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: export market. “In 1991, we had 30 machines, today we have 3,500 in eight factories with the capacity of producing 6 lakh units every month,” he adds. As an exporter turned manufacturer, Narula has come to identify a few key trends in the kids’ market—almost 90% of kid’s clothing is made in cotton, and given that 30% of the country’s population is below 15 years of age, the existing market leaves much to be desired.

Lilliput’s exclusive brand outlets now count 107. The brand also has presence in 150 multi brand stores and 450 other points of sale in 65 cities, including tier two and three cities. The maximum sales in the kidswear market, according to Narula, is coming from smaller towns—Patiala, Bhatinda, Phagwara, Coimbatore, Sonepat, to name a few. The brand won the Images Fashion Brand of the Year award for the kid’s category in 2007.

Earlier, for the past six years consecutively, another 25-year-old wonder, Mumbai-based apparels brand Giny & Jony (sales: Rs 110 crore in 2006-2007) was the winner in this category. Promoted by Lakhani brothers, this brand built itself from scratch after experimenting with the first shop in shop at Shoppers’ Stop in 1994. The first brand outlet was floated in 1995 in Hyderabad and today, nearly 14 years later, Giny & Jony has 19 franchisees, 40 shop-in-shops, 11 factory outlets and is present in 180 multi-brand outlets (MBO), such as Shoppers’ Stop, Piramyd, Lifestyle, Ebony, Pantaloons, etc.

Lately, the company has even begun promotional campaigns such as Giny & Jony Children’s Film Festival and plans to come out with an IPO to raise capital to increase its footprint. Last year, Giny & Jony also entered the lucrative school uniform (know-ledge wear) segment, estimated at Rs 10,000 crore.

The growth in value in the total kid’s segment is high in almost all ranges—over 37% in the super premium category, 35% in premium, 22% in the mid-price segment and over 13% in economy. “Spending on kids’ apparel is definitely going up,” says Seth of Brand Factory. Since there is a lot of aspiration-fashion attached to this segment, these brands have to bring value to the table.”