Raymond ties up with Italian designer for new range

Raymond, a leading player in men's suiting and apparel, has launched Manzoni, a new range of formal shirts and ties. The products are designed by an Italian company, Brembana's Designers and are produced at its state-of-the-art shirt manufacturing unit in Italy, which produces shirts for a host of other premium European brands. Raymond already has three brands of apparels in the marketplace - Raymonds, Park Avenue and Parx. The joint turnover of Parx and Park Avenue for the year 1999-2000 was Rs 142 crore.

Positioned as a premium brand for the connoisseur, Manzoni sports a price tag starting Rs 1,495 (for both shirts and ties). A company spokesperson says that Manzoni is the only brand in the country which is an exclusively premium brand; other brands (Allen Solly, Zodiac, Van Heusen etc) are present in both the mid-priced and premium segments. The unique embellishments of Manzoni justifies its premium pricing. These shirts are made of 2-ply cotton fabrics, woven from 100 per cent Egyptian cotton. They are embellished with genuine mother-of-pearl buttons and European interlining. These exclusive shirts are available in many styles such as cut-away collar, double cuffs, blind stitch, detachable collarbones etc.

Manzoni ties are made by premium manufacturers in the north of Italy. Raymond hopes that its access to manufacturer Morarjee Brembana's dedicated supply and international product development skill on an ongoing basis will ensure Manzoni introduce contemporary products in the country, at the same time that these products are made available in Europe.

The Manzoni range is currently available only in Mumbai. Over the next one month, the company plans to roll out the brand in a select 40 leading Raymond shops in the metropolitan cities and a few state capitals of India. An elaborate direct marketing programme has been planned for Manzoni supported with an advertising campaign in premium magazines. A high quality brochure will be mailed to major customers of the stores in which the products are stocked. An extensive sampling programme is also being undertaken.

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