NEWS


The Russian brand of fashionable children's clothing Choupette traditionally took part in one of the largest events - the 26th international exhibition CJF “Children's and Youth Fashion. Clothes for future mothers ".

From September 21 to September 24, more than 200 brands from 11 countries demonstrated novelties in the field of children's goods. According to the overwhelming majority of Russian and foreign exhibitors, this is the most popular platform for new products and effective business communication presentation in the children's fashion industry.


Choupette presented its unique products, which have been captivating customers all over the world for more than 14 years: envelopes and discharge sets, overalls-transformers, outerwear, as well as fashion collections and school uniform.


According to Anastasia Vasilkova, development director of TM Choupette, the brand was greeted very warmly. Many partners noted that despite the crisis conditions, Choupette continued to follow its standards: release of seasonal collections, shippings were on time and developed new categories.


“We got 30-40 new contacts a day, both for wholesale purchases and for the franchise program,”- says TM Choupette Development Director. “We also felt that there was a global change of participants: many new companies appeared and old manufacturers and brands left”.


This year, Choupette is successfully expanding into new markets: this summer, the brand opened a monostore in New Delhi, and very soon Choupette store will appear in Kuwait at the "Al Kout Mall". It will be the largest retail outlet of the brand - 130 square meters.

On October 16th, the “Kids Retail Day. How children's retail is changing ” conference was held. Anastasia Vasilkova, Development Director of TM Choupette

Choupette, was one of the speakers. During the conversation, Anastasia spoke about the influence of the smart consumption trend on children's fashion, about the features of mandatory labelling, about the trend towards reduction of offline stores and about advantages of the franchise business during the crisis.


According to the results of the "Russian market of children's clothing 2021" research, this year Russians plan to  approach the purchase of children's clothing more rationally. This trend is associated with two factors. First, it is the influence of the European trend on conscious consumption. Second, it is the growth of the amount of poor Russian buyers, which is especially felt in the distant regions of the country. According to Anastasia Vasilkova, this trend can be responded to in different ways. The first way is to occupy other niches. The second path taken by the Choupette brand is to look for new markets in which the behavioural pattern is closer to the product. For example, in India, where the Choupette store recently opened, the trend for smart consumption is not relevant, so special occasion clothes will be relevant for a long time.

In addition to a decrease in purchasing power, a trend has emerged to reduce offline outlets. In Europe, it manifests itself especially clearly. At the same time, in Asia, the number of stores, on the contrary, is growing. For example, this year, Chinese authorities canceled fines for third child in the family. This will cause a boom in the birth rate, thanks to which the segment of children's clothing will actively develop. In Russia, the reduction in offline outlets is associated with a natural decrease in sales. Now the peak age is 8-9 years old, and in a few years it will grow up to "teenager". Development Director of TM Choupette believes that there will be no natural economic growth drivers in the children's clothing segment in the near future.

Another issue that was discussed at the conference is the introduction of mandatory labelling. The new rules caused a number of difficulties. The "Honest Sign" system was not ready for heavy traffic. Also, due to the innovation, it was necessary to strengthen the warehouse flow, and the financial and time costs increased. Choupette has not only its own, but also franchised retail chain, so it is important to control how each partner copes with labelling. “This is a difficult but surmountable process,” says Anastasia Vasilkova. "You just need to invest in more time and money."

Anastasia Vasilkova noted that the franchise program allows a better and faster response to crisis conditions. “To get out of the crisis with better results, there must be a strong franchise network. By the start of the coronavirus, Choupette network consisted of strong partners, and their stability and mutual support helped to survive. Thanks to this, we are closing 2021 with higher indicators than 2019 ”.

 

Taking over the fashion capital of India, Choupette, a Russian kidswear brand, has entered the Indian market. The brand has opened its first store in Delhi at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj. The brand’s India store is an opulent offering showcasing the best and a vast collection of elegant and formal wear for girls and boys of 0 to 12 years of age. Launched with a vision to redefine luxury fashion for kids in India, Choupette will fill the qualitative gap that exists in the Indian market when it comes to elegant and formal kids' wear at unbeatable price points.

A trailblazer for over a decade, Choupette has played an instrumental role in decoding the kids' fashion space and has established a global presence with over 90 stores across locations. Launched by two enterprising fashion lovers, Marina Zolotoverkh and Shruti Aggarwal, Choupette is a one-stop destination for all kids' fashion needs. 

With the first-mover advantage in the kids' fashion space and the brand promise centered on the cornerstones of price, quality, and style, Choupette acts as a trendsetter and takes kids' fashion a notch higher. Keeping up with the fashion seasons, the brand launches 2-3 new collections every season for both girls and boys giving the customers a wide range of quality options. Chopette’s clothing line is carefully curated to suit the children’s skin and the local climate of every region it enters. 

Talking about the store launch, Marina Zolotoverkh, Brand Partner, Choupette India, said, “We are so excited to launch Choupette in the Indian market. As a mother myself, I saw a wide gap that existed when it came to kids fashion - either the very high price of collections from acclaimed brands or the beauty of the products is preserved until the first wash and the material is not suitable for children skin; at Choupette, we aim at bringing a change to this. Our store launch is the first step towards our vision, we’re just getting started and we’re very excited for our customers to experience the Choupette magic.”

Adding on, Shruti Aggarwal, Brand Partner, Choupette India, stated, “As a Choupette consumer myself, I knew that the brand would do extremely well in India. Today’s mothers are evolving, they want the same choices for their kids as they have themselves, the vision with Choupette is to fulfill this gap while owning the kids' fashion category. Our vision is to create a brand that becomes synonymous with kids' fashion in India. This journey is going to be enthralling for both us and the consumers.” 

Launched at price points ranging from Rs 1,000-12,000, the brand offers a range of tuxedos, suit sets, shirts and trousers for boys, and pleated and embroidery dresses, jumpsuits, rompers, and bolero for girls. While Choupette aims to establish a pan India physical presence over the next few years, customers can also purchase the brand’s collection on Choupette India’s website, TataCliq Luxury, and Little Tags Luxury.

On August 4,  the first Choupette store opened in India in one of the most popular shopping centres in New-Daily - Ambience Mall. Back in the spring of 2021, an online mono-brand store was launched, delivering all over the country. Its opening preceded the start of sales in an offline boutique.

The area of ​​the new mono-store is 68 sq. m. In this light space, a wide assortment is presented, including all the main categories of goods: fashion collections from 0 to 12 years old, sets for newborns, special occasion outfits, pajamas, underwear, shoes and accessories.

The exclusive representatives of the Choupette brand in New Delhi are entrepreneurs Marina Zolotoverh and Shruti Aggarwal.

“We planned to open in early May, but due to the coronavirus, India was closed for almost two months,” says Marina Zolotoverh. “Recently, the long-awaited opening took place, and all buyers were delighted. Customers of the store especially liked the smart dresses and clothes for newborns. There are not so many good quality clothing in India, and there is practically none for babies. The new brand was received with admiration - the store's revenue on the opening day exceeded all our expectations. We have big plans for development - I plan to open stores in other cities such as Mumbai and Bangalore."

In January of this year, Choupette entered the Tata CLiQ Luxury marketplace, India's largest e-commerce platform. In the near future, the brand will be presented on another popular platform - Little Tags Luxury. The move will help reach the northern states of India and introduce the brand to local shoppers.