In an age where menswear is increasingly stripped of ceremony, the new Boxwallas by House of Three arrives not as a collection but as a corrective. Conceived by the Bengaluru-based luxury design firm, this bespoke tailoring category is less about nostalgia and more about remembrance — of values, of structure, of a time when masculinity was measured not by excess, but by restraint.
House of Three’s philosophy has always been quietly holistic. Designing for the mind, body and soul — the brand moves fluidly between interiors and apparel, treating space and clothing as parallel forms of expression. With Boxwallas, founder and creative director Sounak Sen Barat turns inward, mining personal history to shape a sartorial language rooted in dignity and emotional intelligence. “The loss of my father to cancer last year made me reflect on my childhood — growing up in an ecosystem of warm joint families and value systems rooted in the men across my father’s and grandfather’s generations. They were the Bhadralok Boxwallas,” he begins. That reflection sharpened further with the passing of Ratan Tata — a figure emblematic of the very generation this category honours. “These moments inspired me to bring back the values that seem to be disappearing today — reliability, ethics, integrity, sensitivity and respect for others,” Sounak adds.
The term Boxwalla refers to a cohort of post-Independence Indian professionals — particularly Bengali gentlemen — who carried leather briefcases to offices that once bore colonial signage, stepping into roles vacated by the British with quiet authority. Boxwallas by House of Three is a tribute to these men: cultivated, disciplined, intellectually curious and effortlessly stylish. The visual codes of the category draw from the 1950s and 1960s — decades that Sounak describes as foundational to Indian masculinity. “That was an era that defined Indian masculinity. They inherited an independent nation with no resources, yet rebuilt it from scratch,” he explains. “These were men who turned scarcity into elegance — rebuilding a country and setting a standard for strength through restraint and style,” he adds.
That ethos is evident in the tailoring. The silhouettes are classic but never stiff; structured yet humane. The collection’s 20 curated looks move across decades and moods — from practical, functional suiting of the early ’50s to the more refined optimism of the ’60s, when wardrobes grew quietly confident. “Each decade inspired mood-based looks — from a yacht brunch to a club afternoon,” the designer notes, describing a narrative approach that avoids costume and lands firmly in relevance. Integral to this relevance is the way Boxwallas reclaims India’s place in the global menswear lexicon. “So much of global menswear is rooted in India,” Sounak tells us. “The kamarbandh became the cummerbund. Seersucker came from sheer-o-shakkar — an Indian handloom weave,” he explains. This reclamation is handled with restraint, not spectacle. The aim, he insists, was, “to reclaim our design heritage with dignity — to celebrate Indian craft and intellect, not as trends, but as origins.”
Craftsmanship sits at the heart of the category. Fabrics are sourced from Indian handlooms and legacy mills across India, Britain and Australia. Every suit is hand-finished, with patterns engineered specifically for Indian proportions. It is a marriage of western tailoring precision and Indian material intelligence — a balance that feels global without losing its soul. In a world increasingly dressed down, Boxwallas argues for the enduring power of the suit. “A handcrafted suit is your best friend and wingman,” Sounak says with a smile. “A suit signals reliability before you’ve even spoken. It’s a language of seriousness, structure and respect — qualities the world still values,” he adds further.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Boxwallas is its emotional clarity. “Translating emotion into structure,” was the greatest challenge, Sounak admits — ensuring the garments carried their historical and personal weight while meeting global bespoke standards. The result is a category that feels deeply personal yet universally resonant. Boxwallas by House of Three is not about dressing up. It is about standing tall. A quiet manifesto for the return of the gentleman — not as an affectation, but as a way of being.
INR 9,990 onwards. At Vittal Mallya Road.
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