Window To The World
BlackBook — India's Luxury Insider|September 2017

Four-month-old Varana wants to be India’s answer to Hermès, and to position ‘Made in India’ as a force in the uber-luxe space — starting with an expansive upscale store in London’s historic Mayfair district

Pankti Mehta Kadakia
Window To The World

When you think of ‘Made in India’, it’s likely that you think low-cost, mass-market products. A four-month-old luxury brand wants to dispel this myth, starting with a sprawling four-storey outlet at the upscale Dover Street in Mayfair, London — the only Indian brand on the block.

Varana, which gets its name from Varanasi, is a concept brand with an East-meets-West sensibility, and price tags that parallel Hermès. Its founders have been leaders in Indian markets — Sujata Keshavan is considered a pioneer in the South Asian design industry, and was a founder at Ray+Keshavan, an influential design firm eventually acquired by British conglomerate WPP; Ravi Prasad was the President and CEO of personal care brand Himalaya, and is credited for moving the company from being a pharmaceutical manufacturer to a head-to-heel wellness brand; and Infosys-bred Meeta Malhotra, Varana’s digital head. Together, they embarked on a mission: to create a global brand of the highest quality, one that will emanate India’s fine craftsmanship and design sensibility.

Denne historien er fra September 2017-utgaven av BlackBook — India's Luxury Insider.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra September 2017-utgaven av BlackBook — India's Luxury Insider.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

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