The new fashion stops of the biggest designers in the country are more than just retail stores. Each one personifies the designers’ strong aesthetics, fantastic sensibilities and eye for detail. From Sabyasachi, Gaurav Gupta to Anita Dongre among others, all have recently opened gates to some massive new fashion addresses in Mumbai. We give you a lowdown.
Gaurav Gupta
Designer Gaurav Gupta’s new store in Kalaghoda, Mumbai is not just a fashion stop. It’s a lot more. It’s a museum, a cultural space, a place to exchange ideas. When Vishal K Dhar, the designer, and his brother, Saurabh, sat down almost a year ago in their Mehrauli store to brainstorm on what the new store should look like, they came up with ‘shunya’. “Our brand’s pillars, which are fantasy, architectural, sculptural surrealism, disruption, were also looked at closely. And as we drilled deeper and deeper into the mindscape of the brand, we came up with shunya. And we agreed on the concept of shunya. It became the starting point, and we literally made the whole store as a sculpture of multiple shunyas or a world of voids. So the initial idea was to create something original and new and not belonging to a particular time, timezone, or having any references. And that's why the store is so abstract and spiritual.”
Amit Aggarwal
Designed as a dark blank canvas reflective of infinite unexplored possibilities, for his third store Amit leans into the paradox of the surface of the deep sea that is calm on the surface yet carries an entire unknown thriving ecosystem within it. Using a juxtaposition of surfaces, where the jagged textures of charcoal sand textured walls blend seamlessly into fluid metallic wavy curves, the gleaming flooring emanates walking on the deep layers of the abyss, reflecting the world that floats above it. The ceiling a serene oblivion of black with little sparkles reminiscent of stars on a moonless night and the hand casted amorphous molded furniture imaginative of unknown giant sea creatures afloat in boundless mass of the waters.
Anita Dongre
Early this year, Anita Dongre took over a four-story Sassoon heritage building in Kalaghoda. The ground floor features jewellery and Anita Dongre’s newly-launched vegan accessories, set against custom-designed wallpaper that draws from Anita Dongre’s embroidery patterns.The next floor houses Grassroot and the ready-to-wear collection featuring craft stories against two-hundred-year-old metalwork and timber frames. The second floor features menswear against grey and gold hand-painted pichhwai walls. The most grand is the third floor that has Anita’s bridal showcase. The store is said to bring back the elegance of the 19th century because of its colonial architecture and its amalgamation with the modern Indian crafts.
Masaba Gupta
Masaba Gupta’s new address is a fresh change, just like the inside of her new store. This is Masaba’s newest and largest retail destination so far. It’s different from the previous stores because of its muted, minimal sensibility. Admittedly, she wanted to give a new voice to the brand, starting with its store. It also marks the debut of her beauty brand, Lovechild, with a dedicated corner to experience the products.
Sabyasachi
The biggest voice of Indian fashion right now, Sabyasachi’s store in Kalaghoda is nothing short of a spectacle. The store is sprawled over twenty-five thousand square feet and housed in the majestic neo-classical heritage landmark building at Horniman Circle. The ground floor holds the Sabyasachi bridal collection. The first floor is dedicated to the brand’s largest showcase of jewellery in the world, housing fine, heritage and high jewellery collections. And the second floor is home to womenswear, menswear, the international collection, and accessories.
Words Hansika Lohani
Date 18-05-2023
