Mumbai, 2023: On 6th September 2023, Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) signed a joint venture with Alia Bhatt’s conscious clothing brand of kids and maternity wear, Ed-a- Mamma for a 51% majority stake. RRVL aims to take the brand on a dynamic growth trajectory by closely collaborating with founder Alia Bhatt and leveraging the management strength of its subsidiary Reliance Brands Limited to spearhead the business. This partnership also marks a significant step forward in promoting sustainable fashion for the younger generation.
Ed-a-Mamma founded by Alia Bhatt in 2020 as an apparel brand for 2–12 year-olds, resonated deeply with both young parents and children through its emphasis on natural fabrics and nature themes all designed to inspire a love of nature among children. From its online debut to its offline presence in department stores, Ed-a-Mamma quickly established itself as a favored choice among discerning consumers.
In a significant stride last year, the brand expanded its range to include maternity wear which was thoughtfully timed to coincide with Alia Bhatt’s pregnancy which was soon followed up with a line for infants and toddlers – further demonstrating the brand’s versatility.
Ed-a-Mamma continues to gain popularity and build the brand with innovative eco-initiatives such as not using plastic buttons to repurposing waste fabric for hair-ties. The brand’s commitment to nurturing a connection with nature is exemplified by its inclusion of seedballs with each garment which encourage kids and parents to interact to participate in building a green future.
Isha Ambani, Director, Reliance Retail Ventures Limited said, “At Reliance, we have always admired brands that lead with a strong purpose and embody a unique design ethos exemplified perfectly by Ed-a-Mamma and its founder Alia Bhatt. With sustainability as its core proposition, the brand has garnered acclaim for its meticulous attention to detail, using ethically sourced materials and eco-conscious production processes. This aligns seamlessly with Reliance Brands’ vision of fostering a more responsible future for the fashion industry.”
“Alia’s daughter and my twins are two weeks apart and we pretty much went through our pregnancies at the same time coincidentally wearing Ed-a-Mamma maternity, and now dressing our children in Ed-a-Mamma kidswear, which they love! So, this is special – The product, brand and partnership are especially close to my heart,” added Isha Ambani on a personal note.
Speaking about the joint venture, Alia Bhatt said, “Isha and I found a wavelength as two new moms discussing what mothers want. I told her what we were already doing at Ed- a-Mamma and how there’s scope to do so much more. She said Reliance can bring strengths in everything from supply chain to retail to marketing. With this joint venture, we look forward to taking Ed-a-Mamma to many more kids and parents and continuing to inspire a love for nature through everything we do.”
The partnership will see the brand grow into new areas like personal care and baby furniture while retaining its core values of being child-friendly, parent-friendly, and planet-friendly. Also on the anvil are children’s storybooks and an animated series that will breathe life into the enchanting world of Ed-a-Mamma.
About Reliance Retail Ventures Limited
RRVL, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, operates an integrated omni-channel network of over 18,500 stores and digital commerce platforms across Grocery, Consumer Electronics, Fashion & Lifestyle and Pharma consumption baskets and has partnered with over 3 million merchants through its New Commerce initiative. Reliance Retail Limited, a subsidiary of RRVL, is the only Indian retailer in the global Top 100 and amongst the fastest-growing retailers globally as per Deloitte’s Global Powers of Retailing 2023.
RRVL reported a consolidated turnover of ₹ 260,364 crore ($ 31.7 billion) and a net profit of ₹ 9,181 crore ($ 1.1 billion) for the year ended March 31, 2023.
About Reliance Brands Limited
RBL is a subsidiary of Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd and began operations in 2007 with a mandate to launch and build global brands in luxury to premium segments across fashion and lifestyle.
Its current portfolio of brand partnerships comprises Armani Exchange, Bally, Bottega Veneta, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Canali, Coach, Diesel, Dune, EA7, Emporio Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna, G-Star Raw, Gas, Giorgio Armani, Hamleys, Hugo Boss, Hunkemoller, Iconix, Jimmy Choo, Kate Spade, La Martina, Lenscrafters, Manish Malhotra, Michael Kors, Mothercare, Muji, Paul & Shark, Paul Smith, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pret A Manger, Raghavendra Rathore, Replay, Salvatore Ferragamo, Satya Paul, Steve Madden, Superdry, Scotch & Soda, Tiffany & Co., Tod’s, Tory Burch, Tumi, Valentino, Versace, Villeroy & Boch, and West Elm. RBL today operates 2,169 doors split into 905 stores and 1,264 shop-in-shops in India.
In the past five years, RBL has also invested in building and operating homegrown designer brands besides acquiring the iconic British toy retailer Hamleys. Globally Hamleys has 174 doors across 15 countries.
ABOUT ED-A-MAMMA (https://www.edamamma.com)
Ed-a-Mamma is a brand founded and funded (since inception in 2020 up until the joint venture with Reliance Retail Ventures Limited) by actor and environmentalist Alia Bhatt. It’s a brand that cares deeply about children and the earth. It offers a range of kids-wear and maternity-wear all designed to help us put our planet first and build a conscious generation, one product at a time. The range of clothing offered includes fabrics that are made of the highest quality natural fibers with buttons and trims that are plastic and nickel-free and tags that can be reused as bookmarks. The fabric scraps are repurposed to create trims and fun accessories. Each garment comes with a little potli filled with a seed ball, a tree waiting to be planted in an activity designed to bring children and parents outdoors. Because no matter who we are, no matter what we do, we all have one planet in common. And we’re all children of Mother Earth.
