Killick Sudeepto Datta is a biochemistry graduate, as well as an MBA. And while management might be in his blood, courtesy a family full of high-profile corporate honchos, selling shoes is his passion.

However, the 44-year-old is no ordinary salesman. The owner of fashion brands like Pony International and Dry-ShoD is also the global licensee of Diesel, XOXO, Nautica and Mecca footwear. No mean feat for a Calcutta boy, whose father “still can’t get over the fact that I sell shoes”.

The Los Angeles-based owner of Global Brand Marketing Inc (GBMI) went to University College, England, for a B.Sc degree. But he couldn’t ignore his love for trade, despite paternal restrictions. It was in Durham University Business School, UK, that he had his first brush with business, doing his thesis paper on Nike, and even landing a job with the company after graduation.

As president of companies like Skechers, Brooks Sports, Wolverine Worldwide and LA Gear, Datta picked up all the tips he needed to build a successful business, finally striking out on his own in 1996, “at the behest of my wife, Tina”.

Headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, GBMI designs, develops and markets fashion footwear for men, women and children in over 130 countries. And now, he’s ready to enter the Indian market.

On a recent trip to town — “I come here every year to visit my parents” — he had seen enough to make him believe that “purchasing power has gone up and disposable incomes have risen”. The time is ripe, and Datta is ready for test sales in July this year, with a full-fledged launch in spring-summer 2005. “I won’t reduce the prices to make it accessible to the masses, because then quality is compromised. Fashion is not logical, it’s only for those who can afford it,” he adds.

But, he’s not ready to source out of Calcutta just yet. “I checked out some factories in the south, and I was very impressed. They make some wonderful stuff, but can’t sell themselves. We will now start getting stuff made in the factories there. But in Calcutta, the infrastructure doesn’t exist. In India, as opposed to Southeast Asia, craftsmanship is the key, not quantity. That should be cashed in on. Nowadays, the ‘Made in…’ label doesn’t matter. It’s the quality of the product that counts,” Datta says.