‘amante’ - Sri Lanka’s lingerie brand for South Asia

Garment manufacturer MAS Holdings has introduced the first brand name lingerie from Sri Lanka for South Asia. The company started the process last week by launching its first 'own brand' label, 'amanté,' in India, in a US$ 10 million investment. MAS Holdings is the first Sri Lankan company to enter the Indian lingerie retail sector with its own brand name. "We introduced our brand name amanté in the South Indian cities of Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. By mid 2008 the amanté brand will be available across India," said Ajay Amalean, managing director of MAS corporate solutions and retail, in India.

While building the brand in India, over the next few years, MAS Holdings plans to introduce the amanté, brand of lingerie, sleepwear and swimwear across the South Asian region.

"We will expand the brand across the South Asian region over the next 5 years with an investment of around US$ 25 million. By the last quarter 2008, we will introduce amanté in Sri Lanka. After that we will consider entry into Pakistan which is a very attractive market in our region. In the meanwhile, we will also concentrate on Indian expansion. We estimate that it will take us between 3 to 5 years to establish ourselves properly in India," said Amalean.

The company is also eyeing the lucrative Middle Eastern market for amanté in the longer term. "We are also considering the Middle East market for amanté, but the strategy for this market will have to be different from South Asia. At this point we have not decided how we will enter this market," said Amalean.

Made in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is noted internationally as a specialist producer of high-end lingerie for leading international brand names. However, amanté, is the first Sri Lankan lingerie brand to the world.

MAS Holdings, which is the largest producer of intimate wear in South Asia, says the brand encapsulates 20 years of expertise and experience in the specialised field of intimate wear. The brand is also supported by a fully backward integrated supply chain. Over the past 20 odd years MAS Holdings has been developing its backward linkages for the manufacture of high quality lingerie and the amanté brand is the ultimate outcome.

MAS says the amanté brand is independent from the international brands that the company caters to. "We supply to leading international brands but design and development for amanté is strictly separate. There is no breach of confidentiality of our customers," said Amalean. "We will continue to service our existing customers maintaining a high level of integrity and confidentiality while developing amanté as an independent business activity," he said.

The amanté brand is developed, designed and made in Sri Lanka, making it a fully Sri Lankan brand but it also incorporates the latest international fashion trends.
"Even the brand name, amanté, which means lover in Italian, was thought up in-house by one of our employees. amanté products are designed and developed in Sri Lanka by a separate team of designers based on the latest trends. They are also manufactured at factories in Sri Lanka at the moment and shipped out," said Amalean.

With expansion in India and South Asia, the company hopes to shift manufacturing to India, but says it will retain some operations in Sri Lanka.

Made to South Asian measure

MAS Holdings says the amanté brand is developed specifically for South Asian women and to suit the South Asian climate."There are domestic brands of lingerie in all our countries. But until now, the branded lingerie of international standard, available in South Asia, were those made for western markets or those made for the Far East. But there is a difference in body structure and taste in South Asia. amanté is made for South Asian women.

We met around 3,000 Indian ladies in different parts of India to develop amanté and we are continually fine tuning it to suit South Asian requirements" said Amalean.

The amanté range introduced in India for instance, uses a cotton base to suit the South Asian climate and incorporates local taste in colours and prints. "We incorporate the latest international trends with an ethnic touch for a separate South Asian identity," says Amalean.

The strategy seems to be working in India with amanté brand lingerie flying off the shelves since its launch in the wake of the Deepavali festival season.

"The initial results have been very encouraging in India. Even designs and colours that are not traditional favourites are selling. But it is still too early to be sure, since we launched the brand only very recently," said Amalean. The amanté brand is positioned as a value-premium product targeting women between the ages of 25 and 45 years, in the middle and upper income brackets.

"We have taken the value premium position for our brand which means international fashion and style at affordable prices. So amanté is not an exclusive boutique store brand and it is also not a lower-end, value-brand. Our position is the middle to upper range where there is a need gap for quality and fashion at affordable prices," explained Amalean. In India, amanté is competing against international brands like Triumph, Etam and La Senza.

MAS Holdings expects the competition to increase with more international brands entering the Indian market to tap the growing disposable incomes of middle class Indians.