Fuss-free fashion comes to Bengaluru, courtesy S&N

More than two decades after the brand’s launch, Shantnu and Nikhil are finally stepping in. namma heat To expand their retail presence. The designers behind the eponymous brand have launched S&N, a bridge-to-luxury label that finds its first Bengaluru home in Phoenix Market City. Another store will open on Vitthal Mallya Road in September.

“S&N is nothing but the brainchild of Shantunu and Nikhil,” says designer Shantunu Mehra, who recently launched the store in Bengaluru. Primarily, S&N is a menswear brand with 70% of its offerings for men, the rest for womenswear and accessories respectively.

If the mother brand is all about ceremonial wear, S&N celebrates. “There is a sense of contemporary tribal meeting with Indo-Western influences. Formal wear is not limited to weddings. Launched in Delhi in 2020, the new label Shantnu can be for anything – a birthday, an anniversary or a board meeting.

Known for being famously anti-trend in their designs, the brothers follow a similar policy with the S&N concept as well as the label. Calling it the uncharted territory of the bridge-to-luxury segment in India, Shantunu believes that while most international brands have set the ground rules for what constitutes a bridge-to-luxury, no Indian designer has been able to touch that sweet spot till date. “It’s at the top of the fashion food chain, whether it’s couture or mass market. Nothing stays in the stomach,” he adds.

And that’s exactly what S&N plans to capture. For example, statement shirts retail for Rs 8,000. The price may be watered down compared to the mother brand (at the asking price), but the experience in the store is what Shantnu promises, it is not. “The Shantun and Nikhil lineage still comes through in the interiors with a color palette of gold, grey, dark colors and matte. Our sales front-runners are like stylists, giving you solutions – what kind of sweater goes with a shirt, what shoes work best for you, what colors go well together, and so on.

Although the design has remained constant, the business aspect of things has shown some changes. In the year In 2019, Aditya Beer Fashion & Retail (ABFRL) acquired a stake in Shantnu and Nikhil, giving the brand “wings to fly” with a strong supply, manufacturing and distribution chain. One thing the designers are sure of in this partnership? Design before business, always. “There is no loss of creative freedom. In fact, we have the opportunity to create better ideas.”

To begin with, S&N advertises a specific market segment for the product to enter. In addition to brick-and-mortar stores, there is also a direct-to-consumer digital channel. While the mother brand focuses on formal wear, S&N offers something for the gathering – be it weddings or parties – with statement shirts, signature drape kurtas, evening jackets, flounce coats, sherwanis, saree dresses, corset tops and more.

The Couture brand is also becoming more hybrid in some stores, keeping S&N and the mother brand under one roof. Also on the drawing board? Mixed stores in Dubai, London and New York.

In India, S&N, which currently has eight outlets, will see five more this year, including Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Raipur, Jodhpur and Delhi NCR. 2023 will also see expansion in Tier II cities. Online, the brand aims to start shipping worldwide starting August 15.

More than two decades strong, the brand is paying off directly, planting the seeds for the next generation of consumers – Gen Z. Some of our shoots and campaigns are focused on them because at some point they will be millennials and need to start including them.

Perhaps the launch of S&N in Bengaluru is also part of this push to invite more customers to the brand. “In Delhi or Mumbai, fashion is larger than life, but Bengaluru gives you a good vibe,” says Shantnu, explaining why they haven’t opened their flagship couture store before. “Expensive consumption of products, especially fashion and clothing, is not the dynamic of this city. That’s why S&N can make the right noise here. It’s minimal, easy to wear and fashionable without being annoying.”