Post Covid 19 pandemic, there have been some behavioural changes in the consumer buying pattern. Over 70% of the market has shifted to textures and plains. Since the stay-at-home culture has started, consumers have also become very quality conscious. In this interview, Rohit Khemka, Founder, RR Décor, sheds more light on emerging trends in home furnishing & textiles market and the company’s plans to tap these trends.
Please brief us about RR Decor’s home furnishing & fabric business.
RR Decor is India’s premier textile design company with a focus on originality of design. We design and market exclusive furnishing and upholstery fabrics both for the Indian market as well as for the international market. We have vast and diverse collections of curtain fabrics and upholstery fabrics, designed by us and sourced from the best mills across the world. We have a strong in-house design team without any manufacturing set-up. All the fabrics are in ready stock in the warehouse from where we service our retailers and designers across the length and breadth of India and the world.
Our main market remains India with over 80% of our turnover accounting for the same. The balance is exported to the Middle-East, the Far-East, China and the US.
What kinds of trends are you seeing in the home furnishing & fabrics market?
There has been a substantial increase in the demand for natural fibres like cotton, linen and viscose. People who really understand furnishing fabrics, are a bit weary of using polyesters. So, the market has shifted. The linen look is really big this year. In the Indian furnishing industry, there is a great demand for linen fabrics, whether it is the linen jacquard, printed linen, or embroidered linen. So, linen has come back in a big way, which was not the case for the last 5 to 10 years.
Another fabric that is doing very well in the Indian market is velvets. Because of its cost-effectiveness and versatility, velvets are in great demand. They are being used in readymade sofas, beds and chairs, etc. With their plush look, they are an integral part of luxury interiors.
Velvets are available in prints and many kinds of textures offering many options for versatile designs. So, it is velvet all the way for the Indian home furnishing industry for the next couple of years for sure.
As far as the retail business goes, there has been definitely a substantial increase in the competition. What is really required now, with the number of suppliers, books and catalogues in our industry, is the retailer now has to curtail. He needs to decide what he wants to do with the showroom, who he wants to work with. He needs to align with certain people in the industry to take his business forward.
Showrooms need to de-clutter, and become experience centres, rather than remaining just a store or a dukaan. Customers today want to feel and experience a good environment when they go shopping for furnishing fabrics. Only a few showrooms in the country today offer that kind of immersive experience. So, my suggestion to the retail industry is to first upgrade, and then upsell to the customer who walks into the showroom.
What are your growth plans for RR Decor?
Keeping in mind the current global scenario, we do have an export plan in place. But as of now, since none of the textile fairs have been happening across the world. our focus has been India. We have been in this line of business for the last 27 years, and India is a huge market for us. This year, with our plans in place, we are going to grow in the Indian market by another 25 to 30%.
As of now, it would take us some time to actually tap the international market to its fullest capacity. So, this year, the focus is on Indian market.