Indian business behemoth Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) has collaborated with the country’s leading online fashion company Myntra to co-brand its exclusive denim collection Mast & Harbour with R|Elan FeelFresh.
R|Elan is an umbrella brand from the house of RIL, encompassing a range of new-age fabrics. The special collection of Mast & Harbour is made from fabric using R|Elan FeelFresh technology that offers anti-microbial and anti-odour properties as it is embedded with silver particles that inhibit bacterial growth.
“R|Elan FeelFresh is one of our flagship products and we are seeing a lot of acceptance for this technology among the leading apparel manufacturers and brands. Myntra being one of the fastest growing fashion brands in the country provides us with a great platform to launch apparels made out of our innovative technologies,” Gunjan Sharma, CMO, Polyester Business at RIL said.
He further added that they hope to partner with Myntra on their other performance products as well.
Of late, RIL had inked a partnership with VF Corporation (US), owner of the Wrangler brand and the largest denim player globally, to co-brand the Inficool denim range, made from Kooltex fabric, for Spring Summer 2018 in its Asian markets, namely China, India, Japan and Thailand. R|Elan Kooltex is a performance fibre, capable of moisture management in apparel.
The polyester division of RIL is always looking at ways to come up with value-added, easy-care, and more comfortable fabrics for the common man. Following extensive research and development and using its expertise in fibre re-engineering, RIL has created R|Elan – a portfolio of speciality fabrics. R|Elan enhances performance attributes in all apparel segments, such as activewear, denim, formal wear, casual, and ethnic wear.
These fabrics have been created with the active participation of Hub Excellence Program (HEP) partners, spread across various textile centres of India.
RIL has identified West India as one of the key focus areas for R|Elan – Bhiwandi, Tarapur, Ichalkaranj, Malegaon, Navapur in Maharashtra and Surat, Ahmedabad, Vapi and Umbergaon in Gujarat are important centres.
The company is targeting 50-60 mills that have the innovation inclination and manufacturing excellence to be the Hub Excellence Partners. These mills will form the robust supply chain to feed brand/retail’s fabrics demand. Currently, RIL is in the process of meeting 180-200 top brands/exporters to showcase R|Elan product range.
RIL will forge partnerships with stalwarts of textile and apparel manufacturing companies in key textile centres in West India.
Furthermore, the company is in discussion with 10 leading apparel brands for R|Elan co-branding.
The R|Elan co-branding exercise will give RIL a foothold in the Rs. 2,50,000 crores Indian apparel industry comprising almost a 50:50 share of menswear and womenswear.
Alongside the launch of the R|Elan brand, RIL is also creating robust fibre-to-fabric value chain to ensure that these innovations match the commercial expectations of fashion brands.
What’s more, the company has undertaken a project to create awareness among apparel brands and retailers to cater to the increasing consumer demand for higher functionality. It has partnered with more than 25 textile players that are equipped to produce new-age fabrics using R|Elan technologies. It is providing the latest know-how, specifications and expert consultation support to these players to enhance and sustain the quality of textile.
The pan-India network will reassure apparel brand owners and retailers about streamlined production, timelines and standard quality.
