Rich and intricately decadent with a beautiful vintage appeal. That’s the line of carpets conceptualised by JJ Valaya and created by Obeetee, that was recently unveiled at Obeetee’s new flagship store in Delhi. This is the fifth edition of Obeetee’s ‘Proud to be Indian Collection’ and is called ‘Kapurthala — from Kashmir to Marseille’. The launch also saw the unveiling of The Land of the Loom, a coffee-table book that captured mainly Mirzapur and also Benares — through the lens of Valaya the photographer — where the carpets were given shape. We chatted with JJ Valaya soon after the launch, on the making of the series.
We know you love carpets...
I play with contradiction and you know that. You throw in a carpet and the entire perspective changes. The whole idea of how I see homes is layering and my layering is not restricted to one dimension. I like to layer the ceiling, the walls, the floor and sometimes, I do a carpet over a carpet also. As long as something fulfills that yearning that I possess of sort of being able to layer a space and make it look warm... and carpets more than kind of satisfy that craving.
This was a pandemic project. When did they come to you?
Exactly before the pandemic... that’s when we met for the first time. They have been doing these associations with other designers. I have noticed that some of the things that have come out of our stable have been during the pandemic, whether it is The World of Valaya which took two years to make, whether it is this carpet line which has taken its time to get made, but it’s come out really strong and beautiful. So, I suppose, as I keep telling you all the time, with every adversity you have to focus on the good that came out.
They worked closely with me and we went into micro detailing because that’s what we are all about — finding the right colours, the right yarn, the motifs... how to put it together and finally coming out with a line which is befitting the brand DNA.
And you had to go back to Kapurthala...
Yeah, with this line, I wanted to work around that only. The umbrella sort of inspiration is Kapurthala, but within that three expressions will come out. The one we are showing currently is the royal interpretation, based on the journey of the jamavar, from Kashmir to Marseille.
Tell us about the beautiful motifs...
The jamavar itself has a fascinating story. It originates from Kashmir where some of the finest embroideries were done on shawls and which got to be known as the jamavar. Then some Britishers took some of these shawls as gifts to Europe. Then somebody got the bright idea to produce these over there, not as embroidered shawls, but as woven shawls. So, they landed up in a town called Paisley in Scotland and that’s where they started weaving some of these shawls and they became quite a rage at that time and eventually these shawls then reached France. They came to be known as French paisleys. Therefore when you see the motifs and all also, you’ll find there is an Indian interpretation of motifs also as well as one with a French flair.
Rudra Chatterjee, chairman, Obeetee, and JJ Valaya unveiled The Land of the Loom
“There are two aspects (of the legacy of a 100-year-old brand). One is the custodial legacy of protecting and preserving what has been amazing about the brand, including the ethics and the social aspect, the environmental aspect, the design leadership, but not getting constrained in a way that stops you from innovating.... It’s important to never fear that you are running a legacy brand.... Along with that, you have to have a bigger footprint in terms of your community and your impact.... This collection is to recreate what it means to have a rug at home, in India. Indians treat a home in a different way from the western customer, which is still more than 90 per cent of Obeetee’s business. The Western home is not as much of a social space or a family space.... In India, we love entertaining people at home. The living room carpet should be both the identity of your home as well as your family. Our ‘Proud to be Indian’ collection talks about all aspects of India. Each collection has a story. The carpet, we feel, is the centrepiece of your home. (And), you celebrate much more at home than the public spaces after the pandemic”
Rudra Chatterjee, chairman, Obeetee
What was the research process like?
Fortunately for me, the jamavar is also a known and important part of our DNA, right from the time I have started. I have personally experimented with this a lot and in fact some of our finest wedding pieces draw their origin and inspiration from jamavar motifs. So, for me this was a homecoming of sorts. People have used these in prints, embroideries, on walls, but nobody has created a line based on jamavars on carpets. Interestingly, I am making them asymmetric but jamavar shawls are quite symmetric by nature. A lot of the shawls are asymmetric as well.
Was this a different experience though?
Valaya Home is an extremely important area for us. When we are doing interiors and getting into luxury spaces, carpets are an ingrown DNA and we have not ignored them, at least not in our kind of design ethos. I was familiar with the role they play and I was excited to explore what can be done and nobody better than Obeetee.... I couldn’t have asked for a better association in carpets, at least in India... I am hoping and assuming that the line is received well....
Some of them look gorgeous enough to be draped around too...
Funny that you say this, today we are launching our campaign, the Alma, on Instagram and it is one of those rare campaigns that I have entirely shot myself here and we have used Obeetee carpets and we have used them to cover the sofas and tables.
Tell us about The Land of the Loom...
This was a suggestion that I had for them. There was so much effort being put in that the photographer in me would love to do a photo essay, getting under the skin, where it is produced and who produces it.... I have tried to put together a photo essay in black-and-white and it has turned out to be a wonderful exercise because for me, art exists everywhere.
