Coffee with Cavalli

Dressed in a black jacket and blue denims, sporting his trademark sunglasses and silver hair, the witty old man of fashion, Roberto Cavalli, looked and acted quite the rockstar as he launched the Roberto Cavalli Boutique and the Cavalli Caffe in Delhi on Friday afternoon. Fashionably late, he posed for the shutterbugs at DLF Emporio, and with his casual swagger, put the awestruck audience at ease. The 72-year-old Italian fashion designer, known for his wild array of prints and sand-blasted and stretched jeans, said, "This is not my first time in this country. It's a big honour for me to open the first Roberto Cavalli Boutique and the Cavalli Caffe in India. Your culture is very special to me and I feel a lot of love here."

The 400-square feet boutique on the ground floor of the mall is also interconnected to the rather plush cafe that houses Cavalli wine, Cavalli Premium Italian vodka and chocolates. On being probed about the delay in opening the luxury store in India, he jokingly said, "Because I am a shy guy. On a serious note though, India just opened up to me in my mind one day, and here it is."

The high-end fashion brand has been brought to India by Infinite Luxury Brand Pvt Ltd, run by designer Manav Gangwani, entrepreneur Sahiba Narang and finance expert Rahul Kapoor. The spacious store not only boasts women's and men's prêt collections, it also has an extensive display of eyewear, jewellery, shoes, handbags, belts and wallets. True to his signature style, snake and alligator motifs, and zebra prints make quite a few appearances. Besides dresses, gowns, coats, blouses and jackets, there's also space for the famous Cavalli denim collection.

"Everyone talks about China, but for me, the future lies in India because I trust the people here. Indian embroidery and style is very interesting and different, like the sari. And if you put these minute details on my clothes, they'll be beautiful," he said. A range of clutches especially made for the Indian market is also available at the store. "This is my baby. The decoration of the store is actually a lot like my house — the black marble and the smooth walls," said an excited Cavalli.

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