India’s luxury goods market is estimated to reach USD 11.6 billion in 2026, up from USD 10.6 billion in 2025, according to IMARC Group. As international brands reassess the country’s commercial potential, India is evolving from a market for established fashion collections into a potential launchpad for global debuts. In fashion watches, where design and brand identity drive aspiration, the challenge is converting growing consumer interest into sustained growth through pricing, distribution, and retail experiences.

Against this backdrop, Just Cavalli’s decision to give India the global debut of nine new watch styles offers a glimpse into how the market’s position within international brand strategies may be evolving.

The collection, unveiled on 15 October, will remain exclusive to India until 27 February 2027, before its rollout in other markets. While early access alone does not establish a broader shift in global priorities, the move raises a pertinent question: what does it take for India to become more than a destination for established international collections?

A glimpse of the new collection 

For AP Group, which has represented Just Cavalli watches in India since 2018, the launch comes as the business expands its retail footprint and explores ways to bring consumers closer to the wider Cavalli universe.

The challenge is to convert the appeal of an international fashion label into repeat purchases and sustained growth in a market where consumers have an expanding choice of premium brands.

During the debut of Just Cavalli’s India-exclusive styles in Mumbai on 15 October, Manifest caught up with Hamza Patel, managing director and CEO, AP Group, to understand why the Indian market was chosen for the new styles’ global debut, its marketing play and more.

Edited excerpts:

Nine new styles are making their global debut in India, with the collection remaining exclusive to the market until 27 February. Why was India chosen for this launch, and what does this decision tell us about the market’s importance to Just Cavalli’s global strategy?

The snake has a lot of symbolism and cultural relevance to the Indian market.

When we launched Just Cavalli in India about eight years ago, the snake silhouette, which is the embodiment of the brand’s DNA: bold, fierce and unique, really took off extremely well. The brand has gone from strength to strength.

During these eight years, we have become one of the brand’s largest markets globally and the largest market in the world for the Glam collection, which features the snake design.

India has a very strong position for Just Cavalli and holds a lot of importance for the brand globally, which is why they felt that this market would be the right one. There’s a very strong community of people who resonate with the Just Cavalli brand. That's who we’ve brought in today to take our brand message forward, and that’s why India was chosen.

India’s luxury market is evolving, with younger consumers increasingly engaging with aspirational fashion and premium accessories. How is Just Cavalli adapting its marketing to appeal to this audience while retaining the brand’s distinctive Italian identity?

We don’t associate ourselves with the luxury segment. We see ourselves more as accessible luxury and in the bridge-to-luxury segment.

An aspirational brand, but accessible at the same time. There are certain luxury brands that have today become inaccessible at those price points. We have done a pretty good job of being perceived as luxury.

How we approach marketing is through a complete 360-degree approach, which includes digital activations. We do events like this one for the nine new styles and offline activations. We also have a lot of partnerships that are deeply rooted and very strong with our partners, whether it’s the mom-and-pop trade retailers across India or key departmental partners like Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop and Helios.

What we’re also doing now, which is something unique for fashion brands in the watch space, is having exclusive boutique outlets with the House of Cavalli.

We’ve been doing this for a few years now, and we’re soon going to be launching our 14th and 15th locations this year. Whether it’s Roberto Cavalli, Just Cavalli, handbags, jewellery or watches, we’re creating a fashion and lifestyle environment where you’re able to experience the brand in its entirety.

These are the various things that are adding up and enabling us to reach the level that we’re at today in India.

What are the business ambitions for Just Cavalli’s watch category in India? Are you looking to grow market share, expand distribution, attract first-time luxury watch buyers or increase the category’s contribution to the wider business?

We’re growing from strength to strength. Every year, we’re able to achieve double-digit growth.

We’re no longer growing from a small base; we’re now working from a much larger one. So, to be able to achieve that is very strong. We’re seeing organic like-for-like growth as well as overall top-line growth.

As mentioned previously, we’re present with trade partners, mom-and-pop retailers and key departmental stores like Shoppers Stop and Lifestyle. So, we have a very strong footprint, including exclusive brand outlets.

We’re also present with online partners like Ajio and Myntra. We’re now present at over 250 points of sale across the country, and that number is growing month-on-month.

Fashion and lifestyle brands often rely on celebrity associations, influencer partnerships and launch events to generate visibility. How will Just Cavalli sustain consumer interest in this collection beyond the initial buzz, and what role will always-on marketing and brand storytelling play?

For the launch, we brought on actor Vedika Pinto as the brand’s face for the event, with the association limited to the launch itself.

We are hoping to maintain the momentum by continuing our digital activations and collaborations, whether online or offline, being present at the right points of sale and being able to reach our consumers. That’s basically all that we can do to make sure things remain as robust as possible.

Is this going to be a new marketing play of launching exclusive collections in India first and then going ahead with the launch globally?

I can always hope for the best. The brand has been extremely supportive in accommodating these requests, and they obviously have strong faith in us and in the Indian market and long may it continue.

What metrics will determine whether this India-exclusive launch has been successful, from sales and consumer acquisition to brand awareness and engagement?

Strong topline growth, good sell-through and strong consumer acceptance. I think the launch would be successful if consumers accept the new styles as an organic extension of the existing collections