As younger buyers look for something different, Mohini by Dilip Sonigara steps in to hold attention. Director Karan Sonigara explains how the decision to secure next-generation, using a sub-brand helped retain legacy customers’ families while opening a premium brand for new, design-driven buyers.
Edited Excerpts:
Let’s start with where Mohini stands today. What is the brand’s identity and how is it positioned differently from Dilip Sonigara Jewellers?
I joined the family business ten years ago and soon realised bridal jewellery was the natural next step for our customers, who were ready to move beyond simpler pieces. Tastes were shifting. Brides still wanted tradition, but they also wanted expressive, fashion-forward jewellery they could use beyond the wedding. So, I spent four years experimenting within our stores—testing designs, budgets and cultural preferences—to understand how far customers were willing to upgrade. That insight shaped Mohini. It now occupies a clear premium space with higher value addition, richer craftsmanship and contemporary detailing, positioned distinctly from the parent company.
“HNIs anchor our business, but the younger IT crowd is our most exciting segment. They lack generational loyalty, but want meaningful, wearable jewellery, and now make up 45% of Mohini’s new customers, choosing us for design and a more elevated experience”.
You launched Mohini as a separate sub-brand instead of building a collection under the legacy name. What pushed that decision?
You can’t mix a premium experience with a mass retail format. DSJ (Dilip Sonigara Jewellers) is built for fast-moving categories with strong recall in plain gold, temple and lightweight jewellery. Placing a premium bridal experience in that environment would dilute both. A sub-brand gave me the freedom to build a new design philosophy and redefine what bridal jewellery could feel like. When someone spends 20 lakh rupees, they shouldn’t be rushed across a counter. Jewellery is the only high-value purchase treated that way. Mohini lets us change that, offering a more considered, elevated experience without affecting the parent brand’s mass positioning.
What market gap did you clearly see that Mohini decided to address?
Two gaps were unmistakable. Customers wanted fresher design—fancier diamonds, antique motifs and pieces they could wear beyond the wedding. Younger brides, in particular, were looking for jewellery that worked across multiple events and still felt usable later. The second gap was experience. Organised players were already proving that a premium environment could be a strong differentiator, while most legacy retailers stayed transactional. I knew that if we combined design depth with a premium experience in PCMC, we’d create a real edge. Expanding from 300 sq ft to 2,000 sq ft in 2024 came from that conviction, and today Mohini is a first reference point for HNIs.
Who is the core target audience for Mohini?
We serve two key customer groups. HNIs form a strong base, but the most interesting segment is the younger IT audience around us. They don’t have generational loyalty and are spending significantly for the first time. They want meaningful, wearable pieces, not locker jewellery. Today, 45% of our customers are entirely new, while 55% come from DSJ but choose Mohini for its design focus and elevated experience. My aim was always for the next generation to prefer Mohini.
How did you build the product architecture, so it stays fresh without diluting the legacy?
We built Mohini around function, because bridal jewellery today spans an entire trousseau. Our design strategy is divided across daytime events, evening looks, siders and the bride’s main functions, with colour or subtlety shifting accordingly. This framework guides our buying and curation. Mohini is now strong in antique, kundan and polki, with understated men’s pieces in white and rose gold to match current tastes.
“Be clear about who the sub-brand is for and whether that audience truly exists in your market. And don’t mix identities. Mass and premium can’t share the same experience. Create a distinct environment and philosophy, and the brand can grow independently.”
How has the brand performed since launch?
Mohini is only four years old, but the growth has been strong. We’re up roughly 120 percent from our first year, with the initial years growing steadily at 10–15 percent. After shifting to a larger store in 2024, we crossed 50 per cent growth. Gold prices helped, but the real drivers were experience and design depth. We’ve also unlocked a new HNI customer base that never viewed DSJ as an option earlier.
Coming from a legacy family business, what advantages helped Mohini—and what challenges did you have to overcome?
Trust was our biggest advantage. DSJ has decades of goodwill in Chinchwad, and our established systems made it easier to build Mohini without starting from scratch. The real challenge was identity. Customers linked DSJ to plain gold jewellery, so convincing them that couture-style bridal pieces could exist in PCMC took time. Location added to the hurdle, as Pune city shoppers don’t always travel to PCMC. This is why a Pune store is our next priority.
What advice would you give retailers planning to launch a sub-brand?
Be clear about who you’re building the sub-brand for, and whether those customers actually exist in your catchment. I assumed Pune buyers would travel to PCMC, but many prefer shopping within the city. Location matters far more than people realise. And don’t mix identities—mass and premium can’t share the same experience. Build a distinct environment, product philosophy and pricing approach, and the sub-brand can grow on its own.
As told to Maithili Patange
