7 new designer stores we’re excited to shop at this season

Shopping online is efficient. It is also, at times, a bit spiritually flat. You click, zoom, add to cart, and hope the fabric behaves in real life the way it did under studio lighting and a persuasive caption. The appeal of good designer stores lies elsewhere. It is in the atmosphere, the materiality, the way a space frames what it sells and tells you something about the brand before you have even touched a sleeve. These new designer stores across India lean into that idea, turning retail into something slower, more immersive and a little more memorable than another parcel at the door.

Dhruv Kapoor

Dhruv Kapoor opened its first flagship in New Delhi in January, taking the brand’s distinctive visual language into an immersive physical setting. Located in Chattarpur, the store pairs raw marble with micro-concrete floors and mirror-finish walls, creating a space that feels sleek without turning cold. Lighting, scent and sound have all been carefully calibrated, which sounds faintly like the setup for a futuristic spa but, in this case, works to elevate the experience. Alongside seasonal collections, the flagship houses the tailoring, separates, accessories and lifestyle pieces that make up the brand’s wider vocabulary.

Where: The Corridors, 100 Feet Road, Chattarpur, New Delhi

AM:IT by Amit Aggarwal