High on Design

I could not say no and succumbed to the charm…Before your mind starts getting ideas, let me clear the air. The ‘item’ in question is my latest buy – a chic Hidesign bucket tote bag. A Hidesign bag has always occupied the top slots of my must-haves list and owning an iconic bag had moved my style quotient up by several notches. I have bought Warhol 02 – Hidesign’s ‘IT’ bag and a best seller ,as the makers put it!Over the years, Hidesign’s USP has been the sensuous naturalness of its high quality leathers and the smooth soft glow of its solid brass fittings and my proud possession exudes every bit of it.

I was intrigued to see Puducherry written on the tag (thanks to my growing inquisitiveness about brands and attention to detail ever since Pink Diaries took shape :)) and that was enough for my blogger alter ego to get kicking. A quick google search and a languid perusal of some glossy magazines threw up interesting facts about the brand and its success story which is the stuff legends are made up of!!

This luxury brand, indeed, has its roots in the sleepy town of Pondicherry. What started as a hobby of leather crafting in the workshops of Auroville, boasts of being an internationally acclaimed brand. It features leather handbags, garments, briefcases, travel bags, wallets and belts made of genuine leather. Three decades old and still going strong, the brand has its presence in 23 countries in over 2000 outlets collectively in India and abroad. The retailing, however, started with Britain and Australia in 70s and India developed into a potential market only in late 90s. The phenomenal change in consumer landscape in India in the past decade has contributed to the brand gaining immense recognition and ushering it in the ‘affordable luxury’ segment. Interestingly, it was primarily seen as a men’s briefcase brand, but gradually its elegant shoes and handbags for women have taken on the brand. With the modern Indian woman making smarter choices for herself, the dart has evidently hit the bulls eye!

I ponder what is that one thing that appeals me so much about Hidesign. Is it the contemporary styling or clean silhouettes or competitive pricing? I find it hard to put a finger on any one of these. An obvious choice for me would be all of the above. Like all other women-on-the-move, I too rarely have the time and patience to change my bags frequently so what I look for in a bag is functionality, style and durability. A Hidesign bag fits the bill completely and that too without burning a huge hole in my pocket: P

The makers have stayed focused on their strong heritage of fine hand craftsmanship and innovation in age-old practices of vegetable tanning with natural materials like seeds and barks and sand casting for their brass hardware. The ecological use of vegetable tanning creates fashionable leathers in multitude of hides & hues that age exceptionally well and sand-casted solid brass fittings provide a soft glow to the leather, giving it a distinct look. They strongly believe that the way to the best leather is still the natural way and this belief clearly gives them the competitive edge.

Coming back to the iconic range, the brand has an array of classic bags that remain the best sellers and exhibit the brand’s core attributes - being clean, sharp, practical, contemporary and elegant. The bags that have become signature pieces in the recent years are the Virgin, Logo and Warhol 02.

Pic Courtesy: www.hidesign.com

The Virgin Bag is the biggest rage currently. Its a petite purse-like carrier that comes in many colours and is embossed with elephant prints. A variant of the original Virgin bag, the Baby Virgin, is equally popular. The bold textured vegetable tanned leather and hand stitched craftsmanship makes this shoulder bag for day wear stand out from the rest.

Logo is the latest icon bag in vegetable tanned crocodile grain embossed leather with exclusive logo handle detail. It’s a medium sized tote bag for day occasions.

Warhol 02, the new ‘IT’ bag, is a bucket tote bag made in vegetable tanned faux crocodile leathers. This medium sized tote bag is also ideal for day wear.

As I sit mulling over what would be a better investment between Virgin and Logo after Warhol02, my attention is drawn to trendspotting segment in a fashion magazine that illustrates the new prospective icons on the block – Mughetto 02 ,Fiori 02 and Queen 01. Hmmm…tough call! Looks like my research on LV, Ferragamo & Bottega Veneta will have to wait. Ladies, keep watching this space for more …