'Craftsmanship is supreme'

What started as a way to establish himself and learn a lesson or two in managing finances and earn, soon turned out to be the foundation to pursue his passion — bespoke and haute luxury. He set up his first business of refurbishing mobiles at the age of 16 in London with a mere 700 British Pounds (Rs 60 thousand) saved up from his birthday money over the years.

He then went on to set up a couple of other businesses. Now, as the co-founder of Excedo Luxuria, Kapoor is an international serial entrepreneur and haute luxury specialist. “Luxury is a combination of price, value and worth. When you are buying something, it has to mean something. Price is what you pay, value is what you get and worth is what it means to you and how much you think it is significant,” the 29-year-old tells Metrolife.

Ranging from uber luxury brands such as Cecil Purnell, Breva, Fiona Kruger’s time pieces, limited edition handbags, customised shoes, couture, perfumes and cigars, his venture caters to “niche clientele”. “Some of these brands have made a loss for decades and they have survived because their craftsmanship is supreme,” says Kapoor whose store in the city is set to be formally launched to a section of the public by December 2016.

Giving an example of brand Petroveta which is known to create only five bags every eight years, he says, the emphasis is on having timeless creations. “It (Petroveta) will always be available to a handful of consumers — those who aren’t obsessed about logos. Rather, who are looking to invest in a timeless creation to cherish and pass on to their future generations,” he avers.

Kapoor, who has combined the selling of a range of top products with informed business knowledge, has received Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his IT security business from the then Young Entrepreneurs Association (2006) and Britain’s Business Elite Award in 2009.

On the proliferation of brands offering luxury and high-end products globally, he explains, “Luxury has become a word which has been used more often and far too many times. People have forgotten that luxury itself is something personal and inequitable. While for me, it could mean spending quality time with family, for my next door neighbour, it could be driving a Porsche.” 

Though he believes the market in India is in a “very sad state of affairs”, but is hopeful of large customer base in the next five years. “It is disappointing that we have a lot of players in the industry who are destroying the essence of valued luxury. It is not about competition but about selling yourself apart. In fact in the next five years at a projected rate of 8.4 per cent, India is looking to become the largest market by customer base,” he says.