Jan 23, 2012

Blocked by Block Prints!

Towards the end of each year when I sit down to design the new collection for the upcoming year, I try to explore new horizons in techniques, skills, artistry, and colors while maintaining the favorites of the current year.  This time, my sense and sensibility was filled with inspiration from not only the colors and artistry of India, but from another continent far, far away - South America!
The sights, colors, and essence of this beautiful continent needed to be incorporated in our collection for 2012. As will soon be revealed in the upcoming weeks, you will find the cool yet sensual icy blues of the Patagonian glaciers, the grays of the rocky and surreal mountains, and the spicy and rich fuchsias and Tangerines of the flora, resplendent in our collection.  Married with the essence of South America, you'll find the geometric shapes of old Indian architecture and techniques used from ancient times.
During my recent trip to India, I had the immense pleasure of experiencing how block printing is done.  This ancient tradition needed its boundaries pushed a little so we threw some very modern patterns and motifs for the skilled artisans to explore.  After some trial and error, they came out beautifully!  Never did I know that how much bad weather can affect block printing!  Waiting for days or hours for the sun to come up or for the steaming of fabrics to be completed (4hrs!) so that we could see how they turned out, took a lot of patience and persistence.
The colors used for block print need great amount of sunlight and dry weather for the true vibrancy to blossom.  Once steamed in this huge steamers, they are washed and dried for the final effect and then finished appropriately as per the textile used.  This time we've experimented with some beautiful handwoven linen fabric and I hope you will like them too.
block printed fabrics being rolled up to be put  into the steamer
Stay tuned for the reveal of the Rajboori 2012 collection in a couple of weeks!

Jan 9, 2012

Happy New Year from Rajboori

Wishing everyone a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!  It has been a while since I had a chance to write on our Blog and the reason is I have been super busy traveling in Europe and India.

Last November, I was in Milan and Barcelona for a few days.  While in Milan, I got to spend some time at 10 Corso Como and really enjoyed the process of exploration to discover little treasures. What a gorgeous setup!  While browsing, the wonderful staff treated me and the rest of the customers to some champagne and hors d'oeuvres that were absolutely delectable!
10 Corso Como

In Barcelona, I stopped by Nanimarquina's beautiful and vibrant new store and had a chance to admire their collection.  I especially enjoyed the Kala rugs that are handwoven in India.  I also had a chance to see Vincon which is fantastic store to discover some unique and interesting items for your home.
Kala Rug

Once in India, we went to the dynamic and bustling city of Mumbai.  Some new discoveries included Le Mill, Anemos, and a revisit to Goodearth.

Le Mill's neutral look and modern sensibilities in their assortment had a very European flair and it was interesting to see that their sheet sets were in solid colors.  It may sound surprising to most Westerners, but in India, the general preference for sheet sets is in print!  The earth tones were a refreshing sight after seeing a myriad of color everywhere we went! 

The reproductions of antique pieces or the re-purposed antique furniture were a delight to explore at Anemos. One of the founders was glad to show us around and we admired their beautiful creations.

Goodearth was fun to explore, especially, the textiles, china, and other accessories.  And, I do love their candles!  It was nice to see a lot of refinement in the collection and attention to finer detail which we hadn't seen the last time we were there.
Armchair - Goodearth

As part of my own work for Rajboori, we have some major plans for 2012 which will be disclosed in time. However, that is keeping us very, very busy these days, while we're working on finishing the 2012 collection in which we will introduce some new techniques and fabrics besides Peace Silk, top-stitching and patchwork.

Stay tuned for more exciting news from Rajboori for 2012!