Simone Tata, a renowned personality of the Tata family, passed away on Friday at the age of 95. She had been battling age-related health issues at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai.
Mumbai: Simone Tata, a prominent figure in India's cosmetics and retail industry, passed away in Mumbai at the age of 95. She had been grappling with age-related health problems for a long time and ultimately passed away at Breach Candy Hospital. Simone Tata elevated the Indian cosmetic brand Lakmé to new heights and laid the foundation of the modern fashion industry through Trent's Westside retail chain.
Simone Tata and Her Connection to the Tata Family
Simone Tata was the mother of Noel Tata, Chairman of Tata Trusts, and the stepmother of Ratan Tata, former Chairman of the Tata Group. As Chairperson Emeritus of Trent, she guided the company and brand operations for many years. Her contributions helped the Tata Group's retail and cosmetics businesses reach new heights.
Simone Tata was born in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1930. Her birth name was Simone Dunoyer. She grew up in an affluent French-Swiss family. She first came to India in the early 1950s, where she met Naval Tata during a short stint at Air India. The couple married in 1955.
Transforming Women's Perception through Lakmé
In 1962, Simone Tata joined the board of Lakmé. At that time, Lakmé was a small cosmetic unit of Tata Oil Mills. Middle-class women in India were hesitant about using makeup. Simone propagated the belief that beauty is every Indian woman's right, not just a luxury. Over the next two decades, she transformed Lakmé into not just a cosmetic brand, but a symbol of women's confidence and modernity.
During the 1970s and 1980s, under her strategy, Lakmé launched products that combined glamour with the needs and budgets of Indian women. Consequently, Lakmé became India's leading cosmetic company.
Brand Sale and New Retail Venture
During India's economic liberalization in the 1990s, Simone Tata sold Lakmé to Hindustan Unilever for $45 million. She utilized the capital from this move to launch a new retail venture, Trent. Today, Trent operates a b network of modern fashion retail through its Westside and Zudio chains.
Lakmé was a Tata venture established at the request of then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He observed that Indian women predominantly used imported cosmetics, which led to an outflow of foreign exchange. The brand name was derived from the French opera ‘Lakmé’, which is associated with Lakshmi. Simone Tata introduced new dimensions in marketing and broke down social inhibitions among women regarding makeup.
Simone Tata also played an active role in the work of the Sir Ratan Tata Institute and other charitable organizations. Her contributions were not limited to business; she also promoted women's confidence and modernity in Indian society.
