The art world offers many symbiotic alliances and, as artists experiment and move into mediums far away from their core expertise, they offer unique interpretations of the different fields. We have models who are actors, stylists and choreographers; actors who are directors, restaurateurs and designers. Then there are fashion designers who also dabble in photography, product design, jewellery design or décor. The cross-pollination never ends and is always exciting. Four designers who are pushing their boundaries talk about what it means to express themselves through different mediums.
Sabyasachi Mukherjee
What are the challenges you had to overcome to make the transition from clothing to interiors?
I will always maintain that if you are a good designer, you can design just about everything with technical help. One of my key forays into other mediums which was also very satisfying has been the Cinema Suite Project at Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences, London. I had not planned to design the Suite for Taj, it happened by accident because the General Manager approached me and requested me to design the same. Since this is not my vocation and since I was given a lot of freedom to design the Suite, it was a real fun experience. It was a challenge initially because interiors, décor etc is not something I do everyday.
Did you feel like you had to prove yourself all over again?
I put all my creative energies in designing my stores and they represent me as a person… There is a strong sense of romanticism, an old world quality and charm to it. Vintage and cinema has always inspired me. In designing the Cinema suite these two came together. In about a month’s time we shall open our largest store in the country in Mumbai at 9,500 sq ft. I hope to prove myself all over again there. As a designer I am someone who likes to own a creative space and not just be a small part of it. For the Cinema suite at Taj 51 Buckingham Gate,, I did not have to prove myself to anyone, as it was just a step to carry forward my brand ethos for everyone to experience. The idea of diversifying excites me. If you keep doing diverse things, it enriches your fashion experience as well. Also, I am a person who gets bored easily so I need new challenges to constantly stimulate my mind.
What are some of the parallel design projects you are working on?
Watch this space.
Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla
What are the challenges you had to overcome to make the transition from clothing to interiors?
All Design is a form of art and as artists one is compelled to constantly grow and find new forms of expression. Our work in interior design is a natural evolution of our passion for creativity. Our personal and work spaces are a reflection of our identity and values and must exude both elegance and personality. The challenges when one works in a new field is to translate vision into 3D reality. This involves research and development, sourcing skilled craftsmen and training them to reach even higher standards and building infrastructure.
The Mumbai Airport project, what was the brief given to you and what was your design inspiration for the same?
Sanjay Reddy's brief was ambitious and beautifully articulated. He wanted a Terminal that would stand apart from any other across the globe. It had to meet International Standards of Engineering and Functionality but he wanted it to possess a Form and Character that were distinctly Indian. It had to bring the spirit of modern India as well as its rich cultural legacy alive. It was an honour and a delight to interpret his vision through our design. We worked closely with the SOM team in New York who had been commissioned to build the terminal. It was a heady and hectic collaboration from conceptualisation to fabrication. They are absolute geniuses and were able to execute our most impossibly fanciful and complex concepts with their exceptional team of engineers and designers and make them a 3D reality. India has been an Eternal muse for Abu and I and this was therefore a dream project. We decided to create spaces that invoked her majesty, history and astonishing art and craft traditions. We created features that would serve as high impact focal points and infuse the space with a personality that was distinctive. We created a wall in fluid metal dotted with lights as an ode to the Indian tradition of 'welcoming a guest with a diya aarti'. The check in counters feature background screens that are inspired by the jaalis in Mughal architecture. We used the Lotus in various stages of bloom, which is the ultimate Indian symbol as the motif for the massive ceiling suspended chandeliers. The Paisley of Kashmir became the main story for the carpets. Art also played a huge role in creating a Terminal that would exude personality and glamour. We conceptualised the Art Wall which was designed to showcase India, Past, Present & Future from an artistic perspective. It was hugely challenging as a project because of its sheer scale, strict budgetary constraints and functional requirements but this is what also made it exceptionally satisfying. We are very proud of the result.
Did you feel like you had to prove yourself all over again?
Design is much more than a career. It is a Calling. And the task is to create a body of work that you are satisfied with, that meets your own exacting standards. One paints, sculpts, creates an outfit or a piece of furniture as an expression of one's inner vision. So it isn't a question of proving yourself to an external consumer or market but in fulfilling one's own expectations. One puts one's entire being into Design and therefore every single outfit or piece of furniture or project is like beginning anew. The pressure to excel, to surpass, to perfect is self-induced and never goes away. Its an extremely arduous, emotional, even obsessive process and experience and the 'judge and jury' is the toughest because it is yourself you have to impress. The day one can disconnect from one's Art and treat it as just another product, the moment you think you have it all mastered ,is the day you stagnate and then begin to go downhill.
What are some of the parallel design projects you are working on?
We are in the process of identifying new projects, both commercial and residential and will only be able to discuss these at a later stage. We are also committed to expanding our couture operations and will be launching a new label in the next 12 months. It’s a time for great growth for the business and we are very excited about our plans.
Raghavendra Rathore
What are the challenges you had to overcome to make the transition from clothing to iPhone App, interiors and chocolate packaging, etc.?
As the envelope of luxury and its manifolds evolve, creativity in the area of design. Need and desire, are the very basic triggers for us at our helm, to create and broaden our spectrum of offerings for a society that is willing to thrive on the diversity of design. It’s always the clientele that dictates the principal shift in the design studios and thereafter the products and services offered by a design house like ours.
Did you feel like you had to prove yourself all over again?
The present Raghavendra Rathore enterprise is not a design studio any more but instead cooperate design company that believes in redefining the idea of Indian luxury from the past for the present. Touching all spheres of lifestyle and offering new benchmarks that can be compared globally in terms of design.
What are some of the parallel design projects you are working on?
Bollywood movies with old world twists to designing a rustic bar, the Raghavendra Rathore design studio takes on projects very selectively and decisively, for an entire year and puts in our best to celebrate Indian design globally.`
Tarun Tahiliani
What are the challenges you had to overcome to make the transition from clothing to designing for Vu, Azva, Watches, Swarovski, and Ancestry?
Designers do not restrict themselves to any one field. However, one must be extremely careful of brand extensions, as they can also lead to disastrous results. Brand extensions can impact quality perceptions of the parent brand.
Did you feel like you had to prove yourself all over again?
I’ve always believed that cross pollinating your brain with different disciplines is something that’s very exciting because obviously one has to understand that design is all connected but it pushes you to use different parts of your brain at different levels and yet when you put it all together it must connect. My design process starts with the function of a space. The overarching Tarun Tahiliani ideology of India Modern is then considered when designing the space. My clothes are designed as contemporary silhouettes, which are culturally rooted and have traditional embroidery as the detailing. The same philosophy is followed in our interiors, which are modern in form and structure, but have elements of intrinsic Indian craftsmanship such as jali work, mother of pearl inlays in floors and carved panels covered in silver leaf. My colour palette remains consistently muted – with shades of ivories, taupes, greys and blacks mixed with bursts of colour like my couture collections. The same holds true when you design jewellery, watches or any other product – it is a natural progression.
What are some of the parallel design projects we can look forward to?
We will be re-launching the watch, at a much bigger level and hopefully doing an array of watches. We are taking the collection of gold jewellery further. We have lent our couture studio to begin a showroom dedicated mostly to Osler products. I’m doing up some homes and hotel design as part of my ongoing interior projects.
