Established in 1978, the leading Indian blended fabrics and readymade garments manufacturer Siyaram Silk Mills Limited, has been producing globally well-known brands such as Siyaram’s, J. Hampstead, Cadini, Siya and Oxemberg. The company, which forayed into Nepali market with its popular menswear brand Oxemberg in October 2019, opened a new Oxemberg outlet in Kathmandu on February 13. Located in Civil Mall, it is the fourth Oxemberg store in Nepal. E P Daniell, senior vice president of Siyaram Silk Mills, was present for the launch of the showroom. Daniell sat down with Bijaya Laxmi Duwal of New Business Age to talk about the brand, market prospects and the company’s plans in Nepal. Excerpts:
How is the presence of Siyaram in Nepal’s textile and garment market?
We started selling our apparel brand Oxemberg here only in October. We already have three stores in different places in Nepal including Kathmandu Valley and Biratnagar. This is our fourth store. We plan to open at least seven to eight outlets in Nepal. By this March, we will open two more stores.
What brands of Siyaram are available in Nepal and how are they being received here?
Oxemberg is the most preferred men’s apparel brand. Siyaram Silk Mill has three apparel brands in different segments- Oxemberg, J.Hampstead, and Mojo. J.Hampstead is in the premium shirting and suiting brand. Oxemberg is the mid-segment menswear, whereas Mojo is positioned as an economic brand. The product portfolio of Oxemberg includes formal and semi-formal shirts, formal and casual trousers, denim wears, t-shirts and blazer suits, among others. And, we will be marketing and distributing all these products in Nepal.
The customers in Nepal are very welcoming. The fact that Oxemberg garnered success in a relatively short period for its collection and varieties is indicative of this. Positive feedbacks of Nepali customers motivated us to open the fourth store.
How is the presence of Oxemberg brand globally? What market prospects do you observe in Nepal?
Oxemberg apparels are available in all 30 states of India. Globally, we are available in Britain, Sri-Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia and different European countries. Similarly, we have also partnered with an Australian company for market expansion.
There is a good market prospect for us in Nepal. There are similarities between markets in India and Nepal. In fact, in many Asian countries, culture, physical appearances of people, food habits etc are not so different. Given these factors, we have many potential customers in Nepal too. For marketing and promotion of Oxemberg here, we have partnered with the Himalayan Vibes Group.
How is Oxemberg different from other similar brands available in the market?
Oxemberg is very popular in India. Compared to our competitors, we are the no. 1 fabric brand. We have in-house research and design (R&D) team for product development and use cutting-edge technologies for production. We have very good expertise in producing RMGs that bolster our brand identity as a forerunner of innovation, design and impeccable quality. The brand promise of Oxemberg is to offer contemporary fashion and to keep up with the changing trends.
As a company with history of over 40 years, we have a very high-level understanding about fabrics and fashion. We have been able to overcome all ups and downs over the years and have understood the pace of the market.
How is Siyaram planning to grow in Nepal? Are there any new products for a new launch here in the pipeline?
We are planning to supply our brand to a multi-brand store here.
We have envisioned expanding our presence here through big formal stores. Also, there are plans to open our next outlet in Pokhara. The presence of Siyaram is still in the nascent phase in Nepal.
We are doing a lot of negotiations here and have lots of excellent products to offer.
We are studying the habits of Nepali customers and the fashion trends here to offer them more keeping up with the latest trends. We will also be customising products for Nepali customers.
