The Brand Builder Playbook

India’s premium fashion and lifestyle market is undergoing a structural shift driven by aspiration premiumisation and global brand exposure. At the centre of this transformation is Brand Concepts Limited which has evolved into a leading licensed fashion and accessories player. In this conversation Abhinav Kumar shares insights on building a brand-led business navigating global licensing and scaling through omnichannel and franchise-led growth.

Take us through your entrepreneurial journey and what led you to evolve from manufacturing to building a brand-led licensed fashion business?

Brand Concepts Limited was founded in 2007 with a clear conviction that the Indian consumer was ready for globally recognized premium brands not just as aspiration but as an everyday experience.

That conviction did not emerge in the boardroom. It was earned on the ground during my tenure at The Murjani Group where leading marketing for Tommy Hilfiger India gave me a front-row view of how global brands are built positioned and scaled within this market. That experience became the intellectual foundation for everything Brand Concepts would go on to do.

We began with character licensing a deliberate starting point that sharpened our understanding of the mechanics of licensing retail and Indian consumer behaviour. It taught us how to work within a brand framework protect brand integrity and deliver consistency across touchpoints.

The real inflection came in 2010 when we acquired the Tommy Hilfiger license for travel gear and small leather goods. This was the moment Brand Concepts consciously evolved from vendor to strategic brand partner. We were not simply manufacturing product we were curating a brand experience for a consumer who was aspirational discerning and underserved.

That insight has since driven us to build across fashion accessories travel gear apparel and more spanning retail distribution and e-commerce because a truly brand-led business must meet the consumer wherever they are.

What were the key turning points in shaping Brand Concepts into a leading player in the licensed fashion and accessories space?

Brand Concepts’ evolution has been defined by a series of deliberate well-timed milestones each one building on the last.

It began in 2007 with securing the Tommy Hilfiger license for travel gear and small leather goods which established our credibility in the premium segment and signalled to the market that BCL was a serious long-term brand partner. In 2012 we launched BAGLINE our multi-brand retail destination which gave us a direct consumer touchpoint and a platform to tell our brand stories in a curated environment.

By 2014 we identified gaps in the market and responded by launching two proprietary brands Sugarush for women's handbags and The Vertical for men's lifestyle gear demonstrating that Brand Concepts was not just a licensee but a brand builder in its own right. Our 2018 IPO followed by a listing on the NSE mainboard in 2022 gave us the capital and platform to pursue more aggressive expansion.

The most exciting chapter however is the one we are writing right now. Between 2024 and 2026 Brand Concepts has made bold moves into the super-premium and luxury space. The Juicy Couture license initially anchored in high-glam handbags has expanded into apparel and footwear evolving into a full lifestyle offering. With Off-White™ we have entered the ultra-luxury frontier employing high-concept retail strategies and flagship stores in landmark locations catering to the HNI and premium fashion-forward consumer. Alongside this we have established a state-of-the-art hard luggage manufacturing facility in Central India reinforcing our commitment to quality and supply chain excellence.

Today our portfolio spans premium to luxury anchored by Tommy Hilfiger United Colors of Benetton Superdry Juicy Couture and Off-White™ and touches categories from travel gear and accessories to apparel and footwear. Each milestone has been a step toward building BCL into a diversified full-spectrum licensed fashion business.

What prompted your shift towards licensing global brands and how do you evaluate the right brand fit for the Indian market?

Our shift towards licensing global brands was driven by a clear white space in India for premium lifestyle-led travel gear and accessories. At Brand Concepts Limited, we act as a strategic bridge between global headquarters and Indian market realities.

We identify brands with strong global salience that require a more specialised luxury and lifestyle approach in India. Our strategy is rooted in thoughtful curation bringing in relevant subsets of global collections based on local insights while adapting assortments aesthetics and pricing to suit Indian sensibilities without diluting the brand’s core identity.

We also place strong emphasis on strategic pricing to protect premium positioning in a highly competitive market. Additionally, localisation such as manufacturing Tommy Hilfiger Travel Gear in India allows us to optimise costs and pass on value to consumers while maintaining global design and quality standards.

Ultimately our focus is on balancing global aspiration with local relevance to drive long-term sustainable growth.

How do you balance global brand identity with local consumer preferences while scaling licensed brands in India?

Balancing global brand identity with local relevance is central to how we scale licensed brands in India. At Brand Concepts Limited we act as a strategic bridge ensuring that the core DNA of each brand from design language to quality and positioning remains uncompromised.

At the same time we localise with precision leveraging deep consumer insights to tailor product mix usage-led design and pricing to Indian market realities. This allows us to stay relevant without diluting the brand’s premium appeal.

Operationally localisation through agile supply chains and selective manufacturing further strengthens our ability to scale efficiently.

Ultimately our approach is about making global brands feel inherently local while preserving their international aspiration enabling long-term sustainable growth.

Can you elaborate on your current business model across retail distribution and e-commerce and how omnichannel is driving growth.

At Brand Concepts Limited we operate a well-integrated omnichannel model spanning retail distribution and e-commerce each playing a strategic role in driving growth.

Our e-commerce business has seen strong momentum across leading marketplaces like Amazon Myntra and Flipkart alongside emerging quick-commerce platforms such as Zepto Blinkit and Instamart in addition to our own platform Bagline.com.

On the retail front we have built a robust footprint with over 50 BAGLINE stores and exclusive brand outlets across key markets complemented by our presence in high-visibility locations like airports in Bengaluru and Mumbai. Our distribution network further strengthens reach through large format stores like Shoppers Stop and an extensive dealer ecosystem.

What truly drives growth is our omnichannel integration leveraging technology and data-led forecasting to optimise inventory enhance agility and deliver a seamless consistent experience across touchpoints whether a customer shops in-store or online.

How critical is manufacturing and supply chain control in your business and how are you ensuring scalability and efficiency?

Manufacturing and supply chain control are pivotal to driving both scale and resilience in our business. While we are a brand-led organisation backward integration has emerged as a key strategic lever. Our large-scale facilities in Ujjain–Indore enable us to maintain global quality standards while improving speed to market.

More importantly localised manufacturing enhances agility allowing us to navigate disruptions optimise costs and respond dynamically to evolving consumer demand.

What is your approach to retail expansion and do you see franchising playing a larger role going forward?

Our approach to retail expansion is anchored in a capital-efficient scalable model with franchising playing a central role in accelerating growth. This strategy allows us to expand rapidly while collaborating with partners who bring strong regional market expertise and an understanding of evolving consumer preferences.

We are primarily focused on driving franchise-led growth for premium brands such as Tommy Hilfiger Juicy Couture and Off-White™ working with partners who understand the nuances of luxury and fashion-forward segments.

BAGLINE continues to have a presence within the portfolio supported by its established retail format. Overall franchising enables us to scale efficiently while maintaining brand consistency and operational excellence.

Are there specific brands in your portfolio that you are looking to scale through franchising and what makes them attractive for partners?

The Indian retail landscape is undergoing a tectonic shift. As premiumisation moves from a trend to a core consumer behaviour at Brand Concepts Limited we are strategically positioning our most iconic brands for nationwide scale-up.

Our roadmap for 2026 is clear leveraging the FOFO model to bring global luxury and high-fashion lifestyle to every corner of the country.

For potential partners the opportunity lies in Off-White™ Juicy Couture Tommy Hilfiger Travel Gear and Bagline.

These brands offer high visibility strong consumer pull and access to high-growth segments including Gen Z and millennial consumers. At the same time categories like travel gear provide stable demand strong repeat purchase cycles and consistent ROI potential.

We provide more than just a storefront we offer an omnichannel ecosystem supported by strong digital presence and deep market insights ensuring each outlet becomes part of a connected retail journey.

What is the core USP of Brand Concepts and how do you differentiate your brands in a highly competitive fashion retail market?

The core USP of Brand Concepts Limited lies in our fully integrated ecosystem which allows us to control the entire value chain from concept and design to manufacturing brand building and retail.

This end-to-end capability enables us to deliver globally inspired high-fashion products at accessible luxury price points.

What differentiates us is our ability to combine global brand equity with strong product innovation offering superior durability functional design and tech-enabled features such as anti-theft solutions and smart compartments.

At the same time our diverse portfolio from accessible premium to luxury brands like Off-White™ positions us uniquely to cater to evolving consumer aspirations while owning the entire consumer journey across segments.

Looking ahead what is your vision for Brand Concepts and what opportunities do you see in India’s evolving fashion and franchise ecosystem

Our vision is to build Brand Concepts Limited into one of the most respected fashion and lifestyle players driven by a strong House of Brands strategy and a consumer-first approach.

Looking ahead we see a significant opportunity in India’s premiumisation journey as consumers increasingly shift towards branded design-led products. We aim to capitalise on this by expanding our portfolio of global licenses while strengthening BAGLINE as a destination-led retail format.

At the same time deeper digital integration leveraging AI for demand forecasting personalisation and inventory efficiency will be key to scaling intelligently. Franchising will also play a pivotal role in accelerating our retail footprint.

Overall we see India’s evolving fashion and franchise ecosystem as a strong growth engine and we are well positioned to lead this transformation.