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Business Standard
01-08-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Highlander & Tokyo Talkies Enter Middle East with 3 Flagship UAE Stores
VMPL Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], August 1: After making a strong mark on India's fashion landscape, Highlander and Tokyo Talkies, two of India's fastest-growing fashion brands, have officially entered the Middle East through a strategic partnership with Rapheal Lifestyle. As part of this expansion, the brands launched three flagship stores on a single day--July 30, 2025--across the UAE. The stores are located at BurJuman Mall (Dubai), Sahara Centre (Sharjah), and Mega Mall (Sharjah). Indian cricketer Sanju Samson inaugurated the launch, marking a high-impact entry into the GCC market. The store at Sahara Centre spans 9,000 sq. ft, while the other two locations cover 5,000 sq. ft each. These stores aim to offer fashion-forward consumers a bold, trend-driven retail experience featuring affordable, youth-centric fashion with an Indian edge. This global foray marks a major milestone for Brand Studio Lifestyle, the parent company of Highlander and Tokyo Talkies. The collaboration with Rapheal Lifestyle extends beyond physical retail--it paves the way for deeper market penetration across the Middle East via multi-format distribution. The company has already announced plans to open seven more stores by March 2026 as part of its broader omnichannel expansion strategy. "This is a defining chapter in our journey," said Shyam S Prasad, Co-Founder & CEO of Brand Studio Lifestyle. "With our entry into the Middle East, we are exporting a bold, confident Indian fashion identity to the world. We're among the pioneers of Indian fast fashion going global with this mega launch and hope to pave the way for other homegrown brands looking to scale internationally." He added, "The Middle East fast fashion market is poised for tremendous growth--from a projected $68.07 billion in 2024 to $84.56 billion by 2025--driven by a young, style-conscious population, rising disposable incomes, and an accelerating shift toward e-commerce." This international debut comes on the back of a robust offline retail expansion in India, where the company has opened 37 stores in the last nine months. It aims to grow this network to 75 stores across India by March 2026. Parallelly, the brands plan to expand via 600 Shop-in-Shop (SIS) formats across Large Format Stores (LFS) and Multi-Brand Outlets (MBOs). In line with changing consumer behaviour, Highlander and Tokyo Talkies are also preparing to roll out a phygital retail experience--blending offline retail with online personalisation. The brands are already accessible on leading marketplaces and quick commerce platforms, reinforcing their commitment to making trend-first fashion both accessible and experiential.
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
From D2C to Dubai: Brand Studio Lifestyle launches in UAE, plans 38 more stores in India
Brand Studio Lifestyle , which houses five brands - Tokyo Talkies, Highlander, Vishudh, Ketch, and Locomotive - is entering the international market by opening three stores in the Middle East - one in Dubai and two in Sharjah, Shyam S Prasad, Co-Founder & CEO of Brand Studio Lifestyle, told ETRetail. It has entered the Middle East market through a strategic collaboration with Raphael Lifestyle. "The collaboration with Raphael Lifestyle goes beyond retail presence . It sets the stage for deeper market penetration and opens doors to multi-format distribution channels across the Middle East," he asserted. "By this fiscal year's end, we plan to open seven more stores in the Middle East. As far as ROI is concerned, it will take at least six months from the time of opening the stores," he further added. The store at BurJuman Mall in Dubai, and at Mega Mall, Sharjah spans across 5,000 whereas the one in Sahara Centre, Sharjah spans across 9,000 Brand Studio Lifestyle, which already operates 37 stores in India, plans to expand its presence further by opening an additional 38 stores by the end of this fiscal year. The company, which has store sizes spanning from 5,000 to 6000 follows the COCO and COFO models. Currently, it operates 4 COCO stores and 33 COFO stores. "Currently, we have a presence in Gujarat, Maharashtra, UP, Karnataka, AP, and Delhi, and by this fiscal year's end, we are planning to expand our presence in MP, WB, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana. "Apart from this, we aim to expand the retail presence further by opening shop-in-shops across 600 points of sale through LFS and MBOs," he further added. Currently, 60 per cent of the revenue of the company comes from e-commerce, 25 per cent from offline, 8 per cent from its D2C channel, and the remaining 7 per cent is contributed by other channels like distribution. This fiscal year, it plans to invest Rs 25 crore towards store expansion and marketing. Brand Studio Lifestyle, which closed the last fiscal year with Rs 1,200 crore in GMV, is planning to close this fiscal year with Rs 1,300 crore in GMV.
