Woman’s Luxury Business
Faiza Seth is not your usual CEO. She has flowing black hair, 40-plus pairs of Christian Louboutins and she frequently shares beauty secrets in fashion magazines. But the Hyderabad-born executive has more to her than meets the eye: After a stint at Lehman Brothers in Hong Kong and obtaining an MBA from Stanford University, Ms. Seth, 33, moved to London where she set up her own business, the architecture and luxury interior design firm Casa Forma in 2007.
Tempted by India’s fast-growing economy – which continues to lure global luxury firms despite hurdles like high tariff barriers – and eased by her personal Indian connections, Ms. Seth is planning to expand Casa Forma’s presence here with the opening of a Delhi showroom by the end of the year. Casa Forma will be the latest arrival in a market which appears to be growing: The home furnishing unit of Italian fashion house Versace, for instance, opened its doors in the Indian capital in January. Originally set up as a property development firm, Casa Forma reshaped its business model after the 2008 property crash and shifted to luxury design. “That worked well for us so that’s what we are focusing on now,” said Ms. Seth.
This is probably a wiser model for India too, where the market for luxury housing has gone through rough patches recently. Although the likes of Donald Trump have announced multi-million dollar investments in the sector here, it was recently estimated that 40% of luxury apartments in India’s financial hub of Mumbai go unsold. Ms. Seth spoke to India Real Time about the Indian market for high-end interior design, shared tips for young female entrepreneurs and explained how beauty and business don’t always go well together.
Please click on SOURCE below to learn about Ms. Seth’s tips for young female entrepreneurs.