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This rainy season,Stag will experiment with hand painting. “We have named this new range ‘Mi Corazon’ which means my heart. It is pure handwork elaborately painted on the umbrella,” says Aziz Currim,the fourth-generation businessman who handles the shop with ten siblings.

“Like every year,we have tried to introduce a wide range and variety for all. The elderly look for something that’s lasting and conventional,while the youth go for trendy umbrellas,” Aziz said.

He recounts the history of the business: “My great-grandfather had seen people struggling with palm leaves in the rain. His business-oriented mind took him to England,from where he began importing umbrellas to India and slowly began his own production.”

Today,in the lanes of Zaveri Bazaar,Stag has at least 1,000 customers everyday,all looking for something new,says Aziz. Besides the production unit at Reay Road,the business has also gone south to Chennai,Kozhikode and Mangalore.

“Once a customer,always a customer. We have a long-lasting relationship with our customers who,during monsoon,come here to look for new designs and return satisfied every time,” Aziz said.

Stag Umbrellas proudly claims to be the leader in innovations in the umbrella market. “From the original black wooden umbrellas to the star or pagoda-shaped umbrellas to theme-based umbrellas,you will find everything here,” Aziz says.

Stag is also one of the only umbrella makers to have made it to the fashion ramp. “A year ago,three designers came up asking for innovative designs to match their apparels at the Lakme Fashion Week. It was a great hit,” says Aziz.

Yet,fashion isn’t always very costly at Stag. The price range varies as much as the style,going from Rs 25 to Rs 1 lakh.

Every year,Currim and Sons experiments with various styles and involves various designers. “We don’t have any fixed designers. We welcome one and all. Last year we introduced a range of Kalamkari,Kancheepuram and Sayonara patterns. This year it’s all about frills and hand paintings,” says Aziz.