I taught my subconscious the word “fly” very early in my childhood as I wished to be an air hostess. But that was not to be, since I belong to a conventional family background. And yet I flew off the charted path.
I started out as a freelance writer and worked extensively in the field of print and also a bit in the electronic media. Those were very exciting days as plenty of new publications were launched. I went on to become the editor of the only consumer magazine on jewellery in India, ‘Gems and Jewellery’. This was the start of my full-blown career stint, which put me on an exhilarating learning curve of not only the technicalities of putting together a publication, cover to cover, but also of the world of jewellery.
However, after seven eventful years, my Sagittarian genes kicked in and I was restlessly seeking a new adventure again! After some
deliberation, I decided to change course radically and joined Frazer and Haws, a British silverware brand that had just forayed into India.
I had opted for something I knew nothing about and had to unlearn all that I had learnt earlier. For 15 years, each day at Frazer and Haws was a new learning for me. Since I was spearheading all operations as president of the company and micro-managing all layers of design, production, sales, marketing and client interface, it was a continuous curve of sharpening my proficiency and acquiring new skill sets.
For the first time I learnt to respect the metal as I saw what goes into creating even a simple piece. The rigorous hours of labour from the design board to the finishing table, the skilled hands that churn out masterpieces, enthralled me. I handled unexpected challenges each day.
There were moments that I wished my job was easier but now I understand this was what was preparing me for what was to come. Like the iron that is annealed when heated, I was being tempered, too, with the ordeals that are integral to a leadership position.
Being quintessentially a destiny’s child, I have gone from the unknown to the unknown to write new chapters for myself. Learning all nuances of luxury retail is the wealth that I carried forward to encash when I set up my own enterprise.
For me, my enterprise had to be an extension of myself and the products had to reflect the same essence too. And so came about the label, House of Badnore, Badnore being our ancestral place in Rajasthan. The choice of the name is an attempt to reroot to the land of our belonging.
HOB is a brand that has accessories for men, women and home, mostly inspired from the past but reinterpreted in a contemporary language. I do believe in the romance of the vintage but I also believe that it has to be reinvented with a modern makeover to fit in on the international platform. And that is what defines HOB, which follows a past-forward design ideology. We pick
elements or motifs from the bygone days of the Raj and carry forward the narrative for now. We continue to add layers upon layers of products that can be used or worn in any part of the world.
And so, true to the blue print of my destiny, once again I am on a new adventure!