05 October,2025 09:33 AM IST | Mumbai | Dhara Vora Sabhnani
In Rahul Mishra’s store, you don’t know if you’re in a lounge or a couture outlet
While studying architecture and design at Harvard and Cornell, architect Rooshad Shroff remembers a moment that shifted how he saw retail spaces. "In 2001 [architectural firm] OMA, led by Rem Koolhaas, designed a Prada store in Soho. That was the defining moment, a shift in terms of how people conceive retail spaces. Before that, retail was more retail-focused with less emphasis on experiential or spatial planning of design. Even in architectural education we looked at the huge double-heighted store as this pivotal shift in retail design, almost like the Guggenheim Bilbao [in Spain] effect was with architecture for the city," he says.
More than two decades later, Shroff is a part of how luxury retail continues to be imagined in Mumbai. He has designed the new 7,500 sq ft Rahul Mishra flagship store in Kala Ghoda, the 100,000 sq ft Nilaya Anthology store in Lower Parel - India's largest décor and design space - and designed key areas of the Louis Vuitton flagship at Jio World Plaza. Shroff was also the local architect for Christian Louboutin's Mumbai store and the lead design architect for their Bangkok store.
Over the last two years, the city has witnessed Indian brands opening spaces comparable to luxury international flagships. Pernia's Pop-Up Shop, owned by Purple Style Labs, took over the massive Ismail Building after Zara moved out, reimagining it as a multi-designer luxury destination. Nilaya Anthology by Asian Paints opened as a sprawling decor showcase. Tarun Tahiliani has a grand store at Ballard Estate, while Sabyasachi Mukherjee unveiled a multi-storey flagship two years ago. And Aashni + Co, founded by London-based Aashni Shah, has brought its couture and bridalwear concept to Mumbai in a format that mirrors its UK roots but expands in scale for Indian shoppers.
For Shroff, these moves are part of a larger global shift. With the entry of e-commerce, he says, physical stores are no longer just about sales. "Brands are using physical spaces to relook at the experience of retail to draw people back into a retail space which is not purely transactional. The physical space becomes an extension of a particular brand or as an experience or as a moment of luxury that allows the customer to experience the brand in a particular way. These are the two pivotal shifts in retail store design in the last two decades."
At Mishra's flagship, that plays out in an unexpected way. The entrance is a passage lined ceiling to floor with framed, hand-painted and embroidered works, devoid of garments. You don't really know if you are entering a bar or a couture store. "In a retail space, people always speak about ROIs. But the impact of displaying just four garments in a space that can fit 100 is way stronger," Shroff says.
Luxury, he adds, is no longer about serving only a local clientele. "It's not necessarily a Mumbai audience. It's also a global audience, because with the Internet you feel like you've seen everything, even if you haven't travelled much. It's really the celebration of the new era for Indian brands. A lot of them are now making larger stores and creating experiences. Each one is voicing themselves in a beautiful way."
Tahiliani, who began his Mumbai journey in Colaba says luxury retail is ultimately about a point of view. "It's not just about good quality, but about patterns, and of course, the experience of how it's presented," he says.
When he started, South Bombay was the obvious destination. "Luxury has always lived in the context of elegance, beautiful architecture and historic spaces. That's one of the reasons South Bombay was the centre for high retail. When we all started, Bombay was still a beautiful, sleepy, colonial town, quiet, laid back, not yet the metropolis it is today. We all began in SoBo for that reason, and I do think it continues to hold its own charm."
But Tahiliani is cautious about directly comparing Mumbai to the big luxury capitals. "I don't think the appetite for luxury here is comparable to London, Paris or Milan. The big difference is that in those cities, people embrace luxury as part of their daily lives, from the way they dress, to the lifestyle they lead. In the tropics, people tend to be more casual in their everyday lives. Here, luxury is still very much occasion-driven, beyond handbags and shoes. Real high-end luxury finds its place in eveningwear, in weddings, and in all the beautiful, ceremonial things, from couture to handcrafted dresses. Now, of course, more Indians are travelling abroad and being exposed to this culture, which is slowly changing the way luxury is perceived."
This celebratory focus is something Shah sees clearly too. Having built her multi-designer platform in London, she says the contrast is striking. "In London, the Indian diaspora and global clientele approach luxury in a very research-driven and discreet way; they come informed, often with an eye on provenance, exclusivity, and long-term value. In Mumbai, there's a greater sense of immediacy and celebration, fashion is closely tied to life events, families, and tradition. What's common to both, however, is the appetite for authenticity: people want to know that what they're buying has heritage, craft, and real artistry behind it."
If Mumbai shoppers are still learning to fold luxury into daily life, its designers are wasting no time in creating statement spaces. For Tahiliani, that was the point of his Ballard Estate flagship. "I think luxury today has to be about more than just racks of clothes. It has to feel like a world you're stepping into. I was friendly with certain global designers and I remember seeing their flagship stores opening in Paris, those spaces weren't just retail, they were telling a strong story. It's another point of view, and of course, the product still needs the right space to shine. My flagship will naturally look very different from a Versace flagship, or from a Victoria Beckham store, because it reflects my universe."
Shah echoes this emphasis on consistency of experience. Replicating the London standard of service in Mumbai has been integral. "The luxury consumer in India expects warmth and a personal touch, and when that is married with the precision, discretion, and curation of London, the relationship deepens. Customers trust us because they see consistency across both cities, and they feel that they are part of a global conversation around luxury."
The jewellery sector has also mirrored this evolution. Dr Biren Vaidya, managing director of the Rose Group, which recently opened its House of Rose flagship at Ballard Estate, has seen it first-hand. The group began in 1981 in the Opera House jewellery district, before moving to Breach Candy in 2004 and eventually launching the new experiential store.
"What began as a traditional retail space evolved into something completely unique - with 16 different luxury experiences, only seven of which are retail. Over these four decades, it's been a journey of moving beyond just commerce," he says. It was about curating an environment where aspiration could meet trust,
where people could come not just to shop, but to experience, he says.
"When I first went to Basel in 1989, what struck me was that there was not a single jewellery brand from India in the luxury segment. At that time, the concept of Indian-origin luxury was unheard of. But today, after decades of building, I can say that consumers are far more open to embracing these multi-dimensional experiences."
His collaborations with watchmakers have reinforced this learning. "Working alongside a house like Franck Muller taught me that true luxury is as much about
storytelling and emotion as it is about craft. Those insights have directly influenced how I present Rose in Mumbai. I wanted our salon to feel like a place where Indian heritage can sit comfortably beside global artistry."
In the post-COVID era, Vaidya adds, consumers are buying fewer pieces but choosing those that are timeless and versatile. Pre-pandemic, jewellery often leaned maximalist, but today there is demand for fine, everyday wear. "The city is home to a new generation of connoisseurs who are as design-conscious and experience-driven as their counterparts in Paris or Dubai. With the opening of The House of Rose, we've witnessed this first-hand - clients now come not only to acquire jewellery, but to immerse themselves in an experiential luxury space that reflects global standards while remaining deeply rooted in Indian artistry."
Underlying all these moves is the question of scale. For a city as space-starved as Mumbai, the awe of square footage itself is part of the story. A 100,000 sq ft décor store, a multi-storey couture flagship, or even a 7,500 sq ft designer store feels larger-than-life in a city where most boutiques once occupied the footprint of an apartment.
For Shroff, that ambition is directly tied to the arrival of corporate investment. "With conglomerates [Aditya Birla and Reliance] buying stakes in Indian labels, similar to LVMH or Kering group in Europe, brands have the luxury now to make their brands feel larger than life and allow them to invest in real estate to bring to life their point of view," he says.
And those points of view increasingly emphasise the artisanal. "With fashion today, artisanal is luxury," Shroff says. "There's the need to call out man-hours or how long things take to make, or videos highlighting the handmade process behind pieces. This extends into a physical space too."
Mumbai may not yet rival London, Paris or Milan in how luxury is woven into everyday life. But its retail spaces - and the ambition behind them - have entered a new era.
1981
Year in which the Rose Group began, in the Opera House jewellery district
