The newly-opened Nicobar store in Banjara Hills ticks all the boxes of catering to a well-travelled consumer. It also reflects the brand’s love for urban tropical chic with décor and products in hues of white, sea blues and greens, indigo and sand beige.
Spread over 1,800 sq ft, the Hyderabad outpost is Nicobar’s seventh store in one and a half years and the launch coincided with the unveiling of their festive apparel line. “We also came up with a capsule collection of overlays for Hyderabad,” says Simran Lal, co-founder and creative director of Nicobar and CEO, Good Earth. An overlay in black with a hint of gold is among the pieces designed exclusively for the city.
While the product lines aren’t drastically different from its online store, Nicobar enhances the in-store experience, encouraging visitors to slow down, browse and take in their vibe. Here, there are no overbearing sales assistants at every step.
Hello, traveller
Simran calls this store her favourite; it was also the quickest, executed in three months. “Over time, we’ve gotten better with design and operations, which made this possible,” she says. A local touch reflects in the mural with the iconic Charminar and Qutub Shahi tombs as one walks up to the store.
Raul Rai, CEO and co-founder of Nicobar, believes the brand was born out of their desire to “create an interesting culture where creativity thrives and be part of contemporary Indian design.” After two decades of Good Earth, Simran and Raul felt the time was right for something new. “We wanted to create a contemporary brand that reflects the modern Indian way of living, dressing and looking at the world,” he says. The brand also keeps in mind the intrepid traveller, looking for essentials. “Whenever I travelled, I felt a lack of options for organised travel accessories and comfortable travel gear,” reasons Simran.
Broadly, you’ll find products for home décor, gifting, dining, garments and travel accessories. While Good Earth celebrates colours and indigenous crafts, Nicobar prefers simplicity. “India is a burst of colours but there’s also the Kerala white and gold sari, for instance. Nicobar reflects the tranquillity of island life,” says Simran.
Looking for ideas? Browse through the iPad at the store. Nicobar positions itself as a design-led digital brand catering to the young at heart. But if you’re at the store, you might as well skip the screen and use the styling wall at their garments section to put together a look.
For chai and champagne
Aparna Chandra, design head — clothing, believes in modern collections that aren’t trend-driven. The brand plans to step up its menswear line in the near future.
“Natural fibres and techniques are used and the silhouettes won’t look out of place the following season. We want our clothes to last and last,” says Simran.
In the gifting segment, look out for scented candles that reflect cities (mogra for Madurai, for example), binoculars to gift the nature lover, a modern version of the kulhar to serve both chai and champagne, and thalis in brass and steel inspired by the lotus leaf.
Those who are in tune with the label’s social media updates would know their travel diaries and stories from different destinations. Raul says the editorial route on the blog and social media pages has hugely benefitted the brand, “We have a spectrum of interests — travel, food, design, and music and our content gives our readers a glimpse into our world. We plan to bolster this further.” Raul credits Vandana Verma, who heads content, for this section.
Nicobar is located at Road No 12 in Banjara Hills, above Good Earth. Ph: 23338189