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| Sunday, 21 December 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Shoes, bags and accessories under one roof The newly opened three-storeyed building at Flower Road, Colombo 7, the home of Leather Collection (LC), has taken care of every aspiration of the potential as well as loyal customers. It houses sleek, trendy, fashionable shoes, bags, accessories as well as shawls. "Each and every item is hand-picked by our Managing Director, Niloufer Anverally herself to ensure that the best quality items are given to the customer, who is the king of our business," said Sales Manager, LC, Godfrey A. Pillai. Leather Collection has obtained the agencies for the world renowned brands of footwear, Hidesign and Carlo Rino. "Although the brand Hidesign was available prior to expansion, this has given us an opportunity to expand the product profile of the branded footwear," he said. Hidesign is one of the finest leather goods labels in the world, respected for its traditional methods of tanning and manufacturing. The hides are soaked for 40 days in extracts of barks and seeds collected from the forests of Africa and India. Once the vegetable extracts are fully absorbed, vegetable oils are applied to make the hide supple. Each hide is hand rubbed with aniline dyes, leaving the grain visible and enhancing the strength and beauty grained from the vegetable tanning product. "Hidesign is 100 per cent leather; even if you wear it for 10 hours at a stretch, you will not feel uncomfortable," said a confident Pillai. The brand Carlo Rino is known for funky styles and beautiful coloured shoes. Explaining the rationale behind the expansion, he said a survey had revealed that there was a need for the expansion of LC, which had opened its doors way back in 1992. Trends in fashion and customer perceptions have changed over the years, resulting in customers looking for trendy, fashionable styles in footwear. "I started this venture in 1992 with the intention of bringing quality footwear and accessories within the reach of every Sri Lankan and it is a dream come true," the Managing Director said. LC wants to cater to the entire family and hopes to add kiddies' shoes to its collection in the near future so that everyone can purchase their requirements of shoes, bags and accessories under one roof. The new store has an entire floor dedicated to men's footwear, belts, bags and accessories. The new store houses not only practical shoes for daily wear, but sleek, trendy, frilled and beaded footwear that will appeal to the teens. The collection of shawls has been specially imported from India. There are woollen shawls and mufflers, fully embroidered shawls as well as the more soft and pure silk shawls to choose from. He said that though each and every item is hand-picked to ensure maximum quality, prices are very competitive to give the best benefits to the customer. LC also has a branch at Majestic City which it intends to expand in the near future. Pillai said they are planning to expand the Cotton Collection store as well because there is a great demand for it. "The customer base has increased by 40-50 per cent. We have got our own identity and cater to a niche market. Therefore, the expansion of Cotton Collection is fulfilling a request of our customers and tour operators," he said. (SG) |
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