Things have suddenly changed and with the advent of denim jeggings, women have found a new friend. A peek into the changing market dynamics for denim bottoms in India.
The athleisure trend definitely has taken up the market by storm with the rising interest in fitness. Few athletic apparel brands started churning out yoga inspired athletic apparel, but the athleisure boom was brought in by international celebrities sporting and flaunting the trend on social platforms.
The market for women’s bottom wear in India went through a mammoth change with the launch of knitted leggings. The comfort and the colours it offered led to women changing their wardrobe overnight, discarding or putting to rest their cotton churidars and salwars. A pair of black, white, beige and red legging is all that was required now to team up with different kurtis. As the market for knit leggings grew further and further, brands got innovative and this led to the launch of denim jeggings. From the stitch to the fit, jeggings resemble denim jeans and they are already taking the market by storm.
UNDERSTANDING THE JEGGINGS ACCEPTANCE
Where denim wear brands have gone ahead and in some form or the other rechristened jeggings as joggers or a part of the athleisure category or for that matter any other term that they deem fit, the unorganised market is flooded with jeggings in different colours. This article has brands sharing in their take.
Aptly putting things in perspective to explain the rise in the category of denim jeggings, Amit Singh, Design Head, Spykar, shares, “Fashion world is ever evolving just as cultures change and human beings do. The cultural shift triggered by the millennial generation spearheading the era of self awareness is what drives the active leisure trend.
We are busier than ever, and are hungrier to achieve both professional and personal fitness goals. The athleisure trend definitely has taken up the market by storm with the rising interest in fitness. Few athletic apparel brands started churning out yoga-inspired athletic apparel, but the athleisure boom was brought in by international celebrities sporting and flaunting the trend on social platforms. The appeal of being able to wear the comfort of workout clothes to work, casual or social occasion is irresistible.”
Pointing out the merging of athleisure and denim bottom wear, he adds, “The denim industry, though unshakable in its appeal, has understandably woken up to this realisation, to include new lines into their staple collections to meet these needs. Denim is evolving into a high-tech apparel that is at par in terms of stretch ability, breathability and multi- functionality, now. It has embraced athleisure.”
Kamakshi Kaul, Head – Design (Women’s Wear), Max, adds, “Max has been doing jeggings for the past 2 years and it has been very well received by our customers. They love their lightweight high-stretch pair which gives them maximum comfort and mobility.”
In line with the market dynamics, Spykar shall soon enter the segment with their niche collection.Elaborating on this, Singh, shares, “Spykar has always been the brand in sync with the latest trends in fashion and our line reflects that. Currently, athleisure concept does reflect in certain segments of the range. Apart from this, we are launching an athlesiure denim centric line, in the near future.” He further reveals, “We would be launching a new line of denim wear for the athlesiure loving women, which features extremely lightweight specialised denim fabrics in knit, Tencel and satin that are extremely supple and comfortable and equally stylish. They provide support and flexibility for easy movement and can be worn for a heavy work out on the yoga mat or on the dance floor on a night out. This athleisure bottom wear fit is called Athlena and comes with complimentary athlesiure top wear in denim, knits and woven available at our exclusive Spykar stores.”
Neha Shah, Senior Marketing Manager, Pepe Jeans,adds, “The ingenious idea behind the jeggings is quite simply leggings that look like skinny jeans – a fashion essential that provides the comfort of the legging and chic design of jeans.” She points that her brand has been introducing jeggings in stylish washes each season though this season, the brand went one step further.
She adds on the new launch, “Pepe Jeans introduced Powerflex, a unique fabric with a dual- core technology – Lycra and polyester yarns are spun together to create a higher elastic fabrication with a minimum 60 percent stretch. Powerflex denim is thermofixed to increase the stretch for better comfort and the denim is crafted from unique fabrics that use the latest weaving technology. It consists of an impressive recovery so that it stays in perfect shape, wearers are treated to the ultimate comfort through this versatile and special elasticity.”
According to Sameer Patel, Chairman, Deal Jeans, they were the pioneer to launch the concept in India. He shares, “Denim jeggings had been introduced in our AW’10 collection, in fact, Deal Jeans introduced jeggings in Indian market. Customers have responded well to this category as jeggings can style even a higher age-group of women in multiple ways for its quality of softness and sleek look which fortunately extended our target group to 42-plus age. Our jeggings are lower in price as compared to denims as the production cost is relatively lower for having no accessories and basic washes.”
Jack & Jones too has something to offer here. The spokesperson from the brand shares, “Jack & Jones has an innovative product, jog denims with ribbed bottoms and hem with draw cord details.” Saurabh Singh, Design Head, Being Human Clothing, shares, “We were one of the first in India to launch denim joggers. The demand has only risen in this category over the last few seasons.”
Go Colors from the house of Go Fashion India is hard to miss with their attractive stores at many malls in India. Now the brand is seen expanding through stand alone stores on high streets as well. The USP of the brand is the complete solution it offers in leg wear for women. The brand recently entered the denim jeggings category and it also has a range of denim leggings. Gautam Saraogi, Deputy Managing Director of the company, shares, “The metros have been the key drivers for denims for us. We have four options – first, denim leggings. This is a very unique offering. Though they are leggings, they are designed using denims cut and styled like leggings offering the customer a myriad of options to style her look. These are real indigo denims to give a denim look in a legging. There are hardly any makers of this in the world. Next in line is the bell bottom/flared denims for we believe that retro is going to be back. The third option we have is that of super stretch denim leggings. While denims give you the cool look and are very durable, it always was that wee bit uncomfortable and inflexible. The last is the slim fit denims that come with a tight fitting and offers customers the option to cut the bottom for that raw edged look.”
GOING AHEAD
The market for denim jeggings is showing steady growth and the very fact that denim wear brands in India are gearing up to offer a collection of jeggings accentuates this point. It is interesting to take note that the launch of jeggings has converted many non- denim wearing women to try the look and feel of denims which eventually would lead them to having a denim wardrobe as well. So it is indeed a symbiotic relationship. Saraogi concludes by sharing why he thinks jeggings are here to stay, “Majority of the jeans wear brands concentrate on the slim fits for women. We need to understand that the average Indian woman is quite unlike her western counterpart.
There women are more slim and fit. In India, this is not the case. Jeggings cater to women in all shapes and sizes and we, as a brand, are betting big on this category.”
