Elephant & Co. returns to Pune, reimagined by Rare Ideas. A revival where design, storytelling, and culture bring India’s beloved bar back to life. 

When a space becomes more than a bar, it turns into memory. Pune’s Elephant & Co. (ECO) was exactly that — a place where cocktails blurred into rituals, where neighborhood chatter turned into citywide belonging. Since its 2016 debut, ECO was less about drinks and more about culture. By 2022, though, the pandemic and shifting regulations dulled its energy, leaving a community with nostalgia but no anchor.

Now, in October 2025, ECO has been revived. And not just reopened, but reborn with Rare Ideas, a women-led brand strategy and design studio, guiding the transformation. The project wasn’t about relocating square footage; it was about restoring a heartbeat.

Design as Revival

Rare Ideas approached ECO’s return with a philosophy rooted in storytelling. Every detail, from the refreshed logo to the neighborhood activation campaigns, speaks to both past and future. The new design balances nostalgia and relevance: familiar enough to remind regulars of “the ECO they fell in love with,” yet sharp enough to stand within today’s evolving hospitality culture.

A Community Anchor

ECO’s relaunch isn’t just about interior design or menu updates; it’s about re-establishing cultural infrastructure. Rare Ideas ensured that the bar’s voice lives across multiple touchpoints, visual identity, guest experience, even the way the community encounters ECO outside its walls. The intention was clear: bring people home, even if the address has changed.

Why It Matters

The return of Elephant & Co. illustrates how design strategy can breathe life back into hospitality icons. It’s a model for how Indian nightlife brands can remain resilient, not by chasing trends but by re-centering the emotional essence of place. Rare Ideas’ work underscores the power of strategy-led design, where brand identity isn’t surface-level decoration but the cultural foundation on which community is rebuilt.

For Rare Ideas, this project strengthens their role as one of India’s few agencies operating at the intersection of culture, commerce, and hospitality. For Pune, it means ECO is alive again, a reminder that when design meets memory, a bar becomes more than a bar.

Credits: Design and brand strategy by Rare Ideas