PONDICHERRY AFTER FOREVER. This time i was in Pondicherry with hidesign .
Their first store was opened in Pondicherry in 1990, and they also have one of their manufacturing units situated there which we had a chance to visit and get an in-depth experience of their entire process of production.
We got to stay and experience both their boutique hotels by the hiding family. Le Dupleix and The Promenade. Both tucked away in those gorgeous french lanes.
Our Journey to Pondicherry was hours delayed and stressful, but the minute we landed, we knew this quite worth it.
LE Dupleix
The minute we reached to Le Dupleix, we were showered by gorgeous yellow walls, green cocktails and delicious starters and late lunch. Chef Mohan, and the entire hospitality team were ready to serve us and indulge in some scrumptious meals. Our first meal included Blue cheese and walnut tarts, squash and cheese dishes, bruschetta in all forms.
After lunch, we went to our rooms and checked in and freshened up a little. The rooms have a little heritage yet modern take on their architecture and vibe. Its colourful, and wooden and has a lot of sunlight coming through the windows. situated in between the gorgeous streets, its nested and quite.
Hidesign Factory Tour –
The Hidesign Factory is about a 40min drive from LeDupleix. It’s situated in a huge area with greenery all around. It was started in 1978 by Dilip Kumar as a hobby, and soon it grew from a two man workshop to a company of more than 3000 spread all over the world. At Hidesign there is no mass production or automation. All products are handcrafted using leather that comes from their own tanneries and brass buckles that are exclusively sand casted and polished in their forge.
They only do vegetable tanning for the leather keeping in mind that their products like handbags and belts frequently come in contact with our skin, hence only vegetable dyes that are skin friendly are used. Most of their employees are women and have been with the company for 11 years or more. And most employees are women, its truly inspiring.
Hidesign believes in sustainability and the waste material is segregated and reused. The company also has an annual recycling initiative called ‘The Art of Reuse’ which uses scrapped material to come up with new designs.
We got to see the collection live, and manufacturing right in front of us. To always see the front end, it was good to see the back end, and WHO makes our accessories and bags!
THE PROMENADE –
Our second day in Pondicherry was spent exploring the second property that hidesign is part of, The Promenade. The promenade is one of those beach properties, its literally overseeing the Rock Beach/ Promenade beach. And it ticks all boxes, as its beach centric, it has a lovely green patio, along with outdoor seating, and tall coconut trees, overseeing the property. The rooms are spacious, and overlooking the lighthouse and the sea. That is what i call, room goals! Every room has a variety of overlooking the property, but i was lucky enough to get access to the lighthouse, beach rooms views. There is cute graffiti in some corners, and makes for the perfect quaint beach property.
Sundowner & Bay of Buddha Dinner –
Sundowners are the best done at The promenade, as its a rewind your day, throw your hair down, sort of place. If you are coming here, after a long day at work, or a weekend with your loved ones, its a perfect spot to just sit in front of the beach view, and pool and soak up the sun & have amazing sangrias and snacks along the sundowner spot of Promenade.
Dinner @ Bay of Buddha –
Bay of Buddha is one of restaurants in The Promenade, the cuisine served is Pan Asian, and all you sushi lovers, this is your place. Its a roof top restaurant with the cities, magnificent view along with some wine, and sushi, and water chestnut, snacks. The ambience is lovely and the serve is top notch.
ROCKSTAR COLLECTION –
After exploring and watching all the behind the scenes of how all the bags are made, we got our hands on the newest collection the rockstar collection is is going to hit the stores soon.
The collection has a little for everyone, from mini fancy sling bags, to totes, to laptop carry bags, its truly a rockstar collection, as each bag resonates a personality.
The cherry on top of the cake was, that we select few got to shoot with the rockstar collection, at the storyteller bar. The storyteller bar, is one of the noticeable bars at Promenade. It has vibe and character, and was the perfect place to shoot for the collection. Once we were done shooting for the collection, we let our hair loose and had a brilliant ladies night at storyteller bar, where the music was high, and the food was scrumptious, and our spirits were, HIGH SIR. 😉
That was a summery of our trip with Hidesign. It was a perfect trip, filled with food bucket lists fulfilled, aesthetically cute corners and hotels to fulfil our hearts, and the absolute delightful warmth and hospitality by the Hidesign team along with the hospitality teams. I would definitely love to be back, and explore a little more of this gorgeous city, along with this functional brand. Thank you for a brilliant staycation.
That is all for this post, stay tuned. Check out my instagram for more 🙂
