Galeries Lafayette’s 90,000 sq. ft. India debut in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai

To commemorate the overmuch anticipated debut of Galeries Lafayette successful India, guests were ferried by play cart from the Royal Bombay Yacht Club to the backstage jetty other the Taj Hotel, wherever we hopped onto speedboats bound for six antithetic yachts. I was enactment connected the Allegra, which gleamed successful the prima arsenic we acceptable crossed the crossed the harbour.

With Mumbai’s iconic Colaba harbour arsenic its cinematic backdrop, the storied 130-year-old French luxury section store floated elephantine red-and-white balloons supra the Arabian Sea, portion sailboats with its signature crimson flags drifted crossed the water. From the yachts moored offshore, an assemblage of editors, stylists, designers, and French and Indian executives looked connected arsenic the metropolis witnessed a infinitesimal of axenic Parisian spectacle — tying the city’s maritime bequest neatly into a historical infinitesimal for luxury retail successful India.

One of the astir hotly anticipated debuts, it took astir 8 years aft their archetypal courtship for Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Ltd (ABFRL) and Galeries Lafayette to unfastened its doors successful Kala Ghoda. Almost 2 years went towards painstaking gathering renovation. “We are expected to beryllium retailers, alternatively we became structural engineers and architects,” joked Ashish Dixit, managing manager of ABFRL, portion connected 1 of the boats. He added that helium felt tremendously arrogant of the repurposing of 2 historical buildings, Turner Morrison and the neighbouring Voltas House.

Parisian benignant meets Indian craftsmanship

The 90,000 sq. ft. space, dispersed crossed 5 floors, is designed by London-based architectural steadfast Virgile + Partners, and blends Parisian sophistication with Mumbai’s architectural heritage. Think fantastic interior details specified arsenic monochromatic black-and-white tiles bordered by gold, a lotus-motif parchinkari on the atrium floor, and inviting pastel pinkish sofas and chairs. And, of course, the cupola inspired by l’Intrépide, the French hydrogen reflection balloon utilized by the subject successful 1796, that the section store is known for crossed the world. Inside, shoppers volition brushwood implicit 250 brands, some Indian and international, crossed 5 floors.

While the Turner Morrison gathering is acceptable up similar a accepted section store, with a level each for beauty, leather goods and accessories, women’s luxury and evening wear, and the similar (and 1 for nutrient and drink), Voltas House volition see a assemblage abstraction for exhibits, a acquisition shop, a idiosyncratic buying salon and men’s luxury wear. Alexandra von Canisius, a seasoned manner enforcement with stints astatine Saks Fifth Avenue successful Bahrain and Holt Renfrew successful Canada, has been brought successful to caput retail operations.

The store is not afloat stocked yet — doors volition officially unfastened successful the archetypal week of November — but amongst the brands I saw were Patou, which makes its India debut. Comme des Garçons and Phoebe Philo are besides successful the mix. The nutrient conception volition lone look adjacent year, but the institution is betting it to beryllium a operator of footfalls.

Start of a depletion boom

At the preview, Kumar Mangalam Birla and his household were spotted mingling with the guests — Neerja Birla successful a chic achromatic Patou pants suit, portion matriarch Rajshree Birla was resplendent successful a sari. A momentary blip of rainfall had everyone gathered connected the rooftop diving for cover, but it besides resulted successful them taking a leisurely locomotion done the assorted floors of the Turner Morrison.

Once the upwind settled, guests were ushered backmost onto the roof, wherever K.M. Birla and Nicolas Houze, enforcement president of the Galeries Lafeyette group, spoke astir India’s luxury assemblage being poised for translation — with the increasing fig of affluent, aspirational consumers. The country’s luxury marketplace volition deed $85 cardinal by 2030, according to Kotak Securities, portion Mercedes-Benz Hurun India Wealth Report 2025 stated that India has 8,71,000 dollar millionaire households today.

At a clip erstwhile section stores are languishing successful the West, caller markets similar India supply anticipation to retailers. “You can’t comparison India successful 2025 with the U.S. successful 2025,” explained Dixit. “We are going to spot a depletion roar implicit the adjacent 20 years. Remember, our colonisation is truthful ample that adjacent if a tiny sliver of it moves up, idiosyncratic indispensable work that aspiration.”

Heritage homes for luxury

While luxury retail successful India is principally recovered successful malls today, ABFRL seems to person made a conscious prime to subordinate the trend, providing brands nether their roster practice spaces instead. Whether it’s Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s celebrated Horniman Circle store, present conscionable a stone’s propulsion from Galeries Lafayette, oregon Tarun Tahiliani’s beautifully appointed Ballard Estate store, these nurture the consciousness of a much personalised, elevated buying experience.

For Galeries Lafayette, a intimately held household business, a practice spot was important fixed that its Paris flagship is successful a landmark 1912 Art Nouveau gathering with the celebrated solid dome.

Mumbai is the brand’s 10th planetary location. “These kinds of projects are astonishing due to the fact that it shows adjacent the authorities that if you prevention these aged buildings alternatively than teardrop them down, determination is truthful overmuch potential,” concluded Dixit.

The writer is simply a Mumbai-based writer and author.