Renowned London-based fashion brand Pepe Jeans London has left an indelible mark on the denim and casual wear industry since its inception in the early 70s. Founded in 1973 by Nitin Shah, the brand – which has just turned 50 – has consistently captured the essence of youth culture and urban fashion. Known for its high-quality denim garments, Pepe Jeans London has evolved into a global icon, offering a wide range of apparel and accessories that resonate with individuals seeking a perfect blend of style, comfort, and authenticity.
The brand’s history, style philosophy, and enduring appeal capture just how it continues to be a leading force in shaping contemporary fashion trends. Whether you’re a denim enthusiast or simply looking to stay fashion-forward, Pepe Jeans has undoubtedly left an indomitable imprint on the fashion landscape.
But there is a lot more to the ethos of the brand than just plain denim. Pepe Jeans’ journey from its humble beginnings to becoming a household name in the world of fashion is a testament to its commitment to innovation, design, and sustainability.
In a freewheeling chat with IMAGES Business of Fashion, MD & CEO of Pepe Jeans London, Manish Kapoor shares valuable insights about the brand’s retail journey, its recent innovations, sustainability outlook, plans and more.
Excerpts from the exclusive interview…
Let’s start with the history of Pepe Jeans, the brand vision, mission and values.
Pepe Jeans London started on London’s Portobello Street in 1973. The brand expanded rapidly in the UK and is now spread globally across 60+ countries. It targets consumers between the age group of 25-35 years; those who live a modern lifestyle in a modern world. The sole focus of our brand is to deliver high-quality fabrics that are of a superior fit and finish, in an extensive range of washes. Denim is in our DNA and our love for creating great products also resonates with our need to be eco-friendly and sustainable.
What is your brand’s core mission in India?
In India, we are present across 200+ exclusive business outlets and have over 1200 POS across leading departmental stores and multi-brand outlets. We launched our captive website in 2021 and have served more than 100K+ customers since. Our mission today is to become the No.1 Denim Lifestyle Brand in the country.
What is the variety of products that your brand offers?
We offer a variety of lifestyle fashion products like denim, shirts, tees, shorts & jackets for men and boys according to the season (spring-summer & autumn-winter); jeans, shirts, tees, shorts, dresses and jackets for women (spring summer & autumn-winter). In India, we have also launched athleisure wear for both men and women.
Are you an online-first brand or an Omnichannel brand and how do you ensure a consistent brand experience across different retail channels?
We are an Omnichannel brand and we try to make sure that our consumers shopping from either online or offline mediums have a similar seamless experience. Standardization of processes along with an unparalleled quality of products are some of the factors that help us provide a great customer experience.
BRAND FACTS
- Pepe Jeans London was founded by brothers Nitin, Arun and Milan Shah in London in 1973.
- It has headquarters in Madrid and offices in Barcelona, Elche, London, Amsterdam, Mexico City and Mumbai.
- The brand boasts over 4,200 employees worldwide from 54 different nations and owns more than 500 stores and works with over 5,000 PoS.
- It generates approximately €500 million in retail value per year.
- In India, Pepe Jeans London has changed its business model from distribution to a completely owned global subsidiary.
- Globally, the brand is evolving from a denim-led brand into a denim-led lifestyle brand.
- In India, the brand earns 56% of its revenue from the denim category.
- The brand’s average store size in India is approximately 1,000 sq. ft., which is slated to go up to 1,500 sq. ft. soon.
- The brand aims to clock Rs 2,000 crore in consumer revenue over the next few years.
What is your location strategy when scouting for a new store?
When scouting for a new store, we try to make sure we are looking at the right customer demographic as well as the right commercials that would bring on traction and help in creating a stronger consumer base. In addition to these factors, we must find the right size for the store as well.
What are the leading materials and fabrics that drive Pepe Jeans London’s production process?
At Pepe Jeans London, we are largely a cotton-based brand, but we also use lycra, elastane, spandex, crepe and more as some of the primary materials behind most of our product range.
What quality standards do you maintain in the production of your clothing?
We care about consumer satisfaction and the overall lifecycle of our products. Therefore, our quality standards are always at par to make sure that our products are nothing but the best.
How does your brand approach sustainability and ethical practices when it comes to the production and sourcing of materials?
Being a prominent brand in the market, we are aware of our social and environmental responsibilities. At every stage of product development, creation and manufacturing, we try and ensure the implementation of sustainable practices that are for the betterment of our ecosystem.
We implement sustainability in our pieces of denim by using recycled threads and accessories. We also ensure that we use only eco-friendly chemicals for our denim wash processes so that water can be reused too.
What are some recent product innovations that you have introduced?
We have a collection called 1973 Denim Edition, which marks the origin of the brand. Apart from this, we have come a long way with a variety of innovations like Gymindigo, Powerflex, Shiruku and Heritage types of denim.
Tell us about the marketing strategies that have been most effective for your brand.
Reaching consumers through digital mediums like influencer marketing, performance marketing for D2C websites and strong offline execution have helped us massively. We also try to align our brand’s messaging with the values and needs of our target audience. For this, trend-based communications, geo-fencing campaigns, exclusive deals through CRM and storytelling via all mediums help us in reaching our goals.
What steps do you take to ensure a positive and comfortable product experience for your customers, both in-store and online?
We do our best to make sure our customers have only good things to say about our brand and its products. We provide maximum information on all of our ranges and products and use cases of product categories through influencer marketing strategies. Accurate display of products in stores through carefully planned visual merchandising helps our customers have a seamless journey in-store. We use the same approach online, where we ensure the consumers are guided through our webpage with ease and they find what they need quickly and comfortably.
How do you envision your brand evolving in the next few years?
In the upcoming years, we aim to become the No. 1 denim lifestyle brand. For this, we are working on improving our customer services and experience, so, we are planning on becoming more customer-centric in our approach across all mediums. Currently, we are also working on increasing our share of sustainable efforts and practices and want to become more eco-conscious as a brand.
