Da Milano, a luxury leather accessories brand established in 1989, is a major player in the global fashion scene now. The brand offers an array of leather products—from handbags, portfolio and travel bags to wallets, accessories and home essentials. With 82 stores spread across 20 cities in India, as well as branches in Nepal and Dubai, Da Milano has become the international brand of choice for consumers looking to buy high-quality and affordable products in the premium luxury space.
Guardian 20 spoke to Da Milano’s managing director, Sahil Malik, and its director, Shivani Malik, about the brand’s history, its global presence and expansion plans.
The brand came into existence in the late 1980s, with a vision to become a global leader in the luxury space. “There was a huge space in the luxury segment as there was nothing else that served as a bridge to premium luxury. That’s where we felt that India has the right craftsmanship in leather, as India has been producing high-quality leather products for a lot of international luxury brands. At Da Milano, we believe the product is the largest ‘first-market’ force. So there was a need to enter this segment,” says Sahil Malik, MD, Da Milano.
Da Milano established itself in the Indian market in the mid-2000s as an accessories brand that carried a distinct Italian touch. Leather was chosen as the brand’s signature material because it is elegant, durable and long-lasting, qualities that the brand in itself stands for. Sahil told us that they import the best-quality leather from Italy and from a tannery in Chennai for Da Milano products.
What was handed over to the duo as a one-store business by their family, has, since 2007, been transformed into a brand with a global presence. Shivani Malik, Director, Da Milano, said that the timing of the brand›s entry into India›s larger retail market, with big shopping malls cropping up everywhere, was just right. That was the advantage which helped them to open more stores with an international appeal.
“We started from scratch. Brands usually get a platform to build on, but we didn’t. We didn’t even have an office. There were just 5-6 people. Now there are about 200 people in the backend and more than 1,500 other employees in the team. Each and every department has been established by the two of us. We learnt on the job. We literally took a one-store concept and made it into a big brand,” Shivani said.
The brand launches products in various categories every two weeks to keep up with the changing trends, introducing new innovations in accessory design with each range. Shivani said that the concept behind this fortnightly model has to do with creating more choices for buyers. Every time someone walks into a Da Milano store, they should find something new to buy.
The co-owners study the market and develop new products accordingly, making certain the price points remain affordable. One more thing that makes Da Milano stand out is their unique lifetime service warranty.
The brand recently introduced its “Smart Luggage” collection, with features like biometric locks, GPS, Bluetooth, and weighing scales to make travelling more convenient for their customers. About this infusion of technology in their product range, Sahil said, “Today, technology is what’s driving everything. We want to be the leading player in introducing smart luggage. Everything is going digital and this is the way forward now.”
In addition to this, their latest Autumn/Winter ’18 collection, is grabbing headlines. Featuring snake- and fur-textured handbags, the new collection takes Da Milano a little closer to their business target of launching 300 handbags annually.
Talking about the luxury market in India, Sahil said, “The evolution has been slow. The bridge to luxury is growing. Apart from metro cities, there is a challenge of acceptability. But Indian customers are well-educated and well-travelled. They understand our product and feel it’s the right value for money.”
To this, Shivani added, “Indeed, the market has evolved, but it’s still not at par with the international standards. We have a long way to go. Da Milano really fits in the best here, as we fall into luxury, but we are not unaffordable. We are in the best space as people look up to our brand, yet it’s not out of reach. Our products are aspirational and the middle- and upper-middle classes really cherish our products.”
Sahil and Shivani Malik also own the luxury leather footwear brand Rosso Brunello, which was launched in 2010. Established, like Da Milano, on the twin pillars of affordable prices and superlative quality, Rosso Brunello offers specially-tailored footwear with a classic vibe. The brand›s product range includes loafers, slip-ons, moccasins, lace-ups etc. Rosso Brunello now has eight exclusive stores and 24 points of sale across Asia.
As for Da Milano, it opened its first Delhi Aerocity outlet on 29 August 2018. The brands owners have already earmarked sites for about 15-20 more domestic stores to be set up within the next year. There are also plans to venture into the Middle East market, and further on into Europe soon. Airport retails work as major marketing points for the brand and soon Da Milano is expected to open stores at the international airports in London and Singapore.
Sahil told us about the future plans for Da Milano: “As a brand we have been growing about 23-25% in Compound Annual Growth Rate. So I feel there’s immense potential and India being a great consumption market, there’s huge scope of expansion. We are positive about our expansion in the international market
as well.”