Meet the men who suit up Mumbai's elite

Bellani S, Kala Ghoda's seasoned suitmakers, hit society headlines in this paper unintentionally when former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan dropped in for measurements. But, long before, in fact the year before this store opened in the heritage precinct, the bespoke suiters were servicing Mumbai's most influential gentlemen.

Chairman emeritus at Tata Sons Ltd., and now one of India's most active angel investors, Ratan Tata was one of Sunil Bellani's first customers. It was a friend who introduced him to the store. He shared samples of suits he was comfortable in, and since then it's been a loyal partnership. "He is very particular. His length should be correct; it should not fold at the bottom and should fall straight, with a turn up at the bottom. He likes a suit that's not fused or too fitted. It's been a while that I have been dressing him," says Sunil, 55.

Sunil and son, Mohit Bellani. Pics/Sneha Kharabe

And like with Tata and his friend, clientele for this 28-year-old store has grown through word of mouth. They've never advertised. "Someone recommends us to two people they know, and those to another five. That's how we've always operated," says a modest Sunil.

He started his career in tailoring in 1975 with a store called New York that he set up in the bylanes of Colaba. He had previously worked at his father's fabric store, before leaving for Morocco in the early 70s as a 20-year-old to work at a Dior factory. When he returned, he knew clothes were his calling.

A tailor at work in the store

His first customers, he says, were all foreign nationals, mostly seniors from the various consulates. When we discuss 'bespoke', he smiles, saying it's a term that's recently taken over the imagination of the aspirational Indian. But the world, and he, has been offering customised tailoring for forever. "I'd travel a lot, and return with books that tracked trends. I didn't wish to break my head and prove that I was a fashion designer. I'd take a cue from Zegna or Dior. Designers also copy, but call it their own. We don't do that," he says with the confidence that only comes with success.

At the small but airy store that sits beside luxury destinations, Hermes and Christian Louboutin, what the Bellanis offer is attention to detail. Sunil sips a cup of tea when Mr Tata gives him a ring. The father and son, Mohit, couldn't be afraid of international competition. He shares a bit of wisdom, when he says, "There are only two people who know you really well and you don't want to change them in a hurry - your barber and tailor."

Raging competition, argues Sunil, would rattle the traditional tailor. "We change the style as it happens across the world. We also don't operate in an Indian style. We won't tell you buy blue when you came to buy grey, or try and sell you five suits when you have the budget for three." That they make barely 30 suits a month, one a day, means they are craftsmen, "not salesmen".

Mohit, who has watched patiently as Sunil has conversed with us, says the biggest lesson his father taught him was interacting. "How to deal with people, be confident when speaking to someone. When you do what we do, it's the most important thing."

His training at Savile Row, London, makes his foundation as British as it gets, but it's Sunil who he has picked up the finer techniques of measurement from. "Indians like their suits more fitted, so you can't learn to take those measurements elsewhere."

The bridal market is one that everyone seems to be chasing, and the Bellanis are keen to try their hand. The ethnic wear segment isn't daunting, Mohit says. The principle of fit is the same, whether you make a sherwani or suit. "There's room for everyone. [A customer] coming back to us is appreciation enough. It says people are comfortable in our suits. They live their lives in it, and that's what matters."