PRESS RELEASE

8 April 2005

Louis Philippe — surpassing 175 and set for more

Louis Philippe, India's menswear superbrand and the benchmark in formal menswear in India has capitalized on its equity as "The Upper Crest" and crossed the Rs. 175 crore mark (MRP Sales) in the last fiscal.

Launched in 1989, Louis Philippe heralded the creation of the super premium segment in the Indian market. Launched as signed designer wear with the product promise of being the perfect shirt, it soon moved into a position where it stood for being the Upper Crest and with the product promise of offering 'Nothing but the best'.

How has Louis Philippe achieved this benchmark?

• The chief driver for the brand is the tremendous emotional connect that the brand enjoys with the consumer due to the values it stands for and the values its symbol, the crest, stands for — fine taste and fine living
• Louis Philippe has constantly innovated and ensured that for every occasion the consumer wore a readymade garment, it had 'nothing but the best' in its product offering. It has always stretched the price value equation in favor of the consumer and constantly upgraded him. The way it does this is that it identifies each possible occasion of its consumer and offers ' Nothing but the best' in merchandise.

This has led to a slew of innovative products that only the brand offers or ones in which it is a major player

• Apart from new products, Louis Philippe has always been at the forefront of bringing the latest international trends and fashion to India. Whether it was Cubix in 1999, Riviera in 2002 or the Spirit of Italy in Spring Summer 2005, Louis Philippe has been bringing the latest in fashion to the Indian consumer, whether it is in fabric design or styling.
• While it was launched as a shirt brand, it has quickly moved into leadership positions in trousers, suits and is aggressively looking at the tee shirt and winter wear market. It also has a strong presence in accessories like ties, belts, socks, cufflinks, etc. Today it is a complete wardrobe brand and on its way to being a lifestyle brand.
• Unique and exclusive feature like made to measure in suits and trousers, which in its comprehensive nature is not offered by any other premium readymade garment brand in the country.

While a lot of competition brands are expected to be reeling under the onslaught of international brands, Louis Philippe expects to strengthen its position in the market in the coming three years. This is primarily because of the following reasons

• The Indian market is different from the international market in the fact that for the international market, the shirt is a innerwear garment whereas in India, it is the outerwear garment.
• The brand's sharp knowledge of the Indian consumer over 15 years of consumer bonding and market research ensures that it does not make the merchandise mistakes a lot of international brands are bound to make.
• The brand has superior distribution strength and is well accepted even in multibrand outlets.
• It is rapidly redefining consumer experience with its chain of exclusive flagship stores in the top cities in the country

Speaking about Louis Philippe's achievement, Mr. Hemchandra Javeri, President, Madura Garments, states, "This is just the beginning. Louis Philippe sees the arrival of international brands as an opportunity as it will further stoke consumer interest in the super premium category of readymade garments, a category that Louis Philippe has been slowly developing and seeding. Today, it is poised to reap the benefits and is all set to target high growth (in MRP sales) within the next three years "

The brand is available in flagship stores, exclusive brand outlets, Planet Fashion, Trouser Town, departmental stores and major multibrand outlets.