Surmai Jain founder of Polite Society
interview by Parrie Chhajed
In the bustling streets of Bandra, nestled in a quiet corner, sits Polite Society Shop No.1. With an innovative approach to sustainable design, the label doesn’t just sell clothes; it facilitates an honest and respectful dialogue between its customers and the environment. Surmai Jain, founder and creative director, spent her formative years living between India, New York, and Armenia. This uniquely diverse life experience afforded her an aesthetic sensibility that is both coyly dramatic and delicately balanced. In just five years, she has built a brand whose concerted approach to responsible sourcing and scaling has bolstered her creative outcomes and earned her a loyal and steadily growing clientele.
PARRIE CHHAJED: I’d love to start with the story behind the name Polite Society. Where did it come from?
SURMAI JAIN: When I was naming the brand, I had my name, Surmai Jain, as an option. But I wanted it to feel more like a community, more like a society. While conducting research, the name 'Polite Society’ came to mind. It’s an old literary term referring to people with really good manners and a high standard of wealth. I thought it would be ironic for us to take that because money isn’t all that makes you rich. We have a tagline that says, “You can be rich in your ways,” which sums it all up.
CHHAJED: Your approach to modernity and individuality is very unique. What is the guiding philosophy behind the brand?
JAIN: I started from Rajasthan, went to Armenia, later Bombay, and then to New York. By the time I was twenty-five years old, when I started the label, I felt like I had already seen so many cultures and met so many different people who inspired me through life. Each place has made a very different impact on me, and it has shaped my understanding of the world. All of that helps me design for everyone: a woman, a man, or whoever. When we’re closing in on a design, I imagine myself or someone else wearing it. Do they feel good wearing it?
CHHAJED: How have your experiences in Mumbai, New York, and Armenia—places with wildly different perspectives on fashion—shaped your design sensibility?
JAIN: Fashion practices are different all over. In India, art is synonymous with what artisans are doing. It’s all about their legacies and heritage. In New York, it’s about individuality and self-expression. So, I take a little bit of everything. I also grew up painting and designing, and over time, I found my method of expression.
CHHAJED: Do you feel the way those traits translate specifically in your designs?
JAIN: I go through phases. Right now, I’m feeling more connected to my roots. Maybe it’s just being thirty-two. For this collection, and then the next one, we took inspiration from Rajasthan and used more techniques like Leheriya. Initially, I felt more like a modern designer, but as you search for more inspiration, it comes from your own stories. When you go deeper, being from a certain place makes those things feel valuable. Tomorrow, it could be something else. I might travel to some place and find inspiration there. We did handwork this time, and that’s been incredible. We did a banana leather appliqué with studs. Which is exciting because we are taking the handloom as a base, but doing it differently.
Banana Leather Keychains
CHHAJED: I think that’s what translating our culture into the language of modernity is all about at the end of the day. Your career path took you from painting to graphic design, and ultimately, to fashion. Do those varying disciplines inform one another?
JAIN: A hundred percent. It’s all because of that. For example, if you look at the space. We took a lot of time designing it and attending to the smallest details. When you do graphics, you see the same thing in a different light. So, whether you’re designing clothes or a space, you have to have your aesthetics and philosophy in place. Because I learned graphics as a medium, I did our initial branding myself. It was important to make my own universe first and then bring people in and expand it. Right now, we are doing a little rebrand, so I went to someone else and asked for help, but I wasn’t able to outsource in the beginning.
With painting, one of the key pieces that we started with was a few shirts that had illustrations on them. Those were hand-done by me. So initially, there was a lot of work that I would do myself to set the tone.
CHHAJED: What are the key elements of Polite Society’s design language?
JAIN: One major thing that I like to do is blend the highs and the lows. It’s interesting to create an odd contrast that looks beautiful with elements like finished and unfinished hems. Or in the store, you can see how the glass meets the concrete. One of the earlier key pieces we had at the store was a half-and-half pant that started as a pair of trousers and then transitioned to denim. I like to play with contrast and then balance the femininity with a little bit of masculinity. If we design a dress, I like to add an element to make it a little masculine. It always has to be balanced.
CHHAJED: Can you talk about the brand’s approach to sustainability and if there have been any hurdles that you’ve faced in pursuit of it?
JAIN: Many companies don’t talk about it, but sometimes you have a bad lot. Once, we sent our denim for a wash, and it came back spoiled. What do you do with it? It hurts because of the work that has already been put in. So, we used that fabric and made corsets. That piece is completely made from deadstock that we couldn’t use. Everyone loved it, and we even considered trying to wash our denim like this.
AAdditionally we've tried some new accessories. These key chains are made from banana leather. Because why not? I met someone who was doing that, and I think it’s better than using animal products.
CHHAJED: What are some of the other non-fashion influences that shape your work in general?
JAIN: Music culture influences me because I grew up listening to a lot of R&B. Often, when you’re designing, you think, If she wore it, that would be nice. For me, it’s always powerful women who are in music and owning it. You can see that being translated into the designs. It wasn’t just about being objectified. It was the overall aura and personality.
CHHAJED: Are there any musicians whose work you’ve translated in any of your collections?
JAIN: Georgia Smith. During one of the earlier collections, I would listen to her the whole time. There are now these women like Sabrina, but back when I was in school, we had Rihanna. I feel like no matter what, the world always comes back to her.
CHHAJED: Polite Society has a unique niche. How do you approach marketing and building your audience?
JAIN: I just try to stay true to myself. A lot is going on in the industry, and everyone’s just trying to make space for themselves. As designers in this competitive space, if you let that get to you, it will not go well for your mental health. Early on, I felt like I could connect with my consumers. We had experiences that fortified the idea that if I had a store tomorrow, they would show up. We did pop-ups in our studio in Marol, and people were willing to come all the way there to try on pieces. When we saw them try it on and immediately get convinced, that’s when we knew we were doing something right. Those small moments shaped it all.
Being in touch with the consumer has helped. We don’t work in isolation. We opened a studio so people could come in and talk. I always ask, “Which one do you like? What do you not like? What would you want?” People are pretty honest. We have also been working with cool singers and artists from the start, like Kavya Trehan and Liza Mishra, who’ve grown alongside us and fostered a sense of community. They still want to wear Polite.
For the marketing aspect, you need clarity of vision. You need to know where you want to go and make choices on how to grow.
CHHAJED: Sticking to your brand value is difficult in such a saturated world. What have been some of the biggest challenges of running an independent label in India?
JAIN: One massive challenge is producing things. In this space, you either know how to get it done or figure it out doing your own. It’s not organized; you can’t just say, “I want this done this way” and expect someone to do it for you. It comes through experience and team building. As you grow, people’s expectations increase daily. We want to meet those expectations, but it takes a lot of effort. While it’s challenging to grow, maintaining what you’ve done at a smaller scale is equally important.
I learned pattern making because I had to. Otherwise, I would just be imagining random things. You should be able to tell someone, even if not to the letter, how you want it constructed. If you can’t let go and communicate that to someone else, it’s over.
And also the team. I tend to have designers who aren’t afraid to try things, do trials, and drape it themselves. It’s not just about drawing on a piece of paper; it’s a lot of hands-on work.
CHHAJED: What does the future hold for Polite Society?
JAIN: We’re just trying to take it where it can go. We want to start with India properly and place ourselves in the major cities. Polite Society does have online purchases, but I know that our audience likes to try things on before they buy. I’m traveling and working simultaneously, but these are the steps required for placing yourself on the map. And I also love meeting other creators. I’m traveling to London for work soon. I haven’t done this since New York, which was a while ago, so now, of course, I want to do things outside; outside of studios, and the city, and get ourselves as far out there.
CHHAJED: What piece of advice would you give to aspiring designers who want to have their own space in the industry?
JAIN: Be true to yourself. Your brand vision has to come from within. If you’re looking up to other designers, don’t look to copy or recreate it. You don’t want that. You just want to be you. Business-wise, everything has to make you money. Designers often forget this because they think some angel is going to come and things will suddenly work out commercially.
If you’re building a business, then you have to get your numbers right. Are you making sure that this is something you can replicate at least ten times to make some money? Is it something that can sustain in the industry, or is it just uplifting?
