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Journalism of Courage
Parisian luxury brand Hermes opens in Delhi
Patrick Thomas may sound Irish but the CEO of Hermes currently in India for the launch of their flagship store at the Oberoi Hotel reassures us that he is 8220;very French8221;. The Hermes Indian chapter was scripted by Neelam Khanna, of the Oberoi group and the operations began in May, but it is only now that the store has formally gone in for a launch. 8220;The objective is to become Indian in India. We are here to sell objects, not fashion,8221; shares Thomas, 61, explaining why, despite two ongoing fashion weeks and a global recession there is no clash of interest with the timing of their launch.
The global financial meltdown has become a cause of worry in the luxury industry, but Christian Blanckaert, Executive Vice President, International Affairs for the brand, assures that it will not affect their market in India. 8220;Right now we are focusing on familiarising Indians with the brand and also it8217;s a chance to understand the Indian market. We are looking more to register our presence at the moment,8221; he explains. In fact, that was one of the reasons, he adds, that the brand gave malls a miss and settled for the Oberoi Hotel. 8220;Luxury shopping needs an atmosphere of intimacy and familiarity, which is not possible in a mall,8221; he says.Orders, however, have already started coming in, with a waitlist for the Birkin already in place. Ten percent of the brand8217;s sales worldwide come from specially commissioned items.
Like they do in other parts of the world, Hermes India, also has plans to organize exhibitions and communication shows shortly. 8220;There are more than 250 ways to tie a scarf rather than just around the neck. We want to share that with our niche customers by holding communication shows to talk about the new styles,8221; says Thomas. There are also plans to open stand alones in Bangalore and Kolkata in future.
