Less is more

A few weeks before Mumbai got a taste of Zara,the Delhi branch was literally swamped with buyers at its opening. Reports came in of serpentine queues outside the store and the mad rush for the fitting rooms.

A few weeks before Mumbai got a taste of Zara,the Delhi branch was literally swamped with buyers at its opening. Reports came in of serpentine queues outside the store and the mad rush for the fitting rooms. It shouldnt,therefore,have been a surprise that the high-street brands Mumbai opening on Thursday evening got just as enthusiastic a response not one of the invitees,A-Listers and otherwise,left the store without purchasing something.

A red carpet greeted invitees into the store,located at the Palladium in Lower Parel,for a grand opening on June 10,complete with canapes and champagne,a DJ console and staff dressed in the Spanish labels clothing. Extending over two floors,Zara Mumbai is divided into sections for women (the largest space in the store is devoted to this group of shoppers),children and men. While browsing through the collection,one understands why devoted Zara shoppers swear by it. Although priced in the same range as Mango or Forever New,the clothes are more in tune with international catwalk and seasonal trends and offer the Indian shopper choices which had previously been unavailable. Especially covetable is the large range of bags,comprising everything from clutches to miniaudieres to totes.

We want to ensure that our customers get nothing but the best and most updated looks from our stores. Which is why what is selling in our stores across the world,is what were selling over here as well, explained Victor Herrero,the head of the brands India and China operations. Special guest Kareena Kapoor,dressed head to toe by the brand,declared shes long been a fan of Zara. Earlier,I used to shop at Zara whenever I went abroad. Now,thankfully,I can shop right here, she said,before taking off to browse through the collection. One would have put the actors fulsome praise down to PR speak,but her sentiment was echoed by all the shoppers there. One of the guests,Kani Jain,who also came dressed in Zara,declared that she doesnt usually get excited about store openings,but this was a special occasion. The great thing about this place is that I can put together an entire look,without having to step into another store, she said and assembled a dress,bag and a pair of shoes to demonstrate.

Theres no reason why Zara shouldnt do well in India,as long as it keeps its promise of updating its collection every two weeks,and continues to stock the large variety of not just clothes,but also accessories like hats,sunglasses,shoes,bags,scarves and belts. As it is,some of Thursday nights guests were underwhelmed by the collection and its pricing. Another guest,Anita Hariharan,said,The collection is definitely better than other stores,but I still dont want to pay Rs 845 for a simple top. The huge crowd,probably attracted by the massive hype generated around the opening,also deterred some people from shopping. Designer Nachiket Barve agreed that the clothes are trendy and the pricing is reasonable,but added,I didnt buy anything because theres such a mad rush right now.

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