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With high designs on luxury - Hindu Business Line

As it goes up the value chain leather brand Hidesign exudes confidence about its high-end customers.

One half of the factory of leather goods brand Hidesign in sun-soaked Puducherry looks pretty much like a forest. You make your way through tall grass on a brick-laid path beside cool lotus ponds, across a small bridge on a snaking rivulet, out of which you almost expect a croc to come lunging at your feet. The scores of trees, the thick vegetation and buzz of crickets make you forget you're in an industrial zone as you head for the cottage in a far corner where founder and President Dilip Kapur meets visitors over a sumptuous home-made lunch.

Cyclone Thane, which devastated much of the Union Territory's vegetation in December, didn't spare Hidesign's factory either where many misshapen trunks of grand old trees stand, testimony to the force of wind speeds which touched 140 kph.

The cyclone is now a bad memory, but Hidesign's Kapur is prepared to ride the winds to grow the company even faster. While the leather goods brand has been growing at 20-30 per cent in the past few years, Kapur wants to pitchfork Hidesign to the plane of a luxury brand.

In a month, the Rs 120-crore Hidesign expects to be on that path when it launches a range of hand-crafted luxury wallets, clutches and handbags by Milanese designer Alberto Ciaschini. Ciaschini, who has been associated with Hidesign since 2004, will fuse Swarovski crystals and the Hidesign expertise to launch the range. Ask Kapur about Hidesign's brand journey and why this iconic brand itself cannot be leveraged as a luxury brand, he is thoughtful. “We had some debate - if we were going to upgrade the Hidesign brand with an average selling price of Rs 4,000, would customers see value in a product (under the same brand) which will sell at five times as much. We needed a differentiator,” he explains.

With Alberto Ciaschini, which will soon be unveiled in 20 top Hidesign stores across the metros, the brand will take a leap in terms of the leather used, the designs and the colours. The price will start at Rs 10,000 and go on up to Rs 25,000 for handbags and will be introduced in 18 styles. The brand, which will take up a portion of these stores, will have the legend, ‘handcrafted by Hidesign' (and while Ciaschini can have his name, the brand vests with Hidesign). “It fulfils the need for a contemporary design and status for the Hidesign brand,” emphasises Kapur.

Eventually, the plan is to take the luxury brand to multi-designer luxury stores and exclusive branded stores. The brand expects to rake in Rs 8 crore in the first year. “We expect Alberto to do wonders for brand Hidesign; the margins will be better, even though the risks are also greater,” adds Kapur.

A senior executive of a top brand-led consumer goods company says this is a good move as most luxury goods connote Europe. “For watches it's Swiss, perfumes it's French and so on, and leather is definitely an ‘Italian job', so an Italian-sounding brand can make a connect.” While there's a huge gap between high-end luxury brands and premium brands such as a Hidesign, “through the introduction of this label, we plan to bridge that gap”, adds Kapur.

In the past decade, Hidesign has had a makeover in every sense. An export brand earlier, today it sells 65 per cent in the Indian market. Exports too have been flat. From being a decidedly male brand known for its office satchels, today 50 per cent of buyers are women.

Kapur says he's often asked why he didn't have a lower-priced brand than Hidesign. While it chose not to, the leather goods maker is looking for growth elsewhere. Its tie-up with the Future group for the Holii brand of ladies' handbags few years ago has worked out well, he says. The brand grew 60 per cent last year and is now a Rs 20-crore one.

Now the trick is to leverage the brand to accessories. Sunglasses, priced in the Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 range, will be in its stores later this year. “We want to make the experience more interesting for the customer and also get them to spend more money in our stores,” says Kapur.

A range of fashion pens and scarves are on the cards and even footwear, eventually, for which it is working with a German company in the leather belt of Ambur. “Something we have to keep telling our designers in Europe is that the mean age of the customer in India is 25 while in the West it would be more like 41 to 42 years,” emphasises Kapur.

Brand Manager Dipen Desai says that is a constant challenge, connecting with young customers. Facebook is the medium it uses to interact with customers on new offerings and he says there are over 55,000 active ‘fans' on Facebook for the brand which allows it do a lot of online promotions. Online is still a small proportion of sales but grew more than three times to Rs 45 lakh last year.

It's important too for Hidesign to keep tabs on changing trends. Showing an exquisite leather iPad case, Desai says the ‘device' landscape is changing at a rapid pace. “All the office stuff you carry, everything has become smaller, from mobiles, laptops to cameras, so our bags too have been getting smaller and lighter.”

Asked if the trend of well-groomed and suited men heading off to work with a backpack in tow, accepted in the workplace, is affecting sale of leather office bags, Desai says those who love the feel of leather will stick to it.

Hidesign, he says, does have a range of backpacks priced between Rs 6,000 and Rs 7,000, but leather being an inherently heavier material than nylon the market is limited by that. “But, we have been making our bags lighter and smaller,” he's quick to add.

Competition is there in pockets, from brands such as Baggit in the West, Calonge in the south, Da Milano in the north, but the biggest threat is from the unorganised sector, especially cheap Chinese imports.

Kapur says several PE funds have been beating a path to Hidesign's door to invest but he's happy ploughing back profits to grow. Luxury brand Louis Vuitton has a 5 per cent stake in Hidesign and it will have the right of first refusal if he wants to bring in any new investor, he says. “For LV, it's a stake in a company in a fast-growing market, and we've benefited from LV's advice on building a luxury brand,” says Kapur, pointing out that the company was valued at Rs 300 crore a few years ago when the stake sale happened.

The executive, quoted earlier, a huge admirer of the Hidesign brand, says the imagery Hidesign conjures may appeal to an older audience and Hidesign needs to give itself a young touch. The trend of office-goers abandoning briefcases and leather bags for backpacks too is a threat, he points out. “The brand has had some excellent print campaigns but all the top luxury brands use television to reinforce the message; those stories are missing from Hidesign,” he adds.

Kapur is confident that Hidesign is accepted in the circles that matter.

Vouched for by the fact that The Economist bought 12,000 bags to gift to new subscribers. Or, that all the delegates of the recent BRICS conference in New Delhi, including the wives of four heads of state, were gifted Hidesign bags! A brand can't bag weightier endorsements than that.

Many facets to the business

Hidesign's Dilip Kapur is an astute businessman who has diversified away from his primary love of product design.

He runs two boutique hotels in Puducherry, Promenade and Duplex, which, he says, have seen flat growth the past year.

He's collaborated with the Taj group for a beach resort 25 km from town on the highway to Chennai which Taj will manage. His wife, Jacqueline, runs her own store, the 12,000 sq. ft. Casablanca, in the main shopping area of town, the bustling Nehru street, and together with Hidesign's flagship store has seen a 12 per cent growth.

Brand Ayesha, named after his daughter, has grown the fashion jewellery and accessories business almost 100 per cent to Rs 8 crore.

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Time magazine's top fashion designer - London Free Press

Time magazine's top fashion designer | Fashion | Life | London Free Press Canoe.ca News On Canoe.ca Home Autonet Blogs Classifieds C-Health CNEWS Crosswords Home & Garden Horoscopes Jam! Showbiz Jobboom Lifewise Lotteries Money Movie Listings Newsletters Newspapers Partners Scoreboard Shopping Slam! Sports Sun TV Technology Travel TV Listings Video Weather Canoe.ca en fran?ais London Free PressAutosCareersClassifiedsHomesObituariesHomeNewsroomNew HomesObituariesIn 5 MinutesN.I.E.EventsVirtual FlyersSpecial SectionsFrugal FridaysWeekend Open HousesNewsLondon and RegionRafferty TrialWhat's London?TwitterIn 5 minutesCanadaWorldColumnistsWeirdSportsAutosBaseballBasketballColumnistsCurlingFootballGolfHigh SchoolHockeyH.S. BasketballKnightsMustangsOther SportsSoccerScoreboardEntertainmentEvents TwitterOscarsBooksCelebritiesColumnistsDVDEventsMoviesMusicStageTV ListingsTVVideo GamesVideosTechNewsGamesColumnistsCommentEditorialColumnistsLettersReader to ReaderListen upCartoonsColumnistsNewsSportsEntertainmentLifeHolidaysEatDiscoveryFashionGreen PlanetHealth & FitnessSex FilesTravelHot ShotsMoneyBusiness MondayEnterpriseHot JobsCareersColumnistsHomesNewsGardeningHome SellerLondon and Area Open HousesNew Homes ShowcaseAuto SellerBlogsPhotosArchiveContestsThursday, April 19, 2012Email AlertsMobile SiteRSS FeedsSubscriber Services Join our research panel!Life FashionTime magazine's top fashion designerLast Updated: April 19, 2012 6:00am

A look at some of the designers and labels that had a major influence on fashion, according to Time magazine's Fashion Icon list.Valentino
Known for: Glamourous Italian couture by designer Valentino Garavani, who was embraced by socialites and stars in the '60s, for whom he created gowns in his famous "Valentino red".
(Flashpoint/WENN.com)Tiffany & Co.
Known for: Pristine jewelry and silverware.
(WENN.com)Yves Saint Laurent
Known for: Dominating the '60s fashion market and introducing black models on the runway.
(WENN.com)Sara Blakely
Known for: Popularizing shapewear by designing Spanx, worn by celebrities and women the world over.
(Flashpoint/WENN.com)Victoria's Secret
Known for: Creating built-in fillers that add cup sizes in "Miracle" bras and worldwide lingerie campaigns featuring "Angel" models.
(C.M. Wiggins/WENN.com)Miuccia Prada
Known for: Re-inventing her family's label by introducing waterproof bags and then shoes and streamlined luxury sportswear in the '80s.
(AFP PHOTO/OLIVIER MORIN)Mary Quant
Known for: Pioneering the mini skirt in '60s swinging London.
(ITN/WENN.com)Louis Vuitton
Known for: Luxury leather goods, trunks, bags, shoes and watches with it's familiar "LV" monogram.
(Z. Tomaszewski/WENN.com)Karl Lagerfeld
Known for: His incredible range and depth of talent, having worked as a freelance designer for the world's top fashion houses before taking the helm at Chanel in 1983.
(Eva Napp/WENN.com)Givenchy
Known for: A worldwide brand of cosmetics, clothing and perfume as well as its lady-like, modern clothes for women which played with silhouettes under the design of former head Hubert de Givenchy.
(Mr. Blue/WENN.com)Christian Dior
Known for: Luxury, elitist fashion for women with feminine silhouettes of corseted waists and full skirts. (Daniel Deme/WENN.com)Coco Chanel
Known for: Pioneering the use of jersey knit, creating a "poor chic" style, popularizing women's slacks, using masculine cuts and founding one of the world's most esteemed brands. (WENN.com)Jacques Cartier
Known for: Sourcing unique pearls and jewels from India to create singular jewelry and becoming known worldwide as the "King of Jewelry" before his death in 1942.
(Drew Altizer/WENN.com)Azzedine Alaia
Known for: Using new materials in womenswear in the '80s and mixing textiles (like leather and lace) in creating sexy silhouettes.
(WENN.com)Alexander McQueen
Known for: Theatrical corseted gowns, nods to traditional UK textiles, dramatic runway shows and expert couturier tailoring.
(Daniel Deme/WENN.com)Pierre Cardin
Known for: Embracing modernity and space age style in the '50s, Cardin was Christian Dior's prot?g? before opening his own house and introducing the bubble dress in 1954.
(Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com)Marc Jacobs
Known for: A "grunge" collection in 1992 that was both ahead of it's time and a huge failure: it lead to his dismissal from Perry Ellis. Jacobs went on to make military jackets cool in the '90s and help turn Louis Vuitton into a mega-brand, having created its first ready-to-wear collection.
(Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com)Calvin Klein
Known for: Especially successful denim and fragrance lines, thanks to provocative advertising in the '80s - who can forget the Brooke Shields ad? - and '90s, which featured child-like waifish model Kate Moss.
(Andres Otero/WENN.com)Vivienne Westwood
Known for: Popularizing punk fashion in the '70s and incorporating fetishism and 18th century courtesan elements to her theatrical pieces.
(WENN.com)Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen
Known for: Using their fame as child stars as a jumping off point to launch youth clothing lines and then high-end labels The Row and Elizabeth & James, both of which have won praise among fashion editors and stylists. Mary-Kate has also been named an icon for her Bohemian mode (sometimes also called "bag lady" style).
(Mr. Blue/WENN.com)Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce
Known for: The Dolce&Gabbana line, with a luxury hippie aesthetic and low-neck animal print dresses.
(WENN.com)Christian Louboutin
Known for: Sky-high, high-end, red-soled heels, which have been especially popular on red carpets in the last 10 years.
(Flashpoint/WENN.com)Tom Ford
Known for: Bringing glamour back into Gucci and basically turning the fashion house around in the '90s.
(WENN.com)Giorgio Armani
Known for: Perfectly tailored suits - worn by many of the world's most recognizable men - and for creating designs for over 100 films, including "The Untouchables".
(WENN.com)Jean Paul Gaultier
Known for: Haute couture, especially corsets and cone-breasted gowns, playing with gender roles, using unconventional models, and his mega-successful men's a women's perfumes.
(Andres Otero/WENN.com)Vera Wang
Known for: Creating bridesmaid, formal, and bridal gowns for some of the world's most beautiful and well-known women, including Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Victoria Beckham, Chelsea Clinton and Jennifer Lopez.
(Daniel Tanner/WENN.com)John Galliano
Known for: Creating exuberant couture and his time as head designer at Christian Dior from 1996 to 2011, before getting fired after a video of the designer spouting a racist rant went viral.
(Lia Toby/WENN.com)Philip Treacy (seen with Milla Jovovich)
Known for: Creating fascinators worn by Queen Elizabeth, well-heeled Brits, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and many attendees of her 2011 wedding.
(Oliver Walterscheid/WENN.com)Ralph Lauren
Known for: Creating the American high-end casual brand Polo Ralph Lauren.
(Jeffrey Clark Grossman/WENN.com)Manolo Blahnik
Known for: Creating high-end women's shoes, much loved by "Sex And The City" character Carrie Bradshaw.
(Olga Bermejo/WENN.com)Diane Von Furstenberg
Known for: Making the jersey wrap dress popular in the '70s.
(C.Smith/WENN.com)Previous PhotoToggle PlaybackNext Photo?second delay3571015Buy This Photo from Sun Media.articleControls.thin { height:80px; }.articleControls.thin .share div { text-align:center; }.articleControls.thin .share span { display:block; } AdsDream It. Win ItWomen’s Health LondonPersonal Training LondonHotel, Inn, Weddings, SpaAs Advertised in The London Free PressEventsRetailFood & EntertainmentAutomotiveHomesHealthTravelMiscellaneousView All Advertisers NewsLondonCanadaWorldFeds to close Kingston Pen: ReportsHorwath backs off heat to push tax hikeWarmth brings butterfly invasionCommentColumnistsLettersEditorialJudiciary need checking on prostitution ruling Afghan war mirrors Vietnam There's a line for religion in public arena ColumnistsNewsSportsEntertainmentCasual hookup creates casualtiesMuseum offers snapshot of illustratorsRangers hard to bet againstSportsHockeyFootballGasoline bomb raises Bahrain GP fearsRough 'and rewarding' path for BLG nominee BeukeboomBLG nominee Quinlan hoping for shot at CFLEntertainmentMoviesTVMusicBollywood actress beheadedRihanna in new photo scandalMen at Work star found deadLifeEatGreen PlanetPainkillers recalled over child hazardCancer breakthrough allows doctors to forecast treatment successTime magazine's top fashion designerContestsAll Contests

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Pitchers' duel ends in Pioneer loss - Leavenworth Times

For the better part of two hours Tuesday, the Leavenworth baseball team played neck-and-neck with one of the premier teams in the state.

Pioneer starting pitcher Billy Harrah threw a gem of a game, allowing three runs in seven innings while holding a highly-potent Lawrence lineup scoreless over the final four frames. Yet despite the hurler’s performance, Leavenworth still trailed 3-2 heading into the seventh and final inning.

Quickly there came hope though. James Gladiuex laced a one-out double into the centerfield gap and ended up at second base with the meat of the Pioneer lineup to follow.

However, even with the tying run two bags away and its best hitters at the plate, Leavenworth could not produce the go-ahead hit and the boys in blue suffered a 3-2 heartbreaking loss.

“I’ll tell you, it’s tough to play your best game of the year and lose,” LV coach Joe Allison said. “When you play a 162 games, a game like that won’t hurt as bad, but when you play 20 something it’s tough to swallow. At the same time, I was more impressed how we got down early and battled back.”

The game did not begin in the fashion it would end. Lawrence scored the opening two runs in the top of the first, but Leavenworth answered in the bottom of the frame with a score of its one.

Eli Keppler registered the run after walking and moving to second on a fielder’s choice. Michael Baillergeon then struck an infield single and the corresponding throw to first rolled away from the covering pitcher, allowing Keppler to easily cross home plate.

Following a scoreless second for Lawrence, the Pioneers tied the game when Sam Miller doubled and Gladiuex slammed a RBI single to centerfield moments later to force him home. The Lions retaliated with a run in the top of the third to retake a 3-2 lead, but from there the game entered the pitching duel it ultimately would be defined by.

Each team’s starter tossed four straight scoreless innings, Harrah’s final pitch inducing a bases-loaded, two-out pop fly to end the top of the seventh. The out got the Pioneer pitcher out of a jam and kept the score 3-2 heading into the final frame.

“I’ll tell you what, Billy did great,” Allison said. “We needed to see that out of Billy and it’s very reassuring. He let their three, four hitters get to him early but from there he shut them all down.”

For the better part of two hours Tuesday, the Leavenworth baseball team played neck-and-neck with one of the premier teams in the state.

Pioneer starting pitcher Billy Harrah threw a gem of a game, allowing three runs in seven innings while holding a highly-potent Lawrence lineup scoreless over the final four frames. Yet despite the hurler’s performance, Leavenworth still trailed 3-2 heading into the seventh and final inning.

Quickly there came hope though. James Gladiuex laced a one-out double into the centerfield gap and ended up at second base with the meat of the Pioneer lineup to follow.

However, even with the tying run two bags away and its best hitters at the plate, Leavenworth could not produce the go-ahead hit and the boys in blue suffered a 3-2 heartbreaking loss.

“I’ll tell you, it’s tough to play your best game of the year and lose,” LV coach Joe Allison said. “When you play a 162 games, a game like that won’t hurt as bad, but when you play 20 something it’s tough to swallow. At the same time, I was more impressed how we got down early and battled back.”

The game did not begin in the fashion it would end. Lawrence scored the opening two runs in the top of the first, but Leavenworth answered in the bottom of the frame with a score of its one.

Eli Keppler registered the run after walking and moving to second on a fielder’s choice. Michael Baillergeon then struck an infield single and the corresponding throw to first rolled away from the covering pitcher, allowing Keppler to easily cross home plate.

Following a scoreless second for Lawrence, the Pioneers tied the game when Sam Miller doubled and Gladiuex slammed a RBI single to centerfield moments later to force him home. The Lions retaliated with a run in the top of the third to retake a 3-2 lead, but from there the game entered the pitching duel it ultimately would be defined by.

Each team’s starter tossed four straight scoreless innings, Harrah’s final pitch inducing a bases-loaded, two-out pop fly to end the top of the seventh. The out got the Pioneer pitcher out of a jam and kept the score 3-2 heading into the final frame.

“I’ll tell you what, Billy did great,” Allison said. “We needed to see that out of Billy and it’s very reassuring. He let their three, four hitters get to him early but from there he shut them all down.”

After a lead-off groundout, Gladiuex smacked the one-out double into the hole between center and right field. But then Keppler struck out and Judson Cole popped out on the infield to close out the one-run loss.

“The middle of our lineup didn’t come through today and they are going to have to, that’s the reality of baseball,” Allison said. “They will be the first to tell you that and I can guarantee that in the future, if they get back in that position, they will come through on top. They want that responsibility.”

Keppler finished the game with a walk, a single and one run scored while Gladiuex had a double, a single and a RBI. Sam Miller chipped in a double while Baillergeon contributed a RBI single and a walk.

“We stayed in the game against a really tough opponent,” the LV coach said. “If anything, I’m extremely motivated going into the next three weeks because of how we played. It hurts to lose, but it sure was a fun game.”

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