"Tantra" as Brand Name

[Guest guest]

MUMBAI (JUNE 15, 2005): Ranjiv Ramchandani, co-founder of the Tantra

T-shirt brand, could have been inspired by anti-brand activist Kalle

Lasn. While Lasn talks about taking on the mega corporates of the

world, Ramchandani considers Tantra India's answer to the "Just Do

It" brand. For him, being anti-brand means breaking the clutter and

creating a niche.

 

Tantra T-shirts does exactly that — with its uniquely Indian humour

drawn heavily from ancient culture, and a quintessential Indian way

of looking at things. "I identify with Blackspot (Lasn's anti-brand

brand) because to be an underdog is a niche by itself. But you

cannot keep doing it for your entire career," says Ramchandani, who

along with partner Vimal Mariwala run Tantra.

 

Selling India on a T-shirt was an idea which Ramchandani hit upon

during a visit to Scotland in 1997, where T-shirts depicting the

life in that country were being sold. "The idea was great. It was

funny and one could make money out of it. I knew that something like

this hasn't been tried in India," he says. Ramchandani's zero

knowledge about manufacturing didn't discourage him as he went about

readying the first couple of designs.

 

Since the idea was to sell Indianess, the name Tantra seemed

apt. "The idea wasn't to use a goody-goody name, but one which has a

sensual, dark and mystical connotation. A name which appeals to

those in the 17 to 29 year age bracket," he says.

 

Tantra was originally aimed at the foreign tourist visiting India,

with the first designs featuring standard Indian imagery: Goa and

the Goddess Kali. But it wasn't just the foreign tourists who took

to Tantra -- the brand cast its magic on Indians too. The target

customer changed as the youth here took to Tantra. Now, students to

professionals, writers to advertisers sport Tantra T-shirts, claims

Ramchandani.

 

The cult status for Tantra is high, particularly amongst students

with many of them from outside Mumbai picking it up in bulk to be

sold in campuses. From a single shop in 1997, Tantra now sells in

over 400 outlets across the country. And it's not only the mom and

pop retail outlets, but also chains like Piramyds, Shoppers' Stop,

Pantaloon Central and even the cottage industry showrooms which

stock the brand.

 

Vimal Mariwala says that over the past four years, Tantra has

clocked a healthy growth rate of around 30% and with the entry into

organised retailing, the growth, he says, will accelerate

further. "Exports right now are just 5% of the total revenue and its

primarily to the Middle East. In the next one year, we'll be looking

at exports to Europe and even the US," says Mariwala.

 

For many cult brands across the world, maintaining exclusivity is

sacrosanct — they resist the idea of going mass lest they lose the

appeal amongst its most ardent fan. That's the predicament

Ramchandani faced as Tantra's footprint spread across India.

Ramchandani talks about the indecision when a well-known mall

invited him to set up a Tantra outlet.

 

"I was considering whether to go as it was making Tantra legitimate.

The advantages on the other hand were higher brand value and

increased volumes," he says. Ramchandani admits that it's walking

over thin ice for Tantra, as the balance of looking at the market

without losing the essence of the brand is a fine one.

 

So even though most of the designs sold in malls feature innocuous

humour, Ramchandani makes sure that at least three to four prints

out of the 40 created per season are slightly more risque, for

customers, who look for attitude and that extra tang. Already,

Tantra stand-alone stores are in place in Mumbai and Delhi and plans

are afoot to have around 25 Tantra stores across India in the next

five years.

 

But for the expansion plans, capital infusion is necessary and

Ramchandani says they have received feelers from venture capitalists

interested in a tie up. "We will be talking to a few interested

parties," is all that Ramchandani is willing to reveal at present.

 

Though Tantra T-shirts forms the main stay, two more brands are now

part of the portfolio. Barking Dog and Line Maaro came into being in

2001 and 2004 respectively. "The idea is to create different genres

in the T-shirt category," says Ramchandani. Many more brands are on

the anvil along with extensions. Breaking the mould seems to be the

road to instant Karma for the team at Tantra.

 

SOURCE: The Economic Times Online (TIMES NEWS NETWORK). "Wear your

attitude" by RAJIV BANERJEE. ©Bennett, Coleman and Co., Ltd. All

rights reserved.

URL: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1142220.cms