Made To Order: Michele Boutique
Custom-made garments, whether couture or everyday outfits, are a significant part of our dressmaking heritage. Verve presents four Mumbai-based tailors and boutiques that specialise in the art of bespoke clothing
This boutique was established in 1994 and has remained in the same Colaba location since then. Initially it was a little difficult getting in touch with Mukesh Pahuja, one of the three partners, as he only drops by around 11 a.m. for half an hour. He returns later, at 2 p.m. As I walk in, I spot a few hangers with finished orders for customers — a blue sleeveless ankle-length gown with pleats at the waist, a men’s black bandhgala, a colourful salwar-kameez and an off-white linen shirt. There are also rows and rows of fabrics by the yard, stacked next to each other, making this place a one-stop shop. From floral prints to checks, linen to cotton and wool, there is an extensive range of textiles. “I specialise in fabrics. Since most of my customers are Italian, they are very particular and usually appreciate what I give them, which is generally pure and not a blend. If it’s a mixed composition, we declare it to the customer. You will mostly find pure linen and Giza cotton here,” explains 61-year-old Pahuja.
He tells me, “Italians used to call me ‘Michele’ as it was easier for them to remember and pronounce. That’s how the boutique was named.” The majority of his customers are Europeans, mostly from Italy, France and Germany. With the absence of any traditional marketing or a digital presence, the boutique’s fame has grown merely through word of mouth. “I have even found my name in international travel guidebooks.”
Michele Boutique comes highly recommended by the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel staff, and is also preferred by a leading Italian magazine editor, who comes to India once a year and gets most of her outfits stitched here. “We used to work with crew members of the Alitalia group as well, when they stayed at the Taj. Custom-made clothes in Europe are very expensive and we could give them similar quality at cheaper prices. Aurélie Khattau used to be one of my clients when she was the general manager at the Hermès boutique in Mumbai. We handled the store uniforms for the brand around 2010,” recalls Pahuja.
On the day of the shoot, he quickly excuses himself to talk to a customer who is trying on a shirt. “He came in yesterday, and today he has returned for the final fitting. Our turnaround time is fairly swift as our clientele is mostly foreigners, who are around only for a week.” Along with an affinity for fabric, he also has a natural flair for languages; he speaks Spanish and Italian fluently — a skill that he picked up while on the job. “Initially, there were few people who could speak Italian in this area. We can also do business in Russian, Persian, Arabic, Amharic and Malay.” Pahuja’s extensive experience in this field has helped the boutique maintain a steady client base, the oldest association being over 35 years old. “I have known one family since the 1980s. They are based out of the U.K and the whole family — the mother, husband and children — visit us at least twice a year. This time we got an order for about 20 pairs of trousers and some jackets. We will ship them as soon as they’re done.”