Aditya Birla Fashion Partners KVIC, To Sell Khadi Products
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. and Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Ministry of MSME, Government of India on Tuesday (23 May) announced a collaboration to strengthen the synergies between the two Indian brands.
The agreement document was exchanged between Anshu Sinha, CEO, KVIC and Ashish Dikshit, Business Head, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail.
As a part of this strategic partnership, Peter England, menswear brand from the fashion brands portfolio of Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail will be among the leading brands to develop an exclusive product line branded as 'Khadi by Peter England'.
Speaking on this partnership, KVIC Chairman V.K. Saxena said, "Khadi, the heritage fabric of India which was discovered and promoted by none other than Mahatma Gandhi, has grown with the passage of time and has come to become a major job provider in rural areas at a very low-cost capital investment.
He added, "I am happy to inform that the Khadi and Village Industries sale has crossed Rs.50,000 Crore mark during 2016-17. In last three years, Khadi has witnessed growth in double figures."
Talking to BW Businessworld, Ashish Dikshit, Business Head, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail said, "With the partnership of KVIC we will create a product that will be fashionable, sustainable, beautiful and natural. In the coming six months we will have a deeper partnership and large value chain for our brand Peter England with great cooperation and support from KVIC."
He added, "Through our partnership with KVIC, we aim to bring the rich Indian heritage of hand-woven fabric closer to our discerning consumers."
This initiative is conceptualised under KVIC Act that permits it to promote the sale and marketing of Khadi or products of Village industries or handicrafts and forge links with established marketing agencies through the PPP mode. Under this convergence, Peter England has agreed for a guaranteed minimum procurement of Khadi and Khadi products for a period of 5 years with primary purchases of muslin cotton and silk.
Talking to BW Businessworld, Manish Singhai, Brand Head, Peter England said, "Peter England will buy material worth of Rs 2.5 crore in the first year from KVIC."
Peter England will also bring in the design interventions at Khadi manufacturing clusters across the country along with providing technical expertise. Additionally, Peter England will procure all India Khadi varieties from departmental sales outlets of KVIC for OTC sales as well as craft garments for its apparel brands.
Khadi by Peter England will be available across 700 Peter England stores across in the country. , KVIC outlets and leading e-commerce portals. Peter England will be selling the brand and they all be involved in marketing of the new Khadi range.
