MUMBAI, India — Mumbai-based designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are set to mark 40 years of their partnership and their label in early September with a retail space that aims to break the traditional mold, moving beyond a mere shopping experience into a haven, a museum and an educative experience about the history of their brand.
That it is also an ode to the heritage buildings of Mumbai adds to its positioning.
Located at the Framjee Cawasjee Institute in South Mumbai, Sandeep Khosla told WWD that it was “a dream, a tribute, 20,000 square feet of gilded grandeur.”
Called Mubarak Baug, which translates to a “garden of celebration,” the name was inspired by Khosla’s childhood home. The concept itself appears to incorporate zones of time, combining history with an envisioned future. Showcasing many of their older designs, sometimes recreated with new materials, as well as their own outlook on the future, the store combines art created using upcycled materials with a variety of design in every form, including furniture. In all of it, there is a sense of fantasy.
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The store was designed by A Wonder Room, Abu and Sandeep’s interior decor vertical.
The entry itself is grandiose: an open driveway, a luxury in the heart of Mumbai, with giant doors opening into what Khosla described as “unashamedly maximalist.” The mannequins are larger than life, standing on stilts, giving length and display to the designs, while linear gold poles lend a sense of bamboo touched by Midas.
“It’s all to do with the alignment, different pieces put together,” he explained.
“We wanted to create a city in the clouds, that’s how this floating city was born. We crafted this in Uttar Pradesh, made of brass, it’s an installation,” said Khosla.
“We wanted to have clouds as well, but then that didn’t fit,” said Khosla, modest about this floor that houses ready-to-wear, and also serves as the opening act for the slow walk up the staircase and the sheer drama of the upper level: flying swans in brass and gold, larger and swooping, creating a sense of fiction and freedom — the world of fantasy that Khosla described with heartfelt joy as he stopped to converse with Abu Jani, both sharing thoughts about the creation.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Abu Jani.
“We got this place four years ago. It’s a heritage site, so the approval took almost a year, and everything has been custom made for the store by artists from around the country,” added Khosla.
That the store is strikingly done up with gold, with plenty of mirrors, is no coincidence. “Gold has always been a big draw for us,” said Jani, while Khosla spoke eloquently about the objects filling the room. “We love India, our inspiration has always been India, and we are collectors at all times,” said Khosla.
He used the word “ginormous” a lot — describing the task of transforming the space into the present store, bringing in art and craft from across the country, a “ginormous” task.
Not just design, but also a focus on art and sustainability, the space includes a striking installation by Ritu and Surya Singh of Wolf Jaipur, who have transformed embroidery and fabric offcuts from the AJSK atelier into sculptural wall panels. It is a fitting expression of the designers’ belief in giving new life to materials, turning remnants of their own creative history into art.
It is also a huge marker of the city itself, with gold relief silhouettes of the Mumbai skyline. The sustainability factor is not ignored, with upcycled materials creating huge flower designs, while within the open-format, large space sits a vault-like structure for jewelry.
There is the world of design showcased by the mannequins themselves, and those that the duo are famously known for: the chikankari, zardozi, resham, mirror work and their signature over-the-top bling. They have dressed Bollywood over the years, including four generations of the Bachchan family, and equally much of the corporate world, especially in recent years the four generations of the Ambani family, as they have celebrated launches, festivities and weddings.
Also framed are actual samples shown to clients, a visual library for clients to be able to choose what they like.
At the far end of the huge space, more rising steps lead into the “museum area.”
Displayed prominently is a stellar piece worn by Isha Ambani, studded with gems, and another worn by the famous Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit in the movie “Devdas.” “We will change this exhibit every six months,” said Khosla.
As Khosla put it, looking at the expanse of the open space of the store: “Everything is about dimension, everything is about depth. When you stand here, you see beyond, beyond, beyond…”
