India is back on track towards acknowledging its creative heritage as a specimen of luxury thanks to a movement by designer Ritu Beri. By Asmita Sarkar
Luxury has been synonymous with hand-made crafts and customised comforts in India, a boutique quality of living that was quite commonly ingrained though exaggerated as a showpiece by the royalty. But somewhere along the ages, the Indian concept of luxury had lost its lustre when juxtaposed with the Western flood of couture. Our pashminas, handlooms, silverware or even the leatherwork have been products of immense skill and opulence that continue to be the pride of our creative heritage. With multiple fora and exhibitions, The Luxury League, helmed by Ritu Beri, is reintroducing us to our own intellectual property.
“The definition of luxury has certainly changed through the years. There was a time when luxury was available only to the rarefied and aristocratic world of old money and royalty. Luxury isn’t simply a product, it is a lifestyle, one that denotes a history of tradition, superior quality and offers a pampered buying experience. For me true luxury is exclusive, unique and not easy accessibility,” said Beri who will be organising The Luxury Symposium 2018. “Promoting Indian artisans and revival of a lost pride in our creative heritage lie at the foreground of a symposium of this scale,” she told us. Beri herself will bring khadi in a new couture avatar. “The look is about voluptuous indulgence — essentially an eclectic blend of modern and traditional,” said she. “I always try to bring design elements from our heritage in my creations. Khadi for me still is an effective and powerful symbol of the futility of ‘Western imitation’ and the need for a revival of local textiles. This gets me back to the idea of khadi as more than just a mere cloth but something that always brings us back to our history and heritage,” she added. In that sense, the revival of lost arts is also akin to the “Make in India” process.
Apart from Beri, other brands too will be making a point or two at the symposium. PASHMA, a luxury brand, will be selling shawls, scarves, knitwear and suiting fabrics sourced from the Changthama goat, which is the the source of the rarest and finest Pashmina fibres. The Changpa tribe of Ladakh herds the purest breed of Changra goats at an altitude of 14,000ft. These natural, pristine, undyed shawls in both traditional and modern weaves are also embellished with precious stones and pearls. Complementing the shawls is the range of pure pashmina hand crafted knitwear, displaying the most intricate needle craft of cables, tuck knits and intarsia.
One can also find products of practical use and grandeur, from coasters in leather, to ornate silverware and handwoven shawls that can be heirloom pieces. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told Shilu Kumar from PASHMA during a courtesy call that India lacks official agencies to certify real pashmina. She hoped that issues like these would be raised at the symposium and that The Luxury League could lead the industry and relevant stakeholders to move in a definite direction. She also proposed facilitating necessary guidance to the relevant brands through The Luxury League. She agreed with brand representatives who pointed out that there is a need to boost robust mechanisms in the market to avoid exploitation of the weavers and artisans.
NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant discussed the possibility of reviving the lost grandeur of the monuments of India by creating boutique heritage shopping hubs in their premises. He felt a need for the participation of more start-up brands in the luxury business.
“Our heirloom textiles are a product of in-depth research on the finest Indian textiles and architecture. We translate the finest weaving techniques into contemporary renditions by infusing colour palettes, silhouettes and design layouts which resonate with modern Indian,” said founders of Ohfab, Aanchal Sagar and Akshita Sagar. They try to revive forgotten elements of our heritage by studying designs and techniques used in antique textiles and assimilate them. ThreeSixty, a leather store, which too is taking part, creates products that are an amalgamation of the contemporary styles and the customary. They promote local artisans through their brand. “In that way, the whole emotion behind the products is a home-narrative as the craftsmen bring into light their own distinct design styles inspired from design traditions across India,” said Vikash Gupta. Kalyani Chawla of Rezon, a silverware brand, said, “Every element that is used is intrinsically Indian, whether it’s the lotus or the craft of enamelling or the elephant and peacock designs used in various forms.”
The Luxury Symposium 2018 will be held on Friday, November 30 at Hyatt Regency Delhi
