Designer Shantanu Mehra at the launch of S&N in Bengaluru and the more accessible bridge-to-luxury segment
Designer Shantanu Mehra at the launch of S&N in Bengaluru and the more accessible bridge-to-luxury segment
More than two decades after the brand was launched, Shantanu and Nikhil are finally stepping out Namma Uru To expand its retail presence. Designers from the brand of the same name have just launched S&N, a bridge-to-luxury label that has found its first Bengaluru home in Phoenix Market City. Another store will open on Vitthal Mallya Road in September.
“S&N is nothing but a trickle-down effect of Shantanu and Nikhil,” says Shantanu Mehra, half of the designer duo, who were recently in Bengaluru for the launch of the store. Primarily, S&N is a menswear brand with 70% of the offerings being for men, the rest for women and solutions through accessories.
If the parent brand is just formal wear, S&N keeps it as festive. “There is a sense of contemporary ethnicity mixed with Indo-Western influences. Celebration wear is not limited to weddings. It can be for anything – birthdays, anniversaries or board meetings,” says Shantanu of the new label, which Was launched in Delhi in 2020.
Known to be anti-tender in their designs, the brothers have followed the same policy in conceptualizing S&N as a label as well. Calling the bridge-to-luxury segment uncharted territory in India, Shantanu believes that most international brands have set a ground rule on what bridge-to-luxury is, but no Indian designer has been able to do that till date. Couldn’t touch the sweet spot. “It is either at the top of the fashion food chain, or it becomes a very mass market. Nothing sits in the stomach,” he adds.
And that’s exactly what S&N aims to do. For example, the statement shirt they retail for starts at ₹8,000. Prices may be underpriced compared to the original brand (price upon request), but the in-store experience, Shantanu promises, is not. “Shantanu and Nikhil Vansh still comes through with the interiors with gold, grey, dark colors and matte color palettes. At the forefront of our sales are stylists who are giving you solutions – which brooches will go with shirts, shoes that work for you, which colors match well, and so on.”
While the design ethos has remained stagnant, the business side of things has seen some change. In 2019, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail (ABFRL) acquired a stake in Shantanu & Nikhil, which then gave the brand “feathers to fly” with a robust supply chain for sourcing, manufacturing and distribution. One thing the designers were sure of in this partnership? Design before commerce, always. “There is no loss of creative freedom, in fact, we have had the opportunity to develop better ideas.”
First, S&N presents a distinct market segment for the brand that it can tap into. In addition to the brick-and-mortar store, there is also a direct-to-consumer digital channel. While the mother brand focuses on ceremonial wear, S&N offers attendees something – be it at weddings or parties – statement shirts, signature draped kurtas, evening jackets, draped waistcoats, sherwanis, saree gowns, corset tops etc. With the collection of.
The couture brand is also undergoing revamp in some stores, with the model becoming more hybrid, with both S&N and the original brand under one roof. Even on the drawing board? Hybrid stores in Dubai, London and New York.
Within India, S&N, which currently has eight outlets, will see five more this year including Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Raipur, Jodhpur and Delhi NCR. Tier-II cities will also see expansion in 2023. Online, the brand is looking to start shipping worldwide from August 15.
More than two decades strong, the brand is charging straight ahead, already laying the seeds for the next crop of patrons — Gen Z. “Millennials are the biggest spenders, but you can’t ignore the Gen-Z vibe. Some of our shoots and campaigns focus on them because at some point they will be millennials and inclusion has to start somewhere.”
Perhaps the launch of S&N in Bengaluru is also a part of this incubation to invite more customers towards the brand. “In Delhi or Mumbai, fashion is larger than life, but Bengaluru gives you a great atmosphere,” says Shantanu, explaining why he never opened his flagship clothing store here before. “Consumption of expensive products, especially fashion and clothing, is not the dynamism of this city. That’s why S&N can make perfect noise here. It’s minimalistic, easy to wear and it’s fashion without being fussy. ,