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Its mission was to offer fashion at affordable prices Now our vision is to keep growing and of course, enjoy the journey.

Ethnic exuberanceBiba, the ethnic wear major targets domestic market for expansion.Tags: Biba , Siddhartha Bindra , ethnic wear BY NEHA MALHOTRA | OCTOBER 19, 2012 | COMMENTS ( 1 ) |

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Siddhartha BindraWith its first standalone store having opened in Inorbit Malad, Mumbai in 2004, today BIBAhas 87 stand alone stores across India and plans to reach 150 stores by 2013. Expanding itswiongs, the brand has created a niche for itself. In an Interaction with NehaMalhotra, Siddhartha Bindra, Managing Director, BIBA shares the brand's journey.

Neha Malhotra (NM): How would you describe the retail presence of Biba? From where do yougarner maximum revenues?

Siddhartha Bindra (SB): BIBA, with humble beginning in Mumbai, today, has Pan India presencethrough 87 exclusive outlets in over 40 cities.Out of these, roughly one third of our exclusive outlets are in the five major metros, and the remainingin the tier II & III cities like Ahmedabad, Patna, Lucknow, Siliguri, Zirakpur Aurangabad, Jabalpur toname a few. Apart from this, we are also available at major retail chains in the country like Shoppers

Stop, Lifestyle, Pantaloons and Central.While the metros are our largest markets, the brand receives great response from tier I and II cities as

well. Infact, owing to phenomenal response and demand for our products in Gujarat, we have openedour first flagship store in Ahmedabad.

NM: Looking at the competition struck market, what is the USP of Biba which sets it apart fromthe other prominent players? SB: Biba as a brand stands for variety and affordable designer wear. BIBA clothes are simple,elegant and stylish. Every month we launch new mix n match collections and 30 new salwar kameezdupatta designs so t hat our customers enjoy a wide range of choice. Bibas style echoes the Indianwomans sensibility. The brand has evolved alongside the evolving taste of the consumers. Biba clothes flatter the Indian womans silhouette rather than trying to make them fit into a particular

style or silhouette. This is the difference between Biba and other brands in the category. This is whyBiba enjoys a wide range of loyal consumers across age groups and body types.

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BIBA specialises in ethnic garments with a modern and contemporary look. We keep changing ourdesigns in keeping with the global trends and incorporating strong influence of our rich culturalheritage of Hand Block printing with vegetable dyes, embroideries, patterns etc. We use pure fabricslike cotton, silks, chiffons, georgettes etc. for all our products. The vibrant colours and styles are wellsuited to the Indian palette. The emphasis here is on fashionable yet affordable designer clothing.

NM: Where will you focus for expansion? Can you share phase wise growth plans? Did youindulge in any kind of research before deciding on the same? SB: We feel we are on the right growth trajectory and want to concentrate on the domestic market forthe time being. We plan to open about 100 odd exclusive stores in the next two years across India,including tier II & III cities.For the current year, we plan to open 40 exclusive stores out of which six will be BIBA flagship storesand will be operational by Diwali. Some of the cities that we have finalised our locations arePhatankot, Bhubaneshwar, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Allahabad and Cuttack.

Before deciding on any new launch, we do exhaustive research. Like, we have finalised on the abovecenters keeping demand forecast, catchment analysis and government norms for the zone in mind.Being a pan-India brand, we keep a close watch on demographic growth, nationally. Moreover,sometimes depending on customers feedback and requests, we plan our laun ches.

NM: In your opinion, how is the new-age ethnic wear industry growing? What is yourexpectation in terms of future overall growth in the sector? SB: Over the past few years, the ethnic wear category has transformed drastically. The evolution offusion wear within the segment and customisation of Indian wear to suit current requirements is givingthe industry significant impetus.

The growth in retail sector coupled with other factors like growing numbers of working women leadingto higher disposable incomes as well as the fact that their mobility leads to salwar kameez dupattabeing the preferred work wear, will further fuel demand.

NM: How do you plan your marketing strategy? SB: We as a brand have been growing at a CAGR of 36 per cent without much marketinginvestments. This year onwards, we have started becoming media active too and are going to be veryvisible in print as well as outdoors. We will be present nationally in premium magazines as well asnewspapers. OOH is our lead medium and we are investing in some 12 cities this year.Our marketing initiatives are based on our brand strategy and the vision for Biba in the next 2-3 years.

We prioritise our markets and then make our investments accordingly.

NM: Since how long has Biba been operational in the country?SB: My mother Meena Bindra started BIBA from our house in Bombay in 1988, with a loan of Rs8,000, which my father arranged for her! So, it has been close to two and a half decades, since BIBAstarted. However, the first exclusive BIBA store was launched in 2004 in Mumbai.

NM: Who is your target audience? Has it grown over the period of time? Do plan to expand thesame? What is the price range of the products on offer? SB: Biba caters to Indian women of all ages and of all walks of life homemakers, working women,

college students, among others. A 45 year old woman will also find something she likes in the storeas well as a 20 year old. We have an unmatched range of mix n match category, unstitched fabric,

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salwar kameez dupatta and recently introduced BIBA Girls, a dedicated range especially for younggirls aged between 2-12 years.

As I have said earlier, we aim to provide affordable designer wear. The price range at BIBA startsfrom Rs 599 and goes up to Rs7999, which I am sure you will agree, is very reasonable for brandedwear.

NM: What is your take on the recent FDI updates that have made waves in the country? SB: I am neutral about the opening up of the FDI in the retail sector, as I actually do not foresee anyInternational competition in the category in which we operate in.

Warburg Pincus and Faering Capital invest Rs300 crore in Biba ApparelsPTI Dec 5, 2013, 06.16PM IST Tags:

Warburg Pincus | private equity | Future Lifestyle Fashions Ltd. | Future group | BIBA Apparels

(Warburg Pincus and Faering)

NEW DELHI: Private equity firms Warburg Pincus and Faering Capital have invested aboutRs 300 crore in Biba Apparels , a firm engaged in women and girls' ethnic wear."The investment includes a primary fund raise and provides an exit to the existinginvestor, Future Lifestyle Fashions Ltd. The transaction is the largest private equityinvestment in the Indian ethnic wear market," Biba said in a statement.

On November 12 this year, Future Lifestyle Fashion Ltd (FLFL), part of Kishore Biyani-led Future Group , had divested its minority stakes in Biba Apparels.

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AI was a housewife who had never worked before. I had no knowledge or experience in business and Iwas not a qualified designer. Also, at that time (the early 1980s), there weren't any courses in fashiondesign. People usually bought fabric and had their garments stitched because readymade garments wererare. But when I told my husband that I wanted to start designing and making ethnic wear, he wassupportive and agreed to get me a loan of Rs.8000 from the bank. I'm not sure why he got me Rs.8000 andnot Rs.10000 or Rs.5000, but eight turned out to be a lucky number for me!

I had my first major break when I found a very good block printer. He was an educated young boy whounderstood what I wanted. Soon I began to spend hours everyday at the factory as I enjoyed my work andalso the yummy Gujarati food that he would serve me there.

I started my business with around 40 printed salwar suits that I had priced at about Rs.170. I was makingthem for about Rs.100, so I thought I was making pots of money (laughs).

Lisabelle Gonsalves, Team iDivaQHow was business in the initial years?

Meena BindraAI received a good response from people and gradually started increasing my stock. These were fun years

because I got to experiment with various fabrics, cuts, colours and more. A short while after I began, asmall boutique in Mumbai began to retail some of my creations and later Benzer came on board too. I didnot ever have to do any marketing. People just kept coming to me.

The market also opened up and there were retail chains like Shopper's Stop and Pantaloons whoapproached me. That's when I realised the importance of professionalism. From pricing to timelines, I hadto be accountable and deliver on time. What's more, they wanted to see different ranges, so I had to beaware of the fashion seasons too.

Lisabelle Gonsalves, Team iDivaQWhat was your vision for BIBA right from the very beginning? Did you expect i t to become this

big?

Meena BindraAWhen I started, I had no long term vision. I simply wanted to keep myself occupied and earn a little extra

money. But growth kept happening. Now our vision is to keep growing and of course, enjoy the journey. Wecurrently have about 107 stores over 46 cities but we want to open more stores in certain cities as well asexpand to cities where we have no presence. In a year's time, we want to be a 500-crore company.

We also want to launch formal wear, bridal trousseaux and the likes. My aim is to make BIBA the one stopshop for a woman's ethnic wear needs.

Lisabelle Gonsalves, Team iDiva

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QWho does BIBA cater to essentially?

Meena BindraABIBA has a range for girls from the age of 2 to 12 years and our range for adults can be worn by womenright from 20 to 70 years. However, it is most suited for younger women.

Lisabelle Gonsalves, Team iDivaQWhat are some of the ethnic wear trends for the season?

Meena BindraAI think a lot of asymmetrical cuts are in vogue. They add that bit of edginess to your everyday ethnicwear . Anarkalis are also extremely popular, especially the long flared kurtas that we wore around 15 yearsago.

In terms of colours, pastels and bright colours like lime green and fuchsia are the shades to sport thisseason.

Lisabelle Gonsalves, Team iDivaQHow do you think styles are evolving over the years with the modern Indian woman looking for

comfort over tradition?

Meena Bindra

AWhen it comes to ethnic fashion, I have seen all the cycles. Trends keep coming back into fashion with alittle recycling here and there. But styles really have evolved in the last 30 years. Today, cuts, prints andfashio naccessories are extremely important. But because of the variety available, I think women can haveboth comfort and tradition!

Lisabelle Gonsalves, Team iDivaQWhat does it take to be a successful woman entrepreneur?

Meena BindraAThe most important key to being successful is to enjoy what you are doing. I enjoyed immensely what Idid and I wasn't worried about making money.

For about 5 or 6 years, I worked out of my house and would constantly have people come over. I made alot of friends too and there was never any pressure on them to buy. In fact, if someone bought somethingand didn't like it, I'd return the money and maybe even throw in a free dupatta. I just wanted my customersto be happy.

Lisabelle Gonsalves, Team iDivaQWhat is your advice to stay-at-home moms who want to start their own business?

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Meena BindraAThe opportunities to work from home are endless, so nothing should stop you from venturing into whatyou loveto do. Whether you want to bake a cake or write a book, do what you are passionate about and theresults will follow.

Enjoy the fact that you can work. There's always a sense of achievement when you do!

Lisabelle Gonsalves, Team iDivaQHow do you balance work life and home?

Meena BindraAI make sure that I give equal time to my work and home. Even when I was working from home years ago,I would shut shop by 5 PM. I never extended my work time.

Lisabelle Gonsalves, Team iDivaQWhat are some of your hobbies?

Meena BindraAMy hobbies have changed over the years. I love to read but I have got into more serious, spiritual readingthese days. I also listen to western, western classical and even Indian classical music . Another thing I reallyenjoy is meeting up with my friends.

Celebrating Path-Breakers! This March, iDiva.com celebrates Women's Month, showcasing 31 different

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potential and achieving your dreams along with fun ways to treat yourself this Women's Day. For starters,

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BIBA Apparels Pvt Ltd By Bryan deRegt and Amy McDougallPosted on June 20, 2013 by Koushik Saha

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Meena Bindra was a wife of a military man in India looking for a little extra pocket

money. To accomplish this goal, she decided to begin designing and making some

garments out of her house. She made traditional ethnic garments of the Northern

India region. These were practical garments that fit all the traditional needs but

were also trendy so they made an attractive alternative to the market. Sheplanned only a small business but the demand was so extensive that she had to

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make new plans. Now, she has about a hundred stores and should be up to 150

stores by the end of 2013. She is still heavily involved on the design side while her

son, Siddharth Bindra, has taken over as Managing Director and runs the company

with his mother. The company has grown into three different collections ofwomens clothin g: mix-and- match, Salwar Kameez & Dupathas, and a girls line

aimed at ages 2- 13. In the coming years, Bindras vision seems like it will grow

into a global enterprise from its small start in her home.

Before our visit, we knew that BIBA would emulate the traditions of Indian culture

and history. The website was full of colorful photographs of the ornate designs

that BIBA has to offer. Its mission was to offer fashion at affordable prices and

was targe ted to capture all the needs of an Indian woman. Its motto was Diva onthe outside, a romantic at heart- a woman can be an alluring journey. On the

business side, we found many aspects to be interesting. Before learning Siddharth

Bindra was the founders son, we wondered how he wound up as Managing

Director of a textile company after getting a masters from Harvard in Futures and

Derivatives. Additionally, the business had made a new move to partner with an

ace designer Manish Arora to help make his clothes for lower prices and appeal to

the masses. They also had previous contracts with Bollywood blockbusters andhad won numerous awards for being the top female ethnic clothing brand in

India.

When we got to the company however, we did not realize that we would be

encountering an enormous enterprise that oversees a garment all the way from

design to customer. It had an elaborate process of creative design, sampling,

fabric purchasing, merchandising, and distribution. Each season (which accounts

for six months of the year) witnesses over 1 million meters of fabric being usedfor hundreds of new designs. During our tour, we got to see them beginning the

process for the Spring/Summer of 2014, as they constantly try to stay ahead of

fashion. We had the privilege of meeting with the founder Meena Bindra. She

discussed her early start and transition into her role of working in the design area

while her son took over business operations. Interestingly, she discussed that they

had stopped their association with Bollywood. However, before stopping, she

shared with us their greatest success. Partnering with Future Group, they made a

garment for a Bollywood film that when it hit retail would not stay on the shelves.

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Eventually, BIBA made more money off the clothing item than Future Group made

off their movie.

Throughout our meeting, we were able to discover a constant theme. This theme

was an overarching idea that the most important thing is whether the garment

would sell. A design may be beautiful but if the decision makers did not think it

would sell then it would not be produced. They do extensive research into trends

to discover what will be popular while also greatly relying on the eye of Meena

and Siddharth Bindra. In fact, Meena Bindra said that when Siddharth looks at a

garment 99% of the time he can tell if it will be a hit. This experiences greatly

aides the company in their decision process. Overall, we were very impressed

with the company and look forward to seeing their bright future.

The Story of BIBA (brand for ethnic Indian and Indianfusion wear)Posted on May 29, 2013 by indiaretailreview

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficultiesdisappear and obstacles vanish. The above holds apt for the story of BIBA.

From being a wholesaler for salwar suits to today being one of the most well

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accepted brand in the category of womens chic ethnic wear, BIBA has aninteresting history to share.

In the late 1980s when Meena Bindra got her first Punjabi Suit (as it wascommonly referred to then) ready for selling it to her customer from theconfines of her house, little did she know that a few years down the line, hercreation would meet a day when it would be present in the wardrobe oflakhs of women in India. Elaborates Meena who is also the chairperson ofthe brand, I was always interested in designing in any form but lacked thetechnical or financial skills to set up a business and I did not have muchfunds either. Therefore I started with a bank loan of Rs 8000 from thehouse. It seemed the easier business as fabric was the only investmentrequired, started almost 26 years back and the readymade garmentindustry was in its infancy thus the time was right to start this business. Adding further, she says, Luckily, soon after the launch, the brand gainedpopularity due it to its beautiful hand block prints and styles, and becamethe first choice for stylish cotton Salwar Kameez sets. Shortly thereafter,Benzer Mumbai became the first exclusive store to stock my designs and I

started supplying to various stores. The association with Benzer happenedon reference of a customer who was obviously very much impressed withMeenas designs. Post then, the journey has been only that marked withgrowth.

For a couple of years, post that Meena went ahead wholesaling her brand tothe traditional retailers and it was only post in the early 1990s that anindividual identity and exclusivity to her creation was given under the nameBIBA. But why the name BIBA? Explains Meena, BIBA, in Punjabimeans a young, pretty girl or an endearment, normally used for young girlshence I decided to name my brand BIBA. This was also the time whenShoppers Stop came into being and Meena retailed successfully throughthem. Shares Siddharth Bindra, managing director, BIBA, We take pride in being one of the first few brands to successfully expand using the shop-in-shop model. With Shoppers Stop we retailed using the shop-in-shop modeland it worked extremely well for both of us. But all this didnt happen as

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easily as it sounds right now. The challenge before the Bindras to set up a brand was mammoth. Back then, women relied most on the local tailorsand for a lucky few there were the designers. The concept of ready-to-wear

salwar suits was not that prevalent. Also, majority of the traditional shopshad their own labels to retail.

Citing the challenges encountered, Meena says, I have no formal trainingin design and I faced some teething issues with garment production. Ilearnt along the way and devised my own methods to overcome thoseissues. But the biggest challenge for me was funds for expansion. I wasnave and had no knowledge of running a business or handling a brand.There were no competitors in my category no benchmarks, no brands, nomalls. That was a time when the fashion industry was not so evolved andcustomers used to rely on local garment shops for apparel shopping.

Moreover, my husband was in a transferable job and once, for eight years, we had to stay apart as I had to stay in Mumbai to be able to run my business when he was in Delhi. A very confident Meena says, Now, I have

23 years of industry experience. There is a separate category called ethnic wear. Biba is a well known and widely accepted brand and is big both interms of scale and size. The company is profitable and we are fully equippedto handle any business challenges. We are opening almost 4-5 exclusivestores each month. Industry standards in general have gone up and so hasthe knowledge of fashion. People are well travelled and their tastes anddesign sensibilities have evolved. The only thing that remains constant ismy interest in creating new designs. I am still actively involved in thecreation of Biba designs and constantly interact with my design team.Siddhart adds, One of the challenge that we face today is that of the exciseduty structure prevalent in the country. It definitely eats upon your profitsto quite some bit. Also, because we are an ethnic wear brand, lot of our work is related to skilled labor. Getting trained (skilled labourers) for our business is also a big challenge that we face besides the issue ofstreamlining the supply cha in.

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The journey of expansion continued thereon with the opening of the firstBIBA store at Inorbit Mall in Mumbai. An interesting personal experienceled the brand to make the move to offer kidswear (read Indian ethnic wear

for young girls). Elaborates Si ddharth, I have a daughter who is 7 -year-old. We have always faced a challenge finding apt Indian ethnic wear for her.That is when we decided to expand our portfolio to include kidswear as well. My wife has been a designer and this helped us quite some b it. It has been a year since the brand expanded its portfolio and till date they havemanaged to have about 85 touch-points to retail the brand. Says Siddharth,We started retailing kidswear through some of our exclusive stores andthrough Lifestyle and Central. We shall partner with a few of the wellestablished traditional retail formats too for this.

Apart from being a pioneer and one of the most widely available brands forsalwar kameez, what makes the brands stand apart from the rest. SharingBIBAs USP, Meena says, BIBA as a brand stands for variety andaffordable designer wear. In simple words, BIBA clothes are simple, elegantand stylish. Each month we launch new mix n match collections and 30

new SKD designs so that our customers enjoy a wide range of productsinspired from various different sources. I feel BIBAs style redefines theIndian womans style. One feedback we always get from our patrons is thatBIBA clothes make them look slimmer. The brand has evolved with thecustomers, making it so popular amongst women. Elaborating further, shesays, BIBA specializes in ethnic garments with a modern andcontemporary look. We keep changing our designs with the trends,retaining our roots which are steeped in Indian Traditional crafts like HandBlock printing with vegetable dyes, exquisite hand embroideries and manymore. BIBA use pure fabrics like silks, chiffons, georgettes etc in vibrant-to-soothing shades to create its designs. The accent here is on fashionable yetaffordable designer clothing ranging from medium-to-plus sizes which has won a large and loyal client base.

A breakthrough for the brand came in during the late 1990s when KishoreBiyani approached the brand for a movie partnership with film Na Tum

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letter word with two syllables that fall easy on the tongue. its focus onethnic wear helped the brand occupy a vacuum in the space of high end branded ethnic wear. It made for itself a space all its own. A space which

later attracted clones, but the brand remains a step ahead of consumerdesire and aspiration in terms of fashion and flaunt value. And thats itstrue merit. The brand is alive. Alive to change and alive to the chameleonconsumer at large.

The brand did receive a set back a couple of years ago when the elder kin ofthe family Sanjay Bindra decided to part ways and begin with theretailing of his own brand 7 East but this has not deterred the mother-son duo Meena and Siddharth to expand their wings to reach to newterritories. Says Siddharth, On an average, Biba is looking to open 4 -5stores each month to take our exclusive store number to 200 in the next 2-3 years. 80 per cent of the stores will be company owned. We are alsoplanning to launch 4-6 flagship stores across the country in the next 12months with an approximate investment of 1 core per store. In terms ofproduct line we have recently launched Biba Girls an ethnic wear

collection for 2-12 year old girls. We have got a tremendous response forthis and we believe this will become a big category for us. There are alsoplans to launch Unstitched Fabrics in a big way.