SoBo gets uber-chic: It's raining fashion stores in Colaba, here's why

Over the last few months, Colaba has emerged as the Mecca of chic with one fashion store after another opening in its lap. Be it the artisanal Clove store housing homegrown handcrafted labels or Pernia’s Popup studio in Kala Ghoda offering a one-of-a-kind personalised shopping experience, with over 60 Indian designers to choose from. Designers Varun Bahl, Samant Chauhan and Rohit Kamra, too, have set up their flagship stores in the heart of South Mumbai.

Entrepreneur Samyukta Nair wanted Clove to be a quaint retail destination and Churchill chambers, nestled in the Art Deco quarter of Colaba, made for the perfect fit. “Imagined as a home, Clove benefits greatly from a charming facade, high ceilings and arched doorways that help in making it a transportive space. The novel character of the neighbourhood drew me to Colaba and I wanted to be part of its renaissance,” says Samyukta.

Recently, couturier Varun Bahl opened his flagship store in Fort. “Mumbai has always been an important market for us. Our presence has been there through various multi-designer stores for the last decade or so. Being the fashion capital of our country and home for most Bollywood celebrities, it was only a matter of time we had our flagship store in Mumbai. We found the perfect place in Kala Ghoda, which is now like a fashion district, and at first glance, I knew this was going to be our next store,” states Varun.  

A CULTURAL HOT SPOT

For most creative souls, Colaba is a culture square with its clean, old architectural English charm. It has an old European city environment that mellows one down when compared to the furious energy of the rest of Mumbai. The monumental basal arch, the Gateway of India facing the Mumbai harbour pulsating night and day and the city’s landmark building, Taj Palace Hotel, with its unsurpassed architectural marvel, are its major highlights.

Designer Rohit Kamra, who opened his menswear store recently, shares, “Colaba is the heart, the epicentre of art, design, and it was very crucial for me to come up with a store in a neighbourhood that has a rich history and resonates with the ideology of my brand. This key retail location is fundamental to accelerate the strength of my brand and allow current and future customers further accessibility to experience clothing of a regal sensibility. As a designer, I am committed to preservation where most of them are committed to evolution and projection. I was lucky enough to find that place when I arrived. It’s a brilliant space, the elegant order of the colonnade architecture and the megalopolis appeal are consistent to the project.”

INSTANT LABEL CONNECT

A few years ago, as designer Samant Chauhan took a stroll down the streets of Colaba, he felt an immediate connection with the city. The ambience struck a chord with him and he could easily relate it to his label and wished to have a store here ever since. “To see it come to life is beautiful. My work is inspired by an era rich in art, culture and heritage and Colaba, Old Mumbai resonates with these very qualities. Also, the collection in my store will bring the essence of these qualities to life. It is now time to harness the black subjectivity of our lives and times and dismantle the ‘negative’ connotation of black as ‘inauspicious’ in certain cultures and tell a human story of hope and values of this city,” says Samant.