The best boutiques for shopping in Mumbai

Mumbai is India’s most cosmopolitan city – a melting pot of people, cultures and mindsets. This diverse DNA spills over to its retail culture, too, which offers up a smorgasbord of shopping options for locals and travellers alike. From the recent opening of Jio World Plaza, India’s biggest luxury mall, to homegrown brands, artisanal boutiques and insider favourites in the city’s many lanes, there is a lot to choose from, whether on the hunt for jewellery, homeware or vintage finds. Here are the best boutiques for shopping in Mumbai, organised by neighbourhood, from trendy Bandra to Kala Ghoda, where you’ll also find many of Mumbai’s best art galleries. Refuel at one of Mumbai’s best restaurants when you’re done.

The best shops in Bandra

Lune

Best for: Jewellery with a cult following
Address: Shop 1 & 2, Labbaik House, 39, Chimbai Road, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050

Sreesha Shetty’s Lune has emerged as one of those cult jewellery brands that celebrities and fashion girls swear by. From classic everyday hoops and stackable bangles to chunkier statement pieces, the celestial-inspired demi-fine pieces from this contemporary brand borrow from the many phases of the moon. The charming store in Bandra’s Chimbai Village has extended to include a hybrid gallery concept space too, showcasing artists and homegrown labels curated by Shetty.

Two Extra Lives

Best for: Conscious shopping; clothing and jewellery
Address: Bungalow 111, Dr Ambedkar Road, Pali Village, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050

If you believe your pieces need to tell a story and come with a unique history, this is the spot for you. This newly opened multi-designer concept and rental store is all about second chances. Driven by sustainability and circular fashion, a lot of the finds (a mix of luxury, vintage, upcycled, recycled and handmade pieces) are one of a kind, including clothing, jewellery and accessories for all genders. These are meticulously sourced from around the world, from Barcelona and Kyiv to Hanoi, far removed from the usual suspects you’re likely to spot in other stores around town.

Call of the Valley

Best for: Artisanal perfumes oils inspired by, and made in India
Address: Shop 3, Aruna Niwas, Pali Village, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050

This local perfumery by Parisian flautist Jean-Christophe Bonnafous is the founder’s love letter to India. He describes his “rare perfumery” as an endeavour to bring single-ingredient simplicity back to beauty. The perfumes and oils on offer are made from high-quality ingredients sourced from around the country, made using methods from India’s 3,000-year-old perfume-making tradition. Sandalwood, frangipani and white ginger lily are some of the bestsellers, and make an excellent gift.

The best shops in Lower Parel

Good Earth

Best for: Handcrafted homeware from an iconic brand
Address: 11-12 Raghuvanshi Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013

To simply call Good Earth a brand would be a disservice. From its many patrons, the Good Earth aesthetic is a lifestyle in itself. The luxury brand by Anita Lal is deeply rooted in the crafts of India, infused with a signature contemporary appeal. Whether it’s dining and entertaining essentials, or printed soft furnishings and interior accents, every piece is rich in design and Indian heritage – just the kind of conversation starters that promise to elevate your space.

Hatsu

Best for: Modern additions to your home
Address: 25, Laxmi Mill compound, Shakti Mills Lane, Mahalakshmi, Mumbai,
Maharashtra 400011

This local design studio is best known for its modern lights, furniture and rugs, and each piece is sure to bring a splash of quirk and playfulness to your home. From quirky heart-shaped wall sculptures and iridescent console tables to unconventionally shaped rugs and Marrakech-inspired art, you can count on finding something idiosyncratic. Prepare to turn into a kid in a candy store.

The best shops in Khotachiwadi, Girgaon

James Ferreira

Best for: Contemporary clothing in a heritage bungalow
Address: Studio 47-G Khotachiwadi Trail, 1st Lane, Khotachiwadi, Ambewadi, Girgaon, Mumbai, 400004

A true IYKYK secret, James Ferreira is not your average designer boutique, with this ‘store’ located in the designer’s 200-year-old home in Khotachiwadi (one of the city’s few surviving heritage villages) in South Mumbai, that also doubles as a homestay. Ferreira has been on the fashion scene since the 1980s and has been a go-to for celebrities and socialites ever since. Shop from an eclectic mix of contemporary cuts crafted from Indian textiles for both men and women, peppered with conversations with the designer.

The best shops in Kala Ghoda

Nicobar

Best for: Tropical-accented homeware
Address: 10 Ropewalk Lane, Above Kala Ghoda Café, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

Tailor-made for those who live in a perennial tropical state of mind, everything from this lifestyle brand will add a slice of island living to any interior. The bohemian indie brand is Good Earth’s youthful sister, and takes its playful cues for its prints, colours and motifs from the Indian Ocean. While you will find clothing and jewellery here, it’s Nicobar’s homeware, table and barware and linens that have built the brand’s dedicated fan following.

Ogaan

Best for: Covetable contemporary clothing by Indian designers
Address: 6/8, Navbharat House, Burjorji S Bharucha Marg, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400023

If you thought Indian fashion was all about garish colours and over-the-top embroidery, rewrite your vocabulary at this luxury multi-designer store. Spread across two floors, it stocks the most covetable names on the Indian fashion scene across women’s and menswear. And while a large part of the curation is dedicated to traditional occasion wear, you will also find ample investment-worthy modern clothing and jewellery from homegrown designers such as Dhruv Kapoor, Suket Dhir, en Inde, Bodice, Lovebirds and Deepa Gurnani and more.

Sabyasachi

Best for: Bridalwear set within a living museum
Address: IGP Fort, Veer Nariman Road, near Horniman Circle, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

Even if you’re not looking to buy bridalwear or Indian jewellery, Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s flagship store is a must-visit when in Mumbai, just to gawk at its sheer magnitude and beauty. Mukherjee is one of the most recognisable Indian luxury houses globally, and this vast emporium in a neoclassical building is a real living museum – a manifestation of the designer’s boho-maximalist sensibility. More than 100 chandeliers, 275 carpets, 3,000 books and 150 works of art by his Sabyasachi Foundation pepper the store. Don’t just take our word – see it for yourself to believe it.

Valliyan

Best for: New-age jewellery made in India
Address: First Floor, Rhythm House Building, 59, Forbes Street, opposite, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

Housed in a speakeasy store in the bustling Kala Ghoda district, designer Nitya Arora’s retro-futurist jewellery plays with modern techniques such as laser-cutting to rethink materials, including acrylic, enamel and semi-precious stones. Colour meets statement motifs to create jewellery that is not for the faint hearted. Hot tip: if you manage to catch Arora during your visit, ask to view stock of her boutique clothing label, Malai, too.

Moonray

Best for: Sophisticated tailored womenswear
Address: Ground floor, Mittal avenue, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

In a sea of less-is-more clothing, Moonray’s designs stand out by sitting at the opposite end of the spectrum. Sophisticated, expertly tailored and striking a balance between minimal and maximal codes – these are the kind of clothes that promise to make you look put together instantly. Though handcrafted using Indian techniques and embroideries, the pieces have a distinctly modern appeal. Don’t miss their jewellery edit and belts either for winning accents to elevate your wardrobe.

Jodi

Best for: Handblocked summer dresses
Address: Shop no. 1, Lentin Chambers, Dalal Street, Bombay Stock Exchange, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

If bold colours and prints are your jam, then Jodi is for you. It’s happy vibes all around at this textile-focused slow fashion brand that puts the spotlight on hand block printing from Jaipur. Whether it’s their bestselling celebrity-loved dresses, co-ord sets, jackets or breezy shirts for men, founders Gauri Verma and Karuna Laungani don’t shy away from a rainbow of colours. Your search to inject some joie de vivre to your wardrobe ends here.

Obataimu

Best for: Clever pieces to elevate your wardrobe
Address: Ground Floor, Machinery House, 3, S Bharucha Marg, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

While in the buzzy neighbourhood of Kala Ghoda, Obataimu is unlike any of its neighbours. This Japanese-inspired brand operates from a concept store-cum-tailoring workshop that’s open for only part of the year. If you do manage to make it during its ongoing season, expect to find one-of-a-kind contemporary clothing in innovative textiles for him and her, alongside a curated selection of design and food books, hip cameras and cool accessories.

The best shops in Colaba

Nappa Dori

Best for: Stylish leather accessories
Address: 2, Sunny House, Mereweather Road, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra – 400001

Whether you want to pop in for a quick coffee or pick up luggage for your next trip, few homegrown brands apply the perfect blend of form, function and fashion to leather accessories like Nappa Dori does. One of the early contemporary design brands to emerge from the country, the brand (which also has an outpost in London) is best-loved for its structured bags, leather trunks, tech gear, travel accessories and stationery; all made with a minimal, global design lens.

Le Mill

Best for: Trending global brands
Address: 1st Floor, Pheroze Building, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Marg, above Indigo Deli, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400005

Don’t let all this talk of homegrown designers make you believe that international designers are entirely amiss from the local scene in Mumbai. Take, for example, luxury boutique Le Mill, which serves up desirable It-brands such as Loewe, Chloé, Dries Van Noten and Jacquemus to Zimmermann and Acler for the city’s swish set. This international curation sits alongside clothes and jewellery from Indian brands such as Malie, Naso Profumi and Tallin Jewels, among others, handpicked for the discerning connoisseur.