Weaving a coherent story about Spoil Me Silly… is difficult. We have so many dreams and so much we want to do, and so many stories connected to our own… It is hard to define us in isolation, without essaying the stories of the people and communities that have surrounded us…
But perhaps more than how we came to be, the most important facet of an “about us” page should be who we are now, and who we want to become…
The very soul of Spoil Me Silly is ensconced in the existence of a constant humdrum of activity- of innovation and change and growth… of constant fluttering, incessant movement and fluidity. It is why the hummingbird features in our logo- we refuse to remain parked, comfortably, in the realm of only what we know. We crave the knowledge of cultures and traditions unknown to us, and that is the guiding philosophy of our brand: We seek to learn and then bask in the glory of that knowledge and share it with the world.
The story of Spoil Me Silly resides in the dreams of a comfortably middle-class girl, growing up in the 1970s… When times were simpler and adventures rife. When lengthy expeditions were made to Delhi’s famed markets, fabrics and laces and trims specially chosen for that style seen in a lucrative, scarce magazine. When such joy and excitement lay in the hand one had in the creation of what they’d wear, waited with bated breath to finally, finally see what they’d made and what they’d wear…
Our designs are borne of the simplicity of Sonali’s (Our Founder) background, borne of going hunting for fabrics and getting them stitched up and embellished by neighbourhood tailors and embroiderers…
It’s Sonali’s quintessential childhood experiences, that we’d like to share with our customers…
Our products are enriched with the desire to have the best of India’s traditions, in elegant styles, amidst modest budgets… but above all the timeworn tradition of having a tangible hand in the creation of what you wear, to gain a new item not just out of the spending of money but of the love and care and creativity of both the designer and the user… of having this purchase be a reward-an inner look into the user- to enhance the thoughts and personality of the distinct soul within…
We aim to create products distinctly tailored to the wearer they’d adorn or the home they’d inhabit. That personalisation… customisation is at the core of who we are. We enjoy adapting to you and your choices rather than vice versa…
But whilst we create products that sing the song of your distinct spark, we also desire to weave the stories of tradition into one harmonic tapestry that resonates with the depth of heritage crafts.
This is what Spoil Me Silly is… A simple, small arbiter of traditions and your vision…
We hope you enjoy shopping with us as much as we enjoy creating for you.
Timeline
Nascence
SMS Gourmet
Wait! Did you say food? Yes, our fashion brand began when Sonali, an IHM Mumbai Grad started Spoil Me Silly as a gourmet catering company for high end private events...
Pivot
A Piraai of 12 Earrings
In early 2010, Sonali embarked on a hunt for simple, daily wear earrings... The criteria was simple: unique, eclectic, a blend of traditional and western sensibilities and built to last. The hunt was proving to be fruitless, and so ever-creative Sonali veered from the trodden-path and decided to just make her own! Those first 12 earrings, those are SMS' soul.
Move
Brick and Mortar
After countless exhibitions and rave reviews, Sonali's yearning for a physical space yields our first store at Inorbit Mall in Mumbai... We expand quickly to 3 locations across the metropolitan region.
Explore
"The" Store
With our collections growing and a decline in the popularity of malls, we descended to Mumbai's bustling streetscape. Our first flagship store in Thakur Village, albeit tiny, allowed for an independence that catalysed the SMS you see today. Our tiny, creative "maker's corner" let us experiment with paint and wire and thread to create wild and improbable things...
Grow
The Store 2.0
Ambitions outgrowing space yet again, we moved into our current Thakur Village location, undulating into a much larger space: a true Boutique. Hosting book readings and performances was suddenly a possibility, a true cultural space for the modern Indian.
This larger space allows us to rediscover Sonali's Hotel training: sumptuous service, impeccably delivered as though from a bygone era...
Pause
Covid (sigh)
Let's move on... ASAP! Covid was a gut punch, we must not lie. Sales dropped, the store shuttered, creative pipelines slashed... 3 months of trepidation later we launched This Revamped Website... Newer offerings, our gift wraps and add-ons, custom fitting and more! SMS delivers impeccable results both in-person and online...!
hope
Sustainability
As we grow, our primary focus, ahead even of expansion is sustainability... We are throwing into focus our move towards transparency. We are not perfect, but we are looking to be as close as possible. Our processes and vendors and materials impact: diverse minutiae like shipping bags and buttons and fabrics is under scrutiny. We are on the hunt... for Solutions! Capitalism and the rest can wait!
Regulatory Info
- Founded by Sonali Awasthi as a Sole Proprietorship in 2009, operating as a Gourmet Cooking and Catering Firm.
- Opened Fashion Kiosks in Inorbit Mall (Malad), Inorbit Mall (Vashi) and Viviana Mall (Thane) from 2013-2016
- Opened first Independent Store in Mumbai's Thakur Village in 2015
- Expanded to new location in Thakur Village in 2019
- Launched the new spoilmesilly.in website in 2020
- 2022: Converted the business structure to an LLP, with Spoil Me Silly by Sonali becoming a trademark owned by Spoil Me Silly Lifestyle LLP, with partners, Sonali Awasthi and Ramnish Awasthi.