PARIS — Rahul Mishra has opened a luxurious new flagship at Horniman Circle in Mumbai.
It reflects the designer’s ongoing efforts to expand his footprint beyond the runway and into experiential luxury retail.
The Indian designer, who launched his brand in 2017, shows on the official Paris Haute Couture calendar.
The 7,500-square-foot space was conceived in partnership with Mumbai-based architect Rooshad Shroff, and is intended to function as more than a traditional boutique.
“This is our largest store to date, but also one of the most intimate. It reflects our shared belief in storytelling, in silence, and in the power of handwork,” according to Mishra.
Branded as Maison Rahul Mishra, the designer envisioned it as a living museum, intended to be a “slow, almost meditative experience” merging high fashion, Indian craftsmanship and grand architectural flair.
Inside Rahul Mishra’s Mumbai boutique.
“When we were approached to design this space, we understood immediately that it couldn’t just be a store,” Shroff said. “The objective was to create a physical manifestation of Rahul’s creative world — not just a backdrop for products, but an environment where design, material, and emotion intersect.”
The multiroom space takes visitors on an immersive journey through the designer’s creative universe. Guests enter into a non-commercial gallery space, featuring original sketches, muslin prototypes, embroidery samples and botanical references that inform the brand’s couture collections.
Subsequent rooms unfold thematically, showcasing not only garments but also custom-designed architectural elements such as marquetry-inlaid walls, hand-etched lighting and bespoke furniture. Embroidery swatches, archival motifs and illustrations are treated as art objects, offering customers transparency into the design and development process in a move that aligns with broader trends in luxury toward storytelling to build brand awareness.
A gallery wall inside Rahul Mishra’s flagship.
Courtesy of Rahul Mishra
From handwoven carpets to etched marble and carved wood, the finishes reference traditional Indian crafts while situating them in a contemporary design context. It fits in well with its surroundings of the Kala Ghoda arts district, an area packed with galleries, flanked by museums and the home of an annual arts fair.
The final room features an installation with handcrafted metal birds suspended in flight — a nod to Mishra’s recurring use of avian and botanical symbolism across collections.
Most of the decorative elements were produced in Mishra’s own studio or through collaborations with Indian artisans as part of the brand’s ongoing commitment to sustainable slow fashion and providing jobs for local workers.
Birds in flight at Rahul Mishra’s boutique.
Courtesy of Rahul Mishra
From a retail strategy perspective, the flagship cements the brand’s long-term investment in India’s luxury market as it continues to grow. It is projected to reach $200 billion by 2030, according to recent analysis from Bain & Co.
Mishra, who won the International Woolmark Prize in 2014 and was awarded the Chevalier de Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in November 2023, also continues to build visibility internationally through his Paris runway shows and key red-carpet placements on celebrities such as Zendaya, Viola Davis, Gigi Hadid and Cardi B.
Much of Mishra’s retail success is due to his bridal business and associated family and guest wedding wear in India. Mishra’s focus on craftsmanship is key, with pieces taking up to 8,000 hours to make by hand by more than 1,200 artisans he works with across India.
Dress as art object in Rahul Mishra’s flagship.
For his most recent collection, Mishra focused on the theme of love and looked to the artwork of Gustav Klimt, with its multiple faces and gold hues.
For the first time, Mishra also collaborated with milliner Stephen Jones, who fashioned undulating tulle creations to top off the elegant looks.