ByN. Lothungbeni Humtsoe

May 17, 2022 (IANSlife)  If you have a strong or obsessive interest in anime or manga, you are an Otaku. Celio, a French men's clothing line, has made it possible for Otakus to wear their favourite Naruto character with their latest collection.

Speaking to IANSlife Satyen Momaya, CEO, of Celio India, tells about Celio's collaboration with Naruto, a popular Japanese manga series.

Tell us about Celio and its journey in India?
Momaya: Founded in 1978, Celio is a French menswear brand that has become the leading men's ready-to-wear brand in Europe and many other parts of the world. The brand is present in 60 countries with more than 1,100 stores. Decoding trends, to offer smart and contemporary menswear, is the brand's forte. Celio brought a breath of freshness to the Indian fashion scene through its exclusive men's only collections oriented to the different moments of a man's life.

With a range of products that are urban, smart, elegant and wearable, the brand provides a stylish alternative to today's discerning young male customers and thus captures effortless style for men.

It has been an exciting journey. Last 5 years, we have successfully transformed the company keeping the consumer in the centre of everything we do and bringing the freshness of French fashion in the country along with the Indian sensitive design sensibilities and also winning with consumers. We now have a strong 700+ door presence with 70 retail stores and a strong digital presence across the marketplace and DTC.

If you have a strong or obsessive interest in anime or manga, you are an Otaku. Celio, a French men's clothing line, has made it possible for Otakus to wear their favourite Naruto character with their latest collection. Speaking to IANSlife Satyen Momaya, CEO, of Celio India, tells about Celio's collaboration with Naruto, a popular Japanese manga series.

Your thoughts on Menswear fashion in India?
Momaya: Men's western wear is huge and within western wear casual and jeanswear growing even faster, we are on the cusp of huge unorganised moving to branded men's readymade apparel and that is a huge opportunity, for western and international brands what is important is to simultaneously launch the product /fit innovation in the country as they would do it in Milan, Paris, New York or Tokyo.

Trends you've seen in menswear clothing in India and what can be expected in the coming months?
Momaya: With social media and especially post the pandemic, global boundary barriers have been overcome and we see trends emerging globally being simultaneously adopted in the country. Sustainability is what the millennials are now taking it more seriously than ever. Casualisation is here to stay and we will see fitness being an important consideration. Hence brands will constantly work on the silhouette, sustainable products and innovation.

Tell us about your new collection Naruto?
Momaya: The collection is the duality of Sasuke and Naruto, the 2 very important characters of the anime. We play iconic patterns, the Akatsuki (red cloud) and the Naruto pattern with ramen. Naruto is a huge fan of ramen. The iconic stuff of this collection is the Naruto silhouettes wearing Celio collection. We're very proud of this collaboration.

Upcoming collabs we can expect?
Momaya: We are working on the Korean version of the Money Heist, along with FIFA.

Future plans in India?
Momaya: We are very optimistic about the future growth potential for our brand in the country and the love we are getting from the consumers including the stronger than market recovery post the unlock is wonderful; we are working on strengthening our consumer shopping experience, and we have in place our DTC plan including a retail expansion blueprint, the second half of this year we plan to introduce a new store format and we also have accelerated our actions on the digital blueprint both consumer-facing and supporting other functions in the business. We are looking at growing revenue at a 25 per cent Plus CAGR in the next 3-4 years.

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N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe can be contacted at lothungbeni.h@ians.in