Adding a new strength to Khadi India’s fashion power-house, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. and Khadi and Village Industries Commission, Ministry of MSME, Government of India today announced a strategic collaboration to strengthen the synergies between the two iconic Indian brands. This initiative is in line with the Hon. Prime Minister’s vision of promoting ‘Khadi for Fashion’ and hand-woven fabric. The agreement document was exchanged between Ms. Anshu Sinha, CEO, KVIC and Mr. Ashish Dikshit, Business Head, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. in the august presence of Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chairman KVIC and other dignitaries.

L-R: Mr. Manish Singhai, COO - Peter England, Mr. Ashish Dikshit, Business Head - Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd., Mr. Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chairman - KVIC and Ms. Anshu Sinha, CEO - KVIC signing the agreement between Khadi & Village Industries Commission and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd.

As a part of this strategic partnership, Peter England, leading menswear brand from the fashion brands portfolio of Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail will be among the leading brands to develop an exclusive product line branded as â€˜Khadi by Peter England’.

Speaking on this partnership, KVIC Chairman V. K. Saxena said, â€œKhadi, the heritage fabric of India which was discovered and promoted by none other than Mahatma Gandhi, has grown with passage of time and has come to become a major job provider in rural areas at a very low cost capital investment. Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given a major boost to Khadi Programme by regularly appealing to the countrymen to buy Khadi and support rural artisans. This has created a great demand for Khadi and I am happy to inform that the Khadi and Village Industries sale has crossed Rs. 50,000 Crore mark during 2016-17. The KVIC - Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. convergence is a major initiative to bring Khadi into the branded garments market in a big way with better designs, colours and style to cater to the youth segment and the high end market. This convergence will provide around 2 lakhs man hours to the Khadi artisans and will definitely bring in much needed professional input in Khadi readymades.”

Commenting on the collaboration, Mr. Ashish Dikshit, Business Head, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail said, â€œOur partnership with Khadi & Village Industries Commission is a testimony of our commitment towards innovative and sustainable fashion. Reckoned as ‘Fabric of the Nation’, Khadi is a symbol of self – sufficiency, a versatile fabric that is trendy, with high-fashion appeal in its pure, rustic form. Authentic, Indian products resonate strongly with the Indian consumers and there is an increasing demand for hand-made fabric, that stays true to its roots and exudes simplicity and vogue at the same time. Through our partnership with KVIC, we aim to bring the rich Indian heritage of hand-woven fabric closer to our discerning consumers.”

Elaborating on this strategic initiative, Ms. Anshu Sinha, CEO, KVIC said, “KVIC has been taking many new marketing initiatives to promote Khadi and village industries products. Bulk orders has been received from Corporates, PSUs and Govt. Departments like ONGC, Air India, Ministry of Health, J. K. Cement etc. to develop the market for Khadi and also provide professional expertise in area of designing product development etc. KVIC has developed convergence with major market leaders like Raymond Ltd. and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. This will be a win win proposition for both the organizations and will bring in sustainable employment to Khadi artisans.”

This initiative is conceptualized under KVIC Act that permits it to promote the sale and marketing of Khadi or products of Village industries or handicrafts and forge links with established marketing agencies through the PPP mode. Under this convergence, Peter England has agreed for a guaranteed minimum procurement of Khadi and Khadi products for a period of 5 years with primary purchases of muslin cotton and silk. This partnership will prove not only provide assured market to Khadi artisans and institutions but will also give opportunity to upgrade the skill and designs of fabric and garments and also create sustainable employment opportunities in rural areas through Khadi. 

‘Khadi by Peter England’, a mélange of Indian ethos and latest trends is sure to position Khadi as a fashion fabric. As a part of this strategic association, Peter England will also bring in the design interventions at Khadi manufacturing clusters across the country along with providing technical expertise. Additionally, Peter England will procure all India Khadi varieties from departmental sales outlets of KVIC for OTC sales as well as crafting garments for its apparel brands. Additionally, Khadi Logo will be displayed across Peter England stores through visual merchandising, where Khadi products are displayed. Currently, Khadi is being marketed by Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan’s stores as well as through the sales outlets run by the institutions financed by KVIC and KVIB.

Khadi by Peter England will be available at Peter England stores across the country, KVIC outlets and leading ecommerce portals. There are around 700 retail points selling Peter England brand and they all be involved for marketing of the new  Khadi range. 

About Peter England

A quintessential British Brand, Peter England was first launched in India by Madura Fashion and Lifestyle (formerly known as Madura Garments), a division of Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited in the mid-price segment in 1997. From the humble beginnings as an honest shirt brand in 1997, the last 20 years have seen the brand evolve with every passing day, yet staying true to its core value of authenticity. One of the leading menswear brands in India, Peter England truly understands its consumers and offers a truly versatile range catering to every occasion in the young consumer’s multifaceted lifestyle, at an exceptional value.

Peter England not only has a strong foothold in formal and casual menswear segments, but has also launched new product lines like Indies: a contemporary take on men’s kurtas, Suits & Blazers: for that special occasion in consumer’s life, Peter England Elite: a premium formal wear line, Peter England Denim Collection: staying relevant to today’s youth, Peter England Perform: a range that promotes and encourages the consumer to lead an active lifestyle and even shoes, bags and sunglasses. Hence, from being considered the first choice for consumer’s first formal ensemble purchase when they step into the corporate world, the brand has evolved beyond only formal clothing to being a one-stop shopping destination, staying true to its tag line ‘Be Everything You Love’.

The brand has a robust and strong distribution network with over 650 exclusive brand outlets, spread across 150 towns and presence across 2000+ multi brand outlets. Peter England also owns and runs one of the largest CRM programs, ‘Milestone’, enjoying a base of over 4 million customers and has been awarded the ‘Best Customer Relationship Program’ at Customer Loyalty Summit 2017.  

About Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. (ABFRL) was formed after the consolidation of the branded apparel businesses of Aditya Birla Group comprising Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd.’s (ABNL) Madura Fashion division and ABNL's subsidiaries Pantaloons Fashion & Retail Limited (PFRL) and Madura Garments Lifestyle Retail Company Limited (MGLRCL) in May 2015. Post the consolidation, PFRL was renamed as Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. ABFRL is India's No 1. Fashion Lifestyle entity, growing at a rate in excess of 20 percent over the last 5 years. ABFRL altogether hosts India's largest fashion network with over 7,000 points of sale across over 375 cities and towns, which include more than 2,000 exclusive ABFRL brand outlets.

About KVIC

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament (No. 61 of 1956, as amended by act no. 12 of 1987 and Act No.10 of 2006. In April 1957, it took over the work of former All India Khadi and Village Industries Board.

The Broad objectives of KVIC are:

1. The social objective of providing employment;

2. The economic objective of producing saleable articles and

3. The wider objective of creating self-reliance amongst the people and building up of a strong rural community spirit.

The Khadi and Village Industries sector provides employment to more than 1 crore persons. The production of Khadi and Village Industries has crossed Rs. 50,000 Crore mark during 2016-17. KVIC has been forging links with various organizations and agencies for strengthening the marketing of Khadi and Village Industries products. New initiatives include signing agreement with Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) for training local persons in solar spinning and providing employment opportunity, agreement with Raymond Ltd. for marketing convergence and now this new initiative of signing and understanding with Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. KVIC has a vision for increasing Khadi production to 5 times in 5 years and providing better wages and sustainable employment to its artisans. 

Visit: www.kvic.org.in for complete information about KVIC.