Getting Younger

DARSHAN MEHTA, President and Chief Executive of Reliance Brands which has partnered with international brands including Ermenegildo Zegna, Diesel, and Kenneth Cole to open stores, is a man who has his finger on the pulse of the Indian luxury market. He’s upbeat that more than 50 per cent of luxury sales will come from countries outside the western economy this year. This explains why brands are reinventing to appeal to younger people. “The younger man is looking for Zegna’s craftsmanship updated with modern techniques in the form of classic fibres like merino wool so the millennial can wear the machine-washable Zegna suit because he couldn’t be bothered to send it for dry cleaning,” he says.