Indian designs go global

A crop of emerging talents is rewriting the Indian aesthetic for a global audience

Limited edition, rare, handmade — words that are used when describing the most coveted design pieces have been de rigueur to India for centuries. Be it families that still prefer consulting jewellers they have trusted for generations, garments that were almost always made to measure or furniture that is custommade, India has been home to refined, artisanal design for much longer that it’s given credit for.

In the 1990s, the country’s economic boom opened up its creative market to the world. A large percentage of that global interest — be it from haute couture labels or luxury interior brands — was limited to sourcing the much sought after Indian craftsmanship to embellish their own works.

A maturing design economy sees Indian talent turning to their roots to reposition India from a creative services provider to the source of high-quality finished pieces that embody a global sensibility while remaining distinctly ‘Made in India’.