Former BESTSELLER India Chief Brand Officer Sugam Asani has co-founded Sunday Story, a premium contemporary womenswear brand, with wife Priyanka Asani. Focused on comfort, quality and thoughtful design, the brand targets urban Indian women seeking elevated everyday clothing, blending global sourcing, refined craftsmanship and a customer-centric shopping experience.
Sugam Asani, a familiar name in India’s fashion and retail corridors, is entering a new phase of his professional journey—this time as a founder. After years of shaping some of the country’s most recognisable international fashion brands, the former Chief Brand Officer of BESTSELLER India has co-founded a contemporary womenswear label called Sunday Story, alongside his wife, Priyanka Asani. The brand marks a return to first principles for the duo, combining deep industry experience with a clear-eyed understanding of what the modern Indian woman seeks from her wardrobe today.
Sunday Story is positioned as a premium, comfort-led womenswear brand, built around the idea of elevated everyday dressing. It is rooted in thoughtful design, refined fabrics and an uncompromising approach to quality, while staying closely attuned to how women actually live, work and move through their day. For Sugam and Priyanka Asani, the venture is as personal as it is professional, bringing together two parallel careers that began in the same classroom at NIFT Delhi, where they graduated in 2005.
While their journeys after graduation diverged, both accumulated complementary experiences that now inform the foundation of Sunday Story. Priyanka went on to build and run a fashion brand that was 50 percent co-owned by Myntra between 2014 and 2017, gaining first-hand exposure to digital-first retail, fast-scaling businesses and the evolving expectations of online shoppers. Sugam, on the other hand, chose a more mainstream corporate path, spending over seven years at Benetton India Pvt. Ltd. as General Manager for accessories, footwear and innerwear, before joining BESTSELLER India. Over an eight-year tenure there, he rose from Brand Head of ONLY and Jack & Jones to Chief Brand Officer, overseeing brand strategy, growth and consumer engagement across categories.
That combined exposure—to entrepreneurial agility on one side and large-scale brand building on the other—has shaped the DNA of Sunday Story. The brand is conceived as product-first and insight-led, designed to occupy a space that the founders believe is underserved in the Indian womenswear market. At its core is the belief that fashion does not have to choose between style and comfort, or between aspiration and practicality.
“With Sunday Story, we set out to create elevated, all-day clothing tailored for the woman of today — someone who seeks fashion with comfort,” Sugam Asani says. The emphasis, he explains, is on refined fabrics, thoughtful fits designed specifically for Indian customers, and silhouettes that move effortlessly with the rhythm of everyday life. Rather than trend-chasing or seasonal excess, the brand is focused on building a wardrobe that feels relevant, enduring and quietly confident.
The choice to focus on women aged 30 to 40 years is deliberate. This demographic, the founders believe, sits at the intersection of rising purchasing power, evolved taste and limited tolerance for compromise. These are consumers who want fewer, better products; women who balance multiple roles and expect their clothing to keep pace without demanding attention or adjustment. Sunday Story’s average price point, ranging between Rs 4,000 and Rs 5,000, reflects this positioning—premium, but accessible, and justified through quality, detailing and longevity rather than overt branding.
The brand’s premium ambition is underpinned by an obsessive focus on craft and sourcing. Fabrics and trims are sourced globally, chosen for both feel and performance, while needlework and construction are treated as central to the design process rather than as finishing steps. Fashion-forward silhouettes are supported by technical precision, ensuring that garments not only look refined but also wear well over time. For the founders, this attention to detail is non-negotiable and central to earning consumer trust.
Equally important to the Asanis is the overall shopping experience. Having witnessed the rapid expansion of e-commerce in India from both brand and platform perspectives, they believe there is a widening gap between what customers expect and what they often receive. Sunday Story aims to bridge this gap by being tech-led but deeply human in its approach. The customer is woven into every decision, from fit and fabric to stitching quality and digital touchpoints. The ambition is to create a seamless, intuitive experience that mirrors the care invested in the product itself.
This approach reflects a broader shift in India’s fashion consumption patterns. As incomes rise and discretionary spending grows, premiumisation is becoming a defining trend. India’s per capita GDP is projected to increase significantly by 2030, with the top 10 percent of household incomes seeing substantial growth. In this environment, consumers are increasingly selective, seeking products that offer both emotional and functional value. The Asanis see Sunday Story as a response to this moment—a brand that sits between expensive designer labels and mid-premium offerings that often fall short on quality.
“Consumers want fewer products but good quality products—with that extra something which makes what they own special and unique,” the founders say. They argue that while designer-driven labels can feel aspirational, they are often inaccessible, while many mid-premium brands fail to deliver commensurate quality at their price points. Sunday Story is intended to address this gap, offering refined design and superior construction without the intimidation or excess of luxury fashion.
Operationally, the brand is built for agility. For the current season, Sunday Story offers around 100 styles, with plans to introduce an additional 200 styles between January and May 2026. Rather than working on rigid seasonal calendars, the brand operates on a collection-led model, launching two collections every month. With a sketch-to-store lead time of just 45 days, Sunday Story aims to remain responsive to consumer feedback while maintaining control over quality and consistency.
This cadence allows the brand to stay fresh without overwhelming the customer. It also reflects the founders’ belief that modern fashion is less about seasons and more about relevance. By focusing on collections rather than seasonal drops, Sunday Story seeks to offer continuity and cohesion, encouraging customers to build wardrobes gradually rather than through impulse-led purchases.
For Sugam and Priyanka Asani, Sunday Story is both a culmination and a new beginning. It draws on years of experience navigating complex retail ecosystems, understanding consumer psychology and building brands at scale, while also offering the freedom to design with clarity and conviction. In a crowded and competitive market, their confidence lies in restraint—in letting quality, fit and experience speak louder than logos or trends.
As Sunday Story begins its journey, it enters an Indian fashion landscape that is more discerning, digitally savvy and value-conscious than ever before. The brand’s success will ultimately depend on its ability to consistently deliver on its promise: elevated clothing that feels as good as it looks, designed for women who know exactly what they want—and are no longer willing to settle for less.
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