Two years ago, when I interviewed you for this very magazine, you said that the time had come for India to be introduced to luxury goods. When questions where asked of how you thought a poor country like India can afford a Louis Vuitton store, you said that it was your experience that such markets (not poor but dynamically developing) are where LV has seen massive growth. What are your views on this scenario that you so presciently foresaw?

I'm glad what I said two years ago has come true! This country is indeed changing very dynamically. Here, things become obsolete in six months. It also seems that starting a business in these parts is easier than it is elsewhere. Look at the number of people moving back to India to participate in the transformation of this country. I am amazed at the growth in the IT and telecom industry and how Indians are moving from Silicon Valley to Bangalore. The environment is changing very fast and Indians are the actors making that change.

How important is it for the persona of the designer to be a rock star? Is Marc Jacobs bigger than LV, or is LV more encompassing?

There have been situations with some brands, where people get so excited about the designer that they forget the eternal values of the brand. We worked with Marc Jacobs for five months before he joined the group. He even did a pre-collection that was not edited to ensure that a perfect intellectual shape came into being. You are buying 150 years of craftsmanship and the myth of travel in the 19th century but you are also buying somewhere the images of Marc's last show. The result then is a sort of magical unity.



In India in particular, have you found any quirks or trends that are completely unique to the market?

The Indian customer is sophisticated and completely international - but yes, they will probably not go for boots with fur given the climate! Our experience shows, both in Delhi and Mumbai, that they are aware of what is coming out, they know about the products and we have seen a phenomenon we see only in very style conscious markets - the trend of reserving a product nearly two or three months before it comes out.

For the rest of the article, pick up VERVE’s January-February, 2005 issue