Fashion, Fitness, and Luxury - Sahil Malik on Da Milano’s success as a global fashion brand.
Fashion, especially for men is an area that is neither as eloquently spoken about nor understood. Sahil Malik, the Managing Director of Da Milano explores with us, the role of personal and professional aspects in life for men to truly embrace who they are, “To all aspiring to embrace both aspects of life - Find your passion and purpose, commit and persevere, prioritize quality and service, think globally, give back to your community, pursue excellence over awards. Maintain a balance between your personal and professional life. Success lies in this balance, and by embracing both aspects, you'll lead a fulfilling life.”
Indian Leather and Global Fashion
What is literally having skin in the high-end fashion game is what brands do to infuse global fashion with what is available indigenously. “Da Milano has two state-of-the-art manufacturing units in Himachal Pradesh. The unit boasts of the latest and most advanced machinery and highly skilled workforce operating under the guidance of Italian technicians”, Sahil shares as he talks about ensuring that their unique leather accessories meet international standards. He describes the brand as one that uses advanced processing technology combined with traditional leather working skills making products in full grain, vegetable-tanned, and hand-dyed Italian leather. The best of the two helps Da Milano make the premium products that they are known for.
Luxury with Pops of Colors and Styles
Giving us a peek into their new collection AW 23, Sahil describes, “The collection is reimagined with fresh new accent colors like Salmon, Lime, Orchid, Ocean, etc in new bold silhouettes that will be the focus of every look.”
Spanning across three leather collection ranges with snake, croco, and ostrich leather, vibrant colors with classic looks showcase a blend of luxury and style redefined. The DM Monogram collection further plunges into studded party wear styles, pushing the intermingling of elements even further when working with classic materials.
The Da Milano Success Story
At the age of 40, Sahil Malik has built a brand that competes to none and is at par with many leading International brands. Sahil reminisces his vision to build up to what has come to be a classy luxurious brand, “The brand offers luxurious accessories that are built on the foundation of functionality, durability, and creative design. Boasting about its product quality and aftersales service, Da Milano is the only brand that offers lifetime service warranty on all its products.”
He talks about his simple approach before designing a new collection - “Observe and predict global trends, and bring them to our audience.”
What’s next?
When talking about how the business rose to its prime, Sahil talks about the role of a healthy lifestyle that comes as a prerequisite for being able to juggle its different elements.
“Da Milano as a company aims at expanding across all international main cities in order to make a mark in the global market as well as in the digital world. The brand currently has more than 60 stores in India and abroad, including showrooms at 23 Airports in India. We are working on expanding the brand internationally. We already have five stores in the UAE and one in Nepal and aim to open multiple stores in London and Singapore. We would also like to be seen on the high streets of European countries 5 years from now. We aspire to open multiple stores across the globe and reach out to discerning clientele of all age groups and income levels.”
Keeping up with the times
When bringing fashion that is timeless and classic, keeping up with the times, and more significantly catering to different sections of society is a challenge. Sahil comments on how Da Milano ensures that it remains relevant for a wide range of consumers, “The brand has a wide presence across multiple cities and airports - with over 85 stores that have collections ranging between different price points - which means there is something for everyone.”
“The success of Da Milano has been its focus on the fast fashion code. The brand understood the pulse of the urban consumer and the changing trends. It launches 8-9 products weekly and close to 300 new products a year so customers always find something new in our stores. Also "The Da Milano range is now in sync with European trends, attracting younger customers and increasing visibility in retail stores.” As a brand, this sync with the urban consumer keeps them on their toes.
He talks about how the brand is set apart from the rest and what makes it special, “Da Milano is curated with a love for Italian design, craftsmanship, and detail that provides a signature style statement to its customers. As a brand, we believe in evolving and adapting to customers’ needs and requirements which may change over a period of time. We constantly compete with ourselves and make sure we are up to date with the latest technology, fast-moving fashion, and international service standards. Our customer is our utmost priority and we make sure each individual is taken care of personally starting from the point of sales to the lifetime service guarantee that Da Milano exclusively offers.”
“Success lies in this balance, and by embracing both aspects, you'll lead a fulfilling life.”
“The success of Da Milano has been its focus on the fast fashion code.”
“A love for Italian design, craftsmanship, and detail that provides a signature style statement to its customers.”
Written By: Puneet Kapani
Edited By: Chirajita Gupta