UNLEASHING THE TIGER

With ASICS already selling the Onitsuka Tiger range in India through Madura Fashion and Lifestyle’s multi-brand store, The Collective, why did the company decide to set up an exclusive store for this brand?

How well do you think will Onitsuka Tiger be accepted by the consumers?

Indian luxury consumers are particularly influenced by what others think of them. They consume brands to achieve societal acceptance, reflecting the hierarchical nature of the society. They use luxury brands to symbolize achievement, wealth and prestige. But Onitsuka Tiger will turn this around. Across the globe, the brand has a base of style-conscious influencers who believe in setting their own trends. With about 200 stores worldwide, Onitsuka Tiger is now ready to own the premium fashion space in India with its trendsetter products.

Tell us about your market strategies for India.

We have just opened our first store in India and at the moment, we will be using international campaigns. Going forward, we will curate campaigns to connect with the Indian audience in sync with the global brand guidelines.

What are the expansion plans? Will e-commerce play a part?

Onitsuka Tiger’s mono-brand store at Palladium Mall will initiate a gratifying shopping experience for loyal fans as well as the fashion conscious. The internet has exploded in India, spreading its reach further than ever before. As more and more consumers embrace the virtual world as a safe and convenient place to shop – either on computers or using their smartphones – one thing is for certain – e-commerce is here to stay. We will be ramping up distribution of products through e-commerce portals and aim to achieve a significant growth in the coming years.

What are your plans to expand through the franchise model?

We will focus on establishing mono-brand stores in the country under partnership with franchisees. These stores will be one of our key channels to drive up sales.

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