When shopping for luxury products, most people often prefer going for brands from Europe, especially from France and Italy. Tongue twister designer names and stricken out Dollar price tags, ah! a brand lover’s heaven. But what if you were told that the European or Italian sounding brands you love buying inside colossal shopping malls are actually Indian. Feeling stupid or ditched? The luxury brands have strategically used our mania with foreign stuff and quality of desi products.
These and many more foreign sounding brands are in fact Indian. So, the same desi things that you drag your mom away from, come back with a name makeover. What else changed? You’re smart enough to get that!
That being said, here are 16 brands you always believed were foreign but are purely Indian.
1- Chandon Wine
This is a very special wine owned by French Specialists Moët Hennessy is no different from a lot of the other foreign sparkling wines which we get in our Indian market. The wine is actually produced in India only with the grapes which are grown a few hundred kilometers outside of Mumbai.
2- HiDesign
Hidesign is worldwide known leather goods brand started on 1978 is actually Pondicherry based Leather Company in India. Tannaries from Tamil Nadu are known for supplying leather products and accessories to a number of the biggest global brands. And one of those brands is definitely HiDesign.
3- Allen Solly
Friday living, chick office wear ideal for brunches and evening outings. How can such a refined thing be Indian? If that’s what you think, Face-palm! Another globally popular premier Indian brand, Allen Solly is a product of Madura Fashion and Lifestyle, a division of Aditya Birla.
4- East India Company
The company that once exploited India is now owned by Sanjiv Mehta. It is now one of the high-end luxury goods providers. Yes, it is a proud fact that an Indian now owns the company which once ruled India.
5- Amrut Single Malt
Amrut Single Malt must have hit the market with a bang, ranking the 3rd best whisky in the world a few years after its global launch. And while you may think this fine liquor is from Europe, it’s actually brewed and bottled by Amrut Distilleries Ltd right in our very own Bangalore.
6- Da Milano
Shahil Malik inherited his father’s business back in 2000. What started off as a store in Delhi now has a chain of its studios across India and the even Middle East. Leather accessories such as bags and shoes with a touch of western design is their specialized trade.
7- Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is a clothing brand that specializes in men and women’s apparel. It’s well-known for its superior quality woolen apparels. As Italian as it may sound, Monte Carlo is 100 percent Indian. This woolen wear brand is actually from the Ludhiana-based Nahar Group. And it is doing well both locally and international.
8- Franco Leone
Franco Leone footwear brand sound Italian but it’s actually a Indian owned footwear brand. Before Vishal Bhambri it was owned by 2 Italians.
9- Munich Polo
One may think that this premium kid’s wear brand comes straight out of Germany. But that’s not the case. Munich Polo is a purely Indian brand, whose name was deliberately chosen to appeal to the Indian market that’s obsessed with products that have European-sounding origin.
10- La Opala
La Opala is a high-end tableware brand that’s the number one choice among people shopping for wedding gifts. The brand may bear a French name but that’s literally the only thing related to France. La Opala Company is actually headquartered in Kolkata and all its products are manufactured locally.
11- Peter England
Peter England again a brand of Madura Fashion and Lifestyle. Men’s fashion whether formal wear or casual is what they deal with. But the brand has another country in the name is totally Indian.
12- Flying Machine
The clothing brand was one of the first ventures in India that were able to bring online and offline sales together. Arvind Limited known as Arvind Mills then was the world’s third largest denim manufacturer back in 1998. Flying Machine is a brand owned by them.
13- Louis Philippe
Couldn’t have imagined to see this name here? Yes, the brand named after a French King’s name has got an Indian origin. Louis Philippe is a brand of Madura Fashion and Lifestyle formerly known as Pantaloons Fashion and Retail Limited. It is a division of Aditya Birla Fashion and Lifestyle.
14- And Designs
And Designs was founded in 1995 by Anita Dongre, Meena Sehra and Mukesh Sawlni to experiment with international styles and fashion and providing trendy threads not just in India but all over the world.
15- American Swan
The American Swan is an Indian brand found in 2012. Our fascination with the West is responsible for the choice the name. Sandles, polos, pullovers, sweatshirts, belts, wallets, handbags, jewelry, skirts, shoes and the list goes on. The American touch to youth fashion is the uniqueness of the brand.
16- Royal Enfield
The bike that a huge chunk of Indian youth either wants or has is a desi product. Though if started as a foreign production, it always had Indian incorporations. Until finally in the year 1955, Redditch company partnered with Madras Motors India to form ‘Enfield India’. Since then these retro looks bikes have been totally Indian products. The bikes were manufactured near Tiruvottiyur, Chennai.
