Winston and Stratedgy’s collaboration on product design and packaging — The Noel D’Cunha Sunday Column

When grooming brand Winston partnered with Mumbai-based branding studio Stratedgy, the objective was more than cosmetic. The goal wasn’t to change fonts or colours. It was to shift perception from functionality to identity.

Today, consumers, especially younger ones, increasingly perceive grooming as a vital part of self-care, contributing to their overall sense of well-being. Winston’s internal insights and market studies revealed a significant willingness to invest in products that not only perform effectively but also look and feel appealing. This perspective shaped the creation of Winston Art, a brand that embodies both functionality and aspirational style.

“Grooming sits close to the body. It is intimate, habitual,” says Kruti Berawala, co-founder at Stratedgy. “We wanted to create something that didn’t just look good but felt personally trustworthy, something you live with, not just use.”

This distinction between what looks premium and what feels personal became the foundation of the Winston Art rebrand. It was a project that took nearly seven months to complete, covering everything from brand architecture to packaging specifications. And it arrived at a moment when India’s grooming industry was preparing for its next leap.

A market growing, and growing up
India’s male grooming market is expanding fast. Valued at INR 18,000-crore in 2024, it's expected to reach INR 33,000-crore by 2030, according to the International Market Analysis Research and Consulting Group (IMARC).

Driving this growth is a young, urban demographic increasingly invested in wellness, identity and design. Social media has accelerated exposure to global trends, while rising disposable incomes have changed what people expect from everyday products.

But more than numbers, it's the mindset shift that’s notable. “Consumers, especially younger ones, no longer separate grooming from self-care,” says Himanshu Adlakha, co-founder at Winston. “It’s all part of feeling good about yourself.”

Winston saw this change early. The brand, previously known for reliable grooming tools at reasonable prices, wanted to evolve with its audience. But instead of simply chasing international aesthetics, it chose to build its own identity—a uniquely Indian articulation of luxury that is thoughtful, pared back, and quietly confident.

The packaging as an experience
One of the most striking outcomes of the Winston–Stratedgy partnership is the packaging. In a category dominated by glossy boxes and loud graphics, Winston Art’s packaging feels restrained. It’s built from solid, sustainable materials. It opens with a clean, frictionless motion. It is, in a word, considered.

“Our goal was to design packaging that extends the product experience—not just contain it,” says Berawala. “For electronic tools, especially, the tactile journey matters. From texture to the way the box opens, everything had to feel intuitive and elegant.”

Winston’s team didn’t just want packaging that looked good; the brand wanted it to be remembered. So, it added a soft, clean "click" or "whoosh" sound, something associated with opening a well-designed device. It’s subtle, but sensory details like that complete the perception of quality. “Grooming tools should feel like precision instruments, not commodities,” says Adlakha, explaining, “The unboxing now sets the expectation that the product inside is something you should be proud to own. That experience is not loud or flashy, it’s deliberate.”

To achieve that, the team implemented vendor-level SOPs that are more typically seen in high-end consumer electronics. Boxes underwent drop-test durability checks. Finishes were measured for consistency. Folds and adhesives were scrutinised. “These small things influence perception in a big way,” says Berawala.

The result? Consumers began commenting on the packaging without being prompted. Social media engagement rose. So did website conversion rates and repeat purchases. Winston, which once competed on value, was now being talked about in the language of design.

Affordable luxury, minus the pretence
Winston Art positions itself as “affordable luxury,” a phrase that often veers into contradiction. But here, it’s a proposition grounded in product philosophy, not marketing sleight-of-hand.

Adlakha says that the biggest risk was believing that good design alone could create a strong perception shift without drastically raising prices. However, for Adlakha, Stratedgy’s early consumer research made it abundantly clear that consumers were ready for brands that respected their taste without punishing their wallets. “That gave us the confidence to lean into the gap between cheap functional tools and overpriced luxury,” explains Adlakha.

Further, Adlakha did not want to imitate luxury for the sake of it. “The idea was to strip luxury down to its essence, quality, intentional design and great materials. We upgraded where it mattered and kept the rest lean.”

Instead of inflating prices to signal status, Winston made strategic investments in more substantial build quality, tactile packaging and cleaner visual language. By retaining control over its supply chain and retail footprint, it ensured that these enhancements didn’t translate into higher costs for consumers.

This approach also aligns with the needs of the Indian market, where aspiration is real but wasteful spending is frowned upon. The idea that you can have premium design without premium pricing resonates powerfully.

Rebranding with a point of view
At the heart of the Winston–Stratedgy case study is a point of view: design is not decoration. It is strategy. And in categories like grooming, where consumer touchpoints are physical and emotional, packaging is not secondary—it’s central.

Stratedgy’s design team didn’t just pick fonts and colours. They built narratives. The refreshed visual identity used editorial-style photography to portray grooming as a ritual. Typography was softened to convey trust. The colour palette was stripped to a few refined tones to suggest clarity and focus.

For Winston, this design philosophy helped deliver on a higher ambition. “We see our users as people who value design but don’t need to show off,” says Adlakha. “The packaging had to reflect that, understated but intelligent.”

From Shark Tank to centre stage
The rebrand couldn’t have come at a better time. When Winston appeared on Shark Tank India, the new identity gave the brand a completely different presence. “Before, we were seen as a good-value brand. Now we’re a smart, design-led brand,” says Adlakha.

That shift wasn’t superficial—it was strategic. It opened the door to portfolio expansion and allowed Winston to enter spaces previously closed off to functional players. It also validated Stratedgy’s core insight: that design can signal not just what a product is, but what it believes in.

Berawala puts it succinctly: “FMCG brands fight for attention. Grooming brands need to feel innately confident.”

Packaging and the Indian consumer: A missed opportunity?
If Winston’s case proves anything, it’s this: India’s packaging sector has been slow to adapt to the new consumer. Much of the industry still focuses on cost-per-unit rather than value-per-touchpoint. But the data is compelling. Global research suggests that 72% of consumers associate intricate packaging finishes with higher product quality. In India, where touch and feel are central to buying behaviour, that number may be even higher.

As grooming, wellness, and personal care categories evolve, packaging will have to become more than a protective shell. It must become part of the product story.

This opens up new opportunities for packaging converters and design firms alike—if they’re willing to think beyond substrates and start thinking in terms of storytelling, utility and experience.

Looking ahead
Both Winston and Stratedgy believe that grooming in the 2030s will be less about improvement and more about expression. “It won’t be about looking better,” says Adlakha. “It will be about feeling centred, owning your identity, and enjoying the ritual.”

Stratedgy adds that design itself will have to adapt. “Sustainability is no longer exceptional—it’s expected,” Berawala says. “For electronics and grooming tools, using single-material packaging that doesn’t need disassembly for recycling is a simple but effective step.”

Beyond that, Winston draws inspiration from outside the grooming space altogether. “We admire the spirit of craftsmanship in Japanese product design—the quiet obsession with invisible quality,” Adlakha says. “That’s what we’re aiming for: products that don’t scream for attention, but earn it.”

The verdict
Winston Art isn’t just a new product, it’s a case study in how brand, product and packaging can be synchronised to reflect a deeper philosophy. It’s a reminder that in the age of emotional commerce, consumers don’t just buy features. “They buy feelings. They buy stories. They buy alignment,” says Berawala.

By bringing emotional intelligence into industrial design and visual restraint into brand expression, Winston and Stratedgy have shown what’s possible when packaging is not an afterthought but a conversation starter.

And as India’s grooming industry continues to grow, the Winston-Stratedgy story offers a compelling point of view: that the future of packaging lies not just in protecting products, but in projecting purpose.