Brands
From teacup to perfume bottle, Prada’s chai goes luxury
MUMBAI: Prada has found a new way to serve chai and this time, it comes in a perfume bottle.
The Italian fashion house has launched Infusion de Santal Chai, a unisex fragrance inspired by the warmth and comfort of India’s most familiar drink. Designed as part of Prada’s Les Infusions collection, the scent treats tea as an experience rather than a flavour, evoking calm, familiarity and soft indulgence.
The launch was announced on January 7 via Prada’s official social media channels. The teaser kept things minimal and moody, featuring a brown-toned bottle, flowing tea visuals, sandalwood bark and green cardamom pods. The message was clear: this is luxury that whispers, not shouts.
The fragrance belongs to the woody and milky family. It opens with a chai latte accord layered over creamy sandalwood, lifted by fresh citrus and sharpened slightly by cardamom. Soft musks bring everything together, creating a clean, cosy scent that stays close to the skin.
Prada describes the perfume as an exploration of sandalwood’s creamy character, where spice meets freshness and warmth is balanced with restraint. It is designed to feel intimate rather than dramatic, making it suitable for both men and women.
The bottle reflects the same understated elegance. Finished in a warm brown hue, it features an engravable glass body and a camel-coloured cap in Prada’s signature Saffiano texture, keeping the design timeless and refined.
This is not the first time Prada has drawn from Indian-inspired elements. The brand previously faced criticism after showcasing footwear resembling Kolhapuri chappals at a Milan fashion show, which sparked debate around cultural appropriation.
Infusion de Santal Chai is priced at $190, approximately ₹17,083, placing it firmly in the luxury category. It is not an everyday purchase but a considered indulgence aimed at those who appreciate subtlety over spectacle.
Chai, it seems, has officially entered the couture cabinet.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
