The red carpet is its second home. Penelope Cruz carried a gold one to the Oscars this year. Viola Davis had it in silver. Even our own Frieda Pinto had a silver one for the Oscars and a camel and satin one for the Golden Globes.
The situation has reached a point where it would not be a red carpet event without some bags from Judith Leiber. Last year, for the second year in a row, the luxury bag brand was given the highest rating by the New York-based Luxury Institute.
Indian touch
The brand, which entered India last year, was in news recently when it signed up Indian designer Suneet Varma to design an exclusive series of handbags, the first for any Indian designer. Varma will unveil his first full collection in Spring 2010, while the first resort bags are expected by September or October this year, informs Sangeeta Assomull, CEO Marigold Group, the Indian partner that has brought the brand to India. ?With Suneet, we will hit the number required to make the venture profitable,? she asserts, pointing out that he already has a strong market both domestically and internationally, which will be augmented with this tie-up.
?With 10 bags to design in each collection, two collections a year over the next three years, there is a lot of work ahead,? admits Varma. For starters, he has to choose a unique mould. Given that Leiber already has about 380 moulds, that itself has seen Varma scour Austria and Paris in search of the shape. He is considering palaces for his first theme, though the shape ?may not be that of a palace but an element from it,? explains Varma. Production will happen at the US by Leiber staff. Varma will retain the copyright and the bags will be branded as ?Suneet Varma for Judith Leiber.?
In India, Judith Leiber started retailing from Mumbai?s Xess and then came to Delhi. Last week, it finally launched its flagship store after some delays at Delhi?s address for uber luxury brands, Emporio. The pearly white store is in keeping with the brand?s other flagship stores in places like Las Vegas or New York, whose design is Japanese inspired and minimalist, perhaps to contrast with the blingly crystal bags. This store has been designed by Vivek Popli in accordance with the other stores, as importing would have been prohibitively expensive, explains Assomull.
Assomull is confident of breaking even in three years. ?A woman?s lifestyle does not change,? she explains, saying while harsher economic times may cause her to cut on expenses like entertaining others, she was not likely to cut down significantly on her purchases. Even without a flagship store, we have been doing 12-15 bags a season, she says. With Varma?s designs, she is confident that, ?Bollywood is going to cry for it?.
Incidentally the bags are not just party flaunts, but also bought as gifts, used as art deco and for bags in images of the divide, even used for prayer! ?We ordered 12 of the ?Ganesha? bags, and were a little nervous, but we finally sold 16!,? she says triumphantly for Rs 65 lakh bag.
Assomull prefers celebrity endorsement for brand awareness and promotion. Traditional advertising is not economically viable, she explains. Instead, a photo of a celebrity carrying a bag or a spread in a fashion magazine brings in the crowds. Shilpa Shetty has carried it, and Priyanka Chopra may be next.
For a bag to be viable, Leiber has to make at least 52 of them. Then the bag design is vaulted for five years. ?According to demand, they are brought back. The ?camel? and ?elephant? were resurrected for India, as was the parrot bag.? Novelty shapes do well in India, she says, citing the ?asparagus?, ?peacock?, ?Ganesha? and even the humble ?cup cake? as being top sellers in India. The process of getting the bags to India is however far from easy. ?As these bags take a long time to make, there is a wait list for them. Each country gets allocated according to what they ask for, we might get a ?rose? in April and the next one in October. The brand does not have discounts, but does give freebies, usually other merchandise from the brand, for example eyewear, candles, perfume, body wear, pill boxes, along with the purchases.While ?rentals are killing? admits Assomull, she is also confident that she just needs 64 regular clients to buy two bags a year to break even. At an average of two lakhs per bag, do the math. So from next spring onward, the most frequent red carpet connection from India may well be a well-flaunted handbag by Suneet Varma for Judith Leiber.
