Be: - The Pret range from the house of Raymond

The Company

There was a vision to make couture available to all that dreamt of it but could not afford it. Raymond was cognisant of the fact that awareness levels for designer wear was increasing in the country. The rise in demand for 'value for money' products and increasing fashion awareness had seen the market for ready to wear increasing but it did not fulfil consumer aspirations of owning the designer wear.

Understanding this need gap in the market an innovative venture was conceptualised by the inimitable textile giant, Raymond Limited. It was an ideal marriage of two parties, a Corporate with strengths in marketing and retailing and the designers gifted with immense talent. Raymond brought together some of the finest Indian designers to introduce a radical and an unheard of concept, 'Corporatisation of Designer Wear' with its Pret-a-porter brand Be: .

The uniqueness of Be: stands in the fact that this is for the first time in India any Corporate House deemed it necessary to corporatise designer wear. Be: heralds good times not only for consumers but also for the designers. It brings in a ray of light for the designers for whom retailing has been an arduous task and exposure confined to a very niche audience.

Be: brings a large collection of designer products to a large audience that is increasingly becoming aware of designer wear and dreams of possessing one. Affordability, Accessibility and Acceptability are the three attributes that characterise Be:

The first Be: store was inaugurated in New Delhi in July 2001 and has a multi city presence with 13 stores across India . Be: has a store each in Ahmedabad, Ludhiana , Hyderabad , Chennai, Kolkata, two in Bangalore and Mumbai and three in Delhi.

The Range

Be: offers a range of apparel and accessories for both men and women. Ladies wear comprises of Ladies Western Wear (60%), Ladies Ethnic Wear (30%) and Ladies Accessories (10%) while Men's wear which offers a wide range of Men's Westerns is the fastest-growing category (30-35%). Be: merchandise is focussed on specific target groups where the styling is more commercially viable, making it more wearable and acceptable to consumers.

The line includes contemporary ethnic formal wear like Salwar Kameezes for women and Kurta Sets for men, separates like tops, tunics, trousers, skirts and jackets in western wear and co-ordinated sets in fusion styles. The collection is an eclectic mix of relaxed office and eveningwear. The fabric ranges from knits to wovens and cottons & linens to silk, with a spectrum of colours starting from earthy and aqua tones to bright colours. The price range is equally exciting that starts as low as Rs. 600/- to a maximum of Rs. 6000/-.

Accessories: Presently the Be: collection consists of designer bags for women, belts inspired by traditional Indian artistry, designer shoes by Rinaldi & Pink. It also houses exclusive designer jewellery under the Be: In house label .