Red-carpet exclusivity

Two red-carpet brands are rolling their designs into India. Let the party begin.

The beauty of exquisiteness lies in its exclusivity. More so when you are dancing in the arms of luxury. There is, of course, the idea of carrying a designer bag or accessory that every other brand/designer-conscious socialite needs to possess.

But then again, there are those timeless, exclusive pieces of design that only very few can possess "" works of art that adorn the red carpet.

Now we in India might not have many red-carpet occasions, but when has that stopped us from feeling like celebrtities? And with two red-carpet designer brands "" de Grisogono and Leiber "" rolling their designs into India, it's time to start the party.

For a country that loves the colour black, de Grisogono is good news. The brand is known for having revived the usage of black diamonds in jewellery, despite the initial hysteria.

At the same time, de Grisogono is also synonymous with colour and, as its founder and creator Fawaz Gruosi puts it, passion.

Every piece of jewellery is handcrafted with the finest quality of precious stones. And it doesn't end there. Just the way Gruosi brought back the era of black diamonds, he also ushered in a signature style for his collections "" innovation.

His newest experiment is with gold. In explanation, Gruosi unstraps a de Grisogono watch from his wrist and turns it over to show me the case "" a dark brown metal that feels warm and calm.

"Innovation imparts exclusivity," he says, adding that Browny Brown, as this new colour of gold is called, is a soft, intensely tanned colour given to gold through a unique de Grisogono process.

The artwork though is not limited to jewellery alone. De Grisogono's collection in India is also marked by watches, including the Lipstick collection for women that sets new standards for jewellery watches with its vibrant colours and raw shapes.

If we are talking sparkling gems and colourful designs, Judith Leiber's soft launch in India is well timed to coincide with de Grisogono's. For what better way to complement one piece of art with another?

Leiber, known for its Austrian crystal-embedded bags, has brought to India a whole range of bags, sunglasses and accessories like perfumes and perfume holders and lipstick and card holders. The star trail Leiber proudly boasts of has names like Cate Blanchett, Sarah Jessica Parker, Penelope Cruz and Renee Zellweger.

Sangeeta Assomull, CEO of Marigold, which will distribute Leiber bags in India, reveals that an ideal Leiber client is a woman "who appreciates the finer details of life and style. A Leiber woman knows the importance of detail, quality and sophistication".

Interestingly, Leiber plans to customise a few designs to suit Indian taste but while the design will be Indian, its interpretation will be Leiber's own... making it both unique and known at the same time. For 2008, to coincide with its store launch in India, Leiber has already taken limited orders for a limited edition of jewelled Ganeshas.

The pool of luxury brands in India may be getting fuller and fuller, but it still amounts to little when exclusivity steps in. There are designer brands that have enormous commercial and recall value, but very few actually make you the priveleged few to possess a design.

"That is why," says Gruosi, "I like to call my designs pieces of art and not commodity. If you have a de Grisogono, you can be sure that no one else will have the exact same design."

Gruosi is certain of his strategy in India. He has no intention of adapting to the tastes of the Indian market. Instead, he intends to target only a niche segment "" the creme de la creme "" that understands a de Grisogono design and values it the same way its creator does.

But for Leiber, customisation is key. So much so that the brand has even introduced the "personal artistic piece" concept that will allow you to create any design on your Leiber bag with your name printed on the inside. Go ahead... pamper yourself.