Dilip Kapur recalls the child-like excitement of a customer who walked into one of his stores and saw the leather on a pair of sunglasses that Hidesign has begun marketing recently. Its founder and President believes a touch of leather from the top leather goods brand will give its sunglasses the chic the brand is associated with.

The sunglasses are priced between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,500 which Kapur categorises as “affordable luxury”. The range comprises 46 options for now, equally divided between men’s and women’s. “The Indian sunglasses market is mainly oriented towards men,” says Kapur. But as the Hidesign stores sell leather goods in equal proportion to both sexes, in sunglasses too it has equal options.

The glasses are made by a French company, which, Kapur says, makes all the top brands of sunglasses.

Giving them the Hidesign touch with the leather on the arms is a complicated task, says Kapur. The French send the patterns and the leather has to be cut very accurately at Hidesign’s factory in Puducherry . “It’s quite labour-intensive,” says Kapur, “the leather has to be trimmed down precisely, too thin makes it weak.” The leather on the temples makes wearing these sunglasses comfy as the leather breathes, he says. The company’s horseshoe logo is embossed on the leather. The sunglasses are made in China where the designs are sent.

WEARER-FRIENDLY

The sunglasses, says Kapur, are devoid of plastic and use acetate, metal and leather. Acetate (a cellulose material) breathes, unlike plastic or metal which can cause allergies, especially in humid climes. It doesn’t corrode like metal or lose colour. It isn’t unusual to Hidesign, but all top brands use acetate for this reason, says the owner of a large eyewear store in Chennai. Also, as Kapur explains, it’s difficult to get a fine finish on plastic-moulded sunglasses. “The Indian market is flooded with cheap sunglasses; there’s room for well-designed ones,” he adds.

For Hidesign, sunglasses are a natural extension, says its founder.

Apparel made no sense, as its stores are not big enough. Sunglasses made the right fit for the leather brand’s strong design sensibilities, as they don’t take up too much store space. They will also generate incremental revenues to each store, adding Rs 1-1.75 lakh. Overall, Hidesign expects sunglasses to add Rs 11 crore to its annual sales of Rs 150 crore this financial year.

The glasses will be sold on the fashion plank, emphasises Kapur, adding that the brand cannot take the eyewear store route. So none of the top optical stores would stock Hidesign. The sunglasses have been placed in 40 stores and soon across its 74 exclusive stores.

Lifestyle stores such as Shoppers Stop will follow. Several online shopping sites have approached Hidesign to sell it on the Web. “Customers see this as a valid brand extension for us,” he explains.

SLUGGISH MARKET

The head of a large eyewear business, who did not wish to be quoted, says it’s only now that the women’s sunglasses business is opening up with more styles on offer.

“Most sunglasses are unisex so very few had been designed specifically for women. But with lifestyle changes women are spending more on sunglasses. Hidesign has its own set of loyal customers and has seen an opportunity in the business,” he explains.

However, according to his estimates, the (approximately) Rs 800-crore market for sunglasses has been sluggish and is growing at 8 to 9 per cent annually.

Hidesign’s sunglasses would be priced at the lower-end offerings of Ray Ban and brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Esprit, Elle and Fossil. The real premium sunglasses which cost above Rs 20,000 are from brands such as Armani, Dunhill, Prada, Mont Blanc and Oakley.

vinay.kamath@thehindu.co.in

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