New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) It was while studying in the US for his doctorate that he took up the hobby of leather craft. This soon turned into a passion and the creative outflow of chic leather products became a brand that is very well known in India and abroad as Hidesign.
What if brand owner Dilip Kapur had not had that fortuitous brush with destiny three decades ago?
Kapur was studying for his PhD in international affairs in the US. ‘While studying in the US, I interned with a leather factory for a few months. This short stint made me consider leather products which became a lifelong passion for me. I decided to return to Auroville (his hometown) and wondered what to do next,’ Kapur, president of Hidesign, told IANS in an e-mail interview.
The one-man brand was born in Auroville in Tamil Nadu in 1978 and has turned into a business that is growing at the rate of 30 percent per annum.
‘For the first few years it was just a hobby and the pleasure of making the bags was what kept me going,’ he said.
‘I soon realised that the workshop where we made the bags had become too small. When we moved into our factory, it was clear to me that this was no longer just a hobby and had grown into something much larger,’ Kapur added.
With no background in business, Kapur learned the tricks of the trade bit by bit, and currently the turnover of Hidesign India is a little over Rs.100 crore. It retails through 52 exclusive stores and has its presence in over 100 multi-brand outlets.
‘It was a gradual learning. From managing production to completing orders to looking at statements took a while to learn,’ Kapur said, who completed his doctorate.
Surprisingly, Kapur did not start retailing from India but Britain and Australia where the market was those days. It was only in the late 1990s that the Indian market became the focus.
‘It was partly about the opportunities that came our way and partly the lack of them in the domestic set-up. Till the mid 1990s we were retailing only in international markets,’ explained Kapur.
‘In 1996, when six percent of our revenue came from India, we were still selling mostly to tourists and NRIs (non-resident Indians). In the late 90s we started looking towards new markets and developing economies,’ he said.
‘South Africa, Russia, India and Southeast Asia were the markets that seemed inviting. When we looked at India, we did not find distributors who understood the brand and the retail scene was also under-developed. The only way ahead was if we entered ourselves.’
The company has its factory in Puducherry and a small set-up in Baddi in Himachal Pradesh. The brand believes in keeping its products natural, eco-friendly and hand-crafted.
When Hidesign began production, it was primarily seen as a men’s briefcase brand, but over the years its elegant shoes and handbags for women have taken over the brand. Today, 60 percent of its sales comes from handbags.
‘This proves that Hidesign has also become more feminine and fashionable while maintaining its role of being a practical companion,’ Kapur said.
Looking back at his journey, Kapur feels his ability to think differently and the opportunities he was given in the professional and academic front have been his biggest strengths in building up this one-man show.
What would have happened if he had not left the US to come back to Auroville?
‘I might have been a professor. I think there is a bit of a teacher in me and I direct that part of me towards the classes I take on current affairs for the students at the Auroville School. It gives me great pleasure,’ Kapur said.
Hidesign has a range of wallets and bags for both men and women. They are priced between Rs.800-7,000. Their travel bags are priced between Rs.5,000-12,000.
Their stores are located in many states including Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Goa, New Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Punjab.
(Shilpa Raina can be contacted at shilpa.r@ians.in)
