Priced upwards from Rs 330, the Ditto range uses all kinds of fabrics including cotton and cotton blends, knits, lycra, tencel and wool.Says its managing director Raju Daswani: ``We saw that 40 per cent of our buyers were ladies who bought shirts for their male counterparts. So why not create a niche whereby they could also wear the same thing? In the process, we wanted to target women as well, not only as purchase influencers but also as primary users.''

The launch of Ditto also comes in the wake of a survey that the store went in for six months ago to understand the perception of the youth about the CD brand. The results showed that CD shirts were considered flashy, old-fashioned, fuddy-duddy and a `not for me' kind of brand. So CD has worked on bringing a youthful image to the Ditto range by bringing in the hoods, loose fits, the body suit fit, and short lengths in the styles and cuts that it is available in.

To cater to the youth market further, Charagh Din also plans to open every Sunday. A host of events like fashion shows, live music performance and Salsa/Lambada dance performances will be hosted in the store toreiterate the brand image amongst the youth, says Daswani.

For the Ditto range, CD has appointed Preeti Vyas Giannetti for creatives and Carat advertising for media buying. Since the audience for the brand is between the age group of 18-25, the ads are bright, colourful and play on the need to be `with it'. With the baseline: ``Funky shirts for guys and girls'', Ditto's proposition to the target audience is that `You are young, trendy and are having fun', says Daswani.

As part of the media plan, the print campaign is already being released in Mumbai dailies, niche and glossy magazines. Says Daswani: ``The ads reflect the brands attitude and generate pull through visual imagery.'' The campaigns will be on till the end of Jan 2000 before a new set of campaigns will be out.

For promotion purpose, Charagh Din is also tying up with synergistic brands like Baccarose, the perfume house to start with. The store has allotted space to Baccarose to open a counter. With the launch of Ditto, CD is reinventing itself as a fashion destination that appeals not only to its current base of clients but also to the growing youth market, says Daswani.