Company Profile

Introduction

HISTORY Allen Solly was founded in 1744 by a company called William Hollin and Co Ltd. The brand was purchased sometime in the 90's by a new company called Madura Garments which was a part of Madura Coats. Madura Coats was a big producer of threads.

The Vision Of Allen Solly : The company aimed to emerge as a brand which was totally new and did not stick to conventions. “Friday Dressing” was introduced to give the company a stronghold. Initially the Indian markets was not open to experimental apparel for men. Friday dressing by Allen Solly gave Indian corporates a chance to transform their wardrobes. The new formal wear was relaxed and not boring. The Aditya Birla Group took over Allen Solly in 2001

Allen Solly created ripples in the Indian market by releasing new rules in corporate dress code titled ‘Friday Dressing’. It trashed whites and greys thereby making the corporate world a colourful and vibrant place. Originating from the large portfolio of international brands of Coats Viyella-UK, Allen Solly is targeted at young, contemporary corporate who was ready to challenge conventions and create their own identity. Encouraged by its progress, over the years the brand has evolved to achieve a high fashion quotient and appeal through its exciting, fashionable merchandise and aspirational imagery. Focus on accessories such as eyewear, watches and women's bags; have added to the lifestyle quotient of the brand. There are today more than 30 product categories to its portfolio.

Allen Solly

Launched in India in 1993, Allen Solly brought about a completely new concept to menswear in India — Friday Dressing. In the years that followed, the brand, with its Anglo-American heritage, proved to be the most innovative of the Madura Fashion & Lifestyle's brands; it is one of India's most popular and easily recognised brands in the branded premium apparel segment.

Convention is not a word that exists in the brand's vocabulary, and from the beginning, the brand not only broke the rules of formal workplace dressing, but also re-wrote them. The dull world of business dressing with its greys and whites was shaken up by Allen Solly, which unapologetically added vibrant dashes of colour to its formal wear lines. The approach paid off, spawning many imitators. Nevertheless, the unconventional, yet unmistakable Allen Solly Man never lost his place in the spotlight.

Today, the brand appeals to that section of consumers who are young and want to create their own world. Offering clothing that spans casual, work and evening wear, the brand's personality is well-reflected through its 'My World, My Way' campaign.

Allen Solly has several product innovations to its credit and loyal consumers swear by the brand's comfortable and fashionably-styled cotton trousers and bright, colourful shirts.

The brand then went a step further, launching a collection of shirts and trousers called 'The Uncrushables' – a wrinkle-free wardrobe in an unconventional 'solid' palette.

And the brand is not only for men. Allen Solly's nod to women in the workforce came in 2001, when the brand came out with a line of women's formal wear. A few years later, they rewrote their own rules again, by bringing in their casual chic collection for women. Allen Solly's apparel is well known for its superior quality and it has consistently won industry awards and consumer recognition for its clothing.

No.20, Ganga Arcade, B H RoadShimoga

History - Allen Solly India

Launched in India in 1993, Allen Solly brought about a completely new concept to menswear in India — Friday Dressing. In the years that followed, the brand, with its Anglo-American heritage, proved to be the most innovative of the Madura Fashion & Lifestyle's brands. Today it is one of India's most popular and easily recognised brands in the branded premium apparel segment. Consumers understand it as a vibrant and upbeat work wear brand. Allen Solly’s recall with Friday Dressing is clearly the strongest.

Convention is not a word that exists in the brand's vocabulary, and from the beginning, the brand not only broke the rules of formal workplace dressing, but also re-wrote them. The dull world of business dressing with its greys and whites was shaken up by Allen Solly, which unapologetically added vibrant dashes of colour to its formal wear lines. The approach paid off, spawning many imitators. Nevertheless, the unconventional, yet unmistakable Allen Solly Man never lost his place in the spotlight.

The work casuals category is growing strongly due to several key trends:

Work culture is more relaxed and hence organisations do not impose strict dressing norms.

New age workforce is keen to look stylish, fashionable and most importantly express their distinct individuality. This is obviously best expressed through apparel and accessories.

Entrepreneurship/off-beat professions are gaining ground thereby providing a promising opportunity for work casuals.

Allen Solly is keen to tap into this large opportunity by strengthening what its best known for – Friday Dressing. Going forward, the brand’s core positioning will broaden the meaning of Fridays by emphasising its spirit defined as upbeat, relaxed and effortless without ever losing sight of the target. It advocates the need to “lighten up the workplace”.

The brand has ensured that its range of products is stylish, fashionable and sufficiently casual – i.e. work appropriate. This is clearly aimed at young professionals/entrepreneurs who are ahead of the curve, open to experiments and believe in looking distinct.

Emphasis will clearly be on a segmented approach with respect to distribution – large format exclusive stores and key accounts for top metros and cities and smaller sized stores for the next level of cities. Allen Solly plans to have 150 exclusive stores by FY13 and double that number by FY16.

Allen Solly was the first brand in India to introduce Western wear for the working women in 2002. Ten years later, it launched Friday Dressing for the young woman professional. It is a range of work-casuals that will redefine work-wear for women in India. The range exudes sophistication, is chic, fashionable and sufficiently casual while being work appropriate.

Women’s work-wear in India has gone through a definite and significant transition over the past few years. Today, office-wear for women in India has evolved from classic formals and blues and creams to more casual and fashionable look. Women are experimenting through mix-n-match i.e. coordinating two disparate pieces of garment to create a completely new look. Allen Solly has captured this spirit very well through its range of Friday Dressing. It includes Dresses, Tops, Tunics, Trousers, Shirts, Skirts, Shorts, Suits and Blazers.

Its latest campaign, ‘Adios Stressing’, infuses the workplace with the spirit of Fridays through the week – upbeat, relaxed and effortless. The range of Friday Dressing is vibrant, colourful and stylish, connecting brilliantly with its brand thought.

The brand is engaging consumers through its digital initiatives and plans to spend significantly on it over the next few years. Its in-house and experienced design and product teams are encouraged to travel extensively and create products that are benchmarked with some of the most well-known international brands/trends.

Today with the rise of the ‘creative economy’, stress and uncertainty have become a daily challenge to deal with at the workplace. It is in this context that Allen Solly makes a bold statement yet again, firmly believing that no breakthrough work happens when you are stressing out.

The brand’s vision is to lighten up the workplace through a whole new range of preppy work casuals in bold colours, innovative fabric and young fits. Not only do these garments individually brighten up the work environment, but they also lend themselves to lateral coordination with each other, and the impact of the sum is greater than the individual parts.

Allen Solly, in keeping with the spirit of the brand’s core and legendary ‘Friday Dressing’ tagline, recently unveiled its new retail identity at its Indiranagar store in Bangalore. The new identity takes inspiration from the brand’s strong Nottingham heritage, which has been rendered in a very modern and contemporary manner. Nottingham is Allen Solly’s birthplace and a city of stags.

The new identity for Allen Solly features the logo with a very prominent mnemonic (Stag) and a fresh new retail identity. The product has also been made more sophisticated, vibrant and upbeat. The new retail identity has been created keeping in mind the brand’s British roots.

The Coat of Arms featured elements such as the Allen Solly Monogram, the Ram and the Stag, elements that represented the culture of the company and its products. The Ram was symbolic of the English wool industry and Allen Solly’s place within it, while the Stag was representative of the city of Nottingham, wherein lays the brand’s roots.

The brief for the new identity was painstakingly created to ensure absolute clarity and arrive at a wholesome view of the experience that had to be created. The endeavour was to infuse the new retail identity with the brand’s casual British personality giving it a tangible form while keeping in mind the customer’s personal life and its attributes.

The Vision of Allen SollySollyThe company aimed to emerge as a brand which was totally new and did not stick to conventions.

Friday Dressing was introduced to give the company a strong old. Initially the Indian markets was not open to experimental apparel for men. Friday dressing by Allen Solly gave Indian corporatesa chance to transform their wardrobes. The new formal wear was relaxed and not boring.

AWARDS Most Admired Brand - Womens Wear IFA 2004 & 2005 & 2007 Most Admired Brand – Trousers IFA 2005 Most Admired Brand - Smart Casuals IFA 2006

Brand Position

Allen Solly, which was launched in India in 1993, has proved to be the most innovative brands of Madura Fashion & Lifestyle. India’s most popular and easily recognised brand, Allen Solly – with its Anglo-American heritage – introduced a completely new concept to menswear in India – Friday Dressing.

Contemporary look for Allen SollyAn interview with Sooraj Bhat, Brand Head, Allen Solly, on the rebranding exercise

Madura Fashion & Lifestyle has now undertaken a rebranding exercise to make Allen Solly more upbeat and vibrant. Sooraj Bhat, Brand Head, Allen Solly, explains the changes that are on the anvil.

Can you tell us about the rebranding of Allen Solly in terms of the need for such an exercise, the strategy adopted to undertake this and the underlying theme of the re-branded product?The endeavour here was to bring a bit of Allen Solly's rich heritage on the brand but in a contemporary manner. Allen Solly was granted Coat of Arms and the Stag was an important element in it. Moreover, Allen Solly's birthplace Nottingham, England, is a city of stags. It took several iterations and much research before we could finalise the logo as you see currently.

We have been mindful of the brand's heritage but have put out a very modern and contemporary face. As for the product, our objective is to play to our strengths - sport supported by the casuals line. The product is upbeat and

vibrant. It is colourful, yet sophisticated and clean. It is versatile and hence not restricted to any one occasion.

What are the significant changes that have been undertaken during the exercise? We have introduced a new identity for Allen Solly - the logo with a very prominent mnemonic (Stag) and a fresh new retail identity. The product has been made more sophisticated, vibrant and upbeat. The new retail identity has been created keeping in mind our British roots. This new identity is a reflection of a casual British household and is already earning rave reviews from across the country.

When will the changes take effect throughout your network of stores? Are there plans to add new Allen Solly stores? Currently, we have about five stores with the new identity. Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata will have the new

identity across all stores and channels by October 10, 2012. A majority of the stores will have the new identity by the end of the fiscal year. We have also drawn up aggressive plans to open more stores in metro and tier I towns across channels and will be able to double our store count in 12-18 months. Needless to say, all of these stores (new and existing) will have the new identity.

Will the brand continue to target women as well? Yes. Allen Solly was the first brand in India to introduce Western wear for the working women in 2002. Allen Solly is one of the most salient and best distributed women’s-wear brand in the country and we have aggressive plans to strengthen the position.

Bengaluru: Allen Solly, the international apparel brand, launches its new collection of summer dresses. The latest casual floral printed summer dresses from Allen Solly promises quality, style and glamour to make you feel chic and confident. 

Floral prints from the collection are ideal for summers as they are distinctive and unique. In addition they always feature bright colours that blend well together. Allen Solly introduces a vibrant colour palette that is dominated by red, aquatic blue and white and highlighted with degrade citrus lemon and orange to give you a number of options to accessorize these floral print dresses. From shoes to leggings and jewellery, you really do have a variety of ways to add accent to your summer look.

This collection of summer dresses from Allen Solly is light weight, comfortable and stylish with invariable floral designs. Enjoy the arrival of summer with beautiful sun dresses or floral printed summer top that can be paired with denim or shorts which gives you a sense of liberty and warmth. Brighten up your day and be the head turner in a summer party at home by flaunting the blue floral print dress or if you are planning a day out with your friends a casual short sleeved pleated dress in liberty print will be the right choice for you to look stunning.

So, ladies out there, gear up for the sunny season of style with Allen Solly.

Prices starting at Rs 1599/-

Popularising ‘Friday Dressing’ across IndiaAllen Solly one of the four apparel brands from Madura Fashion and Lifestyle is on an aggressive growth mode. The brand, which is known for its relaxed range caters to young professionals. In fact, its campaigns have been aggressively pushing the tag line of ‘Friday Dressing’ among its target customers. It may be noted that Madura Fashion and Lifestyle is the branded apparel business of Aditya Birla Group. It has four readymade apparel brands— Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Peter England and Allen Solly. The former three brands sell mainly formal wear and Madura has planned aggressive growth strategy for all three brands. This is in response to growing consumer demand for branded apparel.

In Allen Solly, the company registered sales of Rs 500 crores at retail price for the year ended March 2011. In the next three years, Madura wants to double Allen Solly brand’s revenue with a CAGR of 30 per cent. In the last three years, the brand’s revenue has grown three times with a CAGR of 40 per cent. Allen Solly has created a niche since its launch in 1993 and suits consumers who prefer a clothing range that falls between formal and casual wear. Its women’s range has also got tremendous response and the company expects the growth of women’s wear to outpace men’s wear this year. Allen Solly will also consider extending the brand portfolio to accessories such as shoes and bags by 2012-13.

As a part of retail expansion, the company will add around 40-50 Allen Solly stores in 2011-12 and touch 300 stores by 2012-13. The average store size would be around 1,800 sq. ft. with a capital investment of Rs 40 lakh for each store. The current ratio of company-owned and franchised stores stands at about 70:30. Madura will invest around Rs 10 crores a year to launch new stores. Allen Solly women’s wear is currently available in around 70 stores which would be increased by adding 25 women’s only stores in next two years.

Chapter 3Product Profile

Introduction

Today, the brand appeals to that section of consumers who are young and want to create their own world. Offering clothing that spans casual, work and evening wear, the brand's personality is well-reflected through its 'My World, My Way' campaign.

Allen Solly has several product innovations to its credit and loyal consumers swear by the brand's comfortable and fashionably-styled cotton trousers and bright, colourful shirts.

The brand then went a step further, launching a collection of shirts and trousers called 'The Uncrushables' – a wrinkle-free wardrobe in an unconventional 'solid' palette.

And the brand is not only for men. Allen Solly's nod to women in the workforce came in 2001, when the brand came out with a line of women's formal wear. A few years later, they rewrote their own rules again, by bringing in their casual chic collection for women. Allen Solly's apparel is well known for its superior quality and it has consistently won industry awards and consumer recognition for its clothing.

Allen Solly Products : •  Allen Solly manufactures very comfortable cotton and linen half and full sleeve shirts in solids of beautiful prints patterns like checks and stripes. They come in attractive color combinations of white and yellow, blue, pink, green and the list goes on.

•  Allen Solly T-shirts are available in half or full sleeves in vibrant colors like orange, black, blue etc. The t-shirts are made of pure cotton.

•  Allen Solly Trousers are pure cotton varieties which have flat or pleated fronts. Allen Solly is considered to be the brand that breaks all rules and conventions of men's wear

Shirts

Allen Solly boasts of the best brands when it comes to shirts. Shopping for a shirt for that special day – be it the first day of work, a new job, a wedding or just any other day – come to Allen Solly and enjoy unparalleled choice.

Trousers

A good pair of trousers is considered the basis of great style. At Allen Solly, finding the perfect pair of trousers is a breeze, considering the wide variety of brands available; trousers for every size and budget.

Denims

Allen Solly has an exciting range of casual denims in great fits for the man who knows how to unwind after a long day. Our denims come with great cuts, superb finish and excellent fits. With a wide range of best-selling brands to choose from, finding the perfect pair of jeans was never this easy.

Suits

At Allen Solly, we have suits that fit every occasion, be it corporate meetings or formal occasions. We have suits that lend a touch of class and elegance, making every occasion truly special.

Gift Cards for Allen Solly Friday Dressing

Have you ever wondered when someone will come up with garments and shoes that are perfect for work and after-work fun? Well, Allen Solly has done it, and done it marvelously, one might add. For the latest in crossover styling, head over to Allen Solly and check out their new Friday collection. With these garments and shoes, you can begin your day in the boardroom, and end it playing pool with your close buddies at your favorite club.

Allen Solly is redesigning the way urban India is dressing for work with vibrant colors and stylized cuts. Since we talked about the garments in one of our earlier blog, let’s focus on the shoes today. These shoes are all-weather brogues crafted using intricate whipstitches and contrasting soles. Their mixed-leather derbies are an exciting combination of leather and rich suede. These shoes can be worn with chinos and formal shirts to jeans and tees. Allen Solly’s high-top chukka boots are crafted from premium leather, and are not what you’d expect from regular high-tops. These shoes are so elegantly styled, that they can easily traverse diverse life situations with ease. Again the Allen Solly duplex-leather slip-ons are beautifully created out of suede and leather – they’re just perfect to wear with business casuals.

So whether you’re running a company, managing an important team, or a high-flying artist; Allen Solly’s Friday Dressing has something special for you. Also if you’re thinking of gifts over this new year and the many occasions coming up afterwards; this gift card from Allen Solly would be perfect. Think about it – is your son getting ready to fly abroad on business? Is your brother looking for restocking wardrobe? Gift cards from Allen Solly should be your answer.