New Delhi: It’s not just Prada that’s hotfooting it to the country. From couture to handbags and heels, the luxury market is having an India moment. Add watches, fine art and jewellery to the list.
While Prada is being inspired by the Kolhapuri chappal, an auto rickshaw was the inspiration for a recent Louis Vuitton handbag that split the internet into the lovers, the haters and the mildly puzzled. Luxury watch brand Franck Muller is planning two Indian editions. Meanwhile, a piece in London fashion designer Robert Wun’s latest Haute Couture collection created a buzz last week on social media.
“Robert Wun showing a fishtail cocktail lehenga gown was not in my 2025 bingo card,” said popular fashion handle Diet Sabya.
While there’s been no official reference to the lehenga by the designer brand, the resemblance is uncanny. Wun did not respond to an email seeking comment.
“India has always been a wellspring of aesthetic richness (colour, craftsmanship, symbolism et al) but only recently has the global luxury industry realised it also holds immense spending power,” Diet Sabya told ET. “Now, inspiration seems to follow money!”
Luxury brands are increasingly personalising offerings to resonate more deeply with customers, said Pushpa Bector, senior executive director and business head of DLF Retail, which runs Delhi’s Emporio mall, home to several luxury labels.
“Brands are curating pieces that reflect local culture, craftsmanship while staying aligned with global luxury standards,” she said. “Bvlgari’s reimagined mangalsutra, Franck Muller’s exclusive timepieces, Christian Louboutin’s Diwali collection, and Valentino’s India-exclusive embroidered VSling bag are examples of how global luxury houses are tailoring their products for the Indian market.”
Luxury buyers are emotional about buying bespoke pieces, said Sanjay Mishra, director, India at FM International Watches & Jewellery (Franck Muller).
“We will have two India editions coming up this year and one of them is inspired by Ram Navami,” he said.
Franck Muller launched the Vanguard Slim Men in Blue special edition watch in 2023 around the time of the ICC World Cup. All 47 limited edition pieces of the watch that bore 3D embossed indexes in Devnagri were sold out.
ET reported in April that slowing consumption in China is pushing makers of luxury Swiss watches to sharpen the focus on India, their fastest-growing market globally. Exports of Swiss watches to India grew nearly 30% in the March quarter from the same period in 2023.
Auction Action
And it’s not just global brands. Interest in Indian art pieces is hitting records. Sonal Singh, chairman of Christie’s India, said the auction house’s list of top 10 jewels sold worldwide in the first half of 2025 includes two Mughal curved emerald jewels.
“The Magnificent Jewels auction in New York on June 17 offered Magnificent Mughal Jewels: Property from a Royal Collection which realized $14.8 million for three pieces, the Mughal Carved Emerald Necklace selling for $6,221,000, the Mughal Multi-Gem and Emerald Necklace achieving $5,555,500, and the Mughal Three Strand Spinel and Natural Pearl Necklace which sold for $3,014,500 achieving standout results,” said Singh.
She added that Christie’s had set a new benchmark value for the work of MF Husain and the entire category in March this year.
“The sale of Untitled (Gram Yatra) for $13,750,000 was a landmark moment and continues the extraordinary upward trajectory of the modern and contemporary South Asian art market,” she said. “The price realized for Untitled (Gram Yatra) doubled the previous record for any modern Indian work ever approximately $7.4 million achieved for Amrita Sher-Gil’s 1937 The Story Teller sold in September 2023 in Mumbai – and soared past the previous record for Husain – approximately $3.1 million Untitled (Reincarnation) set in London last year,” she added.
Bvlgari’s priority is to grow in India, Jean Christophe-Babin, the global CEO of the luxury brand, had told ET last year. Bvlgari launched its first digital boutique in India in an exclusive partnership with Tata CLiQ Luxury last year.
Gopal Asthana, CEO of Tata CLiQ, said the brand’s B.zero1 Kada bracelet and the mangalsutra, have received an enthusiastic response since the launch. “Today’s India represents a powerful intersection of cultural richness and a digitally savvy, engaged audience,” he said. “For luxury brands, it offers an opportunity to craft layered narratives that are rooted in local tradition yet resonate with global consumers.”
Diet Sabya said the reactions to some of the launches have been ‘telling’.
“Some Indian consumers embraced these launches as symbols of cultural validation — even if filtered through a distinctly Western design brief,” stated the account. “But others were more discerning, if not outright cynical. The now-infamous LV auto bag sparked curiosity, sure, but ultimately felt like clever packaging dressed up as cultural storytelling.”
