DARE reconnects with Deepak Whorra of Episode to trace the journey of the enterprise.
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Then: Actress Sharmila Tagore once bought a beautiful wine bucket from England, and it turned out that it was the same product that Deepak Whorra had exported. This awoke him to the huge potential that the Indian luxury product market held. Soon after, he launched Episode, a silverware outlet. When DARE featured Episode in September 2008, it had just five stores.
Now: The brand has established itself across India, with 11 outlets in different cities, a 225 per cent profit increase, and 300+ employees.
About Deepak: An MBA from FMS in Delhi University, Whorra worked in Forbes Campbell Ltd for two years in Mumbai and started his export company Whorra Enterprises in 1978. He still runs the company with his brother as equal partner. This is the parent company and Episode is its sister organisation. He describes himself as a simple person, looking to enhance life through involvement with design.
Smartest move: Episode outlets at the Delhi airport gave the company good exposure and increased brand equity significantly.
Key marketing strategy: We successfully communicated that luxury products are not a whimsical buy, but an essential part of the high-end lifestyle,” says Whorra. “I established this not by creating snob value as in Giffen’s Paradox. My focus was on the creation of very exclusive ‘Limited Edition’ collector’s pieces.”
BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED ALONG THE WAY
“In a luxury product business like ours, customers look for elegance in design, quality, packaging and shopping experience. Meet these needs, and you will succeed.”
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