A wonderful custom

(So I wrote this for a newspaper. I seem to do that quite a bit these days!)

Once upon a time, you went abroad with a meager foreign exchange allowance and did some high-stress budgetary calisthenics to bring back what you really really wanted – and what your friends would really really envy you for having. This could be anything from a pencil box complete with cartoon character erasers to lingerie that most people saw only in the very fancy fashion magazines in five-star hotel bookstores to gadgets that would pluck out your leg hair, provide you with an evening’s entertainment or help you make a sumptuous dinner. Along the way, if you could afford it, and if you had ways to take it back to India without getting caught by customs or needing to pay the duty, you also acquired some real treasures, with fancy tags attached: Dior perfumes, Louis Vuitton luggage, Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, Mikasa glassware, Cross pens and perhaps a diamond or two courtesy Tiffany.

And then, as time went by, life got a little easier for all those who believed that labels were the only route to take and brands mandated not just quality but exclusivity and that much coveted snob value as well. The shops in Heera Panna, Manish Market and other such ‘grey market’ arcades could supply everything from washing machines, refrigerators and watches to chocolates, diapers and hairbrushes, all with the requisite label attached, but no guarantee except goodwill, no service contracts and, usually, no instruction manual. However, there was no real choice available or comparison possible; you had to know exactly what you wanted, or trust the dealer to give you what you asked for, in a time frame that was often unpredictable.

And then the licenses started being issued. Special store spaces were created where you could acquire all the snob value you desired, in a currency you could provide without too much trouble. Fragrances from reputed fashion houses like Cartier, Yves Saint Laurent and Calvin Klein flooded the counters in popular department stores and did not need a special relationship to be established with the store manager for him to reach deep into the cash drawer to furtively fish out the scent you had asked for so long ago, but “No bill, madam”. Clothes hit the racks, from Benetton to Tommy Hilfiger (who seemed to swallow his qualms about making clothing for the non-WASP population in the face of potential profits on a massive scale) to the fabulously publicized Reid and Taylor, much of it riding in on the coattails of Bollywood and its very visible stars.

Slowly, popular international brands starting setting up individual stores in India, selling cameras (Nikon, Canon, Sony), luggage (Samsonite, American Tourister, Delsey), sportswear (Reebok, Nike), white goods (Siemens, Bosch, Samsung, LG) and personal-use products (cosmetics – Maybelline, Revlon, Bourjois; lingerie – Triumph, Enamor, Lovable; clothing – Lee, Levis, Cherokee). Soon, stores theselves made their presence felt, from MacDonald’s to Marks and Spencer. And the shoppers flooded in: young people with a decently high disposable income, like Shyam Somanadh, who works with a media group in Delhi and says that he prefers “international brands in alcohol, appliances (laptop, phones etc), clothing, etc. I like a mix of practicality in both price and looks.” The luxury market followed closely behind, primarily targeting the high-fashion buyers. From Jimmy Choo to Chanel, Vuitton to Tod’s, Elizabeth Arden to Clinique, Rado to Omega, they all came…and, in a limited section of society, conquered. There is a growing population of millionaires in India and they are all willing to spend.

But there is one genre of shopper who wants even more exclusivity than just a label that is known, never mind to a very small population of discerning buyers. And those people find their dreams in products made exclusively for them. Like that hand woven sari, that specially crafted necklace, that perfectly finished dining table, that exquisitely polished floor…all fairly easily possible in India, at a price. As Anuradha Mahindra, publisher of Verve (apart from other magazines) says, “India has a long-standing tradition of producing high quality hand-crafted products suited to the individual tastes and style of the consumer. I would choose custom-crafted products when they perpetuate this tradition in terms of the specific craft that they employ, or when they symbolise a creative vision of the designer or craftsman who draws inspiration from our vast heritage.”

According to Oorvazi Irani, artist, entrepreneur and educationist, “Custom crafted clothes or jewellery would be for a special occasion like a birthday or a wedding and would speak of my individuality and style. It makes you feel good and stand out from the crowd, and you don’t mind spending that little extra to pamper yourself.” Though she is not especially finicky about it, she would use a high-end branded product “if it ensures me quality - like a writing instrument, for instance”.

Perhaps best of all, custom-made objects have the snob value of being one-of-a-kind, completely exclusive, and created to specifications that the buyer has. And it is the way things are done in the country, the way that they have been done for generations. Even today, few will look for a high-end diamond bracelet, for instance, in a store selling readymade jewellery; they will prefer to get it made to order from a family jeweler, or at least someone with the apt reputation and lineage. If carefully supervised, the piece will rival that made by a big-name international firm like Tiffany, Gubelin or Georg Jensen. The same applies to almost anything, from carpets to clothing, art and even kitchen pottery. Mahindra feels that “The advantage of custom-crafted products is that they express your own personal style statement, which often needs courage and a strong sense of self.” On the other hand, “The advantage of 'off-the shelf' luxury brands is an assured standard of quality and the security of being part of a global fashion trend.”

Perhaps the biggest market for custom-made goods is the fashion industry, especially the trousseau business. While street corner darzis and ‘designers’ are a dime the proverbial dozen in this country, quality is not easy to find. As Somanadh says, he will take the trouble to have something made for himself, but “only if they can guarantee the same quality which they expect on products meant for the western market. I like paying for quality, not just for the label.”
Graphic designer Krsna Mehta believes that “customized is better is you are working with the right person. With brands, you get a logo, years of tradition, a product that has been master-created for years.” Something specially made for you, on the other hand, has the cachet of being “exactly what you want, your fit and size, something that is only yours – a complete limited edition, one of a kind”. Of course, he knows, “Some things are better branded,” like a car, but even in that luxury market there is the Mercedes and then there is the Rolls Royce.” For some things, “especially in India and the East, a custom made product is easier than in the West. And even custom-made can be branded, like a Pinakin Patel piece for specially designed interiors, for instance.”