Final destination for fashion brands in Bangalore

It’s our very own Bangalore’s high-street of fashion stores, which are dressed up in granite exteriors, glass facades, plush interiors, diffused lights and mannequins in fashionable clothes, vying for attention from style-conscious consumers.

And, it would be fashion statement for any lifestyle store , as one may say, to be located on the stretch of 100-ft road between the Domlur flyover and CMH crossing road.

International brands like Levis, United Colours of Benetton, Lee, Nike, Addidas, Reebok showcase their wares on this glitzy street. So, do the domestic designer brands -- Satya Paul, Wills Lifestyle and the traditional handcrafted Rajasthani cloth shop of Bandhej – make their presence felt on this shaded street.

“Fashion has polarised,” said leading image and fashion consultant Prasad Bidappa. “100-ft road in Indiranagar is all about hightstreet fashion.”

And, as the rich and affluent swarm to these stores; restaurants, coffee outlets and bookstores have quickly lined up to be a part of the extended highstreet fashion brigade.

Infrastructure is the key
The economic boom in the beginning of the 21st century catapulted and metamorphosed Bangalore from an idyllic city to the country’s outsourcing capital, with higher disposable incomes and increasing demand of designer brands.

And, highstreet stores were quick to seize on this opportunity. The trend since then has caught on.

The 100-ft road from a sleepy locality of tree-lined wide roads and sprawling independent houses tucked away behind bushy gardens has transformed into a bustling hub filled with billboards and glaring neon lights.

“Indiranagar has its own flavour. It’s among the upmarket residential localities and appeals to that set of people who want to stay near the action,” said Koshy Varghese, managing director of Value Designbuild.

But, land is at premium in this part of the city and available as and when residential owners want to unlock the value by putting it up for sale.

“There is nothing available for construction,” he said. Often, the plots are converted for commercial use before they are put up for sale as the value fetched is higher than those for residential use.
Land is, currently, traded between Rs11,000 and Rs9,000 per square feet (sft). While, rent for a three-bedroom property is upwards of Rs25000 a month, rentals for commercial property vary between Rs100 and Rs80 per sft.

Real estate analysts said the demand for property in Indiranagar will trend higher on the back of this limited supply and excellent connectivity.

The 100-ft road is a bridge between Koramangla on the south and the Old Madras Road on the north. And the Metro, expected-to-be completed within the next two years, will run between M G Road on the west and K R Puram on the east.

Moreover, Indiranagar is surrounded by excellent social and commercial infrastructure – tech parks, hospitals, schools and a golf course, thereby making it an aspiration address for the affluent class.

The brand 100-ft Road
Independent brand consultant Harish Bijoor said the 100-ft road of Indiranagar is one of the new highstreets of Bangalore, which “regionalises” and “topicalises” the shopping purchase behaviour of a consumer.

What it means is the look, feel and experience of shopping in this place is similar to that of Mumbai or Delhi attracting people from across regions, which fuels commercial activities.

“It’s one of the top three destinations of highstreet fashion stores,” said Bidappa. For shoppers, the area next to 100-ft road is like an extended mall where everything is available at a stone's throw.

“We come here for food, for shopping and for coffee. The crowd is good and options plenty,” says Riya Banerjee, a technology professional, who works out of the Embassy Golf Links tech park located near the flyover.

Purchasing power of Indians has multiplied by ten times between 2009 and 2010 as per the index of Mastercard Worldwide Consumer Spending capability. While a survey by Credit Suisse reflects that consumption favors luxury items when the average monthly income exceeds about $1,000.

Bangalore's per capital income of technology professionals is in excess of that.

“If you are a brand in Bangalore...not being in Indiranagar is like not being on one of the arterial high-streets of Bangalore. One can’t afford to miss that,”  says Bijoor.

Highstreet to designer-row
Rapid commercialisation leads to chaos, which eventually leads to a flight of capital as brands starts moving away in search of better infrastructure.

So, is the 100-ft road headed that way?

“Indiranagar has currently witnessed the influx of first generation international brands like Levis and Nike. Very soon this will lead to the second generation of international designer brands like Loius Vuitton setting up shop,” says Bijoor. International designer brands first set up shop in five-star hotels follow it up with a mall and finally move to a highstreet. “100-ft road is going that way backed by improving infrastructure,” he said.

Currently, luxury shopping or high-end designer brands including Mont Blanc, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and others are currently located in UB City, a high-end mall located on Vittal Mallya Road. So, for the next level of transition, the address is already known. Fashion will thrive on the 100-ft road of Indiranagar; the only thing that will change is the flavour.