[BITList] Paris-made luggage for the Maharajas

[John Feltham]

Baggage bling

Sep 29, 2007

*** In the late 19th Century, orders for custom-made luggage in
Paris from the Maharajas of Kapurthala, Kashmir, Jodhpur and
Baroda outnumbered those by the rest of the world. In the 1930s,
when the Great Depression made it tough for luxury brands in
Europe to stay afloat, our maharajas still chose their own leather,
locks and designs for the most expensive trunks in the West.

Now, three quarters of a century later, much after the privy purse
was abolished, post Independence and liberalization, India's
new maharajas-the tech czars, tycoons, Bollywood stars, and
the thousands of nouveau riche millionaires that litter the country
from Mumbai to Ludhiana-are back to spending on luggage.

A Delhi businessman recently placed an order for a special picnic
hamper, made of handcrafted leather, with sections for wine,
cheese and sandwiches within. The cost: Rs 2 lakh. *** [snip]

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Baggage-bling/222189/





ooroo

Bad typists of the word, untie.