There is huge untapped potential in non-metropolitan areas

Producers of women’s pajama sets are increasing R&D capacity to increase the range and functionality of the designs. Companies are also making efforts to improve product quality and reduce operating costs through vertical integration. With the removal of export taxes and restrictions on importing Chinese-made nightwear into the EU and US, suppliers from China and India are in fierce competition for market share. In the Indian market, the nightwear and lingerie market is rapidly emerging as a fashion segment and organized players such as Juliet, Sleep-ins etc. have been observed over the past decade.

What Kashmira Nightwear Company started with a single stand-alone store in Pune many years ago is today the Sleep-ins brand of complete nightwear solutions owning a chain of many unique Sleep-ins stores and stock in many of the country’s leading retail chains. This turnaround has been promising thanks to the efforts of just one person, Kishor Chhabria, who is the CEO of the Pune-based Kashmira Nighrwear Company. Sleep-ins is today a brand with a national manifestation. Chhabria noticed that Indian consumers knew that the selection of special occasion clothing and nightwear was just as important as office, casual, party or sportswear, and began to offer consumers what they needed.

Sleep-ins is among the largest players in the segment and has seen considerable growth in its market share in recent years. This market, even today, is largely in the unorganized sector, where price is the only consideration. Organized players do not compete with products that are sold on the streets. The growth in retail, the increasing level of fashion awareness has helped push nightwear and lingerie to a higher step in the market.

Sleep-ins has increased almost 150 percent over the two or three decades, they were very focused on the western market, but this year the brand did well locally. They have appointed distributors in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, UP, MP, Punjab etc. and it had more than 20 exclusive points of sale in the country, to which it will add another six. In addition to exclusive outlets, the brand also sells in many large department stores.

This increase in retail space is encouraged by the remarkable response the brand has garnered in various parts of the country. Many of his clothes are in the range of Rs 2000-4000. Introducing them, they believed that sales in this price segment would be optimal in Delhi and Mumbai, and they prepared to see increased sales in Punjab. This just goes to note that fashion awareness is high in all parts of the country, and there is still a lot of untapped potential in cities other than metropolitan areas. And this is where the fashion aspect plays an important role. The company sources the finest fabrics in the country, imports the satins from Korea, and manufactures the prints in-house.

Sleep-ins is possibly the only powerful sleepwear brand for the whole family. It satisfies a hidden demand for quality nightwear offered by exclusive Sleep-ins brand stores: the entire range for women, men and children. In less time since its establishment, the chain stores have recorded good growth across India. As of now, women in the 18-50 age group are the main buyers, although men also make significant purchases. There is a large segment of consumers who want to wear high-quality sleepwear with features that match international standards.

Chhabria himself is a designer and thinks not only of making, but of true works of art. The Sleep-ins range covers nightwear and loungewear. The incomparable and wonderfully reduced sets in cottons and satin blended with cotton and lycra are all made in-house. Nightgowns are offered in satins and georgettes and animal prints; Dresses of soft fabrics; and shirt in shimmering soft and cuddly pastel silhouettes. They also offer spaghetti strap nightgowns, provocative teddy bodysuits, stylish shorts with bikini tops, pajamas, capris, etc. For men, Sleep-ins offers an elegant and sophisticated assortment of imported pure cotton and polyester nightwear and soft suede and satin robes with pajamas.

They believe that today’s men and women are all about ease of use, affordability, and comfort; therefore, the pricing factor cannot go unnoticed. The brand has helped to match the budget as well as the premium class of customers. Sleep-ins in Pune which is possibly the largest sleepwear store in the country with 1500 sq ft of floor space housing a rich collection of more than 4000 garments at a time. Its exclusive franchise stores are situated in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Surat, Ludhiana, Kolkata, Baroda and Gurgaon. The brand is also offered at leasing retail chains such as Globus, Shopper’s Stop, Piramyd, and Pantaloons.

The speed at which the brand is increasing its market reach indicates that there is a wealth of experience that provides a solid foundation of self-confidence. He started the retail business with a small investment of Rs one crore”, “and today he aims to establish Sleep-ins as an independent brand, which needs a healthy investment for brand image.

Sleep-ins is well known among existing competitors and is ready to take on new entrants. And they don’t worry about stiff competition as they have a full range of sleepwear and loungewear for women, men and children. Its close competitor is “Sweat Dreams”, but Sweet Dreams has so far not made any branding efforts and is currently in all kinds of stores in the country, while Sleep-ins is offered in exclusive stores only in mainland.

The immediate objective of Sleep-ins is to visit the premium shopping centers that are installed in the main cities. But that’s not all, the company plans to position itself as a quality brand in the international market for sleepwear and Sleep-ins loungewear. They are aimed at identifying the branded product, which customers should order for sleep instead of any nightgown products.

Sleep-ins is now also planning to set its product range at the rather lower end of the market, where the price points would be around Rs 200-400. Maybe they could retail them in stores like Big Bazaar.

The company has a production capacity of 15,000 garments per month, and plans to expand it by another 25 percent. They are bringing in 30 more machines, for a total of 130. They are installing IT systems for good quality control and monitoring.

Sleep-ins has entered into joint ventures with Disney to supply 5,000 garments per month, with most of the upgraded production going to Disney. The company has also gotten many export requests from Europe and the Gulf, but it is taking time to break into this segment.

Another Indian supplier, Poppy’s Knitwear (P) Ltd, can handle everything from spinning, weaving and knitting to sewing and finishing in their factory. The plant is equipped with Rieter spinning mills, Vanguard and Orizio weaving machines and Tubetex dyeing units. In India, Poppy’s women’s pajamas range from $3.50 to $8.50 per set. Lower-end models are made from lightweight, single-jersey cotton. Mid-range designs typically have an overall print and more garment features, such as pockets and collars. The higher-end versions are mainly used for winter and are made with heavy fabrics such as fleece and cotton interlock.

Clifton offers designs priced between $3 and $7. The medium-sized company manufactures women’s pajama sets for OEM customers such as Ethel Austin and Littlewoods of the UK, Carrefour of France and Teenscene India’s Sentinel Clothing Co. of Canada that manufactures sleepwear, children’s clothing, etc., which owns Taitexma circular rib and interlock knitting machines, as well as equipment for making single and flat knitting. In addition to these, the company has machines for screen printing and embossing.

At Sentinel, prices for women’s pajamas range from $2.50 to $6.50. Models are typically made from single jersey cotton. The new starters have lace trims, ruffles and bows at necklines and sleeve openings. The company owns three factories in India that manufacture more than 3 million women’s pajama sets a year. Its 10-member R&D team makes 20 innovative models a month. Leeds nightwear product ranges from $3.25 to $8. Models are produced by pure cotton or polyester-cotton blends. The company also makes T-shirts, shorts, bathrobes, tank tops, and children’s clothing.