Delhi gets its first fashion discount store

NEW DELHI - High end fashion got more affordable with the opening of Design Vault, billed as the country’s first high-end fashion discount store, near the ancient Qutab Minar heritage zone here with heavy discounts on designer wear.

Design Vault, which was launched Tuesday evening at Ambavata Complex in Mehrauli in south Delhi, offers discounts ranging from 20 percent to just a fraction of the original price.

The fashion gallery, owned by businesswoman Tina Tahiliani Parikh and designer Tarun Tahiliani, is a retail hub of “unsold” clothes and accessories by leading designers like Tarun Tahiliani , Rohit Gandhi, Rahul Khanna, Monisha Jaisingh, Varun Bahl, Rohit Bal, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Jean Paul Gaultier & Lanvin and Abraham & Thakore.

“The idea behind the discount store, modelled on the ones we have seen in Milan in Italy, is that every designer is always left with unused stock in their basements…at the end of the fashion season or if an export order is cancelled. We have sourced such stocks and set up a retail store with amazing discounts. Some of the pieces are classic and women who have the confidence to carry off a dress that is two seasons’ old can find some of the best bargains at the store,” Parikh told IANS.

“A discount store in a metropolis or a fashion capital has several hidden benefits for designers. It offers an opportunity to designers to convert stocks into liquidity and reinvest in the next season’s collection,” said Parikh, who is Tarun Tahiliani’s sister.

A Tarun Tahiliani formal evening dress priced Rs.61,000 is on sale for Rs.31,200, while a traditional Indian-style bustier and drape in pink chiffon and zardozi has a discount price of Rs.19,000 against the original Rs.39,000.

Another Tarun Tahiliani dress which originally cost Rs.33,172 is priced at Rs.3,500.

“I was inspired by the discount shops in Italy which are packed with bargain-hunters across the year. The idea took time here because I had to get the right place and the stock. There are several stigmas attached to unused stocks in the country. Indian buyers think that unsold clothes are either damaged or not fit for sale. The store was long overdue to target a new set of customers,” Parikh said.

“The clothes we are retailing are brand new - and are available in almost every size and colour. But the only difference is one may not always get what one wants. Rummage through the racks and get the right dress,” the co-owner added.