Arjan Dugal would like men to try a little harder

“Everyone makes a fashion faux pas, but I’ve probably made more than most,” says designer Arjan Dugal. In 2014, at just 21, Dugal launched his eponymous menswear label with a vision of contemporising traditional occasionwear, armed with a finance degree and a design sensibility inherited from his parents. His father, Premjit Dugal, is a leather-garment exporter, while his late mother, Simar Dugal, was a well-known model turned designer. “My mother helped develop my aesthetic over time, while my father was a man technically sound in garment construction and manufacturing,” he says.

Now 34, Dugal has a new collection, ‘Dopamine’; a recently opened flagship store at The Dhan Mill, south Delhi’s open-air high street shopping complex; and a growing presence on Instagram, where he routinely dispenses style and grooming advice for men. With the wedding season upon us, The Nod sat down with the designer to talk about the changing rules of men’s occasionwear, building a timeless festive wardrobe beyond the expected, and why men need to start getting their manis and pedis.

Old-school, not old-fashioned

When Dugal founded his menswear label, it was because his friends repeatedly complained about having nothing to wear to weddings. At the time, options were limited, and established menswear designers were few and expensive. Upon recognising the gap in the market, he dived into reinterpreting traditional silhouettes with new-age tailoring, design elements, and unexpected fabrics. He likens his design language to a gramophone: “Traditionally old and vintage but something you can always bring into a new era and give a whole different meaning.”

Following his mother’s passing in 2020, Dugal also took the reins of her eponymous womenswear label, Simar Dugal, which eventually closed in December 2025. Balancing these two distinct visual languages and audiences was difficult, he admits, but the experience proved invaluable. “Going through that furnace of designing women’s garments helped me get an edge over those who had exclusively designed for men,” he says.

Today, Dugal’s work draws from a wide repertoire of hand-woven textiles and craft traditions, from zardozi and kalamkari to Banarasi brocade and Indonesian and Uzbek ikats. He’s especially particular about the materials. “If it’s silk, it’s 100 per cent silk,” he says. Nor is he interested in churning out designs for the sake of novelty. “We don’t release fifty new designs a year. We’ll do just twenty but make sure we stick to our ethos.”

His latest collection, ‘Dopamine’, is a case in point. Despite its exuberant name, the colour palette is surprisingly understated, featuring bandhgalas, Nehru jackets, achkan sets, kurtas, and stoles in shades of off-white, copper-bronze, mint green, blush pink, and classic favourites navy blue and black. Dugal considers the collection one of his more experimental outings. For him, pushing the envelope doesn’t necessarily mean going all out. “We are subtle. I don’t believe in taking superglue and sequin and throwing it onto a garment,” he says.

The new rules of men’s occasionwear

“Men’s fashion doesn’t evolve at the same rate at which women’s fashion does,” Dugal observes, though he acknowledges it has undergone a shift since he began designing. “Men are now even wearing organza,” he adds, pointing to the growing willingness to experiment with fabrics and silhouettes that might have once seemed unconventional.

The traditional bandhgala, for instance, now comes in open-front variations and as cropped jackets worn with kurtas in varying lengths and styles. Even the classic cotton and silk pieces are being reworked with contemporary prints and embroideries.

Dugal's new flagship at The Dhan Mill, spread across 2,200 square feet and two floors, reflects his confidence in this shifting market. “The vision is to give menswear the space it deserves by placing it front and centre at a shopping stronghold,” he explains.

The 85/15 rule of dressing

For Dugal, the operative word when building a festive wardrobe is “incrementally”. Rather than buying an entire new wardrobe every festive season, he recommends investing in versatile pieces that stand the test of time and adding to the collection thoughtfully over time. A good starting point? Essentials like a pair of churidars, single-pleated trousers, and dhoti pants. And while comfort matters and Dugal even prioritises it in his designs, he argues: “Occasionwear is not entirely meant to be comfortable.”

“Styling-wise, play it safe 85 per cent, and for the remaining 15 go out there and experience something new and fun,” he advises, encouraging men to explore options they might not ordinarily gravitate towards. A Nehru jacket needn’t be boring, nor does a kurta have to be predictable. Otherwise, as he puts it, “You’re gonna open your wardrobe and find the same thing again in black or blue. Ninety per cent of the people who’ve held this courage to wear something new always return to me, relaying how many compliments they received.”

When it comes to suiting, fit and proportion are everything. Lapel styles, for instance, should complement your build: “If you’re narrow, don’t get broad peak lapels. No notch lapels if you’re tall and broad.” He’s also an advocate for experimenting with looser trouser cuts, high-buttoning waistcoats, and finishing touches that are often overlooked: a well-ironed tie, a pocket square, and cufflinks. And while leather shoes remain a wardrobe staple, juttis and mojris are timeless too. Brocade and leather, he insists, is another pairing that works remarkably well.

Gentlemen, get a pedicure

“Masculinity today bears such an evolving definition,” says Dugal, who believes men should be paying far more attention to grooming than they do. The first order of business? Regular manicures and pedicures. “Everyone likes to have a clean set of nails, so if anyone tells you otherwise, ask them to go f*** themselves—very politely, but do it,” he laughs. “Even your dog gets his paws done.”

His advice: trim your beard, oil your hair, get a haircut on time, treat yourself to a facial occasionally, find a signature fragrance that works for you, and perhaps even wax your ears (it hurts, we know). “Everyone deserves to wake up next to someone who looks good, smells good, and you want to feel good about yourself,” he says. And for anyone still hesitant to venture beyond their usual routine, Dugal has one final piece of advice: “If you don’t try it, you’ll never know!”