Stefano Canali knows the secret to a great power suit

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₹1.2-1.8 lakh price range), a rendition of the royal bandhgala, in 2021. And the belief continues to be strong. “Over the past five years, our business in India has experienced robust growth.

Currently, Mumbai and Delhi markets are key contributors to our sales, accounting for 53% of the overall revenue," Stefano Canali, the president and chief executive of Canali Group, told me after the launch of the seventh, and latest, store, in Mumbai’s Jio World Plaza in March. The new store offers a mix of formalwear, the Nawab collection and accessories, with a added focus on casualwear—an attempt to cater to both repeat clientele and adding new, younger, customers. In an interview with Lounge, Stefano Canali talks about the Indian market, the changing customer and what makes a great suit.

Edited excerpts: Two things. Opening a physical store is certainly an investment but it is well spent money, since it allows a luxury brand to properly and effectively deliver all its messages. Online approach (shopping and other services), of course, is important, but I think it complements to the physical store, and not act as a substitute to the experience that you get inside a physical store.

This is our seventh store here, and we plan to add another one next year. We, perhaps, have the biggest luxury brand network here right now, that shows how important we are about this country. Canali was among the first one to recognise the importance of India, and one of the reasons for this remain the similarities between the Italian culture and Indian culture.

That’s the second thing. Just to give you an example, look at how both the countries give importance to family values and food. Heritage and culture have been very strong points for both the