NEW DELHI : Reliance Brands Limited (RBL) on Monday announced a 60:40 partnership with Indian couturier Anamika Khanna for owning and developing the designer’s two-year-old ready-to-wear AK-OK brand. This is in line with a number of investments made by the company in homegrown designer brands.
Khanna will continue to lead the creative direction of the brand as creative director, RBL said.
The association is the latest in the line of partnerships that RBL has been stitching with homegrown designer labels, including those of Manish Malhotra and Ritu Kumar. RBL also has equity investments in Indian couture label Raghavendra Rathore.
“Indian fashion brands are a strategic part of our luxury portfolio and with this partnership we are adding another design powerhouse to our growing repertoire of fashion brands," said Isha Ambani, director, Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd, the holding company of all retail companies in the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) group.
AK-OK has a age and gender agnostic design philosophy, in line with the “rapidly changing lifestyles".
“AK-OK builds a world where it is completely okay to bring together the luxurious and the relaxed for a distinct personal take on style and not be dictated by trends or others," RBL said.
The brand originates in India and represents Indian nuances, but every AK-OK collection seeks inspiration from design quirks and silhouettes that transcend geographies.
The partnership with Khanna also pivots around RBL’s recognition of homegrown talent’s growing popularity and appeal, both in India and globally, Ambani said.
Khanna’s couture outfits are worn by some of the country’s leading actors, including Sonam Khanna, Deepika Padukone, Madhuri Dixit, and Neha Dhupia. RBL’s association is for the designer’s ready-to-wear or prêt range.
RBL began operations in 2007. Its current portfolio of brand partnerships comprises Armani Exchange, Bally, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Canali, Coach, Diesel, Dune, Hamleys, Pottery Barn, Ritu Kumar, Tory Burch, and West Elm. RBL operates 1,596 doors split into 680 stores and 916 shop-in-shops in India.
