With the ongoing wedding season, how has been the impact in the suiting sector?

FY21 being a Covid year, the suiting sector was impacted however as people started to overcome their fear during the festive season, the sales picked up suddenly. Given our strong brand equity and loyal consumer base, our suiting business displayed resilience. But now with the second wave hitting the country, it is too early to assess the impact. With more states imposing lockdown and while the others still remain open, the impact on the ongoing wedding season will certainly be there... however, it will be premature to comment anything right now. 

What are the trends and challenges for retail trade?

Organisations are now reinventing themselves to reinstate their relevance to consumers in the new normal. While we see a surge in online shopping during the lockdown, given the nature of the fashion business, brick and mortar retail spaces will always be relevant as experience of touch and feel holds the prominence in this sector. For a textile player, it is very difficult to completely move to digital platforms as compared to other industries. Being one of the largest employment generators, the opening up of the economy is critical for the sector to thrive. 

How does apparel score on lists of consumer priorities?

As per the saying, Roti, Kapda aur Makan, textile and apparel will remain the priority. And just like the first wave, we will recover soon from this phase. Once the pandemic is gone and things come back to normal, people will dress up for occasions celebrating life.