“Mr Mukherjee, you cannot die”: How a fleeting airport encounter shaped Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s legacy

A fleeting encounter at New Delhi airport left designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee deeply moved. A younger lady stopped him and mentioned, “Mr Mukherjee, you cannot die.” Startled, he requested why. Her response was profound- “Your brand stands for something bigger. What will happen to us if you’re not there?” That second cemented a realisation: Sabyasachi was not simply a label; it had turn into a cultural motion.
For 25 years, Sabyasachi has been synonymous with heritage-rich trend, however his ambitions stretch past private possession. In 2021, he made a game-changing determination – promoting a 51% stake of his firm to the Aditya Birla Group. This wasn’t about relinquishing management; it was about securing his model’s longevity.

“Entrepreneurs often let personal ego dictate their decisions. They hold on for too long, and when they fade, so does their brand,” he shared in an interview with CNBC-TV18. “I was certain – Sabyasachi had to outlive me.”
Rather than tethering his model to a single identification, he sought to create an establishment that might thrive past his presence. “I told Mr Birla – this company doesn’t belong to me or you. It belongs to the country, and we must build it with that in mind,” he acknowledged.

Redefining Indian luxurious

When Sabyasachi started his journey in Kolkata, trend in India largely mirrored Western aesthetics. But he envisioned a totally different path – one rooted in indigenous textiles, elaborate embroidery, and unfiltered opulence. His maximalist sensibility rejected Eurocentric definitions of luxurious, as an alternative embracing India’s wealthy craftsmanship.
“I never saw India as a third-world country,” he asserted. “I always viewed it as a first-world civilization.” He credit icons like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, and Rabindranath Tagore for shaping his worldview, pushing him to current India’s artistry on a world stage.

“Luxury isn’t about submission; it’s about self-assurance,” he explains. “Our biggest hurdle has always been our reluctance to believe in our own excellence.”

A model constructed to final

At 51, Sabyasachi’s focus has shifted from private legacy to institutional permanence. Unlike conventional family-run companies, he doesn’t consider in passing the torch primarily based on inheritance.
“Even if I had children, they wouldn’t inherit the brand unless they were qualified,” he says candidly. His purpose is to rework Sabyasachi into a “corporate Sabya” – a model robust sufficient to exist independently of him.

His journey is greater than a trend success story; it’s a lesson in breaking limitations. “If a middle-class boy from Kolkata can challenge the status quo, so can anyone else,” he displays.
For Sabyasachi, the long run isn’t about being on the helm perpetually – it’s about guaranteeing that his model, just like the craft it champions, stands the check of time.