SKETCH TO SCALE

INDIAN DESIGNER LABELS EYE EXPONENTIAL GROWTH WHILE BUILDING SCALE, AFTER TIE-UPS WITH CONGLOMERATES SUCH AS RELIANCE RETAIL AND ADITYA BIRLA GROUP.

- AJITA SHASHIDHAR

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, a heartwarming Hollywood film set in the 1950s, is about a humble London housekeeper, Ada Harris, who dreams of owning a Dior dress. She starves, gambles, wins a reward (from a rich woman whose diamond clip Ada finds on the street and hands over to the police), gets a war widow remuneration years after losing her husband, and saves enough to travel to Paris. At The House of Dior store, Ada encounters a host of ups and downs before she finally lays her hand on her dream Dior gown.

Ada’s Paris adventure transforms the fortunes of The House of Dior. The housekeeper’s dream of owning a Dior gown inspires the maison—which dresses up only the über-rich and that too on invitation—to make its collection accessible to people. The company launches its prêt line—clothes, footwear and accessories, which, incidentally, also helps the brand steer out of bankruptcy.

Though Ada’s encounter with the House of Dior is fictional, the film brings alive the biggest challenge faced by designer labels across the globe—to build scale and stay profitable, the reason why many of them prefer to partner with conglomerates such as Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton or LVMH (which owns Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Bulgari, Fendi and Tiffany), Kering (which owns Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta and Alexander McQueen), or Richemont (which owns IWC Schaffhausen, Cartier, Montblanc and Chloé). The tie-ups give brands access to capital, and thereby ability to scale and distribute widely.