‘Everyone asks me what it’s like to work with your wife,’ Raul Rai says with a laugh. ‘I always say I really recommend it. As long as you learn early that everything she says is right.’
The crowd bursts out laughing when he says it at Nicobar’s 10th anniversary celebration. But the line isn’t entirely a joke. It’s also a shorthand for how their partnership works.
A Partnership Built On Balance
Later, when we sit down to talk, Raul explains it more seriously. ‘The best part is that I’m someone who has a lot of ideas—some of them quite wild,’ he says. ‘And I know we’ll never do anything truly reckless because Simran is there to keep us grounded. Everyone needs someone who can say no to them, and someone whose judgement they deeply respect. Simran plays that role for me, and that balance is incredibly valuable.’
Simran describes their dynamic differently. For her, the foundation is trust.
‘Building a brand is never easy—it requires immense energy, resilience and the ability to navigate constant challenges and setbacks,’ she says. ‘Having someone beside you whom you trust completely is incredibly reassuring.’
That balance, ambition paired with instinctive restraint, has quietly shaped Nicobar since the day it began.
The Making Of Nicobar
At the heart of that journey are Raul Rai and Simran Lal. Partners at home and co founders at work, they built Nicobar in 2016 under the umbrella of Eicher Goodearth Pvt. Ltd. alongside the heritage luxury brand Good Earth. If Good Earth is known for its deeply rooted Indian aesthetic that has shaped the luxury home market since the nineties, Nicobar arrived as its younger sibling with a different spirit. Lighter and contemporary.
What began as a casual clothing label also offering eclectic homeware has since expanded into a full lifestyle universe spanning apparel, jewellery, dinnerware, home décor, linens and furniture, with more than twenty-five stores across India and a loyal community that has grown steadily over the last decade.
Its design language is inspired by journeys across India, very Indian, very desi, with a touch of contemporary flair. Clothes are relaxed but thoughtful. Homeware celebrates everyday rituals rather than grand gestures.
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Behind The Success Of Nicobar
Working with a spouse, however, is not without its complications.
‘The challenging part is that when you work with your spouse, roles can sometimes blur,’ Raul admits. ‘I’ve made that mistake many times. Simran is an independent and extraordinarily talented woman—a mother, a wife and a co-founder. At times you may find yourself treating someone as a co-founder in a moment when you should simply be present to them in another role.’
Simran agrees.
‘The lines between work and home can blur,’ she says. ‘You carry conversations and moods from the office into your personal life, and suddenly something that began as a work discussion finds its way into the living room. When you’re both co-founders as well as partners, maintaining those boundaries can sometimes be a little tricky.’
Yet that closeness has also shaped the brand’s character. Nicobar feels this way because, in many ways, it grew that way.
10 Years Of Nicobar
Ten years on, that instinct has grown into something far larger than its founders first imagined. Last week, the brand marked the milestone with an intimate evening at Tulsi Garden Studio in Delhi. Guests entered through a curtain installation inspired by the philosophy of Ubuntu – the idea that ‘I am because we are’.
The sentiment mirrored Nicobar’s own story. Its growth has never been framed as a single founder’s triumph, but as the work of a wider ecosystem of artisans, designers, collaborators and customers.
The evening unfolded like a living installation of the brand’s world. Wooden birds carved by Adivasi artisans from the Nilgiris hung among the trees. Leopard stamps appeared on guests’ wrists as playful reminders of the landscapes that inspire Nicobar. Cocktails featured ingredients sourced from the Nilgiris, echoing the brand’s ecological initiative NicoEco.
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Craft, Conservation And NicoEco
Much of that work stems from Simran Lal’s restoration efforts in the Nilgiri hills, where she has been involved in regenerating landscapes threatened by invasive species. Even the carved birds carried that story – they were made from the wood of Senna spectabilis, a tree that has overtaken large stretches of the region and prevented native plants from growing. Transforming it into craft objects became part of the restoration process itself.
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The celebration also offered a glimpse into Nicobar’s future.
A New Chapter: Nicobar After Dark
For the first time in its history, the brand is stepping into eveningwear. Designed with co-creative director Aparna Chandra, the new collection explores a more refined wardrobe for after dark while retaining the brand’s relaxed sensibility.
‘Eveningwear felt like a natural next step for us,’ Raul and Simran explain. ‘Many of our customers were already turning to Nicobar for pieces that could transition effortlessly into more celebratory moments while still retaining the brand’s ease.’
The collection moves through blacks, silvers and soft metallics, reinterpreting Indian textiles like brocade in silhouettes that feel fluid rather than rigidly formal. Twenty-two looks for women and eighteen for men will arrive in stores later this year – designed less for spectacle and more for intimate dinners and celebrations.
The Rajesh Pratap Singh X Nicobar Collaboration
Another highlight of the anniversary year is a new collaboration with renowned designer Rajesh Pratap Singh.
‘Collaborating with Rajesh Pratap Singh felt instinctive,’ Raul and Simran say. ‘He brings a remarkable precision and elegance to tailoring, which creates a beautiful counterpoint to Nicobar’s softer, more relaxed aesthetic. That interplay between structure and ease was particularly exciting for us.’
For Raul, the partnership carries a personal history.
‘When I was living in America, I used to wear tuxedos to formal events but I never owned one—I always had to rent them because they were expensive,’ he recalls. ‘When I moved back to India in the early 2000s, I bought my first Rajesh Pratap Singh bandhgala, which I still have today.’
He remembers wearing it to a ball and suddenly feeling completely at ease.
‘That moment stayed with me because it was when the idea of being comfortable in your own skin really clicked,’ he says. ‘I remember thinking—why doesn’t every man have a bandhgala in his wardrobe?’
More than two decades later, that memory has come full circle.
The collaboration includes sculpted bandhgala jackets, bib-front shirts, indigo denim and understated home pieces. For Raul and Simran, the partnership also reflects a shared philosophy.
‘More importantly, our values align—a shared respect for craft, restraint and longevity in design,’ they say. ‘This collaboration allows Nicobar to expand the kind of men we speak to, while also giving us the opportunity to learn from the very best.’
Rajesh shares similar thoughts on the collaboration. He said, ‘What drew me to this partnership were the many conversations Raul and I have had over the years, long before Nicobar came into being, and even afterwards. There has always been a natural resonance in the way we think about design, craft and the role of clothing in everyday life. At some point, it simply felt like the right time to translate those conversations into something tangible. From there, we began to identify a natural meeting point. What emerged quite clearly was a shared idea of modern India – one that is rooted in tradition but expressed in a contemporary, effortless way.’
Looking To The Next Decade
Through all these expansions, from eveningwear to collaborations and wedding collections, Raul and Simran insist the larger vision remains unchanged.
‘For us, the next decade isn’t about reinventing Nicobar,’ Raul and Simran say. ‘It’s about deepening what we already believe in—expanding categories like eveningwear and gifting, strengthening initiatives such as NicoEco and reaching new communities both in India and internationally.’
‘The larger vision remains the same,’ they add. ‘To build a brand that is rooted in India yet globally relevant—one that people trust not just for what it creates, but for the values it stands for.’
Founders’ Favourites: The Pieces Closest To Their Hearts
Trust appears in smaller rituals too.
For Raul Rai, one Nicobar product has quietly accompanied him since the brand’s earliest days.
‘For me, one of my most favourite products would have to be the striped kulhar,’ he says. ‘Since the day we launched Nicobar, I’ve had my morning espresso in it. It has quietly become part of my daily ritual and, in many ways, represents the brand’s timeless qualities. It’s simple, functional and just as relevant today as it was ten years ago.’
Simran Lal’s choice also reaches way back, to the beginning, 10 years back.
‘For me, it would be the Ele Palm pieces,’ she says. ‘They’ve been with us since day one and really embody the early vision of what Nicobar meant to me—simple, thoughtful design inspired by nature and everyday rituals.’
Ten years on, Nicobar has become far more than a label.
But its foundations remain much the same as when it began, rooted in a partnership built on trust, conversation and the shared understanding that the best ideas rarely come from one voice alone. In Nicobar’s case, they emerge from a wider circle that includes a trusted creative team, long-standing collaborators and a community of patrons who have grown with the brand.
