Allen Solly

Allen Solly was founded in 1744 by a company called William Hollin and Co Ltd. The brand was purchased some time in the 90's by a new company called Madura Garments which was a part of Madura Coats. Madura Coats was a big producer of threads. The Vision Of Allen Solly : The company aimed to emerge as a brand which was totally new and did not stick to conventions. Friday Dressing was introduced to give the company a stronghold. Initially the Indian markets was not open to experimental apparel for men. Friday dressing by Allen Solly gave Indian corporates a chance to transform their wardrobes. The new formal wear was relaxed and not boring. The Aditya Birla Group took over Allen Solly in 2001 . Allen Solly brings together people from different walks of life and unites them in the matters of style and attitude. The innovative garments of Allen Solly give people an identity in the work place and while chilling out. Allen Solly Products : Allen Solly manufactures very comfortable cotton and linen half and full sleeve shirts in solids of beautiful prints patterns like checks and stripes. They come in attractive color combinations of white and yellow, blue, pink, green and the list goes on. Allen Solly T-shirts are available in half or full sleeves in vibrant colors like orange, black, blue etc. The t-shirts are made of pure cotton. Allen Solly Trousers are pure cotton varieties which have flat or pleated fronts. Allen Solly is considered to be the brand that breaks all rules and conventions of men's wear.

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The publicity material of Allen Solly , claiming that they were established in 1744 (the date Thomas took on his first apprentice in 1744), is not, strictly speaking, true. In fact the Solly family ,from Kent,did not enter the Business until 1832. Prior to that it operated under the name of Allen and Phillips, and later John Allen and Sons.

To avoid confusion, in what follows I will refer to the business as "Allen Solly" In the very early days hosiery manufacture the work was out sourced (as we would say) The Master Craftsman would supply the worker with a frame, the raw materials( cotton, silk or wool) and collect and sell the finished product The workers (called stockingers )worked from their homes which were small and poorly lit cottages. Some of them preferred to play cricket during the day and work at night, using oil lamps. It was very delicate and skilled work . An apprenticeship of seven years is testimony to that. Over a period of time men like Thomas could own an increasing number of frames thereby increasing their wealth. The "domestic system ," as it was called , being spread over a wide area, proved in time to be an uneconomical method of production, although it continued on a diminishing scale, well into the 20th Century. The factory system which began to emerge in the early part of the 19th Century, , proved to be more economical. When men and machines were brought together under one roof, discipline could be imposed. productivity increased, and labour costs reduced. Labour specialisation and the use of power driven machines further increased production and reduced costs. (this has a familiar and modern ring about it.) The output of stockingers increased so much that the hosiery market became saturated This lead to unemployment amongst the stockingers, and a great deal of industrial unrest, spurred on by the Luddites. (For more about the Luddites see Wikipedia Article.) Although at this time Allen Solly did not have a factory, preferring to retain the domestic system, they were among the most enterprising hosiers, being one of the first to export their merchandise. There is evidence of hosiery being sent to America in 1811. By 1851 Allen Solly were exporting to all the principal European Countries as well as to America. By this time the Company had gained a reputation for fine quality hosiery and members of Royal Families, Indian Princes, and Presidents of the U.S.A., enjoyed the garments turned out by successive generations of craftsmen. Having built up a world wide reputation for high quality goods and the use of only the highest quality silk, cotton and wool; Allen Solly found that the domestic system was now unable to meet the demand. In 1860 the first factory was built on the site of an old oast house, at Godalming in Surrey. The following advertisement appeared in a Boston newspaper in 1887

ALLEN AND SOLLY FINE UNDERWEAR AND HOSIERY Our experience with their goods is so entirely satisfactory that we wish to draw the attention of those who have not yet tested them to their great and superior excellence. Their softness, elasticity, and non shrinking qualities, make them the perfection of comfort. HEWINS AND HOLLIS MEN'S OUTFITTERS In 1888, the Company decided to build a purpose built factory on the outskirts of Arnold, a village near Nottingham. Such was the quality of the factory and its surrounds that it was described , by an American visitor, as a model , in the practical sense , and in the way it made concessions to Philanthropy and Aestheticism. "In America," he said, "Such places were few and far between." Changes and improvements continued to be made right through to the first quarter of the 20th Century. Although Allen Solly engaged in most branches of fully fashioned knitwear they specialised in 6 and 3 rib hose and half hose. It was to this that they owed the greater part of their success and reputation. Quality and service remained at the heart of the Allen Solly philosophy, so that when, in 1946, an American Millionaire placed an order for a dozen pairs of socks , in a pattern so intricate that only a manually operated loom could perform the task, all minds turned to finding a solution . The Company retained such a machine which had been decommissioned some twenty years earlier. A former employee was tracked down and , at the age of 91, showed that he had not lost any of his old skills. In the 1960's Allen Solly became part of Coats Viyella. Today (2007) Allen Solly is just a label and production is based in India. (For those interested a Google search of "Allen Solly" might be worthwhile) The factory at Arnold has been partially dismantled and what remains is used by a number of small businesses . The original knitting room with its large window space is classified as a heritage building. The last Allen to be involved in the Company was Lionel Allen, a great grandson of James Roger (above)

If we take 1744 as our stating date and the closing date of 1975, we can say that the Allens were involved in the manufacture of high quality garments for 231 years. A fine record indeed. Modern production methods are a far cry from those used by our Ancestors and their employees and do not require the same skills that they had. Nor is the same pride taken in the finished product. Ah well, that is progress, I suppose. Today's methods can best be described as; "Cut and sew." To date I have not been able to find a retailer in NZ who could sell me something with the Allen Solly label. I dare say that if I visited America. I would not have the same problem.

Tageline : Allen Solly : My World , My Way Brand : Allen Solly Company : Madura Garments Ad Agency : Ogilvy

Brand Analysis Count : # 458

Allen Solly is a brand that changed the dressing habits of Indian executives. Launched in 1993, Allen Solly attained a near cult status in a highly competitive readymade market within a short period of time.

Allen Solly's heritage dates back to 1744 when this brand was created by William Hollins & Co . In 1990, the brand was taken over by Madura Garments which launched it in India in 1993. Madura Garments which was looking for an unconventional brand targeting young professionals found a fitting brand in Allen Solly.

Madura Garments rightly spotted a need for a casual work-wear among the young professionals. The growing young working class and the rise of the IT clan of employees further reinforced the potential of a relaxed formal wear.

Allen Solly entered the market with the blockbuster concept of Friday Dressing. The idea was not new. Globally the there was a marked trend towards relaxed workwear and Allen Solly pioneered that concept in the Indian market.

Allen Solly launched office wears in colored shirts and Khaki trousers which became an instant hit. For the first time, Indian consumers were exposed to the idea of relaxed formals. Indian consumers took the bait and rushed to color coordinate their wardrobe with enthusiasm.

Not stopping by these, Allen Solly further experimented with unconventional shades like beige and tan. Soon the logo attained cult status among the Indian consumers . Allen Solly was in a way announced the coming of age of the mature global Indian workforce. In 1995, the brand launched ultra bright colors in the formal segment. Colors like yellow, brown , red etc was introduced as formal wears. The yellow shirt featured in the TV commercial became a big hit among the consumers.

The brand further reinforced its cult status with the launch of wrinkle free cottons and checked formal shirts. The young restless generation lapped up the unconventional formals and used it as an expression of their personal freedom.

From the sales data,the company noticed that there was a huge demand for trousers of size 26-28 from women. Taking a cue, Allen Solly launched its range of women wear which was well accepted by the target group.

The competitors soon caught up with the concept of Friday Dressing. Every brand launched similar ranges and colors and soon relaxed formal wear became part of normal work wear. Allen Solly was valued at Rs 250 crore brand by now.

In 2009, the brand went for a repositioning exercise. Allen Solly found that there is a shift in the demographics of the target segment. While the workforce of 1990s were predominantly of the age group of 26 +, now youngsters of age 22-23 yrs have started entering the workforce. The brand wanted to be more relevant to the new young working class. Also the brand somehow wanted to attract consumers beyond the workplace.The worldview of the young consumers have also changed. Earlier success in life was measured based on work. But now the success is more holistic . Allen Solly wanted to reflect this change of perspective of the young consumers.

This thinking prompted the brand to change its positioning from a work-wear to a fashion brand. The brand positioned itself as a casual brand for all occasions.

To reflect the change in positioning, the brand changed its brand campaigns.In 2009, the brand launched its famous " I Hate Ugly " campaign targeting the youth. The basic proposition was to reflect the irreverent , non-compromising attitude of youngsters towards life. This in-your- face communication struck a chord with the consumers and critics and the brand was able to break the earlier association of the brand as a formal wear. The brand created a big noise in the market with I Hate Ugly campaign and it will be interesting to see how the brand carries forward the momentum.

Allen Solly also changed the tagline to " My World , My Way " to reflect the new brand proposition. My World , My Way reflects the strong individualistic view of the youngsters who own their world and create their own rules.

In a way, the brand has completely shed its earlier DNA. No longer the brand is associated with formal wears. The brand literally exited the category of relaxed formal wears which it has created. One reason can be that category itself became irrelevant since all brands have their own line of relaxed formal wear. Brands like Color Plus has successfully established itself in that category .

In the new avatar, Allen Solly is targeting the ever- fickle young generation whose concept of fashion changes by the day. The brand has identified a gap for a premium fashion brand specifically targeting this segment. Although brands like Levi's have a strong equity in the market, there is a gap for a player like Allen Solly.

Allen Solly's repositioning is a loss to the generation who saw the Friday Dressing avatar of this brand. Lets us hope that Allen Solly will repeat what it has done to the Work-wear market in 1993.