“Polished, But Not Restrictive,” The Thinking Behind Nicobar x Rajesh Pratap Singh's New Collaboration

Born from a shared way of seeing and interpreting modern India, Rajesh Pratap Singh and Nicobar have joined hands to launch a capsule line. The collaboration brings together Nicobar’s easy, lived-in approach to modern Indian living with Rajesh Pratap Singh’s sharp tailoring and structured design language. It brings to life a menswear capsule that reflects how the Indian man dresses today, as well as a selection of premium soft furnishings.

The menswear capsule collection moves through bandhgalas, travel jackets, bib-front shirts, polos, and Jodhpur pants, all built around fluid silhouettes and an indigo-heavy colour palette softened by neutrals and subtle patterns. Linen, denim, and cotton form the base of the collection, while details like selvedge spines, graded pin-tucks, and monogrammed buttons bring everything together.

When it comes to soft furnishings and the home collection, Indigo denim is reworked into pieces, hand-block-printed chrysanthemum motifs add texture, while chain-stitch embroidery and pin-tuck detailing keep things minimal and classy. “Rajesh’s work has always been anchored in intent and precision,” adds Simran Lal, Co-Founder, Nicobar. “What makes this collaboration compelling is the balance it achieves, where structure feels intuitive and detail never overwhelms. These are pieces designed to be lived with, revealing themselves gradually over time.”

In conversation with The Style List, Raul Rai, Co-Founder, Nicobar and Rajesh Pratap Singh, Fashion Designer, discuss effortless dressing, longevity in fashion, and designing clothes that people can actually live in.

Rajesh Pratap Singh, Designer Raul Rai, Co-founder of Nicobar

“This collaboration felt like a very natural fit because there was already a strong overlap in how both brands think about design,” Raul Rai shared while speaking about what drew him towards the partnership. “Nicobar has built a very distinct language around modern Indian living that feels understated, functional, and rooted, and that has always resonated with me.”

Reflecting on the collaboration, designer Rajesh Pratap Singh acknowledged that his work is rooted in structure, precision, and a certain rigour, while Nicobar brings a softer, more relaxed way of dressing. “The idea of the collaboration was never to make Nicobar feel formal or overly constructed. It was about bringing a certain discipline into the ease. So the challenge was to retain my design language without making the clothes feel too formal or constructed,” shared Rajesh Pratap Singh. He also said that the collaboration pushed him to think about tailoring in a more fluid way.

Describing the mood of the collection in three words, Rai called it “relaxed, refined, and intelligent,” adding that even within its simplicity, there is a lot of discipline behind the design. That idea of ease became central to the collection itself. According to Rai, people today are no longer dressing for isolated moments alone. “I think people want clothes that can move with their lives now. They want pieces that feel polished, but not restrictive,” he said. Hence, the collection focuses on silhouettes that feel easy to wear, while still carrying a certain sharpness and sophistication.

The discussion also touched on authenticity in fashion partnerships, which Rai believes can occur only when there is true alignment of values rather than merely aesthetic harmony. "It works best when both brands contribute something unique while sharing a common sensibility," he noted. "With Rajesh Pratap Singh, there was a natural meeting point between Nicobar’s sense of ease and his emphasis on structure, precision, and tailoring. That contrast made the collaboration intriguing because it allowed us to create something new while remaining true to both brands." Rajesh Pratap Singh added, "For this collaboration, the pieces feature relaxed silhouettes, but the details are precise. The fit is easy, yet the finish is carefully considered. It is tailoring in a quieter, more lived-in form."

But the collaboration remains true to the Nicobar aesthetic of minimalism. According to Rai, minimalism only begins to fail when it becomes predictable. “For us, it has never been about stripping things down for the sake of simplicity. It’s about creating products that feel effortless, functional, and emotionally relevant to how people live today,” he shared. Whether through fabric choices, colour palettes, or subtle craft details, the intention is to keep the design language evolving. When asked who he imagined wearing the collection, Rai described someone who values ease but still cares about sophistication and construction. Someone who appreciates thoughtful design and strong construction without needing their clothes to feel loud or attention-seeking.

Fashion’s growing obsession with trends and constant newness was another point Rai reflected on during the conversation. He admitted that Indian fashion still does not talk enough about longevity. “There is a lot of conversation around trends, scale, and constant newness, but not enough around creating products that are meant to last,” he said. For him, good design extends far beyond how a garment looks in a single moment. “It is about how it wears over time, how it fits into someone’s life, and whether they will continue to return to it years later.”