Publication Date: April 30, 2025
Industry: Retail and consumer goods
Source: Kellogg School of Management
Jayanti Reddy is a luxury fashion designer in India known for her elegant and intricate bridal wear, which blends traditional Indian craftsmanship with modern silhouettes. The case traces Reddy's journey in the fashion industry, a decade-long spell of learning and unlearning where she created her niche and a loyal audience. Since founding her eponymous fashion label in 2014, Reddy had showcased her collections at various prestigious platforms such as Lakmé Fashion Week, Vogue Wedding Show, and India Couture Week. She had also dressed an impressive roster of A-list celebrities, including Bollywood actors like Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, and Anushka Sharma. She celebrated her 10th anniversary with a collaboration with Devika Narain, a renowned wedding designer. Together, they created six installations at the Jayanti Reddy flagship store in Hyderabad, inspired by the magic of Indian couture and fashion. By 2024, the fashion label's sales had multiplied. It operated three dedicated stores in India's top fashion centers, Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, and was also available in select multi-brand luxury retail outlets across the country. Reddy employed a large team of over 500 skilled artisans and has successfully introduced new product lines, such as accessories and menswear. However, Reddy is now at a crossroads. Should she scale her business by expanding into a pret line? Would this impact her label's luxury status, in addition to requiring a significant investment in setting up new operations? Other growth alternatives include developing further her menswear couture line, extending into kids wear, or entry into international markets--but considering how time- and resource-intensive it is to produce her handcrafted, couture pieces, would these extensions be too costly? And last, how would she remain relevant in a highly competitive industry that is driven by innovation and demand for responsible luxury?
