Started as an online-only D2C brand, Salt Attire has come a long way. How has the growth been? In particular, what was the experience during the Covid period?
During Covid, it was definitely not a good experience. We are primarily work wear, offices were shut and people had stopped stepping out of the house. So it did take a hit on all of us. But then we started experimenting with a few more things. We introduced work from home collections. We did a few pieces that could be worn at home and you could just walk out in those as well. A lot of breathable fabric was used. So, we did experiment a lot with collections during Covid. And then post Covid, there was a good bounce back.
People were eager to go out and they were eager to shop. Plus, during that time we also stopped being completely formal wear like a ‘9 to 5’ and we started doing more ‘9 to 9’. Silhouettes they can wear during the day, and wear on an evening out. We started doing a larger variety post Covid.
Our underlying theme will always be that any garment that is picked from us would be work appropriate. We won’t have deep neck lines or high slits. But they will always be elegant dressing and clothes that can be worn through the day everyday as well.
Compared to last year, it’s been 100 percent growth. Now we are looking for another 2x this year.
Currently the brand has three stores in Mumbai and one in Gurugram. What are your plans for retail expansion?
We are looking to open more exclusive brand outlets. For us Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad are great cities. Even Gurgaon and Noida… that is our expansion agenda.
Offering a range of bespoke collections, do you personally design the clothes a Salt Attire? From sourcing of raw material to manufacturing of the garment to logistics, how is all of it managed?
Initially I was involved in the design process. Even now I am involved in the design, but we do have a design team that takes care of everything.
Everything is in-house. We have our own team that handles everything right from sourcing, production of goods and the design. We try to leverage analytics and tech a lot in a lot of these things.
How much of your sales come from the offline stores and how much from the website?
About 60 percent is online and the rest is from offline stores.
Dresses, tops, jewellery and belts, Salt Attire offers a range of products. What is the top-selling category and are you planning on adding any more categories?
Our pants are something that people love – the fit of our pants. Both pants and dresses. In terms of categories, we may be adding accessories. That’s a requirement a lot of customers have been asking. So additional categories would be mostly accessories, so we can be a one-stop shop where she comes in and gets everything.
At Salt Attire stores, you offer complimentary stylist sessions, can you elaborate on that?
We have virtual as well as in-store styling. You can book an appointment for a 30-minute complimentary styling session on our website. Here, you tell us if you have shopped with us before or about something you’ve been looking for. Our stylist will call you beforehand and will prep everything and be ready on the day you walk in. So that it’s a more seamless process if somebody is coming, say, for a wardrobe refresh or travelling somewhere or has a conference to attend and needs a bunch of outfits. It helps streamline the process and helps her find something that suits her best.
With the market being flooded with a number of fashion players, how is Salt Attire managing to stand out?
Though we introduce designs quite often, I don’t want to pit ourselves as a completely casual or fast fashion brand because we are not the type you can use and throw. The silhouettes and cuts will last for years to come. We make sure our fabric quality is top notch so it lasts multiple wears and that’s why people keep coming back to us.
Reportedly, in the offline category Mumbai contributed maximum to the brand revenue in 2022. Has it changed?
No, in fact, it has only increased because now we have our brand outlets in Mumbai. So, including our online and offline revenue, Mumbai is the highest grossing.
Do you have any plans to foray into categories beyond women’s formal wear?
Not as of now.
What are your broader marketing plans? With retail expansion, do you have plans to explore traditional mediums?
We have done ads in newspapers all year. We give print enough weightage as well as we have tried to tie up with certain magazines. Digitally, we keep doing performance and influencer marketing. We have also done in-store activities with digital influencers who visited, tried our clothes and created content.
Recently at a Fashion Week, Dia Mirza walked as your show stopper. Can you tell us more about this association?
This was the first ever show for us as a brand and we had none other than Dia Mirza, which was a huge privilege for us. She fit perfectly. She is a young mother, a working professional who handles both her work life and personal life beautifully. She is a role model and inspiration for many. Plus it was nice to see her in a power suit set which she completely rocked. Her style statement is very sophisticated and simple, which goes with our brand.
