Denim fans rejoice as Ditto Brand returns

Cult seventies jeans brand Ditto are making a comeback, soon to be hitting the shelves at Harvey Nichols and Harrods. The revival of the brand has been instigated by Daniella Clarke, the founder of Frankie B jeans and a fan of the Ditto brand from her youth.

The jeans brand was famous for their flattering fit and bright colours. With brightly coloured jeans now all over the high street, the original and best return to show them all how it’s really done.

The jeans were identified through their extra tight fit and shapely cut, high waisted and flared with a U shape on the rear creating a flattering and sexually provocative aesthetic. Their trademark was a multitude of vibrant rainbow colours, from pillar box red to bright green.

The jeans became an enduring cult hit in the late 70s, with many blogs today dedicated to the brand, full of nostalgic fans of the originals still recounting the excitement generated on their release.

Their return has prompted what could be described as a consumer frenzy, with customers calling up in order to try to reserve pairs before the imminent onslaught in stores.

As well as the reissue of classic styles, Dittos are also launching an updated range consisting of high waisted hot pants, logo’d t-shirts and skinny cut hipsters.

Indian leather fashion brand seeks to go global

As Western luxury brands target India's rising rich, a local leather goods firm aims to turn the tables and become the country's first global fashion marque.

Hidesign, based in the former French colony of Pondicherry in the southeast, logged 80 million dollars in sales at home and abroad last year and is seeking to ride on an international fashion name to penetrate markets abroad.

It is in talks to sell a 20 percent stake to French fashion house Louis Vuitton, or LVMH, which is now assessing the Indian brand's value, chief executive officer Kunal Sachdev said in an interview in India's high-tech hub of Bangalore.

A preliminary agreement is in place before the investment, said Sachdev, 42, adding that Hidesign will also collaborate with Louis Vuitton in setting up a leather factory near Chennai in southern India.

Hidesign, which runs 12 stores overseas including in China, Russia and South Africa, wants to increase that number to 50 in three years, he said.

The brand is sold from Australia to the Middle East, Europe and Africa, and can be found on the shelves of multi-brand department stores such as House of Fraser, John Lewis, Magasin Du Nord, Selfridges and Myers.

"There are no previous examples of an Indian brand establishing a footprint overseas; Hidesign is the first," said Arvind Singhal, who heads retail consultancy Technopak.

There is a retail opportunity in the mass prestige market for products that are not as expensive as Gucci nor very cheap," he added. "Hidesign will appeal to those who cannot spend 2,000 dollars but can afford 250 dollars."

A tie-up with Louis Vuitton will give Hidesign international respectability and recognition, enabling it to compete overseas with brands such as Coach of the US that fall in the same segment, Singhal said.

Hidesign was founded in 1978 as a one-man workshop by Dilip Kapur who began handcrafting leather bags, jackets and other accessories, becoming one of the best-known brands in India where it now operates 18 boutiques.

Kapur makes a virtue of going back to traditional leather tanning methods, using natural vegetable oils and dyes in his products -- hand and computer bags, briefcases, wallets, belts -- to give them a distinctive shine and feel.

Hidesign avoids pigments and lacquers that make real leather indistinguishable from synthetic versions; its oil-tanned ranch leather is very lightly dyed and then covered with natural oils.
The brass buckles and rivets are individually sandcast and handpolished in a tradition that goes back to the old European style of saddle making.

Such products may appeal to environmentally-conscious consumers but that may not be enough to open the doors of the world's biggest shops to an emerging company with aspirations to become a global player.

Hidesign's international expansion depends on it being able to open exclusive stores in prestigious outlets that are prepared to let out premium space to only the most exclusive brands, said Sachdev, the company's CEO.

"In building the brand internationally, we have to go the exclusive-store route," said Sachdev, who runs Hidesign from Bangalore. "Just advertising won't give customers an idea of the brand they are buying, the philosophy behind it."

That's where Louis Vuitton comes in.

"The fact that Louis Vuitton is associated with us would open up the doors internationally for us in terms of opening stores and widening our global presence," said Sachdev, who is targeting 30 percent growth in annual sales.

Louis Vuitton, which has one store each in New Delhi and Mumbai and may soon open a third in Bangalore, is trying to expand in India, a nation of 1.1 billion people, as are other international luxury brands.

Hidesign's local market knowledge will be useful to the French fashion house although the brands will remain independent, said Sachdev.

India's consumer market is expected to grow five-fold to 1.5 trillion dollars by 2025 as a fast-growing economy boosts the personal incomes of a youthful population, according to the consulting company McKinsey.

"After China, India will be the next growth story," Yves Carcelle, CEO of Louis Vuitton in New Delhi, said recently. "But right now we are (at) the beginning."

©AFP

Esprit May Spend $1 Billion to Buy Luxury Fashion Brand by 2008

By Nikola Kemper and Ting Ting Ng

Esprit Holdings Ltd., a Hong Kong- based clothing retailer with shops in more than 40 nations, plans to spend $1 billion to acquire a luxury brand by next year to improve product quality.
``I would like to integrate such a brand as a better sister of Esprit and as a role model to access good designers who normally wouldn't want to work for Esprit,'' Chief Executive Officer Heinz Krogner said in Hong Kong. ``It doesn't need to be a huge company and it should not dilute earnings. We aim to buy knowledge of the luxury segment, not revenue.''
Esprit's profit in the six months ended Dec. 31 surged 28 percent to HK$2.4 billion ($307 million) on 25 percent more sales from Europe. The company aims to open a new store, including franchised outlets, every day in the year from July, Krogner said.
Inditex SA, Europe's biggest clothing retailer, has more than tripled in size in six years to 3,200 stores. The Spain- based retailer is also opening at least one store a day, aiming to add as many as 520 stores in the year to January.
Hennes & Mauritz AB, Europe's second largest clothing retailer, planned to add 95 new stores worldwide in six months. Profit in the three months ended May rose 31 percent on sales from 1,400 stores in 28 countries.
China Venture
Esprit aims to boost sales by two-thirds to $5 billion by 2009 and add 400 stores in three years. Currently, it generates about 86 percent revenue from Europe with Germany the biggest single market. Sales from Asia Pacific account for 11.6 percent of the group's total with the rest from North America.
``Our focus is to maintain double-digit growth in Europe, increase the growth in Asia to more than 20 percent and do the same in America,'' said Krogner. ``Asia and America have to grow faster than Europe because they are relatively small at this moment but the potential is as good as in Europe.''
The company invests $20 million a year in North America to boost growth in the region.
Esprit's venture business in mainland China reported a 50 percent surge in profit on 34 percent more turnover last year through 730 self-operated and franchised stores, according to the annual report of China Resources Enterprise Ltd., which holds 51 percent of the venture.
The retailer owned 12,090 wholesale distribution channels, 638 directly managed retail stores under the brands Esprit, edc and cosmetic trademark Red Earth by the end of last year.

Source: Bloomberg.com