065 - Fashioning possibilities from dance, digital and denim with Piyush Chowhan

In this episode we are joined by Piyush Chowhan who is the Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer for Arvind Lifestyle Brands, which operates more than a thousand apparel retail stores across India. Piyush has extensive experience in retail strategy, business analytics, customer loyalty and CRM, retail business consulting and supply chain management.

What was covered

• How technology is rapidly changing the apparel retail industry and how Arvind implements innovation to help to keep up the pace with changing consumer behavior
• The digital transformation happening in retail as brands look to move from simply selling a fashion product to offering the customer a fashion experience
• How the next generation of employees in India is leading the change towards a more open, communicative, and grassroots innovation process

Key Takeaways and Learnings

• The concept of ‘jugaad’, an Indian term that is used in a number of situations, including the application of frugal innovation and carving a path for yourself
•  How a focus on design-led innovation and a marketing shift towards online influencers is helping to Indian brands to reach a global audience in the rapidly and massively changing apparel retail industry
• Piyush’s observations of the key differences within Indian based organizations compared to the US and Europe, including structural and management differences, and innovative processes

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episde

• Get in touch with Piyush Chowhan via LinkedIn or Twitter
• Arvind Brands, website
• Other mentions: Walmart, Target, Circuit City, Tesco, Best Buy
• Dual Transformation, a book by Scott Anthony
• The Culture Map, a book by Aaron Meyer
• The Innovation Ecosystem Podcast Episode 063 - When Big And Small Make Great with Brad Feld
• The Innovation Ecosystem Podcast Episode 060 - Technonomics and Why My Profits Might Just Disappear with John Straw
• The Innovation Ecosystem Podcast Episode 035 - Mind+Machine Strategies That Enable Corporations to Develop New Innovation Capabilities with Marc Vollenweider