Arvind Vijaymohan also shared how Lakmé got its name.
Arvind Vijaymohan shared that former PM Jawaharlal Nehru was concerned about how there was no cosmetic brand in India.
Lakmé products, including lip gloss, statement winged eyeliner, etc. have been the most preferred ones among women. There is a story behind how former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru persuaded JRD Tata to start this cosmetic brand. Arvind Vijaymohan, the founder and CEO of the art research and advisory firm Artery India, has revealed this.
Arvind has talked about the role of industrialist Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata in its making. He has shared an Instagram reel and captioned it, “The story of how the first Indian cosmetic brand came to be named.”
Arvind said that JRD Tata received a phone call 12 years after he had taken over the Tata Empire. The call was from JRD’s best friend and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. During this time, as the Artery India CEO revealed, Tata Empire was showing signs of becoming the multi-billion dollar giant it became.
Arvind informed that the former PM was concerned about how there was no cosmetic brand in India. And Indian women had to depend on expensive international brand names. According to Arvind, Nehru was concerned that these foreign brands were expensive and they didn’t cater to the Indian weather and skin tone as well. Nehru convinced Tata to establish a cosmetics company to save foreign exchange. Arvind acknowledged, “Mr Tata gets to work almost right away.”
Arvind revealed further how Lakmé got its name. One of Tata’s group companies (Tata Oil Mills Company also known as TOMCO) was involved in the production of coconut oil. To execute the plan, Tata created a subsidiary company linked to this group company. Raw materials were supplied to this company for the production of cosmetics. The art investor revealed that a team representing the Tata Group had gone to Paris to find a suitable name for this Indian cosmetic brand.
The team met a French composer Leo Delibes and saw one of his operas which revolved around the love story of an Indian Girl and a British officer. The lead actress’s name is the French translation of the Indian goddess of wealth and prosperity. She stands for power, fortune and beauty. When the team heard about this, they knew they had found the brand’s name. “Lakshmi, like its French counterpart Lakmé, will stand for the face of the strong and elegant Indian woman; a prosperous symbol of beauty with divine powers,” said Arvind Vijaymohan about how JRD knew he got the name.
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