The Indian handbag market may already be crowded, but consumer expectations are still evolving. And it's evolving far beyond just fashion or functionality. Buyers today, are looking for products that feel personal and thoughtful. They would rather choose products that seamlessly fit into their everyday lives over something purely flamboyant or trend-driven.
Irth, from the House of Titan, is building its identity around this exact consumer expectation. The objectives are clear — smoothly blend accessible design with utility-led innovation and emotional storytelling. In this conversation with IMPACT, Kanwalpreet Walia, Business Head – Women Handbags, Fragrance & Fashion Accessories Division at Titan Company Limited, outlines the dynamic consumer expectations, who Irth is innovating to cater to them and how they aspire to build a brand that aims to make everyday moments feel a little more joyful.
Read the edited excerpts below:
Q: India’s handbag market is already crowded with fashion-first and utility-first players. What gap does Irth still see in the category?
Handbags may be a fully penetrated category, but there is still a significant gap in India when it comes to accessible, well-designed and functional brands. Over the last decade, Indian consumers, especially urban women have evolved significantly in the way they consume fashion, driven by global exposure, travel and social media. Today, while there are many players in the market, a large part of the category remains commoditised, especially at accessible price points. There are very few strong domestic brands that combine style, functionality and accessibility in a meaningful way. That is where Irth sees a clear opportunity.
At Irth, the focus is not just on vanity or utility alone, but on creating bags that sit at the intersection of both. The idea is to offer products that are stylish while also making a woman’s everyday journey more organised and joyful. Whether she is travelling to work, meeting friends or heading out casually, the bag becomes a companion for every part of her day. Combined with Titan’s strong retail ecosystem and accessibility, we believe there is significant room for a brand like Irth to build relevance in this category.
Q: What kind of consumer response has Irth received so far?
The response has been extremely encouraging. At our stores, we consistently track customer experience through Net Promoter Scores, and from the time we opened our first store, our scores have remained above 90%. A big part of that comes from the surprise and delight consumers experience when they interact with the brand. Customers often walk in expecting the bags to be priced at 25-30 grand because of the design and quality, but are pleasantly surprised by how accessible the pricing actually is. For us, that combination of style, quality and accessibility has translated into strong appreciation and love from consumers, even in our very short journey so far.
Watch the full interview here:
Q: Who is Irth’s target audience? Is the brand also looking at men, or is it currently focused only on women?
Irth is currently a women-first brand. From the beginning, we consciously chose to focus on women because handbags are a very high-affinity category for them. For many women, a bag is not just functional, but also an extension of their style, personality and everyday needs. At this stage, all the solutions and products we are building are designed specifically for women.
Q: How much of the total revenue is allocated towards it? Also, what kind of communication and mediums is Irth currently focusing on: digital, traditional, or performance marketing?
Irth currently operates as an omnichannel brand through exclusive brand outlets – its own website, Myntra as an exclusive online partner, and departmental stores such as Lifestyle and Shoppers Stop. As of now, the brand has 17 exclusive brand outlets across top cities. At this stage, the focus is largely on building awareness and communicating what the brand stands for, rather than measuring marketing spends as a percentage of revenue. Performance marketing is definitely a part of the strategy, but Irth is currently a digital-first brand, driven by where its footprint and consumers are today. While ATL mediums such as print and outdoor are being used selectively in key markets like Delhi and Mumbai, digital continues to command the larger share of communication. According to the brand, digital allows more expressive, two-way and immersive storytelling, which aligns closely with Irth’s positioning around journeys, motion and effortless everyday conversations.
Q: Beyond metro cities, are you also seeing demand for Irth in Tier-II and Tier-III markets?
Absolutely. Through platforms like Myntra and Irth.in, we are already seeing demand coming from across pin codes beyond metro cities. In fact, we have also signed stores in cities like Bhopal and are actively looking at expanding into several other emerging markets. According to the brand, access to fashion and lifestyle today has become far more democratised because of social media and digital exposure. Aspirational consumers now exist across cities, not just in metros. While consumption patterns may vary slightly, the demand from Tier II markets is already very strong, and even Tier III markets are steadily evolving.
Q: Could you talk about Irth’s recent campaigns and the thought behind them?
When we talk about IRTH products, we always say that design has its own language. It is deliberate, thoughtful and something that can be felt. That is what IRTH has always stood for — being beautifully crafted for the journeys of women. Since we are still a very new brand, we have tried to express that same philosophy through different forms of storytelling, with our recent campaign being ‘Always a Little Ready’. It builds on conversations we have had earlier as well, including ‘Beautiful Ordinary’.
IRTH is really about everyday journeys and making those everyday journeys feel beautiful. If you look at the campaign, it captures effortless everyday moments where IRTH becomes a companion and allows women to experience small joyful moments in their day. One thing we often say internally is that, at the outer, a bag is just a bag — a beautifully designed and well-crafted bag. But at the inner, the bag truly becomes who you are. If I look at your bag and someone else’s bag, both may look beautiful from the outside, but what exists inside reflects completely different personalities, lifestyles and worlds. Everything that women carry and everything that represents them exists inside that bag.
That is what we try to bring alive through our campaigns — creating a joyful personal space through the bag. While the expressions, moments and bag types may evolve, the central thread has always remained the same. ‘Always a Little Ready’ is simply another effortless expression of how IRTH can become a partner in a woman’s everyday life.
Q: How does Irth approach product innovation? Is it driven more by R&D or consumer feedback, and are there any consumer insights that have shaped the brand’s design decisions?
Before launching Irth, the team conducted formal research, but also spent time meeting nearly 20–25 women across different cities and walks of life through one-on-one conversations. According to the brand, many of the most meaningful product insights came from these personal interactions, where women openly spoke about their everyday journeys, routines and small frustrations.
One of the biggest examples to emerge from these conversations was Irth’s detachable bag organizer. The idea came after meeting a college student in Pune who was also working part-time as a beautician. During the interaction, she emptied multiple products from her bag onto a cloth because she had no organised way to carry or shift her essentials between bags. That insight led Irth to create detachable organisers in multiple sizes that could seamlessly move from one bag to another. The product eventually became one of the brand’s strongest recall drivers. Even before Irth opened its first exclusive store, consumers were specifically walking in asking for the organiser they had seen online. According to the brand, that reaffirmed how thoughtfully designed solutions can create a strong emotional connection with consumers.
Several other products, including Irth’s ‘Mother’s Bag’, also emerged from similar conversations with women, reinforcing the brand’s larger philosophy of creating stylish yet effortless solutions rooted in real consumer journeys.
Q: India is seeing growing competition in the luxury and premium accessories market. How does Irth plan to stand out in an increasingly crowded space?
We see growing consumption in luxury and premium categories as a positive sign because it brings more consumers into the market who are willing to explore good design and newer brands. Once consumers enter a category and begin appreciating fashion and accessories, that intent to consume generally continues to grow. Luxury consumption also creates a trickle-down effect. As consumers get exposed to premium styling and global fashion sensibilities, there is a stronger demand for well-designed products at accessible price points. That is where brands like Irth see a significant opportunity.
At the same time, authenticity becomes even more important in a competitive market. According to the brand, the more authentic a brand is in its design philosophy, products and communication, the stronger the consumer affinity and emotional connection become. For Irth, the focus is on building that authenticity while continuing to offer thoughtful design and meaningful everyday solutions for women.
Q: How has the consumer response been for Irth so far, especially in terms of loyalty and brand engagement?
According to the brand, the early consumer response has been extremely encouraging. Despite being a fairly new brand, Irth is already seeing over 15% repeat customers across its stores, while its Palladium Mumbai store is witnessing nearly 20% monthly repeat customers. For the brand, that is a strong indicator that consumers are willing to come back and continue exploring the offerings.
In terms of awareness, Irth currently estimates its overall awareness levels to be around 35%, largely driven by stronger visibility across metro markets so far. However, with plans to rapidly expand exclusive brand outlets over the next year, the brand expects awareness to grow significantly as more consumers physically experience the products. Irth is also seeing strong engagement digitally. The brand’s Instagram engagement rate currently stands at over 1.4%, significantly higher than the usual benchmark range of 0.6–0.8%. According to the brand, these early indicators reflect strong consumer affinity towards Irth’s design language and brand storytelling.
Q: What does Irth’s current offline footprint look like, and what are the brand’s key priorities for expansion and growth over the next few years?
As of the last financial year, Irth had 17 exclusive brand outlets, internally referred to as ‘Yellow Doors’, a name inspired by the brand’s signature yellow identity. Beyond these stores, the brand is also present across 140+ Lifestyle and Shoppers Stop outlets, along with Myntra and Irth.in. According to the brand, Irth.in itself currently attracts around 3–4 lakh visitors every month, reflecting growing consumer affinity towards the brand.
Going forward, one of Irth’s biggest priorities is aggressively expanding its ‘Yellow Door’ footprint, with plans to scale to nearly 100–120 exclusive brand outlets over the next two years. The current focus for the brand remains on awareness, scale and building stronger consumer affinity rather than short-term profitability metrics.
Irth is also aiming to increase its awareness levels to over 60% in the next two years by expanding visibility and giving more women the opportunity to experience the brand physically. According to the brand, the larger vision is to make beautifully designed, joyful and accessible products available to more women across India.
The retail experience itself also plays a key role in Irth’s brand philosophy. The stores are designed to reflect warmth, discovery and joy, with thoughtful details such as gifting walls, embossing services and curated spaces that bring the brand’s storytelling alive beyond just the products themselves.
