Online marketplace Amazon has launched a designer clothing store to move deeper into the apparel business. It has partnered with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) to pick talent from fashion schools, as well as established designers to sell on the portal.
“Fashion is one of our top three categories on Amazon and the challenge is to keep up with the growth,” Vikas Purohit, head of fashion at Amazon India. Said adding its fashion business has grown four-fold in three months.
“There are graduates from schools like National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), who can’t afford to buy a shop or invest in rentals. A lot of dreams die there. We are giving these designers a platform for their work and only charge a commission based on sale.”
The company is sponsoring the India Fashion Week, which begins on March 27 in Delhi. “We have shared data with our designer sellers to help them create products targeted to a wider audience,” Purohit said.
The online store will be launched with about 20 designers.It hopes to ramp up the number to more than 100 in a few months. “FDCI is helping us scout for new talent,” he said.
The launch of an online designer store by Amazon would give “a much-needed shot in the arm” to the industry, designer Rajesh Pratap Singh said. “This association is bound to further expose designers and craftsmen to the strengths and realities of doing business in the digital world.”