HYDERABAD: Most Hidesign faithfuls will easily remember their first bag from the Pondicherry-based brand… a no-fuss design, handcrafted, made from sturdy leather. You will possibly also find a few (bags) lurking in your attic, just a polish away from being utilitarian once again.
Dilip Kapur, president of the multi-million dollar company, agrees that it is these characteristics that embody what the 30-year-old brand is all about.
‘‘But it is not just about bags anymore,’’ says the laidback ‘Aurovillian’ who has also learnt to be proud of his Indian identity. ‘‘It is about the past, present and future. You should always go back to your heritage. The great brands in the world come with a lot of heritage.’’ Back to heritage Having tied up with the global luxury giant, Louis Vuitton, a couple of years ago (the latter is a minority investor and a ‘knowledge partner’ with Hidesign), Kapur is soaking up the details and strategies necessary to create an international brand that goes beyond bags.
It helps that the brand has had a global presence for more than 25 years – his bags and leather accessories are currently retailed out of 2,000 outlets, and 63 exclusive stores are located in India and overseas. At the new flag ship store that will be launched in July in Pondicherry, you can expect a celebration of the company’s past. ‘‘I want to bring the history of Hidesign back, with the oldest catalogues and designs and the first bags, like Toscana and Ace, in little boxes,’’ he says. A lounge has been designed on the top floor of the five-level design-oriented building, featuring fine international cuisine and drinks and a chocolatier as well. ‘‘It is more avant-garde than our other properties like Promenade and Le Dupleix,’’ explains Kapur, adding, ‘‘I want clients to feel very comfortable.’’ Pondicherry’s first beach resort Incidentally, Kapur is also involved in setting up his third hotel (after the modern Promenade and the heritage hotel, Le Dupleix). This one’s a beach resort in Pondicherry, on about 50 acres of land, and will be managed by the Indian Hotels Company – whose subsidiaries are collectively known as Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces.
Son Akash, 32, a Rhodes scholar, Harvard graduate and soon-to-be-published author, is helping with this, and the duo has already commissioned French architect designer, Jean Nuel. ‘‘It has six kilometers of beach, and is technically the first beach resort in Pondicherry,’’ says Kapur.
As for his second son, Vikas, 30, the lawyer who trained with Louis Vuitton will help Kapur with Hidesign’s international development by setting up base in Bangalore.
‘‘As the brand develops, we need to separate production from marketing,’’ says Kapur. It was his decision to move to Auroville from the US in 1977, preferring Pondicherry as his base, owing to his personal attachment to the place. ‘‘But it makes it harder to develop as an international model from Pondicherry,’’ Kapur is frank enough to admit. In the last year, brand Hidesign has become more focussed.
‘‘It is an international brand for a young professional, not an evening bag or a party bag’’ says Kapur, emphatically. His idea of the Hidesign woman is someone who is ‘‘very globally motivated and could be working in San Fransisco, London, Tokyo or New Delhi. She is ambitious and travels a lot for her career.’’ Holii confessions Which brings us to another concept from the Hidesign stable: Holii. Created with Future Group and launched three days ago at the Delhi airport, it is for the modern Indian woman. ‘‘As the Indian market is getting sophisticated, there is a large market for handbags.
Our women prefer to go indo-western and there is a strong cultural identity here,’’ says Kapur. Holii bags will have more of fabric than leather, and will therefore be priced 30 per cent lesser than Hidesign bags. ‘‘It is not a westerner’s idea of something ‘cool and edgy’ but it will be over the top and something our women will be proud of,’’ he adds.
Just back from the Global Department Store Summit in Moscow, attended by the leading names across the world, Kapur says that all brands are looking at an India-specific strategy. Holii is therefore a step in the right direction. Kapur is also in talks with leading Indian designers like Rohit Bal to create a separate luxury line. And in the near future, he hopes to revive a dream initiated a few years ago – footwear – thus coming full circle (Kapur’s father sold his shoe business in Lahore after partition before moving to Auroville). ‘‘If I do women’s footwear it has to be made in Italy, nowhere else,’’ says Kapur.
‘‘Perhaps the uppers will be made here.’’ On a recent trip to Milan, he met with their head design er, Alberto Ciaschini, to scout possibilities that are ‘‘still some way off.’’ Ciaschini also designs for Trussardi, and is an expert when it comes to shoes, so look out for something special when it does happen.
Meanwhile, if you do own a Toscano (one of the first bags made by Hidesign in 1978) do contact Kapur. ‘‘We’ve made hundreds of them but now we are hunting for the original bags for our flagship store in Pondicherry,’’ says Kapur.
