In late 2016 when Raghavendra Rathore discussed his plan with an inner circle of industry peers to pitch his brand to potential investors, “they thought I was mad”. It was commonplace at the time to read about multi-retail chains like Pantaloons tying up with labels Anita Dongre and Ritu Kumar to create a fashion retail model that catered to the mass rather than high-end boutique market. “The decision [to look for investment] was driven by the same instinct as when we decided to discontinue our womenswear line and focus on being the go-to brand for our signature bandhgala. It’s about what you believe in, versus where you see your brand going in the next decade,” says Rathore during a phone interview from Jodhpur.

Sometime in mid-2018, in a deal described as the first three-way collaboration, Italian luxury menswear brand Ermenegildo Zegna and Reliance Brands Limited (RBL retails Zegna in India) announced an investment in RR Jodhpur, Rathore’s bespoke brand. “The artist in me always thanks the business side of me,” Rathore says modestly. “Although there’s a huge appetite for bespoke menswear, I can appeal to just 10 per cent of India’s customer base. But with investment, I can scale up to 30 per cent.”