S T Dupont, a hi-end luxury brand from Paris which specialises in men’s luxury leather goods, cigarette lighters, pens, watches and fragrances, will soon have a retail presence in India.
The brand has entered into an agreement with Zingari synonymous for being the distributor of state-made Cuban Havana cigars and cigar retailing in India. The first S T Dupont luxury retail outlet will be in launched in Delhi in the next 3-4 months and there will be a total of 8-9 retail outlets in India in the next two years.
Better known for its cigarette lighters, the iconic mens’ accessories brand is seen in the movie Casino Royale where Bond is wearing the OO7 bullet cufflinks and carrying the Xtend James Bond Torch Flame Lighter from the house of S T Dupont.
The agreement will also see Indian skilled craftsmanship from Rajasthan being exported to Europe to cater to European tastes. Zingari will provide S T Dupont with skilled craft workmanship talent base in Rajasthan, where the latter will make limited edition products with Indian craftsmanship having a European design. The craftsmen will work on designs by S T Dupont for lighters, cufflinks, and other accessories that will be featured in global S T Dupont stores.
Chetan Seth, president, Zingari, said, “We have signed an agreement with S T Dupont a few months earlier and are currently working on the launch plans for India. We have also agreed to work on a production model to use Indian skilled craftmanship along with their designing capabilities to create products for European markets.”