Making Noise In Quiet

Manik Handa of Eudaemon explains what it truly takes to define quiet luxury in India’s crowded retail market

- Niraj Kakade

In recent years, quiet luxury has been flung around like tic-tacs, making it anything but quiet. Brands parade their old money looks without delivering quality, craftsmanship, or that true understated elegance of timeless style. Enter Eudaemon, a Delhi-based brand quietly stepping up to the plate with a claimed commitment to quality over fads. Man’s World India sat down with founder Manik Handa, who’s worked with brands like Zegna, to find out what makes Eudaemon’s approach different.

What inspired Eudaemon?

After spending almost a decade in the corporate world, mainly with Zegna, I felt my creativity was getting confined. I needed a new challenge. My experience in retail, brand management, and graphics made menswear a natural choice. I noticed a gap in the market for a high-end menswear brand in India that could stand up to labels like Zegna and Italian brands in terms of quality.

Where does the name come from?

The name Eudaemon is derived from Aristotle’s concept of ‘eudaimonia,’ which symbolises happiness and fulfilment through living a virtuous life. We chose this name to reflect our commitment to quality and the philosophy of enhancing one’s joy and contentment through what one wears. Also, ‘EU’, meaning good, and ‘demon’, meaning spirit, translates to ‘good spirit’ or balance. This philosophy is reflected in our branding: it's subtle and embossed rather than prominently displayed.

Your branding is quite understated. Why?