Driving the Elevation of the Business of Fashion in India to Greatness

Shailesh Chaturvedi, MD & CEO, Arvind Fashions and Convenor India Fashion Forum 2024

"There are infrastructure gaps, our high streets are not even today, not as clean as they should be. There are a lot of challenges. So that's why I always say that India disappoints both optimists as well as pessimists. But the good news is that India keeps moving forward" - Shailesh Chaturvedi, MD & CEO, Arvind Fashions and Convenor India Fashion Forum 2024

Three decades ago, doing the fashion business in India was simpler than it is today. However, consumer preferences, along with their market behavior, has considerably changed in the last 25 years. Now more than ever, there are multiple challenges to this ever-growing industry. Earlier growing a company was simpler, you could open up new stores sensibly and strategically and your business would grow. But now, the unorganized is becoming more organized.

"You know there are infrastructure gaps, our high streets are, not even today, not as clean as they should be. There are a lot of challenges. So that's why I always say that India disappoints both optimists as well as pessimists. But the good news is that India keeps moving forward," said Shailesh Chaturvedi, MD & CEO, Arvind Fashions and Convenor India Fashion Forum 2024 at the event.

Up until 25 years ago, there were no hindrances to growth in the Business of Fashion. Businesses just kept opening their stores and kept growing. It was much simpler than how it is today. "People have more watches than their wardrobes. They have more shoes in their wardrobes, they have maybe less number of ties, but they have probably more jeans in their wardrobes and many such categories which have exploded. The consumption per capita has gone up. The industry has grown because the consumption continues to grow," he explained.