WOW STORY OF THE STORY: He Founded Philocaly in 2016, Hit Store 18 in Mysore, and Built a ₹25 Crore Luxury Menswear Brand

2016, a Niche Tailoring Atelier, and a Philosophy That Grew Into a Movement

Shrey Vij founded Philocaly in 2016 in New Delhi. What began as a niche tailoring atelier rooted in bespoke craftsmanship has evolved over nearly a decade into a homegrown luxury menswear brand that combines timeless artisanship with contemporary design and scalable business innovation.

The name Philocaly is derived from the Greek term meaning the love of beauty. That etymology is not decorative. It is the founding principle of everything the brand produces and every space the brand creates.

"Philocaly is a reflection of balance between craftsmanship and commerce, art and architecture, individuality and universality. Every creation is a pursuit of timeless beauty, and every store is a space where modern India meets quiet luxury. As we expand our footprint across Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, our focus remains on creating experiences that feel deeply personal yet globally relevant," Shrey Vij, Founder and CEO, says.

Flagship Stores, Franchise Locations, Luxury Platforms, and a Category Extension Nobody Saw Coming

The boldest retail decision Philocaly made was to build a hybrid model: two flagship stores in New Delhi and Hyderabad anchored by five franchise locations in Jaipur, Kochi, Guwahati, Dehradun, and Vijayawada, reaching India's emerging luxury consumer in cities that premium menswear had historically overlooked.

The brand is simultaneously available across India's most respected luxury retail platforms including Aza, Aashni and Co, Ogaan, Pernia Pop Up Shop, and Tata Cliq Luxury, confirming that Philocaly's positioning sits comfortably alongside the most established names in Indian fashion retail.

The product innovation has been equally bold. A menswear founder launching a bespoke womenswear collection was something nobody saw coming. But Shrey Vij made exactly that move, extending Philocaly's philosophy of form, structure, and restraint into a new category and a new audience, demonstrating that the brand's founding principles transcend gender.

The business model combines bespoke and made-to-measure tailoring with technology integration, using precision tools to enhance personalisation and efficiency while preserving the handcrafted quality that defines every Philocaly garment. The next phase includes expanding the made-to-measure Western wear category, opening new stores in key metropolitan markets, and actively exploring international opportunities.

Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra, Malaika Arora, and a ₹25 Crore Validation

Philocaly was selected among the Top 14 startups on JioHotstar's Pitch to Get Rich hosted by Karan Johar. The pitch earned recognition from Manish Malhotra, Malaika Arora, Darpan Sanghvi, Dhruv Sharma, and Karan Johar, a panel representing the highest echelons of Indian fashion, entertainment, and business.

The brand secured ₹1 crore for a 4% equity stake, valuing Philocaly at ₹25 crore. Annual revenue is projected to reach ₹8.5 crore for FY26, with consistent double-digit growth. The funding is enabling the transition from a fast-growing label into a future-ready menswear house supported by structured processes and scalable systems.

Scale and Real-World Impact

The Most Enduring Luxury Brands Are the Ones Built on Conviction, Not Trend

The sharpest lesson from Philocaly's journey is this: the most defensible luxury brands are the ones built on a philosophy so clear and so consistent that every product, every store, and every client interaction reflects the same founding conviction.

Shrey Vij chose form, structure, and restraint when the fashion industry was chasing noise and maximalism. He chose bespoke when the market was scaling ready-to-wear. He chose emerging urban India when competitors were clustering in the same metro cities. He launched womenswear when nobody expected it from a menswear founder.

Every one of those choices was a rejection of the obvious path. And every one of them is now a competitive advantage that a trend-following brand simply cannot replicate.

He built a philosophy in 2016. He dressed it in the finest fabric India could offer. He opened Store 18 in Mysore to a single-day record. And quiet luxury has never been louder.

Sources

• Indian Retailer

• Apparel Resources

• LinkedIn

• Fibre2Fashion

• D2C Insider Pulse