In 1891, an Indian prince sent his beloved in London, a Valentine card set in carved ivory surrounded by diamonds. It cost him £250,000. In 2007 a love-struck CEO brought his Valentine a Sabbia Rosa cashmere and silk robe for $3230. This year you could fly her to the Taj Lake Palace hotel in Udaipur and spend two nights at the Royal Suite for $2,500.
Or you could present her cymbidium flowers nicely arranged in a ribbed vase from IK. The tag is Rs 1,71,500—Rs 1 lakh for the vase and Rs 1,500 per flower. You could also gift her a Tag Heuer Aquaracer Lady Watches for Rs 1,05,000.
Well, besides being blind, love can also be illogical. The power of reasoning is proportionate to the spending power of the love-struck.
And for luxury brands it means big business. Brands such as Christian Dior, Hugo Boss, Swarovski and Gucci have unveiled special Valentine collections.
Manishi Sanwal, general manager, Jewellery and Watches, LVMH India says, “Valentine sales account for nearly 10-12% of business share for a luxury brand. It is a heavy buying festival that has seen a significant jump over the past 4-5 years.”
While flowers and jewellery remain the most preferred gift items, the demand for “something different” is growing. It could be a Leiber ring purse for $1,895, an IK rose flower dipped in gold for Rs 1, 300 or a romantic spa package at Galaxy Hotel for Rs 12,500.
Hugo Boss has a special gift hamper for men that includes sterling silver cufflinks, an exquisite silk tie, a calfskin belt, wallet and a key chain), with a tag of over Rs 12,000.
