Making the Cut
Some Indian luxury brands are finally acquiring a global reputation.
Some Indian luxury brands are acquiring a global reputation
Adecade ago, Leonard Lauder, Chairman of cosmetics giant Estee Lauder, while attending the Elizabeth Hurley-Arun Nayyar wedding in Jodhpur, was so enamoured by the ayurvedic beauty products of Forest Essentials that he acquired a minority stake in the company. One of India’s premier hotel chains, the 1934-born Oberoi Group of Hotels, has time and again been recognised as being among the best in the world. But these have been exceptions, and until recently, few Indian luxury brands have made the global cut, having largely a reputation for being kitschy. Overseas, a “Made in India” tag was hardly an asset amid the swish set.
This is not the case any longer; not when Nirav Modi has his eponymous jewellery store on Madison Avenue, New York, or when Sujatha Keshavan, Ravi Prasad and Meeta Malhotra have set up their new luxury clothing outlet Varana on Dover Street, in London’s Mayfair. Three Indian companies – Gitanjali Gems, Titan and PC Jeweller – have made it to the Top 50 of Deloitte’s “Global Powers of Luxury Goods” list for two years in a row. More importantly, young Indians are confident enough now to use Indian luxury goods, not bothered by what the rest of the world thinks of them for doing so. “Members of the younger generation are well travelled, proud to be Indian, and don’t need international brands to validate their standing,” says designer Gautam Sinha, who runs the handcrafted leather brand Nappa Dori. Here’s a listing of some iconic Indian luxury brands.
WNIRAV MODI
ith many firsts to his credit, Nirav Modi, 46, should have been happy resting on his laurels. Nothing is further from his thoughts. “I want my design jewellery to be such that while the diamonds in it may be sourced or cut anywhere in the world, every piece has to be made in my workshop,” he says. He feels his global journey has just begun. “We plan to have 100 stores worldwide by 2025.” He began with a bang in 2010, becoming the first Indian jeweller to be featured on the cover of Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction catalogues. “We want to do things that are unimaginable,” he says. If his patented diamond cuts and revolutionary embrace collection jewellery that stretches like elastic, are anything to go by, the maestro has pulled many a rabbit from his hat and is likely to produce many more.
Raised in Antwerp, the world’s diamond capital, Modi moved to India in 1990. At first he was only involved in diamond manufacturing. He started designing quite by chance, at the behest of a friend he bumped into at a dinner. The rest is history.
COCOON FINE RUGS
Just as fashion is not limited to clothing, art is not limited to walls or pedestals. Mumbaibased designer and entrepreneur Ayush Choudhary’s Cocoon Fine Rugs has transformed carpets and rugs into art for the floor. What started in 2009 as a single shop dedicated to luxurious carpets in Mumbai has now grown into galleries in Bangalore and Kolkata.
Over the years the brand has teamed up with several architects and fashion and interior designers. Fashion designer Varun Bahl created carpets inspired by the baroque period for his collection Baroque Garden, while architect Rooshad Shroff took design cues from traditional Indian flooring patterns of heritage Parsi bungalows for his collection, Tessellations. There was also interior designer Ashiesh Shah’s Chand LC collection, in which Chandigarh’s old iconic buildings, designed by Le Corbusier, formed the basis for the design.
“Our exotic rug collections – Alchemy, Colours of Life, Kashmir, Enchante and Urbane to name a few – are a true reflection of the finely honed skills of our craftsmen and of the delicate intricacy of their designs,” says Choudhary. Prices range from `40,000 to `2 lakh
JAIPUR RUGS
Jaipur Rugs was started in 1978 by Nand Kishore Chaudhary, who wanted to eradicate middlemen in the supply chain. He borrowed `5,000 from his father and started with just nine artisans and two looms, on the principles of “equity, empathy and dignity”. Today, the brand connects 40,000 artisans from 600 villages with a clientele spanning 40 countries. “We are among the first brands to get original designs created by rural weaver communities. These have gone on to win top global awards as they are handcrafted using reclaimed yarn,” says Kavita Chaudhary, Design Director, Jaipur Rugs. “Nearly 80 per cent of our weavers are women.” Jaipur Rugs has also chosen not to replace hand-spinning jobs to machines, and continues to work with over 2,500 women yarn spinners from Bikaner.
The company’s Free Verse collection is made with finest silk and wool. These rugs hold over three million knots, with each one taking four weavers more than nine months to complete knot by knot. Prices range from `1.5 to `10 lakh