Mumbai, Ed-a-Mamma, founded by Alia Bhatt in 2020 as an apparel brand for 2–12 year-olds, resonated deeply with both young parents and children through its emphasis on natural fabrics and nature themes, says Reliance Retail.
RRVL will own the majority stake in the newly announced joint venture. The move shows RRVL’s big step to promote conscious fashion. Ed-a-Mamma is planning to add personal care and baby furniture to its portfolio.
Reliance Industries-owned Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) on Wednesday announced a joint venture with Alia Bhatt-owned conscious clothing brand Ed-a-mamma. RRVL will own the majority stake of 51% as it plans to expand and grow the kids and maternity-wear brand in all aspects, it said.
The company said in a release that it will work closely with Bhatt, the founder of Ed-a-Mamma and a famous Bollywood actress, and spearhead the business with the help of the strong management of its Reliance Brands Limited subsidiary.
The move also marks a significant step by RRVL to promote conscious fashion for the young generation, the company said.
Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt founded Ed-a-Mamma as a kids clothing brand in 2020 with fashionable options available for kids from 2 to 12 years of age. The brand’s focus on natural fabrics and nature-themed cloths resonated deeply with the young parents. The brand quickly moved from just an online business to having a physical presence in various stores.
The brand expanded to maternity clothing last year which also coincided with the pregnancy of its founder. After that the brand also started offering clothes for infants and toddlers, further expanding its portfolio.
Ed-a-Mamma continues to gain popularity due to its unconventional methods like not using plastic buttons or repurposing waste fabric for hair-ties.
RRVL Director, Isha Ambani, also commented on the new venture by saying that she always admired brands with a strong purpose like Ed-a-Mamma and its funder Alia Bhatt.
“At Reliance, we have always admired brands that lead with a strong purpose and embody a unique design ethos exemplified perfectly by Ed-a-Mamma and its founder Alia Bhatt. With sustainability as its core proposition the brand has garnered acclaim for its meticulous attention to detail, using ethically sourced materials and eco-conscious production processes. This aligns seamlessly with Reliance Brands’ vision of fostering a more responsible future for the fashion industry,” Isha Ambani said.
“Alia’s daughter and my twins are two weeks apart and we pretty much went through our pregnancies at the same time coincidentally wearing Ed-a-Mamma maternity, and now dressing our children in Ed-a-Mamma kidswear, which they love! So, this is special – The product, brand and the partnership are especially close to my heart,” she added.
Alia Bhatt also commented on her new partnership with one of the biggest retail conglomerates by saying that Reliance can strengthen her brand further with their robust supply chain and marketing.
“Isha and I found a wavelength as two new moms discussing what mothers want. I told her what we were already doing at Ed-a-Mamma and how there’s scope to do so much more. She said Reliance can bring strengths in everything from supply chain to retail to marketing. With this joint venture, we look forward to taking Ed- a-Mamma to many more kids and parents and continuing to inspire a love for nature through everything we do,” Bhatt said.
With this partnership, Ed-a-Mamma will look to expand in new areas like personal care and baby furniture. Apart from that the brand is also planning to launch children’s story books and an animated series to attract new customers and kids.
RRVL reported a consolidated turnover of Rs 2.6 lakh crore and net profit of Rs 9,181 crore for the year ended March 31, 2023.
RBL is a subsidiary of Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd and began operations in 2007 with a mandate to launch and build global brands in luxury to premium segments across fashion and lifestyle. Its current portfolio of brand partnerships comprises Armani Exchange, Bally, Bottega Veneta, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Canali, Coach, Diesel, Dune, EA7, Emporio Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna, G-Star Raw, Gas, Giorgio Armani, Hamleys, Hugo Boss, Hunkemoller, Iconix, Jimmy Choo, Kate Spade, La Martina, Lenscrafters, Manish Malhotra, Michael Kors, Mothercare, Muji, Paul & Shark, Paul Smith, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pret A Manger, Raghavendra Rathore, Replay, Salvatore Ferragamo, Satya Paul, Steve Madden, Superdry, Scotch & Soda, Tiffany & Co., Tod’s, Tory Burch, Tumi, Valentino, Versace, Villeroy & Boch, and West Elm. RBL today operates 2,169 doors split into 905 stores and 1,264 shop-in-shops in India. In the past five years, RBL has also invested in building and operating homegrown designer brands besides acquiring the iconic British toy retailer Hamleys. Globally, Hamleys has 174 doors across 15 countries.
