The entire fashion and lifestyle industry has experienced growth and improvement in 2022. After a few erratic years, there was at least a year without restrictions related to pandemics. The industry has seen several facets of the journey from ‘the new normal’ and ‘back to normal’. During COVID we saw a surge of demand for our lifestyle and home offering, while apparel had taken a bit of a back seat. This year we see a flavour of community and celebration taking centre stage in societal behaviour.
“The Jaypore philosophy is rooted in artisan heritage from different boroughs of India, bringing them to the world. We have made a concerted effort at working with women craft clusters and artisans, bringing their heritage alive with our contemporary design aesthetic. Our wedding collections celebrates the traditional art of ‘Gota Patti’ with modern fluid silhouettes and rich velvet ensembles with delicate ‘marodi’ embroidery. The collections are a beautiful marriage of heritage craft with lux design aesthetic. We’ve seen significant interest in these collections inspired by artisans from customers. The winter wedding collections offer a diverse range of regal ensembles, jewelry, gifts and accessories making it the perfect fit for the season. The collection not only caters to the brides and the grooms, but also makes it the right choice for the wedding attendees,” says Rashmi Shukla – Business Head – JAYPORE, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited.
Urzuv was started in 2020, with an aim to popularise Kashmiri craft. Kashmiri handicrafts like – shawls, carpets, paper mache goods, and wooden artifacts to name a few, have created a niche for themselves in the world market. Their vibrant designs, intricate embroidery, fine weaving, and artistic excellence are a testament to the ornate craftsmanship of the artisans of Kashmir valley.
“2022 has been a golden year for us, we launched our first summer collection which was very well received, our business grew 3x and we also popularised the iconic ‘pherans’ which are an integral part of kashmir’s folklore. We cannot be more excited for the coming year where we’ll enter into new categories and continue our efforts towards putting the spotlight on Kashmir’s craftsmanship!,” says Vatsala Hali, Founder Urzuv: The Spirit of Kashmir.
Lubna Mirza together with the Rafoogar community of Najibabad has been piecing together the magnificence of our community’s 230 years old embroidery and weaving skills with the grandeur of our Mughal past. In 2022, like many other artisans across the nation, we experienced a resurgence in demand for our handcrafted products. Unlike previous years, which were overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022 brought a lot many new opportunities and renewed hope for Shawl Story’s community of Rafoogars. The darners of “Shawl Story” have been experts in replicating the patterns of antique shawls for generations! But in the last 75 years, our karigars also picked up the needlework of the Amlikars they were restoring, and thus, one more feather was added to their legacy, a legacy that started with the creation of embroidered replicas of ancient Dorukhas now weaves and designs Pashmina shawls that are completely different from Kashmiri shawls when it comes to color palette, embroidery, and design.
If 2022 was the year of recovery, we envision 2023 to be the year of growth! We are focused on expanding our reach and building a stronger community of craftspeople and customers. We believe that by working together and sharing our knowledge and skills, we can not only grow our individual businesses but also help to preserve and celebrate the rich traditions of craftsmanship that are at risk of being lost in the modern world, eg. our dying craft of Rafoo (~ darning).
Milap Cosmetics started 2022 on a fantastic note and did wonders on the sales and marketing front. We expanded our sales team in 4 more states (19 states in total) and extended our reach to the interiors by adding more sales representatives, which in turn showed us a considerable boost in our lipstick and nail paints sales. This year we also achieved our all-time highest sales figure in a month ever. We advertised heavily by billboard placements in various states to engage and increase brand awareness and started our E-com journey by enrolling on platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho and Nykaa( currently going on)
“After a long break, nearly two years of COVID, we are kind-off going back to normal. Couples who got married this year were able to host their wedding receptions with their family and friends. Destination weddings and honeymoons made a major comeback. Wedding season attracts color palettes to style to fashion and more, however, interestingly majority of wedding parties now are semi formal, rather than traditional tie affairs. Young generation tries to include sustainable or eco-friendly options into their wedding traditions…All these factors have contributed to boosting our sales and help our brand grow. Ezok is a brand that dashes the sensibilities of the young as it encompasses all the features that they desire like fun, romance, elegance and has sustainability as its priority.” Arvind Bajaj, Ezok Shoes.
CITRINE: A luxury jewelry brand for all
A renowned lifestyle jewelry brand of Jaipur, Citrine is known for its statement handcrafted jewelry with semi-precious and precious stones designed to add glamor to one’s look and personality. Helmed by the empowered sisters, Ayesha Rawat and Radhika Khunteta, Citrine celebrates the beauty of creation. Established in 2013, the jewelry brand has been preferred across the state for its minimalistic yet eye-catching designs, the brand has recently been showcased at the Indian Fashion Week London. With the rare, exquisite jewels, much like the unique collections of the brand that is bound to enhance the personality. A rare lifestyle jewelry brand that caters to both men, women and kids with their myriad collections, Citrine offers a creative opportunity for us to work beyond the expected norms and curate a brand presence for the name.
Bringing the biggest transition in one’s life, weddings are surely a life-changing event. According to Indian beliefs, it seals your fate for the next 7 lifetimes. Thus, no stone is left unturned in making this day the best and most memorable day of your life. The intense sentiments attached to marriage have popularized the role of Numerologists in weddings. According to a retrospective study at NumroVani, the principles of NPS (Numerology Positioning System), KPS (Karm Positioning System), and Zero numerology, consideration of the couple’s names is significant as well. By taking both the name and date of birth of the couple into account, any “doshas” or negative influences are nullified prior to marriage. Hence, a detailed matching assessing the laws of both Astrology and Numerology is essential for a couple’s happy and healthy married life. Now comes the relevance of selecting an auspicious venue, date and time – three indispensable elements required to transform your big day. Numerology not only helps in the process of selecting the best venue, but is also efficient in laying out the lucky colors for the bride’s and groom’s outfits pertinent for marital bliss, along with the best-suited decor colors helpful in attracting positivity and blessings while canceling negative energies. Numerology impacts your marital bliss post wedding as well. The position of your bedroom, its color, the color of the bedsheets and mattresses, all impact the levels of trust, love, respect and intimacy between you and your spouse. Given so many successful results, more and more couples are consulting with an expert Numerologist to find out what’s suited best for their long-term companionship, says Sidhharrth S Kumaar , Astro Numerologist & Chief Happiness Officer at NumroVani
Colorbar is made for magic, for all those who need a dash of it. It was born to empower every soul, every gender, to bring out their most authentic self and step out with confidence. Colorbar worships killer looks – wind in hair, a winning pose and oomph in the eyes. All the works of wands, spells and incredible formulas! Colorbar is one of the leading beauty brands in India that was launched in 2004. It is renowned for constant innovation and impeccable international formulations, all at accessible price points. “With an inclination towards providing personalised immersive experiences, we, at Colorbar Cosmetics, are offering a unique range of bespoke services available across select stores for all walk-in customers along with personalised recommendations. Colorbar is Made for Magic and to empower every individual to bring out their most authentic self without inhibitions. We are a proud purveyor of inclusive beauty and all our products come with a ‘clean beauty’ promise. Furthermore, we have recently introduced a new sub-brand ‘Co-Earth’ under the house of Colorbar, which firmly believes in co-existing with the Earth, thereby promising a sustainable future.”
The pandemic put everything on hold, yet people were introduced to new trends in the Alco-Bev industry, like home bars. So, as far as new launches and sales were concerned, we were not stagnant. By launching Magic Moments Dazzle Vodka in two variants, i.e., Magic Moments Dazzle Gold and Magic Moments Dazzle Vanilla and Royal Ranthambore Heritage Collection Whisky, we were able to meet the demands of our consumers who were looking to experiment with their liquor and walk towards premiumisation. Radico Khaitan also hosted online events, including various masterclasses and sunburn events during the pandemic. However, things have improved in the post-pandemic phase for us. We have been witnessing an upsurge in the demand and sales of our products and active participation in on-ground events.After the pandemic and the world adjusted to the new normal, we were out with Lemon Dash – 1965 Spirit of Victory Rum, Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin, and Magic Moments Ready-to-drink Vodka Cocktails, to name a few. To get into the festive spirits, we also introduced festive packs of Morpheus XO Premium Brandy around the New Year 2022, Onam, and even this time to mark the celebrations of Christmas and New Year. These festive packs were widely accepted by people for consumption and gifting around festivals.
There were a lot of players in the skincare space, but negligible options in the cosmetics line when it came to conscious ingredients. We wanted to fill this void and provide something that’s not easily available. We started by creating new organic alternatives and formulations. Our first product was lipstick. It said that women on average consume nearly 2 kg of lipstick in their lifetime. So, we wanted to build an all-edible but chic formulation. We achieved that. Following this, we started to build products focussing on daily essentials. Blushbee has been in business and 2022 has been the year of firsts with full-fledged operations. We began the year with just three products and have since expanded to 10 categories with 64 unique SKUs. We have started from scratch this year and have seen massive organic growth in our customer base.
The year 2022 has been a big one for the weddings we can all agree, the sheer number has been surprising and of course joyful. Due to the ever looming covid threat many were holding back from doing their weddings even until last year but this year people have decided to celebrate any and all occasions they were looking forward to hosting. They are embracing joy and starting to find ways to spend more time with the people they love again. This has translated really well to the response to our young Indian wear leg of A Humming Way. We have also noticed people buying more mindfully as compared to the last few years. People aren’t blindly investing in pieces they’ll wear once and forget. We have noticed people investing time and thought into purchasing pieces they are excited about, and we see them updating a bottom or adding an accessory/ shawls etc to reimagine how the piece could look for their consecutive events. That’s something that we have always intended for A Humming Way Atelier pieces, the handwork and design is a great investment of time and thought and we love for our pieces to be appreciated with the same love and care.
Recode Studios started in 2018, with the aim of bringing a revolution to the makeup industry. Recode aims to become one of the nation’s largest platforms selling multiple beauty and lifestyle brands and hence becoming a one-stop portal for all types of beauty and personal care products a customer can look for. This year, Recode Studios achieved more significant milestones, such as being able to open our own three retail stores. With 236k followers, Recode’s Instagram page became one of the most popular cosmetics brand in India. The key lesson that will endure into 2023 is the distinction between tier 1 & tier 2 cities is becoming increasingly hazy. In fact, 70% of our clients come from tier-two cities in India, and we anticipate that percentage to rise in the upcoming year as well.
During covid, we were forced to spend a long time on the bed/mattress and the Sofas. Now there is a big shift in the mindset of customers. The customers are now better informed on the advantages of good quality mattresses. Now customers are seeing the spend on a good mattress as an investment in health and wellbeing. This factor is definitely continuing to contribute, and the sector is growing. Yes, post covid, this is the first wedding season, things are definitely back to normal -Uttam Malani, Executive Director, Centuary Mattress.
As a brand that launched just before covid hit, the year 2022 has finally been a breather. People have been going all out in their weddings, from custom jewellery for themselves to jewellery for bridesmaids. We have seen a surge in demand for trans seasonal yet festive jewellery. Atrangibykritika prides itself for creating pieces that not only look stunning but are also feather light on the ears. So that the wedding season is a breeze for the wearer. Our handmade pieces highlight the beauty of natural stones and baroque pearls making them the perfect accessories for weddings or even bachelorette parties.
