This young lady is all about the sparkle. After entering the Indian market a few years ago, Austria-based crystal giant Swarovski has been gradually moving towards carving a niche for itself among the luxury-loving consumers in India. At the helm of its affairs in the country is Sukanya Dutta Roy, managing director and head of the consumer goods business (CGB) division of Swarovski India Pvt Ltd. She leads the strategy and development initiatives of the consumer and retail arm of the firm with her vast expertise and knowledge on merchandising, retail operations management and 20 years of in-depth experience working with innumerable global luxury brands H&M, Guess, Good Earth and others.
“Though I am a Bengali, I am a Delhi-born and bred gal. I did my schooling at a convent, pursued Bachelors in Economic honours from SRCC, University of Delhi which was an unusual choice because my entire family constituted of engineers. I have some splendid memories of college, which had a Bohemian air when I was a student, unlike today. Treading down an even more unusual path, I enrolled myself in Nift after SRCC to study apparel merchandising and marketing followed by a masters in business administration in management studies from FMS. It is there (Nift), that I was first introduced to the world of luxury and fashion, and met some of the biggest creative forces behind India’s top designer brands. I was in a hostel and shared space with creative and educational minds of those who went on to become global names,” shares Sukanya.
Adding further, she shares, “I’ve always had an interest in luxury and fashion ever since I was a young girl but since I hailed from a hard-core traditional Bengali family, knowledge and education were considered to be supreme. Nevertheless, after I completed my studies and grew of age, I managed to mix the best of both worlds and opted for a career in retail. I entered the retail space in 1994 and that’s when retail in India was picking up like a storm and I got an opportunity to grow with the market.” Luxury for her is all about finding the right combination of rich heritage, culture and craftsmanship. “When you have a story to tell the world and pass it on with abled craftsmanship, that’s luxury for me. It is not about flaunting the biggest and the priciest brands but it is about accepting or carrying a product that truly reflects your aura and inner self.”
Surrounded by luxury as she is, does she have a personal favourite that she loves to don herself? “Thanks to all the exposure that I’ve gotten travelling, I have a few favourites, yes, but I choose to be grounded, thanks to my upbringing. My favourite is my classic Dior bag,” she adds.
Aside from having a job profile that sees Sukanya travel extensively across the world, she is a self-confessedly passionate wanderlust-bitten traveller who is also an avid trekker and likes to make annual trips to detox. “Even casual trips contribute a lot to my reservoir of professional experience. I travel a lot to Europe and it has become like a second home now. But what would be more interesting now would be exploring Europe by going local. On my lust bucket-list is a trek to South-America as I have never been there. I would love to plan a trip to Peru soon.” Ask her which country she thinks is the most stylish and she says, “Italy. Even without donning any sort of brand, the average Italian comes across as sassy and stylish. They are well-dressed and conscious of their appearance, very open, chic and effortless.”
