The Change Masters Conference held on the 19th and 20th of July, 2022, at The Radisson Hotel, Lonavla, Maharashtra, was a first-of-its-kind B2B event for the Intimate Wear Industry in India. Propelled by the idea of encouraging young leadership and new business processes, Yusuf Dohadwala, Founder, Peppermint Communications, and CEO, Intimate Apparel Association of India (IAAI), initiated the idea of The Change Masters. Believing implicitly in the industry’s potential, Dohadwala brought experienced professionals face-to-face with the under-45 youth brigade from the inner wear segment. The event witnessed owners of 100+ intimate wear brands, factories and retail stores, who are under 45, gathering under one roof to network, discuss, learn and unlearn. The Conference had panel discussions and presentations by more than 20 eminent personalities and speakers from the industry. The Conference was supported by Tencel, Inviya, R|Elan and INTICEDE.
Speaking about the success, Dohadwala said, “With The Change Masters, we have attempted to bridge the gap between ideas and execution. Drawing from the experience of industry veterans, the young league of entrepreneurs is getting ready to disrupt the system and take the intimate wear industry to the next level.”
The event was flagged off by Rakesh Grover, President, IAAI; Raj Kumar Jain, Deputy Chairman, NITRA; Sanjay Jain, Vice President, FOHMA/WBHA; and Harminder Sahni, Managing Director, Wazir Advisors, lighting the ceremonial lamp. This was followed by presentations by Wazir Advisors. Day 1 culminated in a networking cocktails and dinner extravaganza for all the speakers and delegates.
Day 2 of The Change Masters Conference started with the panel discussion on ‘Roadmap to Building Future Ready Brands.’ Several important factors that were highlighted by the panelists included: holistic development, branding, updated processes and thinking out of the box.
The second panel discussion was on ‘Roadmap to Building Future Ready Brands, Manufacturing and Retail.’ The discussion focussed on:
• The key for any brand’s success is to solve existing problems
• Awareness and education amongst consumers about wearing the right fit and type of inner wear that young brands like Nykd by Nykaa and Zivame are addressing
• Data is a key driver for brands like Clovia as they collect over 1.5 mn data points and feedback from their consumers
• Quality and feedback from consumers is of primary importance
The third panel discussion covered ‘Future Leaders’ Viewpoint,’ which invited opinions from young thought leaders to present ideas on market disruptions and innovations. The panels were accompanied by sponsor presentations as well as an interesting session by Sarika Hussain on Unparalleled AI Revolution in Fashion and Garment Industry.
Here’s what Industry Leaders had to say about The Change Masters Conference 2022
“My experience at Change Masters has been an enriching one. This event is a great beginning for the industry and as the name suggests, is for the young guns of the industry to interact with the leaders and veterans and learn from them. These interactions are sure to help them grow faster and not make the same mistakes like we did. Participation from countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh etc. here is also a testament of collaborative growth for the industry,” said Suchira Surendranath, Director – Strategy and Investment (BIAC), Brandix Apparel Limited.
“The Change Masters Conference is a pioneer event where people from the intimate wear industry have come together. It is a great opportunity that we have got to interact, network with likeminded individuals and understand the Indian consumer. This understanding and insight into the consumer base and the various aspects of a brand, is definitely going to help us address larger issues and better our product and brand,” said Lavanya Pachisia, COO, Zivame.
“The Change Masters is a great opportunity for us to meet our peers and exchange thoughts, ideas, struggles and a lot more. It certainly is going to impact the industry in a positive manner because we are here to learn from each other’s mistakes and grow the industry as a whole,” added Udit Todi, Executive Director, Lux (Lyra).
“The Change Masters is a wonderful initiative being undertaken by Yusuf ji. Amongst those attending we have industry leaders and experts. It is a wonderful platform for all brands to get associated. Inviya as a spandex fibre company is privileged to be associated as a co-sponsor to this event and we feel that this is the right way to work with the entire value chain,” asserted Rahul Singh, Global Business Head – Inviya Spandex Company, Indorama India Pvt. Ltd.
“One of the biggest learnings that came out of the Change Masters Conference is that there is an opportunity for India to move from $2 bn to $10 bn in exports. For this, larger capacities have to be set up and we have potential to do that because India has a huge domestic market as well as export opportunity, which in the next 10 years will be over $80 bn,” claimed Prashant Agarwal, Joint MD, Wazir Advisors.
The Change Masters Conference held on the 19th and 20th of July, 2022, at The Radisson Hotel, Lonavla, Maharashtra, was a first-of-its-kind B2B event for the Intimate Wear Industry in India. Propelled by the idea of encouraging young leadership and new business processes, Yusuf Dohadwala, Founder, Peppermint Communications, and CEO, Intimate Apparel Association of India (IAAI), initiated the idea of The Change Masters. Believing implicitly in the industry’s potential, Dohadwala brought experienced professionals face-to-face with the under-45 youth brigade from the inner wear segment. The event witnessed owners of 100+ intimate wear brands, factories and retail stores, who are under 45, gathering under one roof to network, discuss, learn and unlearn. The Conference had panel discussions and presentations by more than 20 eminent personalities and speakers from the industry. The Conference was supported by Tencel, Inviya, R|Elan and INTICEDE.
