Sheetal Mafatla - Valentino luxury consumer looks forward to enjoying the experience of shopping

Valentino – personifies what I want to look & what every woman aspires to look– elegant, feminine and glamorous. Valentino is a niche premium luxury brand. Valentino is only the latest luxury player to test the Indian urge for supreme exclusivity.

A Valentino luxury consumer looks forward to enjoying the experience of shopping. To cater to that desire an ambiance of luxury must be created within the boutique and also be reflected in the surrounding area.
Hence location is of prime importance.

Finding the right location for a premium luxury brand like Valentino is the hurdle we are facing. In addition to finding a location which provides luxurious ambiance.
I studied products of a lot of international brands & met with several designers & CEO’s .

I was looking at different brands & Valentino was one of them that would work in India & when I subsequently met Mr. Valentino & Mr Norsa (former CEO) for being a partner I felt most comfortable to partner with the group.

I am not sure if it’s a positive or a negative but my impression is that in the Indian market Valentino is considered more of a luxury than the other available brands.

Much to our surprise the demand for Valentino men’s line has been as strong as the women’s.

Valentino is neither a niche or mass brand. Valentino as a brand wants to provide luxury products to both men & women in India who appreciate the Valentino style, brand and products.

The fashion of Valentino takes the form of a dream that emits beauty and style. It’s an aesthetic transfer of idealized perfection that, once touched by real people and the surrounding world, comes to life with feeling and emotion.

It’s a dream that over the last 40 years has scattered and spread amongst millions of clients--women who are captivated by the eternal romanticism of Valentino.

The fullest expression of this aesthetic ideal is without a doubt the Haute Couture, the original source for the creative research and development of all of the Valentino collections, from prêt-à-porter to accessories to perfume.
Pockets of resistance to Western ways of spending remain. "Older people cannot understand why you would spend as much on a handbag as you would on a piece of jewelry, which will increase in value," says Mafatlal, who adds that fine jewelry will always remain important in India. Today's younger women want accessories that can live up to their jewels, hence Mafatlal's insistence that Valentino, given the designer's taste for decorative accessories, be the first brand in MLP's portfolio.

For Valentino, Haute Couture has always signified quality, precision in cuts and draping, attention to details and to the choice of accessories. It embodies the highest tradition of Italian creativity and craftsmanship.

V is the symbol of singularity in his fashion. A fashion which began forty years ago when the logo had not yet become an object of press attention, but a symbol of style.

V, on prints, knits, jacquard, engravings, applications, jewelry, buckles, broaches and watches.

V, as a sign of recognition.
V, as in Valentino.

Unlike other emerging markets - China, Russia, Dubai - India has consistently had its share of super wealthy customers. Western Luxury brands aren’t new to India either. In their heyday, the maharajas were enthusiastic customers for Louis Vuitton trunks and Boucheron and Cartier jewels as well as Osler Chandeliers. What has changed radically is that there is a burgeoning middle class of 300 million people growing by 25 million each year.

In spite of the maharajas’ opulent purchases of old, India has had a tradition of fiscal conservatism, of saving rather than spending. Yet the combination of a GDP rising at 8% per annum and one of the world’s youngest populations (more than 200 million people between the ages of 15 & 24) means spending power has shifted to those with a fever for fashion. Add to that the booming media in the world’s largest democracy bringing brand awareness, plus the reduction of once punitive import taxes and India starts looking like a retail gold mine.

Fifteen years ago, India was much more traditional. We had two TV channels. Now we have more than 80. The Internet, the media changed so much.