Nearly a century after it first opened its doors in 1923, legacy menswear brand P.N. Rao is stepping into a bold new chapter. What began as a tailoring shop for British officers’ wives has since evolved into one of South India’s most trusted names in fine suits.
Now, with eight stores across Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad, and a ninth that opened this Sunday, the brand is gearing up for its most ambitious phase yet. Backed by a mix of franchising, product diversification, and a sharper focus on younger consumers, P.N. Rao is tailoring its future while staying stitched to its heritage.
In an exclusive conversation with IMAGES Business of Fashion, Naveen Pishe, Partner, PN Rao discusses the brand’s evolution, current strategies, and ambitious growth plans.
Brand Evolution & Expansion
- Early Beginnings (1923): Founded by Pishe’s grandfather – Pishe Narayan Rao, originally as a ladies’ tailor for British officers’ wives.
- Pivot to Menswear (1940s): Shifted to menswear after the British left India.
- Bespoke to Ready-to-Wear: Primarily a bespoke company in the 1950s-60s, later introduced ready-made garments to meet demand for quick delivery. They uniquely found that bespoke and ready-to-wear could coexist successfully in the same store.
- Suit Specialization (1990s): The technology boom in Bangalore led to a surge in demand for suits, especially from foreign customers. The store was restructured to focus on suits and blazers.
- Rebranding (2006): The brand rebranded from ‘P.N. Rao Menswear’ to ‘P.N. Rao Fine Suits since 1923.’
- Store Expansion: Opened a second Bangalore store in 2008 (Jayanagar, first was MG Road), expanded to Chennai in 2011, Hyderabad a year ago, and is set to open its ninth store in Hyderabad.
Franchising Strategy
To accelerate expansion, PN Rao has turned to franchising for the first time, with new stores lined up in Coimbatore, Hubli, and Hyderabad. Franchising was adopted to accelerate growth beyond the current pace, recognising the operational-heavy nature of the business which requires high customer service and precise location.
“We are seeking ‘business partners’ who will be personally involved in the store’s operations, spending 4-5 hours daily to nurture the business. This ensures consistent quality and service across all locations,” Pishe notes.
PN Rao franchise stores will follow the FOFO model (Franchisee-owned and operated), but with a full-time, PN Rao-trained staff member present for a minimum of six months to ensure adherence to SOPs, customer handling, and training. This oversight continues until the store is well-settled.
Store Concept & Product Offerings
New PN Rao stores will offer a compilation of both bespoke (using swatch books and feelers for fabrics, maintaining the tailoring experience) and ready-to-wear collections. The ideal store size will be 2,500 sq ft, with a minimum acceptable carpet area of 1,500 sq ft to accommodate all products and experiences.
Pishe also notes that the third-party products – which are not directly owned or produced by PN Rao (e.g., shoes from partners like Roche) – will not be offered in franchise stores to ensure focus on core capabilities and maintain consistency.
Target Audience & Sub-Brands
PN Rao caters to grooms, successful professionals/CEOs, and multi-generational customers (e.g., great-grandfathers and great-grandsons), with the target age group spanning 25-55 years. “Many customers first experience our brand at milestone moments—buying their graduation suit, preparing for a job interview, or selecting their wedding attire,” Pishe notes.
“The challenge is how to retain them in between these milestones. For instance, an 18- or 19-year-old might first visit us for his graduation suit. His next requirement may be for a job interview, five years later. To bridge that gap, we are consciously building offerings in casual wear and versatile wardrobe pieces that he can use for college or early career needs,” he adds.
Currently, PN Rao retains about 5–7% of such young customers. This retention improves to 15–20% once they shop with the brand for job interviews, and significantly more once they come back for their wedding. Interestingly, this has led to multi-generational loyalty.
The brand aims to retain its customers by building a long-term wardrobe relationship through product longevity. Pishe explains, “Product longevity is also something huge with us. We famously talk about ‘per wear cost’. PN Rao’s per wear cost is a lot cheaper than a customer buying a cheaper readymade suit outside i.e. the number of times a customer wears our suit vis-à-vis the number of times they wear a cheaper, readymade suit.”
Newman: For Younger Consumers
P.N. Rao has long been synonymous with sophisticated formal wear – both bespoke and ready-to-wear classics. But in the post-Covid world, with professionals moving away from everyday suits, the brand saw an opportunity to rethink its offerings.
This led to the creation of Newman by the House of P.N. Rao—a fresh identity designed to resonate with Gen Z and younger millennials. The line offers versatile styles like bomber jackets, safari jackets, tailored trousers, vests, and smart shirts, which didn’t quite fit within the classic Signature Wear label. Newman also caters to a new segment of occasion wear buyers – groomsmen and friends of grooms.
Currently, Newman contributes about 50–60% of PN Rao’s ready-to-wear business. Meanwhile, Signature Wear remains strong, making up 15–20% of its ready-to-wear segment. It continues to innovate too, for example, its Passport Jacket, a lightweight travel jacket, has been well received.
The rest of the brand’s business continues to be dominated by made-to-measure, but Newman has become a significant growth driver, while Signature Wear keeps its core identity intact.
Innovation in Fabrics & Fits
PN Rao is actively working with international brands (e.g., Xenia, Loro Piana) to innovate, incorporating blends like silk, linen, bamboo, and wool, resulting in lightweight, draping, soft, yet firm fabrics.
- Deconstructed Jackets: Introduced jackets with minimal shoulder pads and no lining, utilising the same fabric inside. These are lightweight, wrinkle-resistant, and easy to maintain.
- Full Canvas Suits: Reintroduced full canvas suits, a traditional tailoring method (common in UK tailoring), which uses a natural horsehair canvas rather than glued fusing. This allows the suit to breathe, conform to the body over time, and offers exceptional durability (lasting 12-15 years). This premium offering is seeing strong demand despite limited capacity.
- Linen Challenges: Faced supply chain issues for linen yarn from Eastern Europe due to geopolitical events, leading to increased costs. However, they proactively secured supply for retailers.
Financials & Future Outlook
The brand closed last year at Rs 65 crores, and is targeting Rs 75 crores this year, with projections of reaching Rs 90 crores for the next year.
In the short term, P.N. Rao is strengthening its footprint in South India with upcoming stores in Hyderabad, Hubli, and Bengaluru. In the midterm, expansion is planned for Kochi, Mangalore, Mysore, Vijayawada, and Vizag within the next year.
In the longer run, the brand aims to move beyond its southern stronghold, first entering Central and Western India, before expanding into North India.
PN Rao’s product-wise goals include:
- Wedding Wear: Expand success in wedding wear, which was not a core strength previously.
- Shirting: Expand its range of shirting fabrics including jacquards, bouclé, and more.
- Styles: Offer diverse styles, including jacquard tuxedos, embroidered suits.
