Couple Connect

Simran Lal and Raul Rai’s Nicobar stands with a distinct identity among home-grown fashion and lifestyle labels through a blend of Indian sensibilities with functional aesthetic. The New Delhi-based brand has been moulded by the husband-wife duo’s diverse business experiences: Lal is CEO of retail chain Good Earth and Rai was an i-banker. Next? Break even this year end.

- Debojyoti Ghosh

WHEN SIMRAN LAL AND RAUL RAI—co-founders of the fashion and lifestyle brand Nicobar—celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary recently, the two had a rather insightful chat. “Simran asked me to rate how the past 12 years have been. My reaction was, let’s keep it upbeat,” Rai says with a laugh.

“She [Simran] wanted both of us to point out 12 things that stand out in our minds in the past years as a couple and why. And how we would like our next 12 years to be like together. I said it’s a bit of a risky plan,” Rai laughingly admits, but he is fully aware that even on a professional level, the husband-wife duo maintains a similar approach: long-term perspective.

In the past three-and-a-half years, the couple has built Nicobar with a distinct identity among home-grown fashion and lifestyle labels, blending Indian sensibilities with functional aesthetic. The New Delhi-based brand has actively engaged with local artisans and the larger design community to build a contemporary product line across fashion, home, and travel accessories.

Harper’s Bazaar India editor Nonita Kalra says the brand embodies the contemporary aesthetic of India. “It is rooted in heritage, but is in equal parts playful and hyper-creative. Your classics come with a twist. It is all these things that work in its favour. Plus its pricing is just aspirational enough to know you are getting top quality,” says Kalra.

Today, Nicobar has 15 stores across the country, including four pop-up stores (temporary storefront space) in New Delhi and an active online platform contributing 25% to its total sales. The business also has a strong overseas presence, shipping merchandise to more than 200 countries.