Aarké, an affordable designer wear brand was launched last month to amplify the reach of the label Ritu Kumar and diversify its offerings. Conceptualised by Amrish Kumar, Managing Director & Creative Director of Ritu Kumar, Aarké retains the aesthetics associated with the veteran designer Ritu Kumar be it the heritage prints or bold colours, but it also offers plenty in pastel tones.
The introductory collection consists of kurtas, kurtis, dresses, suit-sets, tops and bottoms. When it comes to the fabric, it is largely cotton, chiffon, rayon and viscose. “With a diverse range of breezy, light and comfortable daily wear, Aarké targets every woman who lives in the moment and is yet rooted in Indian sensibilities. The collection is ideal for a multi-tasking urban woman.
It is the epitome of comfort, elegance and timelessness,” says Amrish. Earlier this month, Amrish added another brand to the umbrella of Ritu Kumar Label Basics. Are these additions led by the desire to penetrate the pricesensitive segment? “The mid-segment of the market for women is about 40,000CR+ in FY 2018. It’s an undeniably large market segment. It is not a new idea for sure.
It has been on our mind but timing is always critical. It was important that we created some sort of scale with the brands that we had so that introducing a label in this segment wouldn’t dilute the overall Ritu Kumar brand,” adds Amrish. The collection is available on the brand’s own website, and going forward, it will be available on fashion aggregator websites and will eventually have a store presence.