Away from road diversions, traffic snarls, and construction sites on Anna Salai, is a two-storey building, spread across 5,400 sq ft, in the serene Cenotaph Road. The property is surrounded by large, lush trees and has elegant white walls and bright lights. Believed to have been owned by a family in the 60s, as you step into this art-deco-styled bungalow, it is an antiquarian wonderland — you walk on sepia-tinted mosaic-patterned tiles, geometric details on the doors inspired by architect TH Robsjohn-Gibbings, and walls.
“The building was once used as a residence and was built to reflect the needs and aspirations of a family, probably,” says Sanjay Garg, founder of the clothing brand Raw Mango. “We were working with an untended property in Chennai’s historic Cenotaph Road, and putting this particular store together was like a restoration project for the entire team.”
The brand’s fifth and the city’s first store, located in this six-room, four-common-space bungalow, is now known as ‘Malligai’. The store was opened on June 17, 2022. Three years after its launch, the transformed space continues to celebrate the city’s ethos. Beyond just being a fashion label, Raw Mango’s store has integrated itself into Chennai’s fabric, lending itself to become a space where arts and cultures meet.
Sanjay says, “I feel at home in the aesthetics of the south, whether it’s the culture of flowers, music, or textiles. Chennai is passionate about everything they do and the elements that set them apart from the rest of the cities in our country: their language, flowers, culture, everything! We knew we had to have a store in the city.”
Design dialogues
At its heart, the Raw Mango’s designs, spaces, imagery, and more, cater to something more than “what meets the eye that leaves you enveloped in an experience that is rooted in culture, heritage, and history. Because, to us, design means not just fashion and what’s visual, but within the larger context of art and culture, blurring the boundaries within those spaces,” says Sanjay. For the brand, designing is a dialogue, not only with themselves, but also within the spaces.
Hence, the space, though a fashion brand, is designed with cabinets inspired by home chapels and church furniture, cupboards with triangular crests, chandeliers, wooden vitrines, art-deco lights, Sanjay’s art collections, and more.
Raw Mango also blends its products within the space design. For example, the main hall and the staircase showcase various objects that talk about their fascination with diverse, often contrasting ideas. “We added details on the ceilings in a few rooms, built off of the existing cornice details. The glass displays in the product rooms were inspired by the old cabinets and vitrines in museums/private collections designed around the turn of the 20th century,” notes Sanjay.
Making Chennai a home with their store and retaining the old city charm, Chennaiites are engaged with it and the events it organises, bringing “people from the past, connoisseurs, and the youngsters” together under one roof. Sanjay mentions, “Our brand idea is that — whether with events like the Raw Mango Mela, or the Baithaks we host, or our continued engagement with the art world — we would like to influence the minds — what they are listening to, what they are eating, what they are engaging with.”
Celebrating cultures
These events are shaped by Sanjay’s personal expression. He says, “The commentary is very much a dialogue and reflective of the current social issues, our design philosophy, an ongoing dialogue I have with myself, my curiosities.”
Last year, at the Garland Festive 2024 show at the Museum Theatre, the brand was able to connect with the city. “From the people to the flowers, and the garland culture. The whole theatre had an overwhelming aroma of herbs, leaves which were sourced from the Koyambedu market and placed across the hall,” he explains.
Sanjay believes that the people in the city keep their culture and values alive, and he admires them. “I am a person who is rooted in our culture, and drawn to cities, cultures, and communities that take pride in where they come from. Raw Mango reflects that,” he states.
In Chennai, like other branches, they host personalities like Shashi Tharoor, create a platform for ‘kala’ to be experienced and enjoyed with Bharatnatyam dancer Leela Samson, and continue to engage with India Art Fair, the Chennai Photo Biennale. “These are all aspects of our story that extend beyond retail and fashion. ‘Kala’ is a by-product of all forms of artistic creation and is intertwined with history and culture. The division between them is a Western construct. The lines were blurred before, and I believe they should continue to be,” he says.
With many events, new collections, and deeper community engagement planned for the year, Raw Mango wishes to join the Madras Music Season in December. “With performances organised by various sabhas, we’d love to be a part of it,” concludes Sanjay.