A Balenciaga handbag designed to look like a garbage bag sells for ₹2.7 lakh. A Lamborghini-branded stroller, made in collaboration with premium baby gear maker Cybex costs over ₹5 lakh. And a life-sized Ferrari F1 show car that cannot actually race, but can cost tens of thousands of euros.
A growing slice of the country’s wealthy shoppers is shifting from recognisable logos to objects that are rare, eccentric and sometimes serve little purpose.
Luxury retailers and concierge services say they are seeing a surge in demand for limited-edition and hard-to-source products, with some buyers willing to pay whatever it takes to acquire products unavailable through mainstream channels.
Limited-edition drops from brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior and Gucci can sell out within minutes, while demand is also growing for products that appeal to niche communities of fashion, art, automobiles and pop culture.
The shift comes as India’s pool of ultra-high-net-worth individuals expands rapidly. According to Knight Frank’s Wealth Report 2026, India had 19,877 people with a net worth of more than $30 million, the sixth-highest UHNWI population globally. The number is projected to rise 27% to 25,217 by 2031, while the country’s billionaire population is expected to jump 51% to 313 over the same period.
A BCG-Altagamma report released in early July said rising affluence and changing consumer behaviour are reshaping India’s luxury market. Luxury consumers are increasingly prioritising self-reward, time, health and longevity over traditional status signals, it said, while product quality remains a key purchase driver. The global personal luxury market is projected to grow 2-5% in FY26, driven by broader lifestyle spending and rising wealth.
More about discovery
Satyaram Nadimpalli, founder of Hyderabad-based luxury concierge consultancy The Capitalist, told Mint requests from clients increasingly include products that are unusual, difficult to source and often unfamiliar to the wider luxury market. “There’s new stuff every week,” he said.
One recent request was for a Schiaparelli handbag featuring the French fashion house’s surreal, anatomy-inspired designs, priced at around ₹7 lakh. “They are not necessarily looking for something everyone recognises; they want pieces that are rare, distinctive and that other people may not even know exist,” Nadimpalli said.
The products range from the highly collectible to the deliberately eccentric. Nadimpalli said Hermès’ Birkin Faubourg, which is designed to resemble a miniature Parisian storefront, Bearbrick collectible figures, an Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 show car – a promotional display which costs between €75,000-150,000 ( ₹82 lakh- ₹1.65 crore), and a limited-edition RIMOWA x Porsche case are among the other latest requests of his clients.
The shift reflects a broader change in how affluent consumers use luxury goods to signal status, said Karan Bhangay, co-founder of luxury consultancy Indulge Global.
“With so much oversupply (of luxury) in the market, brands have to find ways to create scarcity and give consumers a reason to choose one product over another, even if that means making them available at a significant premium,” said Karan Bhangay, co-founder of another luxury consultancy, Indulge Global. “It is the feeling that they are getting access to something not everyone can own.”
At luxury sales platform Darveys, demand for such rare, luxury products is concentrated among a small group of its highest-spending customers, said founder Nakul Bajaj.
The company sold unusual pieces such as Thom Browne’s squirrel-shaped shoulder bag, Marc Jacobs’ claw-clip bag and Balenciaga’s collaboration with Automobili Lamborghini. Buyers join waitlists for unavailable products or ask Darveys’ personal-sourcing team to locate specific pieces around the world. “Scarcity may create the initial urgency, but discovery and insider access provide the deeper appeal,” he said.
This is also creating a business around finding such products. The Capitalist has about 15 people working on sourcing, procurement and logistics, Nadimpalli said. Once a client places an order, it sources the product internationally and typically charges a 10-15% margin. He said many of his clients prefer products that are not readily available in India.
Status symbol
The market is also drawing younger consumers through online luxury platforms. Culture Circle, an online marketplace for luxury and collectibles, has seen demand spread across sneakers, handbags, watches and other collectibles.
Its catalogue includes Balenciaga’s Madame 80mm Crocs heels priced at ₹88,499, the Balenciaga Trash Bag Large Pouch at ₹2.68 lakh, and a Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop watch at about ₹1 lakh.
It recorded ₹153 crore in gross merchandise value (GMV) in FY26, up 284% from the previous year, and receives around 20,000 orders a month, with repeat customers accounting for 51% of monthly revenue.
Ackshay Jain, co-founder of luxury ecommerce marketplace Culture Circle, said, “A conventional luxury handbag communicates that a buyer can afford a particular brand. A rare or unusual piece says something more specific: that the buyer knows the product, where to find it and that they’re able to get it,” he said.
But the appetite for exclusivity can be fickle. Sneaker demand, for example, has cooled sharply after a period of intense hype, Culture Circle and The Capitalist confirmed.
Nadimpalli said his business sold hundreds of limited-edition sneakers during the peak period, including Nike Air Yeezy 2 “Red October” pairs that could fetch about ₹13 lakh, depending on size. The chase has since moved on. “What we are seeing now is demand for something beyond that: unique pieces,” Nadimpalli said.