Handlebar: A Store For Him Showcasing Indie Brands By Ulsoor Lake

At the newly-opened Handlebar, the shopping experience is aimed at men and is all about shining the spotlight on indie brands.

The compound that houses Handlebar is a busy car-repair garage that’s going about its Monday morning business as we come by. Trudging up the stairs to the second floor shop, we notice the sedate yellow-hue of the building give way to more dramatic colours – dark greys, oranges with plenty of graffiti painted on – as we arrive at Handlebar’s doors.

The ‘He’ store has been started off by Vijish and Lijesh, two entrepreneurs/apparel designers with a passion for showcasing indie clothing for men and have been in the business for more than eight years. Spread across two rooms, Handlebar gets its supplies from Bangalore, Chennai, Guwahati, and Kerala and it currently features more than 10 indie brands. At the store, you’ll find cloth bags, colourful and printed shirts from brands like The Hippie Store, Bangalore-based Wync, Monk {a niche embroidery brand from Assam}, and, even, their very own – Pachha {for linen shirts and unisex bags}. The T-shirt section has on display names like Soul Deep Skin, from Chennai, and Indore-based Kultura, that produces Hollywood inspired tees. In the denim section, there’s Skie Studio, whose lineup includes joggers, bomber jackets, over-dyed shorts, and shirts, apart from top-quality jeans.

The store is expecting exciting new additions like bow ties, knives, flip flops, and even framed art work {from artist Vamsi Krishna} very soon. The shopping experience is only going to get more fun, we reckon.

Where: 101/2, 2nd Floor, Gangadhara Chetty Road, Ulsoor Lake

Price: For shirts – INR 899 – INR 1,299, For trousers: INR 1,099 – INR 1,499

Contact: +91 9036932189

Timings: 11am-8pm