The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Fashion becomes pocket friendly
Many big names in the fashion industry have adopted the concept of budget lines to capitalise on the potential of the great Indian middle class
Ashima Batish
IT is amusing when celebrated fashion designer Manish Arora makes the statement that his creations are more affordable now. But it is enough to give you the heart to at least check out a beautifully embroidered chauridaar suit, admire the genius in him and most importantly flip the price tag attached to it.

The Armani model

PACESETTER Arun Raghupathy
Working to find the right direction
Arun Raghupathy and his team have formulated NextNav, a cutting-edge technology that supplements the GPS in pin-pointing a user’s location
Vibha Sharma
AN IIT-Chennai graduate in electronics and communication, a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland and a proud owner of six patents, Arun Raghupathy joined the work force when when wireless communication was on the upswing. He got the opportunity to learn and work with some of the finest engineers in the world.

Centrespread
The age of fitness gadgets
The mushrooming of gyms and workout studios has spawned a line of devices that aid total fitness. Such equipment monitors heartbeats, count calories, record pulse rates and observe body sleep cycles
Mukesh Khosla
Despite her busy schedule, there’s one chore that channel producer Amrita Ranjan never forgets. After dinner, she checks on the small pedometer, which has been unobtrusively strapped to her clothing to find out how many steps she’s walked or run in the gym during the entire day. If the number is less than 10,000, she goes for a brisk walk with her husband to make up for the deficit.

Extreme workouts

Bling it on
Objects of desire

Fashion becomes pocket friendly
Many big names in the fashion industry have adopted the concept of budget lines to capitalise on the potential of the great Indian middle class
Ashima Batish

Raghavendra Rathore describes his budget line, Club J, as his, “true blue prêt collection”

A creation by Gaurav Jai Gupta of Akaaro. Gupta says that unlike the West, the prêt line sells at a faster rate than couture in India

Designer Rahul Mishra has tied up with Westside to sell his budget line

A Rahul Mishra creation

IT is amusing when celebrated fashion designer Manish Arora makes the statement that his creations are more affordable now. But it is enough to give you the heart to at least check out a beautifully embroidered chauridaar suit, admire the genius in him and most importantly flip the price tag attached to it. What glares back are two pairs of zeroes with a humbler two preceding them, read them together and you know a budgeted Manish Arora at Biba stores makes affordability a very subjective term.

Yet the concept of designer wear, selling through retail stores, has caught the fancy of fashion followers. It gives some hope to the new-found obsession for fashion of people in India to wear a Manish Arora, to flaunt a Ritu Kumar, to brag about a Wendell Rodricks. If couture introduced Indian fashion to the world, then budget line did it to the people of India. Kick-started by Ritu Kumar, the concept of budget line has been gradually adopted by every designer, who understands the potential of the great Indian middle class.

The popularity of brands like Zara and Mango is another reason why fashion designers are compromising on prices. In fact, they are doing much more than just tying up with retail stores that enjoy a bigger footfall. Gaurav Jai Gupta of Akaaro says that unlike the West or Middle East, it’s the pr`EAt line that clears the shelf at a faster rate than couture in India. "How many people in India can spare a few lakhs of rupees on a single piece of couture? Instead, offer them a pr`EAt or anything that is reasonably priced and a 100 pieces will sell off in a no time." To cater the options for the middle-class, he has come up with a shirt-line ranging between Rs 4,000-Rs 16,000, his definition of value for money.

The budget line or a reasonably-priced-segment of pret, as the designers say, is the natural progression towards expensive and exclusive couture. It introduces people to luxe. Sabyasachi launched a budget line in 2010, which sufficed two purposes, first, it provided financial support to the traditional weavers of Murshidabad, and second the price range began from Rs 3,500, making it possible for a lot more women to afford a Sabyasachi.

Then there is a fashion designer like Shyam Narayan Prasad also, who never ventured into the couture segment, instead he kept himself busy making clothes for a bigger clientele base. "I targeted a market that had a lot of scope to grow." He realised that there are takers of bespoke fashion but not all can shell out a lot of money. "Nothing can ensure that than a budgeted line," says the Delhi-based designer, who only focuses on ethnic wear. With his extremely popular works and a huge client base, no wonder he hasn’t really felt the need to publicise his label. Word of mouth does it all.

Designer Rahul Mishra went a step ahead. He successfully tied up with Westside with the brand name ‘Rahul Mishra for Westside' two years ago. Beginning from Rs 2,600, it went up to Rs 5,000. "The best part of the collaboration was that the whole slot was sold off in no time. Interestingly, not a single piece was left for the end-of-season-sale," informs Rahul.

Next on the cards is a tie-up with another retail brand, Pantaloon, the pricing this time will be more buyer friendly — between Rs 700 and Rs 2,600. "Offer people tasteful designs at the price they will not mind and there’s no better way of promoting yourself. Also, a budget line can be done in huge volumes, which means that a larger number of people will be able to wear my label." For the latter deal, 40,000 pieces will be brought out in the markets.

The last season of Blenders Pride Fashion tour was utilised by Raghavendra Rathore to promote his new venture — Club J, which he describes as his, "True blue pr`EAt collection." It largely comprises denims, on which he and his team experimented optimally. It begins from a humble Rs2,000 and goes up to Rs 15,000. The parent label, RR (Raghavendra Rathore) is not only different in terms of design, also in pricing, which can be pretty high. Talking about his budget line, Rathore says,"People aspire to dress up well, to be able to wear designer clothes. It can only be made possible if the pricing is nominal."

He is planning to come up with a slew of Club J stores in India. The cue of the business model, he says, has been taken from Donna Karen’s parent label and the retail label, DKNY, which was also the training ground for Raghavendra in New York. "It’s imperative to understand the future of retail in India, which is only possible with the budget line," adds Raghavendra.

But all said and done, fashion designers have to very carefully weigh the pros and cons before they move towards the budget segment. As Manidra Wirk says, "Zara or Tommy Hilfiger can afford it because they come up with bulk collections. In our case, the selling point of clothes is our exclusivity. The question is — will we be able to bear the spiralling overhead charges, while compromising on the price." She, too, has collaborated with Westside in the past, as has Wendell Rodricks. And the list is getting bigger with big names from the industry.

The Armani model

While Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani remain to be the high-end labels from the house of Giorgio Armani, Armani Jeans and Armani exchange make for the bridge level. They are retailed and thus much affordable. At the International Fashion Weeks, it’s the high-end labels that find a spot, while the sub-labels sell off only through the Armani stores and other retail tie-up arrangements.

From the House of Versace

It begins with the Versace couture, which comprises all high-end, handcrafted products, followed by Versace Collection, again a high-end line but the target group is the younger lot that follows fashion with dedication. Versace Jeans is the casual line of the parent brand. It is affordable as compared to the high-end segments and besides selling through the Versace boutiques, also is retailed from various stores. But the actual low-cost collection came in 2011 when Donatella Versace, the creative director of the house, tied up with retail store, H&M, a Swedish discount retailer.

More to Alexander Mcqueen

While the label became popular for making the wedding gown of Kate Middleton, it also caters to clients who don’t fall in the category of red-carpet celebrities. The parent brand is for the elite, but McQ is its reasonably priced, diffusion line. In 2005, the label teamed up with Puma, which made it more accessible but it was the collaboration with Target, the mass retail chain, that made it truly popular with masses.

For people who love YSL

In 1966, Yves Saint Laurent became the first French couturier to launch a prêt-a-porter line, which was sold through the company’s Rive Gauche stores. The line became so popular that it generated more finances than the haute couture line. Last year, while announcing the line of ready-to-wear creations, the brand dropped its first name and retained Saint Laurent.

Patent Success: Arun is for technology as agent of change

AN IIT-Chennai graduate in electronics and communication, a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland and a proud owner of six patents, Arun Raghupathy joined the work force when when wireless communication was on the upswing. He got the opportunity to learn and work with some of the finest engineers in the world. After five years in that job, he decided to relocate to India, apprehensive that there won’t be many options. He wanted to be a part of a team developing a complete product and fortunately got the right opening to lead a team and derive the satisfaction of building something that was unique in India at that time, (end-to-end chipset development). But he realised that Indian offices were basically functioning like mere cost centres. This mindset meant that the product ideas and control were dictated from the main office based in US. For a person with burning desire to create something worthwhile, it was frustrating to just manage people and not get the tools to make a significant difference by creating a new product.

Arun happened to meet Ganesh, an old acquaintance, who was looking to start a company with his friend Subbu in the area of location technology. It so turned out that the problem Arun wanted to work on (and knew there would be a market for), that is solving the indoor location problem where GPS does not work in a clean manner from the ground up, was the problem Ganesh and Subbu too wanted to pursue. There was no looking back after that. They joined hands in January 2009 to create NextNav. Funding in January 2010 ensured continuation of the project.

NextNav is committed to provide a location technology complementary to GPS that works where GPS does not work well. Specifically using a terrestrial network, NextNav's technology would provide high accuracy in urban and indoor environments or where other technologies may not be able to provide a position estimate. It is expected that NextNav technology would enable pin-pointing a user's location not only in the horizontal dimension (latitude/longitude) but also in the vertical dimension (altitude). This technology can be life-saving by helping safety agencies to quickly locate a person's mobile phone in case of an emergency call. It is expected that this cutting-edge technology would be available in the US in mobile phones within a couple of years and worldwide in a five-year time horizon.

Arun shares his tips for start-ups. "The motivating factor that keeps one in the game is the ability to make an impact through a product/concept. Even if the venture fails, the learning is immense since it involves converting a concept into a product. In a large company, you see only a part of the problem and you are only a part of the solution. For entrepreneurs, it is important to accept failure, a tough decision, and see the writing on the wall."

CENTRESPREAD
The age of fitness gadgets
The mushrooming of gyms and workout studios has spawned a line of devices that aid total fitness. Such equipment monitors heartbeats, count calories, record pulse rates and observe body sleep cycles
Mukesh Khosla

Despite her busy schedule, there’s one chore that channel producer Amrita Ranjan never forgets. After dinner, she checks on the small pedometer, which has been unobtrusively strapped to her clothing to find out how many steps she’s walked or run in the gym during the entire day. If the number is less than 10,000, she goes for a brisk walk with her husband to make up for the deficit.

According to Dr Mehmut Oz, one of the world’s leading fitness authorities, a person’s wellness journey begins by walking or running 10,000 steps a day — that’s roughly the equivalent of 8 km. And it is gadgets like the pedometer that aid health enthusiasts to measure up their physical well-being.

The age of fitness is dawning upon us well and proper. Gyms have sprung up in all cities, towns, and even rural areas. Young men and women keen to live a healthy life are notching up regimens of cardio training, body toning, strength building and conditioning for a daily dose of vim and vigour. They are making a serious commitment to health, cutting out junk food, and re-wiring the way they think about diet and exercise.

Innovative contraptions

Aiding them in their wellness endeavour are innovative contraptions that count their intensity levels, monitor their heart beats, add up their calories, record their pulse rate and even help them keep their iPods and smartphones sweat-free by strapping them to their arm when they are working out. Most of these contraptions can be hooked to wrists, legs, belts, ties and other clothing for best results.

At the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Los Angeles — the world’s largest exhibition of smart electronic appliances — the dominant theme was innovative fitness contraptions that promise to change your life for the better. For example, on display were special battery-operated forks that start to vibrate when you go for a second helping. Then, there were wrist-borne fitness trackers with LEDs to display health goals achieved.

Measuring vital signs

The star of the show was the Scanadu Scout that measures vital signs like heart rate, temperature, blood oxygenation and electrical heart activity. The device can be held easily between the finger and the thumb. Just holding it up to the temple is enough to get a reading and send it via bluetooth to your doctor’s smartphone.

Apart from gadgets for the gym, the fitness market is also brimming with mini-computers and hand-held devices that promise to monitor your progress out in the open. There are jogging companions that track distance, duration, pace, speed, elevation and calories burned. There are devices that fit into a pair of compatible running shoes which record up to eight hours of data relating to running speed, acceleration, distance travelled and pace.

Then, there are new and innovative GPS apparatus equipped with base-maps and other navigational data to guide you when you are bicycling in the great outdoors. These help biking enthusiasts map their trips, record speed, time, distance and temperature and help them stay connected with the world.

Multi-sport monitors

There are multi-sport heart-rate monitors that provide metrics for swimming and other water-based sports like aqua aerobics and water polo. Innovative new swimming goggles that have the ability to directly keep check on the person’s heart rate in the middle of any swimming exercise as also track the amount of calories burnt after every lap.

There are integrated health systems for home that allow you to use gadgets like pedometers and blood-monitoring devices, and then, send the readings that are taken throughout the day to a personal trainer or a dedicated health portal where users can analyse their training regimen and then make course corrections.

Magic bullets

However, warns fitness trainer Vishal Patra, "Fitness gadgets are not going to help if you don’t sweat it out at home, in a gym or out there in the park. They are just a means to an end and will help you regulate and monitor your level of training. People who think they will be on the path of fitness by merely possessing them are deluding themselves. These are not magic bullets. You will have to create your own magic with intense training and a healthy diet."

But, at the same time that doesn’t mean that these gadgets are worthless. They play a very vital role in the regimen of a serious fitness devotee. They are his or her little friends that work away quietly like a personal lab monitoring racing hearts, flowing sweat and muscle burn even as the body huffs and puffs for those Greek God looks.

Extreme workouts

Though normal gym workouts may not require body-monitoring devices, there are some heart-pounding exercises where the role of these gadgets becomes not just essential but decidedly vital. Here’s a list of some of the workouts where the heart rate, pulse and intensity levels need to be constantly monitored:

Spin Cycling: This is an extreme dimension added to the good old exercising bike. Participants are made to pedal their way to fitness. They start by pedalling at light resistance levels, and then, the speed levels are raised till one can almost hear one’s heartbeats.

Inverted Handstand Push-ups: In this extreme exercise, the body is inverted and the feet are up in the air. With the strength of the hands, the head is lowered so that it almost touches the floor. Then it is brought back to the original position. This is repeated 10 to 15 times.

Dancercises: These involve routines like break-dance, Lambada, Salsa, Waltz and Rumba done at high speed. It is important to push the body hard and let the range of motions increase gradually to a high tempo to get the best results especially for slimmers.

Pilates: This is a series of exercises across a wide range of specially designed equipment. Sometimes, these exercises are done free hand. A majority of the exercises are performed in reclining or sitting positions and most are weight-bearing.

Note: Please consult a doctor before starting any workout regimen

STRIIV PEDOMETER
This mobile phone-sized device is a smart pedometer called Striiv, which measures the amount you walk everyday. It has a colour touchscreen and built-in apps that turn the 10,000 steps a day — the basic requirement put forth by doctors for total fitness — into an exciting and a challenging game.
Price: Rs 3,850

SPORT HEADPHONES
What’s a workout without some heart-pounding music? And what’s a music device without great headphones? The Bose SIE2i headphones are made for serious fitness aficionados. They plug securely in your ears, are sweat-resistant and come with an armband to strap the music box.
Price: Rs 8,325

TRAINING BUNDLE
Make fitness fun and games with the Microsoft’s XBox Kinect Motion Tracker. It is compatible with a range of exercise games that offer surprisingly good workouts. You can play football or a strenuous game of tennis or badminton with the computer. It will turn fitness into a game.
Price: Rs 13,750

BAND FOR GOOD HEALTH
This wrist-based health tracker that looks like a digital watch aims to improve your activity level and make you sleep better. The Basis Band has advanced sensors that monitor your heart rate, the amount of calories you burn and your sleep quality to deliver vital insights into your health.
Price: Rs 12,000

SMART ARMBAND
Where do you place your precious iPhone when you are sweating it out in a gym? American computer peripherals company Griffin has designed a sweat-proof armband for Adidas Sport to keep your smartphone securely tied to your arm with strategically placed ports for the headphones.
Price: Rs 1,650

POOL MATE
It is a computer for serious swimmers that displays and stores session time, average strokes per lap, speed, distance, calories and efficiency. That is why Pool Mate by British company Swimovate is used by most professional swimmers keen to assess their practice performances.
Price: Rs 6,050

TALKING STRENGTH BALL
Do not let the simplicity of this devise fool you. The Talking Strength Ball is a great workout equipment that gives your arms and biceps an amazing workout. It changes colour and lauds your triumph when you achieve a goal or a personal best and goads you for new challenges.
Price: Rs 1,650

JAWBONE UP
A cut between the Nike Fuel Band and Basis Health Tracker, the Jawbone Up device adds up your daily steps, counts your calories and workout intensity levels. It also assesses the quality of your sleep by tracking the hours you slept, what stages you were in and what time you woke up.
Price: Rs 5,500

FUEL BAND
An innovative wristband from Nike that helps you lose weight and keep fit. The Fuel Band monitors your everyday activities. You earn NikeFuel points when you work out. Running, walking, playing games or climbing stairs earn you points even while your fitness level is being monitored.
Price: Rs 8,250

FOOT HOLD
These are the new and innovative running shoes that come with foot supportive technology. The K-Swiss Blade-Max Stability shoes bend with the movement of your foot and offer cushioning, comfort and excellent fit that make them the choice of many professionals.
Price: Rs 6,875

WEIGHT AND WATCH
The versatile Fitbit Aria is a high-tech, user-friendly body-scale that not just measures your weight but also your BMI and lean and fat body mass. It transfers the data to a web dashboard that can be accessed via a free iPhone application or it can automatically be linked to your computer.
Price: Rs 8,800

BIKE COMPUTER
Take a ride to fitness with Edge 800, the first touchscreen GPS bike computer by Swiss GPS technology giant Garmin. Providing navigation and performance monitoring, it is ideal for cycling and mountain biking. It has a built-in base map and tracks your distance, speed and location
Price: Rs 24,750

Bling it on
Objects of desire

RAISING A TOAST TO THE BOTTLE
Vintage wines evince great passion and enthusiasm among connoisseurs. But this must be the first time that more than the excellent wine it is the bottle that is the focus of attention. The rarest of the rare Australian Penfolds 2004 Block 42 is the only wine that comes in a beautifully designed hand-blown glass ampoule that doesn’t feature a cork or screw cap. And the buyer can’t open it himself. He or she would have to call a senior manager of the Penfold company who will open it with the help of a custom-made sterling silver opener. But if you want a sip of this amazing Cabernet Sauvignon you had better hurry. There are only 12 bottles up for grabs!
Price: $1,60,000 per bottle (Rs 88 lakh)

iPHONE GOES FOR A SPIN
It’s a new app which will make your iPhone—and your head—spin. The Cycloramic being called one of the most sensational apps ever created will make your phone spin around slowly when placed on a flat smooth surface. So far applicable only to iPhone 5 all you have to do is to remove any covering and set the phone in an upright position, hit ‘Go’ and see the rotation begin. However, the app is not just for fun and mirth. In an outdoor or indoor situation it can shoot panoramic videos by literally taking your smartphone for a spin!
Price: $0.99 (Rs 54.45)

SAFE INVESTMENT
It’s a strong box that promises to keep you and your valuables safe in the house. Created by leading German manufacturers Stockinger and Brabus that specialise in after-market tuning of Mercedez Benz cars, the state-of-the-art safe, Brabus SV12 in a limited edition of 25 is considered a great investment as its price like gold are expected to escalate rapidly. It combines high technology and elegance of design and offers complete invincibility from fire and burglary and can survive even a bomb blast. But it is not a safe you should buy to keep a few valuables or a bit of cash. You should buy it if you are seriously loaded and paranoid about your wealth!
Price: $ 1,69,700 (Rs 93.5 lakh)

MASTERPIECE ON 4-WHEELS
It’s an automobile that inspires jaw-dropping awe. The stunning new Bugatti 16C Galibier is the world’s most powerful, most elegant and most exclusive sedan. First unveiled two years ago at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the luxurious car is all set to have its official launch. The masterpiece has a supercharged 8-litre, 16-cylinder engine and delivers between 800 hp and 1,000 hp which makes it the fastest car in the world. The piece de resistance is the exclusive Parmigiani Reverso Tourbillon Swiss watch which is a removable timepiece that can also be worn on the wrist. The only trouble: You’ll have to raid a bank to buy this jalopy!
Expected price: $1.7 million (Rs 9.35 crore)

JOLIE’S JEWELS FOR CHARITY
Angelina Jolie’s romance with jewellery continues. After collaborating with British jeweller Asprey for the stunning line of snake-themed jewels, the Hollywood diva recently displayed another dazzling collection this time with Robert Procop, a Beverley Hills jewellery designer whom Brad Pitt had hired to make an engagement ring for Jolie. Titled Style of Jolie the collection comprised precious stones —from diamonds and emeralds, to citrine, beryl and white quartz. The proceeds from the collection have gone Jolie’s foundation called Education Partnership for Children of Conflict Charity that recently helped build a school in Afghanistan. This sensual elegance too has gone for a noble cause.
Proceeds from sales: Undisclosed

DIGITAL POOP
Kids’ potty is going digital, thanks to Apple. The iPotty toilet seat comes fitted with a 360 degree rotating stand which locks into three different positions to hold the iPad 2/3/4 generations. CTA Digital, the company that has produced the iPotty, says that it did so to make toilet training fun for kids who can watch their favourite cartoons or play games on their iPads while doing their ‘business’. Given the fixation with iPads, the company should also consider making one for adults as well.
Price: $40 (iPad not included) Rs 2,200

DESIGN YOUR OWN CLASSIC
British luxury fashion house Burberry is going back to the days of bespoke couture when customers were indulged with “tailor-made” clothes. In a move that will further enhance its image as the world’s leading fashion empire, Burberry is allowing its online shoppers to design their own classic trench coat which has over the years assumed iconic status. With made-to-measure and personalised clothing commanding forbidding prices, the announcement has expectedly met with an amazing response that has left fashion observers completely overwhelmed.
Price: £795 ($1,280 or Rs 70,400)

SMARTPHONE GETS SMARTER
The smartphone is a modern-day multi-tool that combines communications, entertainment and information. Now you can add another attributeto it—a repair tool. A US-based company called TaskLab has added the Swiss Knife to the iPhone. The 16-bladed toolkit style case has a 2.5-inch serrated knife, saw blade, screwdrivers, pliers, wire strippers, bottle opener, wrenches and other devices that seamlessly blends cutting edge technology with retro-inspired design. A God-given boon for every adventurer, hiker and backpacker.
Price: $90 for the kit. Smartphone not included (Rs 4,950)

GAME OF GLASS
It’s a chess board that will have you checkmated the instant you lay your eyes on it. The five by five foot board features kings, queens, bishops, rooks, knights and pawns not in wood or ivory but in hand-blown glass. Each vibrantly coloured piece created with meticulous attention to detail, varies in height from 10.5 inches to 20 inches. The board created by American company Hotglass Inc. is crafted from maple, with leather tiles to offer traction and gentle support. But the game comes with a warning: If you want to avoid disaster don’t knock the king off the pedestal when you win the game as is conventionally done!
Price: $25,000 (Rs 13.75 lakh)

DIAMONDS ON THE WRIST
You can have the time of your life wearing this. The Cat's Eye Tourbillon Haute Joaillerie Swiss timepiece is a jeweller’s dream come true. It is, in fact, more like a diamond box on a strap. The oval-shaped face of the timepiece is lit up with baguette-cut 287 pieces of diamonds. The perfectly polished diamonds require over 700 hours to adjust to near- perfection. The dedication of the craftsmen is expressed in the myriad scintillations of every detail right down to the crown, which is set with 12 baguette-cut diamonds and adorned with an exceptional rose-cut diamond. So don’t waste time, flash your wrist in style with a Cat's Eye!
Price: $4,90,000 (Rs 2,69,50,000)

Note: All prices are converted at the rate of Rs 55 a dollar

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