Da Milano To Focus Online Promotion As It Turns 30 In 2019
For Sahil Malik, Executive Director, Da Milano, the luxury market is very dynamic yet tricky. It never stays still. “The thrill of working in this business is its ever-changing mood and momentum. It is important for us to have a good understanding of consumer taste, have a great product and an exceptional design and marketing team, as a product is only as good as how it is marketed and received by the market. Research, application and portrayal is essential here to facilitate and come out with a great product whose purpose is clear and evident: to be of utility to the target market,” he says.
The brand that debuted in the 80s with its first store conceived by Sahil Malik’s father in Connaught Place, Delhi, Da Milano is one of the international luxury brands in India of Italian descent in curated designs. Today it is a growing distribution network across eight countries with 80 directly operated stores including 14 airports, e-commerce, luxury department stores and retailers.
Malik joined the business in 2000 after completing fashion designing from NIFT. Speaking about the difference in the trends in the past few years, he said, “The 90s brought on great fashion trends that are resurfacing now. Daring, risky and bohemian styles were gaining momentum. The luxury market was also being discovered and it was a good time to enter the market and make a lasting impression. Around that time, things were more focused and somewhat limited as well, which meant the major fashion players at the time did not face heavy competition. Now the fashion scene is broad and varied, and also quite accepting. Style has come to mean a representation of all our varied personalities, and as society has become more accepting and has embraced diversity, and so has the market. The way we face fierce competition is by sticking to our brand message and original style.”
New products
The brand continues to expand in 2019 with aggressive influential marketing strategies. “The year will be dedicated to promote the brand online through social media as we will complete 30 years of our existence in 2019,” he said.
Currently, Da Milano launches over 300 products every season to stay on par with the latest trends. “Our international design team in Italy works closely with our design team in India to keep everything in sync with the changing trends.
Having an authentic Italian design team, and styles that satisfy all changes in the tastes of our consumers, help us stay relevant,” he added.
New announcements
With a growth of 25 percent in the last financial year, more stores and extensive marketing activities, recently, Malik launched Rosso Brunello store in Chennai and plans 100 Da Milano stores before the end of the financial year. “As we plan to have 100 stores by the end of FY18-19, we will increase our production strength for which we have invested in infrastructure and production facilities,” informed Malik. The brand will open stores in airports and Tier 2 & 3 cities like Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Lucknow and more in 2019. “We have more than 80 stores across the county, three stores in Dubai and one in Nepal. We’re working on opening in London, Singapore and a few more in Dubai and aim to have 100 stores by the end of the financial year,” he concluded.
