Q. As one of the founding members of Rupa, how has been the journey from a nobody to somebody?
A. I came to Kolkata in 1962. I was studying, but soon started contributing to my family business. Since then, I have always moved on in life with my perseverance and hard work.
The journey of Rupa began in 1968 when I, along with my two brothers, laid down the foundation of a hosiery manufacturing business. We started with innerwear for male and then moved on to the manufacturing of female innerwear. By 1975, Rupa had been transformed into a national brand. And today, we have various sub-brands, such as Macroman, Frontline, Softline, Footline, Jon, Thermocot, Embrace, Skywings, Zooreka, Bumchum, Imoogi, and Interlock.
Q. What are the core values guiding and running the overall operations of Rupa?
A. At Rupa, our motto is to serve nothing but the best in terms of quality. Honesty coupled with diligence is what we aim at in all our execution plans. Rupa’s objective to go beyond expectations is well served in its qualitative deliverables.
As responsible citizens, we are conscious towards societal development. We run institutes such as Sobhasaria Engineering College, Sikar Parishad in Sikar, Sri Sri Academy, The Heritage Institute of Technology, and The Heritage School in Kolkata. Besides, we keep contributing to various hospitals, such as Shree Vishudhanand Hospital & Research Institute and Sankara Nethralaya (eye hospital) in Kolkata.
Q. What makes Rupa’s products different from others?
A. While catering to the ever-changing aspirations of our customers, we constantly upgrade our products with innovation and latest technology.
We never compromise on the quality and go aggressive on research in order to deliver the best of our efforts. We have a state-of-the-art modern dyeing plant in India located at Domjur, 8 kms from Kolkata, which is equipped with hi-tech machinery, a sophisticated in-house laboratory, and R&D facilities.
Q. Rupa’s market presence is beyond doubt. Please throw some light on the marketing strategy you have been following.
A. Serving constant change in the hosiery industry, we believe in knitting style and modernity in our casual and innerwear. Right from the beginning, our strategy was to take our products to both rural and urban places. Through effective branding, we have been able to successfully execute this strategy. We were the first company in this segment to have celebrity endorsements. Personalities, such as Govinda, Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan, Rajpal Yadav and Ronit Roy have been the faces of our brand. By roping in such eminent people as brand ambassadors, we have tremendously boosted our visibility worldwide.
Q. What is your perception of the knitwear (hosiery) markets inshore and offshore business?
A. With globalisation metamorphosing the knitwear industry, innerwear are more like fashion accessories today. There is a huge demand for quality products under the aegis of renowned brands. With globalisation policies in place, innumerable international brands have entered the Indian sphere. But for us, the international market is still untapped. Undoubtedly, the Indian brands have tremendous potential to conquer the western land and shine upon the world.
Q. Please tell us about the future plans for Rupa and how do you plan to retain its number one market position in the future?
A. It was more than four decades ago that Rupa was established. Our only objective was to survive through rough and choppy waters. And today, our hard work and determination has made us the number one knitwear brand in the country. Knowing that the demand for inner wear and casual clothing is going to increase four times in the next four-five years, we aim to augment our production. We also have plans to take our brand to the international markets of Southeast Asia, West Asia and Europe. While breathing freely in the air of fair competition, we strive to settle for nothing less than best in quality and increased customer satisfaction.
