You may be familiar with Dallas-based watch brand Breda, pre-rebrand. What began as an offshoot from a family watch business has now grown into a successful contemporary brand that values versatility and the customer’s need for a unique time piece that acts as an extension of their personal style. The brand’s rapid success inspired brother and sister team, Amir Meghani and Shabeena Meghani, to rebrand and diversify last year, in time for 2015. The results are innovative, stylish and truly exciting. Eager to find out more, we caught up with Amir whose optimism and buzz for business was truly infectious.
How was Breda born?
My family had been in the watch industry for two generations, it all started with my Grandfather selling watch bands in India in 1952. Through the two generations no one was able to build a lasting company. My sister and I joined my father’s struggling watch business in 2006, so the third generation of our family to go into watches. In 2008 we started Breda, however there was no true intention of building a brand. It was at first a mere process of taking the watches we were making and putting a brand name on the product. In the beginning we had no vision for what Breda could become, it was almost like the false start of our education to building a brand.
What triggered the recent rebrand?
The past three years we have seen tremendous growth for Breda, mainly selling online to a limited set of customers. At the end of 2013, my sister and I realized we had something special with Breda – the volume of product we were quietly moving in the market was incredible. We spent the first half of 2014 visioning the future for Breda, with a goal to relaunch at the end of the year. Here we are in Spring 2015 with a new look and an amazing collection to share with the market.
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How would you define the brand now?
Today, fashion watches are not time telling pieces, they are accessories. Currently, the fashion watch market is dominated by designer brands and a handful of premium lifestyle watch brands. Why should consumers be limited to a singular look by purchasing one premium watch? Today a watch compliments your style, and consumers are no longer confined to a singular aesthetic – hence our diverse range of designs. We are no longer apart of one clique/genre or married to a single label. Today’s consumer (or youth) is a fusion of cultures, race, class, identities and styles. This mash-up has opened up a unique opportunity for Breda to provide accessible watches to an audience seeking to project their self-expression through various styles.
Tell us about the new collection.
The range of style in the collection is intentionally diverse. Our goal is to cater to today’s youth who lives under no singular aesthetic – the masters of self-expression.
What do you prioritize when designing a Breda watch?
There are three main factors for our team: 1. The customer, what do they desire, based on what feedback we are receiving on collections. It is very important to understand the changing style and functional benefits of our product to the customer. 2. Fashion trends and market insight. We are a fashion watch brand, trends change every year and sometimes by season. For us, it’s not always about being first to the trend, but being the best at achieving the desired look by the market. 3. Our brand’s point of view on design. One thing I believe that sets us apart is that we have an evolving point of view; it is ever changing with the market and consumer. A mantra we live by at Breda is ‘never-stop’. It is reflected in our watch design and brand identity.
