Replay, operated in partnership with Reliance Brands Limited in India, has launched its Autumn Winter 2022 collection. The highlight of the collection remains Replay Hyperflex – an innovative product, and super-stretchy denim. The collection is a blend of contemporary and vintage designs enriched with attractive details and explores various themes through capsule collections. 

In the Autumn/Winter ’22 collection, we see a showcase of a wide range of denim, casual wear, biker capsule styles, army capsule wear, footwear, and accessories for men and women. These themes range from the biker capsule collection to Maestro, where we see hints of over-dyed T-shirts, broken edgy denim, classic flannel shirt, Eco T-shirts, cargo pants, and camouflage jackets as well as small leather accessories. 

To dive into more details, we caught up with Marta Sinigaglia, a member of the Board of Directors, Licensing and Partnership Unit Director of Fashion Box Spa, the company that owns the Italian label. Excerpts: 

Replay is known for its sustainability. How do you navigate it in the denim business? 

We started this journey of sustainability more than a decade ago. Being pioneers in the industry, for 40 years, we felt it’s our mission to work vastly in terms of research and innovation and to offer our consumers the best sustainable products. It all started when we launched our hero product ‘Hyperflex’, which stands for a trademark in itself. After years of trial and error, we launched this super-stretchy denim with the best recovery effect. This product has been welcomed in the market so much that since 2012, we deliver a new version each season by elevating it to the next level. After launching the first version, we felt the mission to combine this super-stretchy product with sustainable treatment such as vapor treatment, reduction of water usage by 80 percent, using organic cotton and recycled polyester. Each season, we feel the need to introduce sustainable methods and materials, and this research is across every category. 

 

How have you seen denim in menswear evolve? 

If you think about the pandemic, which, of course, has changed very much the ambitions, priorities, and scale of values. We are witnessing casualization. Most of us are working from home, so there is no need to meet people, as compared to pre-pandemic times. So then while staying in, we require a different look. We need to feel at ease and want clothing that gives movement and comfort. In menswear particularly, we are witnessing the need to purchase clothing that has value to use. We have become conscious customers, which have been spoilt by the brands. They have become demanding about quality, respect for sustainability, and standards, and they want certified products. In terms of trends, men are authentic, original, picky about their taste, and want something that fits them in the best possible way. 

What are major product consumption patterns you’ve seen before and post-pandemic? 

We are a denim company, so half of our performance comes from it. But we also have top wear such as jerseys, sweatshirts, outerwear, and footwear. So pre-pandemic, our way of living was much different and now, it is all about casual wear. It is the key driver. We have different lines in casual wear, such as our sartorial line that target a specific type of consumer. It is more casual but with an artisanal approach in terms of manufacturing, labeling, and lining of denim. It is very much us, and we stay true to our origin. 

How did the partnership with RBL come about? And how has the experience been so far? 

The journey started three years ago, in 2019. It’s a strong belief that when you enter a new market, you truly want to partner with the best in class, and it is no doubt that Reliance Brands Limited is that. They have the knowledge, the known geography, and the market. And they know to respect our premium position to preserve the brand. Replay is very dynamic, and we like to build, that’s why even after 40 years, we are still relevant in the industry. So, we felt that this was the shared vision and started off in Mumbai and Delhi first to build awareness of the brand. We already have five stores in these cities, which are actually doing well for us, and we have also expanded it to The White Crow Store, a multi-brand store by RBL. We are present at Tata Cliq Luxury, and Ajio Luxe, as well as have our own India-based website, which will give us an idea about the market and accordingly expand to other cities. 

Replay recently launched a flagship store in Mumbai. How did that decision come about? What can we expect from it? 

We have a denim-cage concept Replay store at Jio World, Mumbai. All collections of the brand are given the prominence that has a lot of exclusives for the flagship stores as well. The brand story comes out frankly at the flagship store. 

 

Replay has also launched a website for Indian consumers. What can we expect there? 

The Replay website is the aggregate of every single product that we are doing in the market. We do not quarantine inventory in the warehouse. We have a live system where the same product that is live in Mumbai or Delhi store is also live on the website as well as other e-commerce websites, where the Replay products are available. Wherever it gets sold first, it gets logged out of the system. 

What are the other global markets on Replay’s radar? 

Replay is a European brand, so that’s where it has its most performance. In the last few years, we have witnessed a significant expansion. For example, we have now expanded to Australia, and the next will be Auckland in New Zealand.