Indians back on luxury track

Brands woo Indian market

Lists are subjective. What is hot for Paul may not be cool for Shark. Brands drive egos; gadding about in a Mercedes SLS AMG supercar will ensure the driver gets a Simon Templar moment while passing a Nissan on the road, even if it is Nissan GTR's pride and joy, the limited edition Egoist. In India, Mercedes-Benz registered a growth of 80 per cent compared to April 2009.

In Aurangabad, 150 Mercs were sold in one month; a fact that delights Dr Wilfried Aulbur, managing director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India who talks about the ripple effect. "The exposure about this large volume car transaction has enhanced real estate values in Aurangabad," says Aulbur. "It has also created significantly high interest from investors, many of whom are now actively contemplating entry into this city."

Posh carmaker Bentley too has done fabulously in India. "We launched two Bentley models this year-the Bentley Mulsanne and Bentley Continental Supersports," says Amy Arora, brand manager, Bentley. "The response has been overwhelming and there has been more demand than the number of units designated to India."

BMW is on a fast track as well. "India is a building block in our global market offensive," says Frank-Peter Arndt of BMW AG. "At the same time as we are expanding capacity, we will also be gearing the plant to produce a further model for the Indian market, the X1, starting in November 2010."

If carmakers like BMW, Audi, Volvo and Jaguar have exceeded expectations, Indians are taking to private jets for both holidays and business fervently. Religare Voyages, an integrated air charter and travel company, has a fleet of private jets, turbo props and helicopters.

"A customised package can include a flight to a remote private island for a day, complete with a hospitality partner," says Sandeep Bhatt, coo, Religare Voyages Limited. "We offer all kinds of luxury holidays from casinos in Macau to island destinations."

Bhatt says one of the most memorable things he had done was for the wife of a corporate honcho; a low flight over the Taj Mahal in a florally bedecked plane as well as a cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate their wedding anniversary. The Agra flight cost Rs 75,000 for 30 minutes.

Post depression, fashion trends are out of the blues and colours are the new black. "Summer was a burst of colours, florals, flirty feminine dresses," says Christian Dior's Kalyani Chawla.

"Short is in and hemlines are going up. Formals consisted of long dresses and smart jackets like the Bar Jacket from Dior which goes from day to night." This season will also see Prada "Made in India" offering exclusive handcrafted chikan garments and multi-coloured ballerina flats, sandals and handbags made by traditional weavers.

Mont Blanc offers the Mahatma Gandhi Limited Edition 241, 18-carat gold pen that celebrates the Dandi March and sells for around Rs 10 lakh.

German airline Lufthansa's Flavours of India contest invites innovative and exotic Indian recipes from foreigners; the grand prize is two round-trip tickets to India along with a three-day, two-night stay at any of the Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts.

The fabric of the year is leather and the garment of the moment is the leather T-shirt-Phoebe Philo's tees, Phillip Lim's butterscotch cropped super-fine leather tees and black leather button shirt.

Louis Vuitton, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, all offer below the knee, leather skirts inspired by the decade. Gucci hit back with asymmetrical nappa leather skirts, while Fendi's pencil suede skirts are curves-friendly. Valentino's short, red-ruffled leather version are an instant hit.

For winter, the plain black leather jacket has been hijacked by bolder and brighter-coloured ones. Burberry sent down neon green biker jackets, while Balenciaga had it in bright red. Bespoke is the buzzword-Tikka Shatrujit Singh, brand adviser to Louis Vuitton, says LV is faced with a unique problem-demand outstrips supply.

"Ours is the only brand that does not go on sale," he confides. "Every year sees a big shift in the buying pattern." Indians are one of LV's biggest customers for bespoke items, a tradition started by royalty. But today, corporate honchos and Bollywood stars are the ones who order custom-made bags, trunks, shoes and watches. "We are selling a dream," Tikka sighs.

Wristwear style is a melange of the classical, exotic and chic: Vacheron Constantin's La Symbolique des Laques collection is inspired by the ancient Japanese technique maki-e which literally means sprinkled picture.

Van Cleef & Arpels' Le Pont des Amoureux uses a 16th century enamel technique known as grisaille-a miniature painting wherein layers of translucent enamel are applied on an opaque enamel background. Omega launched its most expensive watch this year: the Skeleton Central Tourbillon Co-Axial Platinum, priced at Rs 1.18 crore.

"Until a few years ago, Omega priced its watches at Rs 40,000 and above," says brand head P.H. Narayanan. "There has been a sense of value enhancement that customers are accepting whole heatedly." Ashok Goel, brand consultant for watch brands like Girard Perregaux, Hublot, Corum, Breitling and Parmigiani, says there has been a 30 per cent increase from last year in the sales of watch brands like Hublot, Franck Muller and Corum.

"This is because the youth today prefer watches that are a little outlandish- which these brands provide," he says.

Oenophiles and malt drinkers can look forward to spirited times. The wine with a papal history, the Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc favoured by John XXII (1321), is made from 80 per cent Roussanne and 20 per cent Grenache Blanc grapes plucked from 10-14 years old vines to give the wine smooth hints of acacia and honey.

While Chateau Margaux's reds are legendary, its white wines from 1953, 1961, 1982, 1996 and 2000 are good investments. Chateau Lafite Rothschild produces around 35,000 cases a year. Watch your money grow with the 2008 Lafite Rothschild, valued at Rs 1 lakh per bottle when launched, prices doubled within weeks and now a case costs as much as a medium-sized sedan.

Those with the passion to drop Rs 4 lakh on a bottle of the Dalmore's 58 Sirius malt, a 64-year old brew and is called Trinitas, are guaranteed to feel special because only three bottles exist. Rums are trendy, too. Bacardi's rum master created a special blend of rum meant for the family of founder Don Facundo Bacardi called Reserva Limitada. Today, the limited edition of 1,000 cases containing six 750 ml bottles sell for Rs 4,800 a bottle.

Rainbow sensibility dominates Indian jewellery trends to include tanzanites and rubellites accented with diamonds, rose cuts and south sea pearls. It is not only solid colours such as yellow, black, red or orange, but pastels in blue and pink and shades and hues that are shining.

Exotic stones such as pink and blue chalcedonies, smoky, rose and lemon quartz, tiger's eye, tourmaline, blue topaz and aquamarine summon flower power nuances.

"The imaginative use of colours and shapes in high jewellery dominate trends for the year," says Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele, co-president, Chopard.

"It's not only solid colours such as yellow, black, red or orange, but pastels in blue and pink and other shades and hues are also gaining currency," says Manali Bothra, owner of Nayab Jewels. "Gold is being crafted keeping changing trends and fashion in mind; various hues and shades such as white, rose and pink, brown and even purple gold are popular," says Sreedevi Deshpande Puri, head of design at Ganjam.

Coloured alloys such as nickel, palladium and copper are added to craft intricate patterns in coloured gold jewellery that is all the rage from Mumbai to Milan. "A coloured diamond is also an investor's best bet," says Mira Gulati, of the luxury brand, Mirari.

Modern-day perfumers recognise that women are now interested in many "masculine" types of scents and vice-versa. Perfume companies like Bond No. 9 and Hermes have introduced unisex perfumes like Voyage d'Hermes.

Bold and exciting are the new trends for 2010 as we finally move out of sobering times; sophisticated, rich scents are having a moment, edging out light citrus and watery florals. Expect warm, woody notes, like sandalwood, amber and resin that have heft and character.

Eco-friendly luxury and highly individualistic styles in furniture continue to rule with some adaptations. Antique accessories retain their cachet and antique lighting is a trend to watch for.

Home decor becomes eclectic incorporating multi-cultural styles, while the overall theme will be modular-clean lines and basic geometrics which accompany comfort, luxury and style. With art being part of wall decor, a new investment trend- photography- is the new Raza.

"There is a surge in the number of young collectors (under the age group of 50) who are interested in art that is not decorative," says Sharon Apparao of Apparao Galleries, Chennai. "They are interested in photography since it is priced between Rs 35,000 and Rs 80,000."

Realty indicators show the worst is over and integrated modular homes for which builders offer home theatre lounges, private elevators, Poggenpohl kitchens, a home office, plunge pools, sundecks and more, are sought after by choosy buyers. Vijay Mallya's Estates Projects Pvt Ltd in collaboration with the Prestige Group will develop a 31-storey super-luxury residential complex, with six levels of parking, multiple tennis courts and the mandatory swimming pool-apartments are priced between Rs 6 crore and Rs 20 crore.

In Chennai, the Eden Park project occupying around 100 acres on the old Mahabalipuram Road have announced a new concept-villapartments, which combine the luxury and privacy of an independent villa with the convenience, maintenance and security of an apartment. Lavasa India's first hill city built after 1947 is spread over 25,000 acres and resembles a ClubMed resort. For the cool stuff, the heat is on.