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Hidesign: A truly global Indian brand

Shobha Warrier in Madras

Dilip Kapur is an unlikely man with an unlikely passion in an unlikely place.

The Auroville Ashram in Pondicherry certainly seems a strange location for a man armed with a doctorate in international affairs from the US. Stranger still is his passion: designing, manufacturing and selling a range of leather products.

But Kapur's designs and merchandise - sold under the brand name Hidesign - have a ready market in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, South Africa and many Scandinavian and Asian countries.

Celebrities, executives, models the world over have a penchant for Hidesign products. Be it Nelson Mandela, or former Australian prime minister Hawk, or Stephen Spielberg, Kapur has many big names who love the stuff he designs. Back home, former prime minister India Gandhi and her son Sanjay carried Hidesign bags. As do many film personalities.

Born in Delhi, Kapur grew up at the Aurobindo Ashram before leaving for the United States at the age of 15. After earning his doctorate, he chose to return home and become a part of the 'rebel community at Auroville'.

This was in the seventies, when the hippie culture was at its peak. Kapur wanted to pursue something different that held his interest: like designing and manufacturing leather bags.

"When I was preparing my thesis, I also worked in a leather company. That was the only skill I had, so I chose to design leather bags."

Kapur believes that designs reflect a person's culture. Life at Auroville had made him part of the counter-culture and this reflects in his designs.

Leather bags, in the seventies, were neatly designed, with plated fittings. Kapur decided to give his bags a rugged look, with solid brass fittings.

But, with the world and its attitude changing, so did Hidesign. It now represents a multicultural image that is truly reflective of Dilip Kapur's nature.

Unlike many leather bag manufacturers who tie up with other international brands, Kapur was always clear that he wanted his own brand.

"We regularly get these great offers which say they will utilise our whole capacity. The advantage there is that you do not have to worry about the financial and marketing aspects. You can just concentrate on designing and manufacturing."

He never succumbed to the temptation, however. Hidesign survived, and flourished.

"The big challenge before me was understanding brand names, as I had no business background. We wanted something that reflected our personality and character."

Was it tough to penetrate the international market with a 'Made In India' brand?

"Yes, at first, people stopped and thought for a while," he replies, rather mystically.

Leather and luggage shops rejected Hidesign, for it was an Indian brand. This made Kapur concentrate on style stores, especially those that specialised in men's fashion.

The first international market that Hidesign cracked was the UK. A Hidesign bag - it looked like a tiny suitcase with a shoulder strap - won the 'Accessory of the Year' award from Britain's Fashion Accessory magazine.

Kapur was 'shocked' to hear about it. The award was handed over by Princess Diana. And Hidesign had arrived.

"Suddenly, we started getting noticed."

Their first major offer came from John Lewis, a prominent High Street retailer in the UK. "Once John Lewis buys your products, you are something to reckon with. If they stock your products, so will others. Besides, London is a very influential capital; a lot of people come there to see trends. So, when they see you stocked in a London shop, you are noticed. Ours is a hip, underground bag and, in no time, young business executives were carrying Hidesign bags!" he gushes.

From John Lewis, Selfridges and Debenhams in the UK and Ireland, Hidesign flew to the land of the Kangaroos with David Jones and Myers.

"We have done well in English speaking countries. We have also entered the US, but it is so huge a market that our effect is minimal. It would take much finance and managerial capacity for us to become one of the top three leather brands there."

So Kapur has decided to focus more on countries in Europe, Russia and South East Asia. Singapore, for example, is quite brand conscious, he says, and Hidesign has just entered the market there in a big way.

It has also captured the South African market. Hidesign signature soft leather bags are seen there in retail shops like Edgars; they also have a shop-in-shop in Stuttafords, Johannesburg.

Hidesign generates 17 per cent of its total revenue of Rs 100 million from its South African operations.

It is only recently that Kapur has started targeting the Indian market. Till three years ago, it was only the foreigners who visited India who bought Hidesign bags. Even today, not many Indians know Hidesign is an Indian brand!

"Our styling, product and the leather we use sets us apart from the others. Executives were the first to buy Hidesign bags. Models, advertising people, actresses, people going overseas followed soon. Now, the service industry also has started looking at the Hidesign bags with keen interest."

The secret behind Hidesign's success, says Kapur, is its 'northern European look'.

"There is nothing fancy about Hidesign; it is casual but elegant. It is less formal, yet you can carry it with a suit. It is not flashy, yet its fittings are of solid brass. It has smooth, simple and clean lines."

"We are unique. We used natural, vegetable tanned leather. We make a lot of effort to ensure quality. That is why our product has a lot of character. We know that Far Eastern products are sleek, while the Italian ones were very expensive. So we plugged the gap. We knew we did not suit the lifestyle of the northern Europeans and the Americans, which was becoming more casual."

Hidesign's design team has now moved to London, but Kapur is clear it will continue to remain an Indian brand with an international look that reflects 'the multicultural or cross-cultural look of a person who has traveled a lot and absorbed various cultures'.

Photographs: Sanjay Ghosh

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