurance claim, today we are a force to reckon with, with a market capitalisation of Rs 800 crore plus. What brings me bigger joy is the fact that we have managed to raise the bar considerably in the intimate wear and lounge wear segments. Ashapura Apparels can boast of having the largest intimate wear fashion brand in the world.

What would you attribute the mega success of Valentine to?
We have redefined this space by making it fashionable and aspirational. It can be broadly attributed to three factors. First, as I mentioned earlier, my knowledge, domain expertise and determination to raise the bar. Second, we went for a large product basket by offering several items and that too for the entire family. We offer intimate wear, loungewear, relaxwear, sleepwear and separates for men and women. By being present along the entire value chain, we have excellent pricing power. Third, we cater to consumers through all possible routes - multibrand outlets, exclusive brand outlets in premium malls and high streets, as well as all the relevant online shopping platforms in India in addition to having our own e-shopping website. This has not only led to higher sales, but also enhanced brand awareness. Our EBOs are appreciated for the experience they offer. Another feather in our cap is that we export under our own brand name, Valentine. And behind this 'mega' success as you call it, is our young, creative and enthusiastic team, always ready to break the stereotypes and go the extra mile. It makes all the difference.

One hears about family bonding…
Oh, yes. We have coordinated attires for the entire family in loungewear, sportswear, resortwear and sleepwear segments. It helps in deepening the bond, and even when you are away from home, it gives you a feeling of comfort.

There is a lot of buzz around the relaxwear category.
The sartorially savvy are now wearing relaxwear. And leading the bandwagon in India is our brand Valentine. In fact, we are the pioneers in this space. This well-fitting comfortable or 'alternate clothing' as I call it, is ideal for a cup of tea in your balcony, informal visits, weekly shopping, tinkering around the house or just walking your pet. Comfort without feeling out of place is our mantra. Let me also point out that unlike nightwear that is extra loose for peaceful sleep (we are market leaders in the segment), relaxwear is cool, casual and has a comfortable fit.

Comfort, fabric and design are key to Valentine's success story. In case of relaxwear, it is comfort first. Valentine relaxwear is targeted at teens and adults and is stylishly comfortable.

Do you see relaxwear growing as a category?
Of course. Looking chic or cool is no more just occasion specific, but a way of life. Wearing an old tight/loosefitting T-shirt or nightwear when looking for comfortable clothing is passé. Relaxwear is becoming an important component of conscious living and destressing. It is an open secret that when one focuses on fitness, one also thinks of clothes. Relaxwear thus, becomes an integral part of flab to fab journey too!

How do you plan to expand Valentine's share in the relaxwear market?
First things first, we are the only Indian brand in this category. Benchmarked against the best in the world in terms of fabric, design and technique, it has its own parameters for comfort. We at Ashapura are leaving no stone unturned to create this differentiated platform, even though it means big investments in terms of time, money and human resources. While the core of Valentine relaxwear would always be comfort, there are constant changes in design and theme to keep the clientele fashion forward. We are already seeing outcomes of our efforts and am sure that we will play a pivotal role in expanding the market.