Gokaldas Images, set up in 1979, is currently one of the largest apparel exporters in India catering to global markets. It has catered to the global market by working with reputed brands.
The brand Enamor was established in 2001/02 as a culmination of a joint venture between Gokaldas Images and Ms. Barbara from Paris. This brought together Gokaldas Images’ expertise in retail, lingerie manufacture, and an innate understanding of Indian women with Ms. Barbara’s knowledge of technical know-hows and fitting expertise.
The Indian lingerie market has undergone a massive transformation over the past few years. Once controlled substantially by the unorganised sector and almost wholly limited to rough cottons and locally made elastics, this business is now gradually giving way to the march of technology and thus to the growth of the organised sector, and the emergence of several fashion brands in the category.
In the growing psycho graphic changes of the modern Indian women, lingerie has gone from being just a bare necessity and a hidden garment, to a purchase that is very involved and a garment that makes for a good feeling that comes from within. This change along with increasing disposable incomes, rising awareness and a growing focus on product quality has stimulated the gains of the industry.
The Indian lingerie industry is estimated to be at Rs. 19,500 crore in 2015. This constitutes a very substantial 5.10% of the total Indian apparel market and 15.80% of overall women’s wear. Currently the lingerie market is growing at 24%.
The Enamor Journey :
Enamor invested heavily in understanding the body shapes and sizes of women across different ages, groups, and ethnicities; their habits, usage and attitudes. The research was conducted to determine which key elements were needed to be featured in the final product portfolio. Research also revealed that most women did not know their actual size and did not believe that good fitting innerwear could actually make them look better and increase their own self worth and confidence.
Enamor positioned itself as ‘Beautiful Inside’ with the proposition of offering the best fit for the Indian body. It repositioned itself in 2009 to ‘Transform Yourself’ and focussed on pain points and education to its customers. Today, Enamor is special to every woman – a proposition that has worked well and has proven to be successful for the brand. They have a very talented team of leaders that are passionate and build Enamor as a most trusted lingerie brand.
Business :
In 2001, after manufacturing lingerie for Playtex and Wonderbra for the European market, Gokaldas Images decided to form a joint venture with Ms. Barbara from Paris to launch a range of lingerie exclusively made for the urban Indian woman and thus Enamor was born.
Back in the day, there were very few brands that catered to women in the upper echelons of society. With the market opening up and the GDP growing fast, there was definitely a need for a premium lingerie brand.
Mr. Sumir Hinduja, the scion of the Hinduja family known for their acumen in garment manufacturing, exports and retailing, decided that it was time to venture into the booming lingerie sector by launching an exclusive lingerie brand.
While Gokaldas had expertise in manufacturing bras, retailing and understanding the needs of Indian Women, Barbara bought to table the technical know-how and fitting expertise. And thus Enamor, a premium lingerie exclusively made for the Indian Women was born.
Enamor was launched in early 2003 with 28 styles catering to different consumer needs. Enamor catered first to the Bangalore market and then expanded to other tier-1 cities like Mumbai and Delhi.
Today, Enamor continues to focus on bringing in global trends each season and crafting stylish lingerie of high quality for the Indian consumer thus helping her expresses her emerging feminity – bold, inspiring, confident, stylish and fabulous.
Product Range of Enamor :
Since 2003, Enamor has focussed its efforts on offering its customers a range of internationally styled lingerie in innovative designs. Crafted finely from select fabrics and trimmings from across the globe, the brand offers exceptional comfort and fit.
Enamor has a team of talented designers who work with globally-renowned design houses to develop styles and categories for the new emerging modern Indian woman.
To service this evolving, demanding and indulgent customer, Enamor offers a wide range of bras, a portfolio of comfy fashion panties, an exciting range of glamour and lounge nightwear, a comfortable range of wardrobe must-haves under the brand name, Essentials. The Hourglass Collection includes a range of shapewear whereas the Sportswear range offers unmatched support. Enamor was the first brand to build knowledge around the category by conducting ‘Fit Sessions’ across the country. The fit session model developed by the brand is unique in its design. It brings all the women in the top management of the brand – designers, marketers and merchandisers to the floor, working with fit consultants. In these sessions, partners and brand personnel interact directly with customers on a one-on-one basis, helping them understand their size and body type and educating them on the best fitting bra. Customers are also advised on lingerie must-haves and lingerie care, amongst several other tips.
The conversations with customers during these sessions help Enamor stay connected and build a strong bond with them, even as they give the brand remarkable customer insights. This knowledge is then ploughed back into the product and marketing briefs to develop products that fulfil the needs of the emerging new, indulgent lingerie customer.
Achievements & Success :
A brand that has helped evolve the lingerie segment has itself been recognised for the efforts it has made.
Over the years, Enamor has received several accolades and won all around appreciation. In 2008, and right up to 2014, without a break, it won the Shoppers Stop award for the Best Central Brand Icon award for the Best Lingerie Brand. Enamor was felicitated with the Retail Window Award across the Asia-Pacific region. More recently, it was recognised as the Most Admired Retailer by Oberoi Mall. With the advent of online retailing, Enamor won the Best Lingerie Brand at the Myntra Brand Summit 2014. The following year it was bestowed the Retail Excellence award for the Most Admired Store in lingerie and nightwear. The same year, Enamor gained the approval of thousands of consumers when it was awarded the Superbrand Seal for Brand Excellence. Again this year, Enamor was awarded the Superbrand award, making it the only Indian Brand in the lingerie category to win the award twice consecutively.
Recent Developments
Enamor’s new positioning, ‘Fabulous, as I am’, is a complete break from the category norm, choosing to treat it as a fashion garment. By doing so, Enamor liberated the category and the woman, thus creating a fashion interest and indulgence in lingerie.
At Enamor, they believe all women are fabulous, no matter their size, shape, age or quirks. And at the heart of their campaign, they celebrate those women and their fabulousness.
In tune with its new philosophy, the brand has built its services around delighting the woman. The point-of-sale is being redesigned to bring in extraordinary experiences for them. Even as it works on the ground, the brand realises that an agreeable customer experience begins with the Customer Care Assistants (CCA) – the first important point of interface between the brand and the customer. To ensure that the experience delivered is exceptional, every CCA is put through an intensive programme that includes grooming, personality development, body language, intimate knowledge of the product and an exhaustive update on frequently asked questions. Out of this regimen was born the making of the Fabulous Style Consultant.
Promotions :
Enamor’s customer is a woman who is independent, confident and expresses herself unabashedly. It is this mind-set that led the brand to craft the ‘Fabulous, as I am’ communication that instantly connects with the woman of today.
Driving ‘Fabulous, as I am’ core idea deep into customers’ territory is the brand’s sharp marketing and advertising strategy. The brand communicates aggressively using television, newspaper, magazines, digital and cinema. The marketing efforts are focussed on communicating the fabulous brand story to its customers and re-infusing it with compelling new stories each season. The brand’s great strength and success is its exciting and inspiring brand imagery and its consistent efforts to connect and indulge with its customers in exciting new ways.
Enamor was the first lingerie brand to launch an e-commerce site. It recently revamped the site to make it more experiential for the user and mobile-enabled it as well. Enamor’s efforts in the digital space, be it Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook coupled with the smart use of mobile app technology and relevant on-ground associations has seen the brand’s social following grow manifold. Its initiatives across all social pages further its ideology of celebrating the innate specialness of every woman. This has resonated well with the brand’s target audience, bringing about an enormous increase in consumer engagement which has led to the transformation of Enamor from a brand to a Superbrand.
The brand also integrated itself with young designers, encouraging them with an opportunity to give flight to their dreams. It launched the Enamor Fabulous Couturier design contest, an exclusive tie-up with NIFT. Winners won sponsorships and were offered placements with Enamor.
The next part for the ‘Fabulous, as I am’ campaign is released. At Enamor, they believe ALL WOMEN ARE FABULOUS. With a wide range of lingerie, shapewear, essentials and sportswear, they let women feel comfortable in their own skin and let them reinvent their style, in their own way. The ad encourages women to celebrate their fabulousness.
Brand Values :
Enamor is a brand that has pioneered the lingerie industry in India. It has brought lingerie out from the closet to become a fashion apparel and a style statement. The brand has been able to achieve this because it has spent an exceptional amount of time in understanding the Indian woman, her psyche, her spirit, her love for the traditional and her intrigue for the modern. It is this deep appreciation of the Indian woman that has helped Enamor craft its world-class lingerie line and create a brand experience that is both delightful and informative; creating inspiring and indulgent moments for her. The brand encourages her on, nudging her to believe that she, indeed, is ‘Fabulous, as I am’.
Future Plans :
Having established themselves among trade and consumers, Enamor will focus on:
- The growing middle class with higher disposable incomes.
- The increase in the number of working women.
Enamor will maintain its leadership in the premium and mid priced bra segment. It will continue to offer the best fitting bra styles for the Indian woman.
It will also expand its presence with line extensions in premium panties and lounge wear. In short, there is a lot that a company like GIPL has to offer to consumers and the trade. Like they say – the best is yet to come.
