Valentino is preparing to land on the Indian market: thanks to a long-term distribution agreement with Reliance Brands Limited (Rbl), partner of the most important luxury brands (about 60) in the country, the maison will open its first boutique in Delhi, which will be followed by a flagship store in Mumbai. The opening of the first store is scheduled for late summer 2022, while the Mumbai flagship store will follow in the following months: both will offer a full range of the brand’s womenswear, menswear and accessories.
The Delhi store will be 162 square meters wide and will be located in the Dlf Emporio, to offer women’s collections and a targeted selection of men’s accessories, while the Mumbai flagship will offer the entire Valentino universe, from clothing to perfumes. The brand is currently present in over 145 locations with 213 Valentino boutiques and over 1,100 points of sale.
According to Euromonitor International, India will be one of the fastest growing luxury markets this year, estimated at 8.5 billion dollars, up 300% compared to 2.5 billion in 2021.
“Valentino needs no introduction in India -” commented Darshan Mehta, Managing Director of Rlb -, Founded by the legendary Italian designer Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, the fashion house has undergone a creative evolution of great impact under the leadership of the current creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli and of the ceo Jacopo Venturini who lead the brand in the contemporary luxury sphere, implementing its heritage to affirm Valentino as the most established Italian Maison de Couture. The brand’s contagious romance, iconic codes and bold use of color have a strong resonance in India. This partnership will help bring the brand closer to Indian customers and create new brand connoisseurs ».
“We are happy to join forces with India’s luxury retail leader, Rlb, and proud to work together to extend our shared vision and voice in this important market, full of new opportunities – noted Jacopo Venturini, CEO Valentino-. The imminent opening of the stores represents a significant step in Valentino’s global strategy, we are honored to participate in the expansion of the country’s retail market that allows the Valentino company and community to grow solidly, aligned with our core values and our brand culture. As for the new business model, we are leveraging the consolidated relationships between Valentino, its sales force and its customers, combined with our Couture values - obsession with detail, creativity and client-centricity – which together with human capital and teamwork are the fulcrum of the company culture and the main drivers of its evolution. We are thrilled to bring the Valentino collections and our unique customer journey mindset to India ».