“My days do not get over, my nights do not end, my memories refuse to step back or fade away (Amaar din kaate na, amaar raat kaate na/Smriti gulo kichutei pichu haate na). The 70s hit Bengali song by Asha Bhonsle is a joyful celebration of holding on and not letting go. It helps you traipse into an elegant parlour and overwrought boudoir with paintings, family portraits, crystals, vases and porcelain figurines lit by 120 chandeliers, guiding your way to a Calcutta that was a way of life before it became Kolkata.“Luxury lived and breathed under the vaulted arches and grand mansions of Chowringhee, in the jalsaghars of old zamindar homes and the Doric pillars and louvered windows in the narrowest of galis,” says designer Sabyasachi while treating guests to Makaibari tea and his playlist of songs that left an imprint on him while growing up. “This is my museum of memories. It’s an immersive experience of heritage that anchors us in a world that does not make sense at times,” he says, while walking his guests through his 26,000 sq ft flagship store at One Style Mile, just behind Qutb Minar.This also has a Gen Z connection. “The younger generations struggle for their identity and authenticity. And my experience tells me that the propensity to know their past which can anchor them comes only after their museum visits. A walkthrough here may give young people a sensory experience under one roof,” he says.The connection with museums is becoming more literal for Sabyasachi. Recently, the designer and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York announced a multi-year collaboration that will draw on the museum’s collection of more than 5,000 years of art and culture and reinterpret selected works through Indian craftsmanship. The first chapter is a high jewellery collection inspired by the art of the Byzantine Empire, to be unveiled during New York Fashion Week in September. The Met’s Byzantine holdings include sculpture, mosaics, icons, metalwork, jewellery and other luxury objects, making them a natural source for Sabyasachi’s interest in history, ornament and cultural cross-pollination. “That chunky neckpiece looks cool, European, Egyptian and Indian at the same time. It is maximal without looking maximal,” says a young influencer making reels.For Sabyasachi, the collaboration is less about borrowing from a museum archive. “Collabs are about ecosystems,” he says, describing the partnership as a long-term exchange between an institution that preserves history and a creative practice that can reinterpret it for a contemporary audience. “The Byzantine world was not defined by a single geography. It was shaped by the movement of people, ideas and craftsmanship across continents including India,” he says.The store is just not about selling his clothes, saris, jewels or art, it is about a mini exposition of history and adding a layer to wedding tourism. “Weddings are a reason for the family to gather from all parts of the globe. So while some decide on their wardrobe, others can take a tour of this place,” he says.As you walk down the corridors, you are reminded of how he doffs a hat to vintage salon cars and first-class cabins in the imperial railways of yore. “Travels are the reason that antiques have now found me,” he says. Now he gets them recreated by artisans in and around Kolkata. The walls are overlaid with textiles and carpets and are lined by glass cabinets full of curios, enamel boxes, jewellery, accessories and knick-knacks, a perfect blend of European baroque and Indian excess.Story continues below this adWalking past the trademark Bengal tiger in a glass case reminiscent of the Calcutta tram, he recalls how it all began with the showcase, a glass-fronted wooden cabinet that was a must in old Calcutta homes. “They had everything, from stone and gem boxes to clay fruits and ridiculously unimportant things or a broken piece of something, everything that the owner thought was valuable in his life. That’s personal history and I have kept that concept across the store,” he says.For Sabyasachi, the impulse to collect and preserve is increasingly tied to a world in which the meaning of history itself is becoming unstable. “We are living in strange times,” he says. “For a lot of people, history is six years old. There may be a time when history is six months old.” In a digital world, he worries about how little there is to verify in the physical world that surrounds us. “That can lead to it getting a little dangerous.”For him, this is where museums become important. “Propaganda, fake news, what is being propagated, what is being obliterated, rewritten — where do you go to find the truth? It is in a museum,” he says. Museums, he adds, are “beacons of truth and information”.It brings him back to the younger generation and their search for identity. “I have seen younger generations struggle for their identity and authenticity,” he says. To form an opinion and an identity on their own terms, he believes, people need to understand the past. That is why the propensity to seek truth, in his view, can begin with museum visits.Story continues below this adThe idea of preserving history also sits alongside a commercial reality. Speaking on the relationship between commerce, storytelling and exchange, he says that’s the “only way to keep creative ecosystems alive. The revival of the sari, now more so by the younger generation, is about sustaining the looms and artisans behind it.”A portion of proceeds from the sales goes back to the weavers and artisans. “We would not have survived if we didn’t have beautiful things. And once you are familiar with them, you develop culture which becomes your social capital,” he says.The 26,000 sq ft space brings together a dedicated jewellery salon and accessory parlour. The labyrinthine corridors lead through 120 chandeliers, nearly 200 antique carpets, 300 original paintings and more than 100 antique textiles, mirrors and decorative objects.“I have never believed that a luxury store should simply sell products. It should inspire curiosity, preserve culture and create memories. Commerce may bring people through the door, but culture is what makes them return,” he says. That’s why a 60-year-old and Gen Z bond over a gem-encrusted ring and a lacquer powder box.