The fashion and innerwear industry in India has witnessed a remarkable transformation over the years. From traditional garments and limited choices, it has evolved into a vibrant, diverse landscape, embracing global fashion trends and catering to a wide array of tastes and preferences. This evolution is not only about style but also reflects changing attitudes, increased awareness, and a demand for comfort and quality.
Embracing this evolution has been a significant factor for VIP Clothing’s success.
Featuring for The Enterprise World’s this issue of Most Influential Business Leaders To Watch Out For-2023 is the story of Mr. Sunil Pathare (Chairman & Managing Director, VIP Clothing), who with his visionary leadership has garnered a fame and name for the brand.
The Illustrious Journey of Sunil Pathare
Mr. Sunil J. Pathare joined the company when he was just 21 years old. Even at this young age, he headed the international business department of VIP Clothing. Due to the dedicated work and huge contributions during his journey, the VIP brand today is present in more than 15 countries.
His leadership is visionary, and he is often considered as an entrepreneur who conceived the idea of developing innerwear business in India. Mr. Sunil Pathare also has extensive experience in Marketing, Production Operation, Sales, Finance and Advertising.
Some of his groundbreaking achievements include:
- Named as the National Vice President of Foreign Trade Development (India) Association from 2003 to 2005.
- Awarded for Excellence in Manufacturing for CMAI.
- Entrepreneurship Excellence Award 2007 by SME Chamber of India.
- Indira Group of Institutes award for Marketing excellence in March, 2012
- IFA – Most admired Innerwear Brand of the Year
- Inside Fashion Brand Award VIP for excellence in Retail
- Golden Trophy by CMAI- for best men’s innerwear in 2006-07 and best women’ innerwear in 2007-08, and also
- Excellence in Advertising at 38th all India award ABBY – 2005
- Brand Slam award on 2013- October
- Most Promising Asian Business Leader Award, 2017 in Malaysia
- Maharashtra Mountaineers Awards, 2021 awarded by the Governor Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari
- Winner of the Indo-Arab Awards, 2022 for the Leading Innerwear Brand in India
Establishing the VIP Brand
VIP Clothing Ltd is a clothing company that has a rich history. It was founded in 1971 and has since become a leading player in the industry. Over the years, VIP Clothing Ltd has introduced innovative designs and quality products to its customers. The company has established a strong presence both locally and internationally, with close partnerships with distributions and retailers.
With its commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction, VIP Clothing Ltd continues to make a significant impact in the fashion industry.
In the last 50+ years the company has built powerful brands like VIP, Frenchie, Feelings, Leader, Brat.
“We aim to be in every Indian’s wardrobe, and go global!”
As Mr. Sunil Pathare puts it, the company is on a mission to join hands together and become an international symbol of excellence. The team strives to do this through continuous customer satisfaction, innovation, manpower development, productivity improvement and quality improvement.
The company’s ultimate goal is to reach a stage where they can achieve cost reduction and time management effectively.
Range of VIP’s Products
“For us it is very important to deliver high quality products in order to sustain in the market and therefore we have set our quality control standards very strictly.”
The quality control process involves checking standard of fibers, fabric construction, yarn, print or surface designs, color fastness and the performance, durability, reliability of final finished garment.
VIP Clothing’s team of experts is even involved pre-production inspection wherein they check the equipment that is used for cutting and stitching if there are any damages/defects and ensure a smooth production process to avoid defective products.
VIP Clothing has 1000’s of SKU’s that include Briefs, Trunks, Vests and leisurewear across Brands – VIP, Frenchie, Brat, Feelings and Leader.
Given that the company has a huge range and variety of products they use a number of fabrics depending on the product category and price range. Some of the materials the company has used are interlock, cotton, single jersey, cotton, spandex ribs, Polycotton, Modal, Cotton Modal, Micro Modal & Wovens, etc.
Capturing the Market
VIP Clothing’s clever strategy to capture the market has made them the brand that they are today.
“We simple follow the 3 C’s that align with us,” says Sunil Pathare.
Consistency
The team is constantly in touch with its Audience through various touch points may it be Digital or Offline activities. The brand messaging is consistent and clear universally, not just on their social networks. Additionally, the company also ensures that everything works together in unison: the website, packaging, brand logo, and the advertising campaigns
Clarity
VIP Clothing ensures that the brand’s communication is concise, powerful and clear.
Character
They humanize their brand. The team interacts with its customers regularly and listens to them and engages with them to make further alterations.
Following these strategies at the right times, the company today has a strong brand presence all over India. A few of their store locations include 5 EBO’s in Mumbai.
Although, even after being an established brand, you still have to be on your toes all the times. And this alertness from the leadership team is reflected when launching any new store. Some of the factors the company considers when launching a new store include:
Location:
The Company always prefers to choose a suitable physical location that aligns with their target audience, and also offers good foot traffic and visibility.
Within this, they also consider other factors like accessibility, parking availability, and proximity to complementary businesses.
Supplier and Inventory Management:
VIP Clothing always ensures to identify reliable suppliers or manufacturers for their clothing items. With this, they have also established a system for managing inventory, including stock levels, reordering, and monitoring popular products.
Product Selection and Quality:
The company curates a collection of clothing items that will align with their target audience’s preferences and needs. Additionally, they also ensure the quality of their products meets or even exceeds the customer’s expectations.
Store Branding and Identity:
VIP Clothing believes in developing a strong brand identity. This includes a memorable logo, catchy color scheme, and the overall aesthetic of their brand. They also have well-defined brand mission, vision, values and USP’s.
Store Layout and Design:
The clothing brand has always made sure to add significant details and planning in their store layout and design. One of the strategies include creating an inviting and cohesive store environment. They have also always considered other factors like eminent product displays, comfortable fitting rooms, checkout counters and bright lighting.
Making a Difference
VIP Clothing has always believed in making a difference in the way people purchase their products. One of the contributing factors is the changing lifestyles of people, especially men. Men look for something more out from their inner wear and clothing more than ever. The days when underwear was simply a necessity have come to an end.
Here are some of the key features that make their products stand out:
Fabric innovation – Fabric is the foundation of a good innerwear. Adding various treatments such as bio wash & silicon finish to make the fabric stronger, ensuring that there is no shrinkage/minimum piling and addition of antimicrobial, fragrance finish, moisture wicking and cool finish to the fabric as special features which provides a luxurious feel.
Following fashion forecast – Even though comfort is the key feature in innerwear but making it fashionable and trendy has become a necessity. Bringing in new patterns/silhouettes, stand-out waistbands, double layered contoured pouch, contemporary prints and experimental colors.
True to size – Providing well-tailored fits that are true to one’s size and gives great wearer experience.
What the Future Holds?
The future of VIP Clothing Ltd looks promising with the introduction of new teenage innerwear and outerwear made from good quality materials. This expansion into the teenage market demonstrates the company’s ability to adapt to changing consumer demands and trends. By offering stylish, comfortable, and high-quality clothing for this demographic, VIP Clothing Ltd has the potential to attract a new customer base and further establish its brand in the market.
With their commitment to providing excellent products, the company has currently received an excellent response from its audiences who are 30+ years, and thus are now well-positioned to meet the needs of teenage consumers and continue to thrive in the fashion industry.
VIP Clothing is further planning to launch an outerwear range that focuses on creating versatile and aspirational garments suitable for both casual and gym wear. The team is also looking forward to expand its existing innerwear sub-brands and add more products into the bucket that will fill the gaps in the market and also keep up with the trends as well as the competitors.
