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India’s Reliance in talks for Prabal Gurung stake

Indian conglomerate, Reliance Retail, is said to be in talks to take a stake in American luxury fashion brand, Prabal Gurung.

SEE ALSO: Reliance launches its first in-house premium fashion store

According to local media reports, the retail giant, owned by parent Reliance Industries, could open brick-and-mortar stores for the label in India across its Jio World malls.

“Reliance Brands is adopting a flanking strategy, by partnering with fashion labels across ethnic wear, western wear, and wedding lines,” an anonymous executive close to the matter told the Economic Times. “The labels will straddle its physical stores and e-commerce platforms… These partnerships are being built to also feed aspirational demand from affluent Tier 2 markets.”

Reliance Brands and Prabal Gurung are yet to make an official statement on the matter.

It’s not the first fashion investment for Reliance Retail. The business has already recently entered strategic partnerships with Indian luxury brands Manish Malhotra and Anu Jani Sandeep Khosla.

A Nepalese American fashion designer, Prabal Gurung launched his namesake fashion line in 2009 at the New York Fashion Week. The womenswear designer is known for dressing celebrities such as Michelle Obama, Sarah Jessica Parker and Anne Hathaway.

The designer opened his first ever flagship store at 367 Bleecker Street in New York in late 2018.

SEE ALSO: India’s Reliance in talks for Sephora rights

In 2021, Prabal Gurung expanded into bridal wear with the launch of a 12-piece collection focused on sustainability and versatility, followed by a collection of home decor items designed in partnership with independent artisans from around the world, in collaboration with e-commerce marketplace Etsy.