1. Q:Could you give us some
insight in to the history of
the amanté brand?
The introduction of amanté was a
logical evolution for MAS Holdings.
Through backward integration the
group has progressed from a
contract manufacturer to raw
material supplier to become South
East Asia’s largest apparel
manufacturer. Further the group
has expanded in to designs for B2B
(business to business) through
MAS design networks. Thereafter,
in October 2007 we launched
amanté in India; celebrating our
Brand’s 7th year anniversary last
month. We started off in India with
four stores and today we have over
600 outlets and we are consistently
ranked between 2nd and 3rd
position in the retail outlets where
the brand is present. After 5
successful years in India we
launched the brand in Sri Lanka in
October 2012.
Q:Why did you decide to
venture in to the Sri Lankan
market?
The Sri Lanka launch took place
post-war, a time when there was a
sound market environment. There
was a fair amount of optimism,
consumers had evolved and access
to global markets, information and
products had increased; resulting in
more exposure to western styling
and an appreciation for brands.
Local brands were also being
launched; while companies such as
Softlogic have also developed the
branded environment by bringing in
several world renowned brand
names to Sri Lanka. Therefore, we
saw a significant shift in retail in the
market space from factory surplus
to branded apparel and these
factors strengthened the proposition
of launching amanté in 2012.
Q:How have you positioned
the brand over the past two
years?
When we launched in Sri Lanka
we were very clear about the fact
that we are a premium lingerie
brand. We launched with key
objectives which were built around a
very strong consumer focus and we
researched the market and the
existing brands. Even though we
want to be perceived as a regional
iconic brand it is visible in our
products that we have taken local
preference in to design
consideration.
As for the products, we have an
essentials range which is available
throughout the year. But when we
say essentials we don’t just mean
the regular basics. We have three
segments within Essentials; which
cover glamour, confidence and
comfort. Glamour is highly
fashionable, confidence is everyday
fashion and comfort includes the
basics.
Q:How have you differentiated
yourself in the market?
We wanted to position the brand
as a premium lingerie brand with
international styling. We analyze
international trends and leverage on
the skills-base and knowledge of
MAS. We obtain market insight on
the latest styles, colours and trends
to a design center in Sri Lanka and
pick and choose what is appropriate
for the market. We feel this is a
major strength of amanté; where we
do not simply copy what is working
in the West but localise it based on
design and style preferences. Apart
from that the colour tones that we
look for are a bit more vibrant, richer
and deeper; while also focusing on
a perfect fit suitable for the South
Asian market.
Another key differentiator for
amanté was the whole concept of
fashion. We brought in fashion
campaigns and fashion launches
into the Sri Lankan lingerie space.
Until then we believed that,
especially in the modern trade,
there was a lack of dynamism.
There was a set of core and basic
styles which were always available
but if you wanted fashion you had to
go to either the boutique outlets of
those brands or purchase overseas.
What we wanted was to give people
an opportunity to experience
fashion right where they shop.
Through this, amanté became
established as a fashion brand. We
are known for launching new styles
with a high frequency. For example
in 2013, we had a Valentine’s,
Spring-Summer and an Autumn-
Winter collection. The idea is to
create excitement about what’s new
at amanté.
We also looked at the consumer
experience and how we could
enhance the look and feel of the
visual merchandising unit. This has
helped amanté stand out in the
market. With the launch of the
amanté boutique at the Racecourse
Mall Colombo 07, what we are
doing this year and next year is
upgrading our display units in
modern trade, and giving them the
same look and feel as the amanté
boutique.
We have also differentiated
ourselves by introducing lingerie
consultants in the modern trade for
the first time. We realised that
lingerie experts can really make a
difference by educating consumers
on the benefits of lingerie, how to
match it with outerwear as well as
size and fit at the point of
purchase. There are
misconceptions and sometimes
important information about
lingerie is difficult to convey
through above the line (ATL)
advertising and it needs to be
done face-to-face. amanté
lingerie consultants educate the
consumer about the benefits of
the product and help her find the
right size and the right bra-based
on her needs, mood and
occasion.
Q:What strategies have you
employed when
marketing amanté?
On the marketing side, apart
from the regular brand
campaigns, we conduct in-store
promotions on a frequent basis,
be it a digital campaign or an
in-store campaign. These have
enabled us to create a lot of
excitement in the market and
keep amanté relevant in the
eyes of the consumer.
Digital has been a key area for
us and our Facebook fan page is
closing in on 100,000 likes which
it will reach by the end of this
year. Apart from that, we also
utilise Twitter, Instagram,
Pinterest and YouTube to allow
the consumers to easily interact
with the brand. Although, we do
use traditional media such a
radio and print, we strongly
believe that lingerie is a high-
involvement product that
requires a 360 degree
consideration of all modes of
communication.
Q:What were the most
exciting developments
which took place at amanté over
the past two years since the
launch?
We organised a one-of-a-kind
fashion show with international
models. It was a two-day show
that covered our full range;
including casual lingerie,
glamour lingerie, bridal lingerie
and sleepwear, swimwear and
sportswear. The high point of 2013
was that with the fashion show we
launched the amanté boutique at
the Racecourse Mall. The boutique
was designed by an internationally
acclaimed retail architectural
specialist. Its’ exterior maintains the
colonial charm of the building’s
façade while the contemporary
interior of the boutique offers a
pampered shopping experience.
The lighting, visual merchandising,
window displays and changing
rooms are world class and provide
an unparalleled experience to
visitors. This boutique has become
the home of the brand and has
really strengthened our position.
Q:Are you based exclusively in
Colombo or have you
expanded to other cities?
While we are predominantly
based in Colombo, we do have a
presence in cities such as Kandy,
Kurunegala, Negombo, Ratnapura
and Kegalle. Our penetration
among the top dealers has been
extremely high.
At the moment we are present at
63 outlets but by the end of the year
we will reach 70. We would like to
thank our retail partners Glitz,
NoLimit, Pallu, Cool Planet, Fashion
Bug, TFO, Galleria, Beverly Street,
Cotton Collection, Romafour, 7
Stories, Kandy and other leading
retailers as they understood the
potential of the brand and gave us
the space we needed to position the
brand.
Q:What does it mean for the
brand to have won the Best
New Entrant Silver Award at SLIM
Brand Excellence?
For the brand it’s a huge
achievement. We were surprised
but we also felt we deserved it. We
put in a lot of effort and hard work
over the past two years and what
we have achieved in that time is
quite significant. Premium lingerie is
a challenging category, with
limitations when it comes to public
communications. Therefore, the
whole team views this as
recognition of the hard work they
have put in and we are extremely
happy to have won this. I must also
mention that our Key Account
Managers won Gold and Silver at
SLIM NASCO Awards which was
again a huge achievement for
amanté.
Q:How do you plan to build on
it?
We celebrated our 2nd
anniversary recently and in that
sense this award is quite timely and
a huge achievement for us. We
competed with some of the top
brands in Sri Lanka which have
been around for longer and also
have bigger teams. We are
definitely aiming for a Gold award at
next year’s Brand Excellence. We
have understood some of the
shortcomings of our application and
with that in mind we are looking at
certain things we have to do.
Overall, as I said, our focus over
the past two years has been on
establishing a premium lingerie
brand; while now we are looking at
methods to widen our market base.
As always, the market and the
consumer are evolving, and we
continue to adapt to these changes
in order to stay ahead of the game.
9Sunday 2 November 2014
amanté has added excitement and dynamism
to the lingerie market – Binara Seneviratne
SLIM Brand Excellence 2014 Best New Entrant Silver winner
amanté, owned by MAS
Brands, a division of MAS
Holdings, won Best New
Entrant Brand of the Year
Silver award at the
recently concluded SLIM
Brand Excellence 2014.
In an exclusive interview
with Ceylon Today,
Deputy General Manager
of amanté Sri Lanka
Binara Seneviratne
spoke about the
development of the
brand, its approach in Sri
Lanka and the
importance of adding
excitement to the intimate
apparel category.
Binara Seneviratne
Deputy General Manager of amanté
Sri Lanka