India's organised women's bottom wear market is estimated at ₹10,000-12,000 crore, leaving a substantial opportunity in a category where the unorganised market still accounts for the larger share. The potential has drawn established apparel retailers and newer players into the segment, with brands expanding their bottom wear offerings to meet consumer demand.
For Go Colors, a brand built around women's bottom wear, the opportunity is not just to capture a larger share of the market but to change how consumers see it. “Eight out of ten still believes Go Colors are just selling leggings,” says Vatsal Koolwal, Chief Marketing Officer, Go Colors.
In a conversation with IMPACT Magazine, Koolwal expressed how the 16-year-old brand has built strong offline and online penetration. But its long standing association with leggings has remained dominant even as other bottom wear categories, today contribute more to its business. Koolwal wants consumers to recognise the breadth of its portfolio, “We wanted our consumers to recognise that Go Colors is more than just leggings. We offer a wide range of bottom wear, with comfort at the core, designed as everyday essentials for every occasion.”
The effort to broaden this perception comes with a natural focus on younger consumers. Go Colors wants to make the brand more relatable to those aged 20-25, while retaining the equity it has built among its existing customer base. This is where its appointment of Shraddha Kapoor as its first-ever brand ambassador fits into the strategy.
However this isn’t the first time. The brand had earlier partnered with Prajakta Koli for its MostlySane collection, bringing her personal style and appeal among younger audiences into the product line. But, Koolwal is clear to state that the two partnerships serve different purposes. While Koli's collaboration brought a Gen Z sensibility to a specific collection, Kapoor offers the reach needed for a wider brand repositioning. “When you're doing a full-scale brand repositioning, you need that stage, that reach, and that's where Shraddha comes in,” Koolwal says. The MostlySane collection, he adds, performed well at launch and ran out of stock. New styles were introduced earlier this year, with the brand continuing to explore collaborations that connect with younger audiences.
The larger brand promise is then captured in Go Colors' campaign, ‘Life Moves In Your Comfort Zone’. The film starring Shradha Kapoor, is based on consumer research conducted by the brand, in which more than 84% of respondents ranked comfort and fit as their top priority when buying bottom wear. For Koolwal, the insight connects a functional product requirement with the confidence women carry into their everyday lives.
The campaign is also backed by the brand's approach to product design. Koolwal points to the role of fabric, treatment, stitching and proportions in determining how a garment performs across different conditions. “The same pair of pants won’t work in the summers of Chennai and Delhi. These are two very different use cases, with very different consumer needs.” he affirms.
He adds that the design has to hold up through a full day of wear. ““The stitching is designed to ensure that the garment remains comfortable even after four to five hours of wear. If you sit for long hours, it should neither dig into the crotch area nor develop creases.” For Go Colors, the campaign is an attempt to connect this product understanding with a proposition consumers can relate to beyond a particular style or occasion.
The marketing approach for Koolwal, largely remains digital-first. More than 65 per cent of customers discover what they want to wear through online content. The brand spends around 2.5-3 per cent of its revenue on marketing, with most of that investment directed towards digital. “Influencer marketing is one of the most important areas,” he adds, explaining how creators help consumers discover products and understand styling.
Online discovery, however, has not replaced the role of physical retail. More than 80 per cent of Go Colors' surveyed customers still prefer shopping offline, with fit and quality among the top reasons. Consumers want to feel and try products before buying. The brand, hence has more than 750 stores across India and is available through its website, major marketplaces and quick-commerce platforms such as Blinkit and Zepto. E-commerce remains a growth opportunity for the brand. Koolwal says revenue from the brand's own website and app has doubled over the past couple of years. Online currently contributes around 4 per cent of the business, a share Go Colors expects to reach 10 per cent over the next few years.
Go Colors has found that younger shoppers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets share similar fashion preferences with metro consumers. Koolwal attributes this to the brand’s mass-premium positioning and price points, which resonate across markets, allowing it to maintain consistent communication throughout.
The brand is also expanding into women's top wear and menswear through larger flagship stores, with around 12 outlets across multiple cities. However, Koolwal acknowledges the risk of diluting Go Colors' established identity as a women's bottom wear specialist if the expansion is communicated too aggressively. The brand is therefore taking cautious steps, studying consumer feedback and product-market fit before scaling these categories further.
For Go Colors, the next phase of growth will depend on how well it expands its portfolios. The opportunity is substantial, but so is the task of changing a perception built over 16 years. With competition intensifying, Koolwal says the focus remains on strengthening internal processes. “You can't control what's happening outside. You have to win despite challenges. We will continue listening to our customers, giving them what they need, identify areas of improvement and work towards them,” he concludes.
