Sandeep Fotedar
Manager- National Retail Operations Holii
India has immense potential in the luxury market
Future Group is in a 50:50 joint venture deal with the promoters of Hidesign, a luxury leather goods maker.
An India-based leather goods manufacturer supplying to most top retail chains in the US and Europe, Hidesign launched an India-oriented lifestyle brand - Holii Bags along with the Future Group. Holii is the first Indian lifestyle brand to focus on the modern Indian woman as far as bags are concerned. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion.com, Sandeep Fotedar, manager- National Retail Operations of Holii, talks about its products, competition from foreign brands and how e-commerce is shaping the way people will shop in the future.
How would you define Holii as a bag brand?
Holii is the first Indian lifestyle brand to focus on the modern Indian woman as far as bags are concerned. Holii, the brand, is a reflection of joy, complexity and sheer brilliance of India through innovative designs. We, as a brand, are passionate about the colours and complexity of modern India. Aimed at bringing a distinct Indian aesthetics to bags, Holii reflects the lifestyle and heritage of the modern Indian woman.
What triggered your step into the bags business?
Holii is the mastermind of two individuals: Kishore Biyani, CEO of Future Group and Dilip Kapur, founder of Hidesign, a brand defined by rebellion against uniformity.
We wanted a brand that would reflect both, the aesthetics of the sophisticated culture and modernity and buzz of the most complex women in the world. The global, contemporary bag shapes make Holii a unique bag brand in the Indian fashion scene.
Though this brand is only available in India, we can see that the global market is beginning to recognise us. Holii reflects a woman who enjoys colours, follows international fashion and wants a modern look which highlights Indian trends. These factors help us in continuous evolving of the brand.
Describe the kind of woman who will buy a Holii bag?
I guess, if there truly had to be a 'kind' of woman who would buy the Holii bag, it would be the urban modern Indian woman who likes to mix and match, who appreciates colours and who follows international fashion, but has a strong liking towards Indian inspired designs.
How do you view India as a luxury market? How do you foresee your future in here?
India indeed has immense potential in the luxury market. With numerous brands coming up these days, we can certainly see it growing.
How does the market receive the brand?
We are present in metro cities, and are concentrating on expansion in places like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Though these cities are our primary focus, it is amazing to see how the smaller markets have picked up. We recently opened a store in Mangalore. Our stores in Lucknow and Bhopal have done increasingly well, and we look forward to doing business in these cities.
Which collections have done well for your brand?
Holii is a brand rich in colour, design and innovation. We have noticed that our customers have also grown with the brand in last five years. It is interesting to see some of our classic styles yet being the customers' favourites. The collections we have seen do well are Shiva, Lakshmi, Calypso and the evergreen Classic.
How do you plan to deal with competition?
Innovation is imperative to Holii. We bring a new wave of innovative, India-centric fashion to leather accessories based on unique heritage and craftsmanship that is still alive in India.
How important is digital medium for the brand?
The digital medium has been a game changer for fashion as much as it has been for retail. Having e-commerce partners like Jabong, Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal and Myntra has been a growth driver for Holii.
Published on: 26/02/2016
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
