One of India’s most beloved jeanswear brands, Numero Uno dates back to the 80s when the brand began sourcing the fabric from Indian mills, designed and manufactured a range of world-class jeanswear, and unleashed a wonderful era of denim fashion in India. In fact, Numero Uno reigns as one of those very few names in India which can design, manufacture and market their own denim!

Exploring the legacy of this denim dream, PEAKLIFE gets in colloquy with Narinder Singh Dhingra, Chairman and Managing Director of Numero Uno Clothing Ltd, and dives into the brand’s visions, future plans, and sustainability:

1. Numero Uno has been quintessential in changing the denim outlook in Indian fashion. How has the journey been like for you?

The journey has been quite an experience! As a brand, we have earned a huge respect especially in the Indian fashion industry. Our brand dates its origins to the 1980s, when denim first made an appearance in the country’s new way of life. Inspired by these changing trends, the fashion-forward Indian youth desired a pair of jeans. However, very few multinational brands provided the same service and so we entered the market to provide our Indian customers a quality Denim experience.

With our popular assortment of jeanswear, we are now offering a truly vast and beautiful choice of casual wear. Shirts, tees, coats, belts, shoes, and purses come in a variety of hip and stylish colours, patterns, and designs. Furthermore our brand is one of the few brands in India that can design, manufacture, and market their own denim. So I would say that we indeed have come a long way! And our learning and innovation never stops.

2. What were some challenges you’ve had to face?

In the 1980s, the Indian bourgeois was on the rise, and the rural economy was steadily transitioning to industrialization. At the time, there were no banking or sewing machines for jeans. As a result, we began purchasing second-hand machines that had been imported as garbage and began producing jeans with them. This was quite challenging but our determination was strong. We would buy machines from foreign countries that would otherwise discard them as scrap. However, the Indian technicians were so skilled that we were able to repair the machines and reuse them for stitching denims. Another problem was establishing supply chains, and because the reach of retail was fairly limited, different marketing and advertising tactics were used to market and publicise the products.

3. What would you say is the USP of the brand?

Our brand has evolved into a contemporary and insightful label for the youth throughout the years. It now has the distinction of being one of the few strong brands that combines international trends, new fabrics, washes, treatments, and affordable pricing. The brand’s USP is international quality fashion at a reasonable price, and we position ourselves as the casualwear wardrobe solution provider. We are committed to quality, integrity, and fashion.

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4. Numero Uno is one of the only brands that design and manufacture their own denim. Can you take us a bit through that process? Where are these processes carried out in India?

Let me explain to you the process of how our denims are made. Design and product development are completed one season in advance, requiring extensive research and development. Studying international forecasts and trends in order to produce something that satisfies Indian tastes and preferences while remaining cost-effective is a difficult task. The denim is then put through a laborious procedure to achieve the correct fit. Cutting, sewing, and finishing are all part of the production process, which is accomplished with a perfect balance of high-tech technology and hand help. Laundry and drying are at the heart of the manufacturing process. Denim takes on its actual shape and character through methods such as laser patterning, hand scraping, ozone bleaching, and so on. Our brand’s ever-increasing market domination is backed by its cutting-edge production facility in Dehradun We as a brand are focused on quality, innovation, and value for money, we are rapidly expanding and are already present in over 200 exclusive brand stores, more than 700 multi-brand outlets, and several big format stores around the country.

5. What are your thoughts on sustainability in the fashion industry, especially where denim is concerned?

According to my experience, a pair of jeans requires 70 litres of water to complete the washing and finishing process, but we have managed to drastically reduce water and chemical consumption by using one glass of water to create one pair of jeans through its new sustainable process and improved technology. We chose this technology as a response to today’s environmental challenges, ushering in a new age in the business in which environmental protection and worker well-being are paramount. We believe that we can manufacture fashionable denim while also protecting our natural resources. This collection is essentially an endeavour aimed at reducing the negative environmental impact of industrial wash techniques used in the production of jeans. Water has been replaced by laser technology and enzymes. Water is also recycled. We currently utilise only 5% of the total water that we did a decade or two ago. We have also reduced physical sampling in favour of digital catalogues and have collaborated with washing technologists in order to save water.

6. What are some future plans or visions for Numero Uno in the post-pandemic, new normal of fashion?

Customers have become more value-conscious in the post-covid era. In their purchases, they strive for comfort, versatility, and durability. I’m anticipating retail sales to come up soon. The bulk of people have been stuck at home with nowhere to go, but as we get closer to a sense of normalcy, it’s realistic to expect that more people will want to buy again, whether for themselves or for people they haven’t seen in months. So we are looking to expand our retail outlets more and we are also giving a lot of attention to social media and other online selling channels. Because lets be honest, the future is digital!

7. Lastly, any word of advice for budding fashion entrepreneurs?

Don’t fear experimentation in doing a collection however remember, what sells becomes fashionable so be real and think of the environment we live in.