Louis Philippe looks to exclusivity through Luxure

Louis Philippe, the premium brand from Madura Garments (a division of Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd), is now taking Luxure its ultra premium apparel line to newer cities. After launching it in Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai, a swanky Luxure store was recently opened in Chennai.

“We do not expect large revenues. It’s more for raising our benchmark in terms of quality. We don’t have a sales target for Luxure either. It’s not meant to be distributed widely. Every outlet is carefully selected. We have not even given it to the wholesale business,” says Vishak Kumar, COO.
At the moment it’s available in 11 outlets these being in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Cochin and Hyderabad. Louis Philippe has now identified 14 cities where Luxure stores will be opened this year. These are mainly the metros like, Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata and cities like Pune, Lucknow and Chandigarh. In all there will be 22 Luxure stores in 2010. So far, the most profitable Luxure location is in Linking Road, Mumbai, followed by Connaught Place in Delhi. The garments that range between Rs 3,500 to Rs 10,000 for shirts and trousers and between Rs 21,000 to Rs 65,000 for suits, is aimed at the well-heeled consumer. “We had a lot of customers who wanted Louis Philippe to do more for them and give them absolute top range. That’s how we hit upon Luxure. Consumer exclusivity is important,” explains Kumar. Made from Sea Island cotton, which is grown in a few islands in the West Indies, each of these garments have been numbered to ensure no two customers wear the same thing. There are very limited outlets which sell the line. And limited number of pieces is sent to these outlets. And to keep its exclusivity, 20-25 new styles are introduced every month. “Even if it sells well, we won’t send it again because each product is a masterpiece. We replace it with another masterpiece,” says Kumar.
Considering its premium nature, Luxure is not meant to be a widely distributed brand either. It’s not even available in all of Louis Philippe’s stores or their large network of 60 stores. “Luxure is for a select audience who know the difference between a good shirt and a great shirt. It’s not a big business and for the moment the brand is happy to keep it at that,” he says.