The travel season is coming up and quite soon at that. How about rethinking your luggage options along with refurbishing your holiday wardrobe? India has Globe-Trotter now!
I heard about Globe-Trotter for the first time when fashionista Pernia Qureshi did a column for us on bridal trousseaus. Since then, we have bided time, and waited for the brand’s entry in India.
This heritage and niche luggage brand has finally hit the Indian shores with Entrack Heritage Products Pvt Limited. Also credited with bringing Montblanc to India, Entrack is the exclusive distributor for Globe-Trotter in the country. Making news recently, the first Indian Globe-Trotter store has now opened at the posh ITC Maurya Sheraton & Towers, in the Diplomatic Enclave area, in New Delhi.
In a market overflowing with Louis Vuitton luggage and cases, Globe-Trotter will bring a fresh air to the luxury luggage scene in India. A brand focusing on craftsmanship and uniqueness, not many know that Globe-Trotter has been receiving patronage from many opinion leaders and celebrities like Sir Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II, Daniel Craig, Kate Moss, Dita von Teese and Kylie Minogue. Founded in 1897, the brand has been serving connoisseurs for more than 100 years now.
One of the most iconic traditions of Globe-Trotter is its tough, aesthetic corners, which are produced by the leather team, who form the corners over a period of 5-days on antique Victorian presses. Is that a scratch or a nick you see on your case? Don’t worry! Loyalists say that the older it gets, the more artisanal it looks. Beyond just a pretty face with vibrant colours, Globe-Trotter, through its method of manufacturing, ensures your belongings are safe from any hazard.
To learn more about the brand and its India foray, we have a small conversation with Ms Vishakha Doshi, Director Communication & Marketing, Entrack Heritage Products Pvt Ltd.
Soumya Jain: Congratulations on getting Globe-Trotter in your portfolio! You have had Montblanc for quite a long time in your group. What took you so long to bring another brand?
Vishakha Doshi: Thank you very much. We have had other brands in the past too – we look at each opportunity as it arises and do our best to see what synergy exists between both partners.
SJ: Why Globe-Trotter? What about this brand appeals to Entrack?
VD: Globe-Trotter is a great brand with a great heritage. It involves traditional craftsmanship and they still manufacture the cases as they did when they started. They have a story to tell and we have great synergy with Globe-Trotter as a brand. Globe-Trotter products are style icons adopted by purveyors of traditional craftsmanship and a timeless aesthetic.
SJ: What is the USP of Globe-Trotter which you think will appeal to Indian consumers?
VD: Its uniqueness and its vibrant colour combinations without losing the heritage touch.
The cases are very unique and classic. Indian consumers have fine taste and want the very best each category has to offer. Globe-Trotter stands for heritage and craftsmanship. These two values define the British luxury spirit with a rich historical archive and hand-made philosophy true to original Victorian-era manufacturing that lends the product its wonderful charm and personality. Its qualities are entirely unique and therefore impossible to imitate.
SJ: Can you throw more light on the craftsmanship of Globe-Trotter luggage?
VD: Produced at the Globe-Trotter factory in Hertfordshire, cases are formed by hand on Victorian machinery from a special material called ‘Vulcan Fibre’ or vulcanized fibre board. Invented in Britain during the 1850s, Globe-Trotter Vulcan Fibre is 14-layers of paper, bonded, then coloured to specification. Each case is riveted, lined and leather trimmed by hand – from start to finish.
SJ: How tough is it going to be to compete with LV and Tumi in India?
VD: I think all the brands are great in their own way and each has its niche. We are merely providing customers with more good choices to make.
SJ: Even though Globe-Trotter is a heritage, well-known brand, do you think Indians recognize it the same way they do LV? How do you plan to increase awareness for Globe-Trotter?
VD: Globe-Trotter produces only limited quantity yearly and are restricted to this practice. The brand has a huge following and will grow organically in India too.
SJ: In general, what are your views on the Indian luxury market and what are the biggest challenges for you to sustain here? What are your future plans for Globe-Trotter?
VD: The Indian luxury market is expanding gradually and there is of course great potential. Customers are aware of all that is available globally and it is great to offer it to them locally. The biggest challenge for retail in India is quality retail space at affordable prices. We would like to make Globe-Trotter available in more cities across the country in due course.
