Masaba Gupta eyes a bigger chunk of the beauty market

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ABFRL) last year, is set to expand the share of business under LoveChild By Masaba, her beauty line. Gupta, known for designing bold prints and fusion outfits, unveiled her beauty line in 2016-17 as a limited edition of lip colours in association with Hindustan Unilever Ltd’s Lakme brand. The designer-turned-actor also partnered beauty retailer Nykaa to sell lip colours, fragrances and nail paints.

Last year, she launched a fresh range of cosmetics under LoveChild; the designer also launched concealers, foundations and perfumes last month. “Apparel is currently the larger chunk of the business, with the split between apparel and beauty being 80:20. However, this could change slightly throughout the year, as the distribution for LoveChild is still very limited.

We currently only have offline retail at the House of Masaba stores. Of course, we plan to grow into kiosks in malls and to get into EBOs (Exclusive Brand Outlets) with retailers such as Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, and others," Gupta said in an interview. Gupta, who started her womenswear label at the age of 19, said the pandemic had a negative impact on businesses like hers, as temporary store closures and falling consumer sentiment eroded demand.

The fashion industry, especially for designers such as Gupta, whose collection hinges on weddings and festivities, was clearly in jeopardy. However, the pandemic also helped Gupta “future-proof" her brand and build a business that could withstand similar setbacks in the future. “It forced us to take a good hard look at all the things that we had been avoiding," she said.

During the pandemic, the designer closed four stores, but the store count has since been restored. Gupta currently has over 10 stores in India. In early