Armani Exchange, Cole Haan to dress up India

Luxury brands Armani Exchange, House of CK and Cole Haan are set to open their first stores in India.

Luxury brands Armani Exchange, House of CK and Cole Haan are set to open their first stores in India.

A Giorgio Armani store in New Delhi.(File Photo)

As the appetite for luxury and premium brand swells in India, sources close to the development said the three brands are looking at brick-and-mortar presence soon.

“These brands are likely to begin with Delhi NCR where the first outlet would come in DLF Mall of India, Noida,” the source said.

Armani, an Italian fashion brand that designs and sells apparels and accessories, had already brought entry-level Armani Jeans, and uber-luxurious Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani to India. It now plans to bring bridge-to-luxury offering — Armani Exchange — by August. The average pricing for the brand is likely to be above `3,000.

Armani Exchange will be marketed by Genesis Colors, which markets international luxury labels, including the three Armani brands in India, sources said. However, Genesis Colors’ spokeswoman, when contacted, said: “We don’t have anything to share at the moment.”

US brand Cole Haan, which was earlier owned by Nike, also plans to open its first-ever store in the country. Cole Haan specialises in casual and dress leather shoes, and is likely to start at `10,000.

“Luxury and premium brands are on an expansion spree. We have got 340-odd brands in DLF Mall for India,” said Pushpa Bector, executive vice-president, DLF Utilities. However, she neither confirmed nor denied about the presence of three new brands at the new mall.

Cole Haan is likely to be marketed by Arvind Lifestyle Brands, which is a Bangalore-based company, and markets over a dozen of fashion and lifestyle brands. Officials at Arvind, which also markets CK Jeans, did not reply to the texts and calls made by HT. Sources said the first store of Cole Haan is likely to be launched by June end.

US fashion house Calvin Klein, which offers CK Jeans in India, is also planning to open its store of House of CK this year in India, according to sources.