India Apparel and Footwear Market Research Report: Forecast (2023-2028)

Market Insights & Analysis: India Apparel & Footwear Market (2023-28)

The India Apparel & Footwear Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of around 11.28% during the forecast period, i.e., 2023-28. The apparel and footwear sector includes the production, distribution, and sale of clothing & footwear products. Apparels consist of clothing items like shirts, pants, dresses, jackets, etc., which range from everyday casual wear to fashionable & athletic wear. Footwear refers to the products like shoes, sandals, boots, sneakers, etc., that have been used for a long time to provide comfort & protection to the feet. In the apparel and footwear market, trends and fashion are constantly changing, and companies have been evolving to adapt quickly in order to stay relevant & meet the needs of consumers.

The industry is also highly influenced by global economic conditions, consumer preferences, and technological advancements, making it a dynamic & continually evolving market. During the historical years, the apparel & footwear industry of the country encountered a rise in demand for comfortable casual clothing & sportswear. In terms of comfortable casualwear, athleisure remained popular in both 2020 & 2021, owing to the habit created by the effect of COVID-19. Despite an improvement in mobility following the pandemic of 2021, consumers were unwilling to return to their skinny or slim-fit jeans due to the habit of wearing more comfortable clothing, thus contributing in enhancing the India Apparel & Footwear Market size.

This resulted in stronger demand for occasion-based casual apparel made up of stretchable & breathable materials, with a focus on offering increased comfort. This trend was backed by the reopening of fitness centers & sports facilities that had been closed during the lockdown. Therefore, with the growing health awareness among customers, especially during & post-pandemic, in order to improve their immunity & to keep them fit, demand for comfortable apparel & footwear, including sportswear, is witnessing an upsurge, further affecting the future market.

Market Dynamics

Key Driver: Social Media Influence on Consumer Purchase Patterns

Social Media had a paramount impact on the growth of the India Apparel & Footwear market over the past few years. With the increasing time duration that consumers spent on these networking platforms, it became a great source of advertisement & created awareness among consumers. Most Brands like H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) India Pvt. Ltd, Bata India Ltd, etc., have been actively adopting it to spread awareness among consumers, which has been significantly escalating their sales over the historical years. These platforms allow companies to directly reach out to their target audience, reducing the need for middlemen.

Further, presence on these online platforms allows companies to engage with their customers & receive feedback on their products. This has led most companies, including Lifestyle International Pvt. Ltd, Bata India Ltd., Paragon Group Ltd, etc., to ensure their presence on these online platforms to follow trends in consumer styling. Hence, the escalating adoption of social media advertisement, coupled with rising consumer preferences to follow celebrities, is anticipated to uplift the sales of apparel & footwear across the country during the forecast years.

Possible Restraint: Excessive Presence of Unorganized Players

The excessive presence of unorganized players in the market has negatively affected the sales of organized players across the country. It is majorly because, in India, the unorganized players have been selling products at lower prices, making it difficult for organized retail players to compete. Moreover, the unorganized players are often not subjected to regulations & taxes, leading to offering greater profits & had a negative impact on the organized players & the market as a whole.

In addition, there has been an expansion of several markets in India that sell apparel and footwear from unorganized players, and consumers prefer them due to lower prices. As a result, the unorganized sector has hampered the growth of the organized retail market in the past & is expected to continue to do so in the future due to increased competition for organized players.

Growth Opportunity: Brands Offering Custom-fit Clothes to Create Opportunity for the Market

The menswear market in the country has been shifting from ready-made clothing to custom-made clothing in recent years. As more & more men who have been purchasing premium or luxury ready-made clothing desire to wear a shirt or a pair of pants that fit them exactly, the trend of custom-fit clothes is currently reviving in India. The term "custom-fit clothes" refers to any item of clothing that has been altered to fit a customer based on their measurements & preferences.

Made-to-measure services are available in India among luxury brands like Armani, Versace, Zegna, Cadini, and Canali, as well as premium brands like Raymond and Louis Philippe. Moreover, high-end companies like Creyate by Arvind Group have started offering bespoke tailoring to capitalize on the rising demand for custom-fit apparel among Indian males. Hence, the reviving trend of custom-fit apparel coupled with the amplifying presence of players in the segment is anticipated to create a significant opportunity for market growth in the forecasted years.

Key Trend: Amplifying Adoption of Sustainable Clothing Among Consumers

In recent years, India has witnessed a growing trend towards sustainable clothing, which can be attributed to the rising environmental awareness, coupled with consumer trends toward mindful & conscious consumption. With the increasing awareness about environmental issues, people are becoming more conscious of the impact that their choices have on the planet, and are seeking out products that are environmentally-friendly. Moreover, the government has also been playing a major role in promoting sustainability in the clothing & fashion industry. Through various initiatives and policies, the government is encouraging companies to adopt sustainable practices in their operations and supply chains, to promote eco-friendly products.

In response to these initiatives, many companies like Future Group, Shoppers Stop, Aditya Birla Retail, Arvind Brands, Lifestyle, etc., are taking steps to adopt sustainable practices in their operations and supply chains, in order to meet the expectations of consumers and stakeholders. Consequently, the growing trend towards sustainable clothing, which is driven by a combination of environmental awareness, consumer trends, and government initiatives, has been positively benefitting the market growth.

Market Segmentation

Based on Category:

• Apparel
• Footwear

With potential share Apparels Category witnessed considerable growth in the India Apparel & Footwear Market during the historical years. It is majorly contributed to a rise in demand for comfortable casual clothing & sportswear, especially after COVID-19. In terms of comfortable casualwear, athleisure continued to experience good demand both in 2020 & 2021. The reason behind this significant demand was that even though the pandemic situation stabilized, and mobility increased, customers have been preferring comfortable clothing such as casual shirts/t-shirts, casual blazers, baggy jeans, straight-fit jeans, and chinos, that are made of stretchable and breathable fabric.

Moreover, in India, with the growing consumer spending owing to the rising disposable income, consumers have been significantly indulging in leisure activities like going out for fishing, rafting, motor boating, sailing, etc. These trends have substantially raised the demand for comfortable apparel like sportswear, casual t-shirts, trousers, etc. Hence, with the growing interest of consumers to involve in leisure activities coupled with amplified demand for comfortable clothing, the market is expected to grow in the upcoming years as well.

Based on Distribution Channel:

• Store-based Retailing
  • Grocery Retailers
  • Non-Grocery Specialists
  • Mixed Retailers
• Non-store Retailing
  • Direct Selling
  • Home shopping
  • E-commerce
  • Vending

Of them all, Store-based Retailing captured the substantial share of the India Apparel & Footwear Market during the historical years & is expected to experience significant growth in the forecast years as well. This is owing to the strong presence of organized players in this domain. The growth of mall culture in India has created a conducive environment for retail stores, as malls provide a centralized & organized shopping experience. In addition, the number of consumers visiting the mall for a unified shopping experience, especially on weekends, has uplifted significantly over the past few years. This has led several companies, like Go Fashion, Suta, etc., to expand their retail outlets across the country to enhance their retail sales in different regions. For instance:

• In 2022, Go Fashion, an Indian apparel company, announced its plans to expand its store footprint across India, which states that it would open around 120-130 stores year-on-year. This was majorly aligned with brand-building activities that would raise exposure by opening more stores closer to the consumer.

Henceforth, the higher inclination of consumers toward offline retail shopping, coupled with the presence of a large number of retail outlets to ease accessibility, would significantly help in improving the growth of the store-based retailing segment in the India Apparel & Footwear market during the forecasted years.

Recent Developments in the India Apparel & Footwear Market

• 2022: Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited acquired a 51% stake in House of Masaba Lifestyle Private Limited, to expand its product portfolio in order to cater to fashion demand for young & digitally native consumers

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