Manyavar's new store in Mumbai casts ethnicity in a global context

Manyavar, the prominent Indian ethnic men's wear brand which specialises in men's wedding collection, has unveiled its largest flagship showroom spread over an area of 16,000 sq. ft in Lower Parel, Mumbai. The brand has sought to create a lavish shopping destination for men.

Speaking about the new showroom, Ravi Modi, Managing Director, Manyavar, said, "Location is always the key factor for setting up a retail outlet, that too for a flagship store. This is milestone in our brand's journey as having such huge space in a place like Lower Parel, opposite Palladium is no mean task.”


The 160 ft wide front façade of the store has already become the talk of the town. For the brand's design team, the basic idea was to change the aesthetic paradigm of "Manyavar” and to make it look international and yet maintain the ethnic quotient, for which the brand is famous.

The store is divided into two levels, each having four segments with an individual identity as per the language of the merchandise. It showcases a wide range of sherwanis, Indo-westerns, kurtas and suits targeted at SEC A and AB+ customers.



Modi added that in designing the store it was necessary "to understand the aspirations of a wide range of buyers. We understood that buying a Manyavar product for a special occasion is as important as buying a perfect suit in the western culture. The basic idea was to open out the store to the people and make it visually interactive. So, we opted for a clear glass skin with uninterrupted members allowing complete transparency. We have received a very positive feedback on the store design. Customers have appreciated the look of the 160 ft façade.”

The design team has taken inspiration from the royal palaces and used traditional elements like a horse carriage, an ornate palatial gate and ornate arches for the props and combined them with up-to-the-minute colour palette. They have also incorporated laser cutting techniques for the props to add detailing.

The store interior has been designed with an open plan wherein the four different sections are easily visible from the central atrium which is the approach space. The area is divided into two paradigms. One, for traditional sherwani and Indo-western wear and the other for kurta-pyjama and suits. For the former, a basic ornamental backdrop with an interplay of ornate grills has been used. For the latter, a coloured glass having heavy ornate work as per the genre of merchandise has been deployed. A lot of "jali” work predominates the VM which has been a common pattern for the entire interior design of the store. The store bespeaks the opulence quotient through elements like the centralised lounge, ornate grill patterns, Italian marble, carpets and wallpapers which have helped in creating a grand atmosphere for Manyavar.

Commenting on VM, Modi observed: "VM plays a vital role in narrating the story of the brand. We played with colours that flowed in with the store windows to the interior design of the store. We have used copper and gold tones which are seen in our VM and also in the store design colour palette. Overall, our VM was focused on highlighting the royal, classic yet trendy appeal that Manyavar portrays. The biggest challenge was to position Manyavar at par with international brands in terms of the high-end retail experience offered. Being an ethnic brand the challenge got converted into an opportunity”.

Manyavar is rapidly growing its retail footprint across the country. "We want to open 10 flagship stores in the metro cities every year and get to 600 EBOs by 2016 from the present count of 335+ EBOs. After having outlets in India, Dubai, Sharjah and Bangladesh we want to cover the US, Nepal, and Sri Lanka,” he said in conclusion.