Our Jan 2010 Peace Silk Collection

Rajboori is all about combining contemporary with traditional craftsmanship.  New colors, new designs and new aesthetics..... it's all here.  Throw pillows and oh so comfortable floor pillows (MALA)!  Breezy and airy "CLOUDS" quilt and new colors of the coverlets.

Maison et Objet, Jan 2010 - the adventures of Rajboori

So, we finally made it to our third trade show in 1 year, and that too, twice at Maison et Objet.  For those of you not too familiar with the world of trade shows, it's an utterly expensive affair but it is something that cannot be avoided for people like us starting a business and looking for a broader audience.

My day 1 started quite well after I headed straight from the airport to Parc des Expositions where Maison et Objet is held.  With my associate Guilherme helping me gather items for the booth decor and setup, it seemed like a walk in the park until I realized around 6pm when we were about to leave, that my purse was stolen!

I had everything in there - passport, credit cards, cash and more and it was stolen from our booth when one of us wasn't looking!  The nerve!  Well, the world came crashing and after some formulaic search conducted by Maison security I was told, if I'm lucky the purse (my favorite red one too) might turn up in a garbage bin but the cash will be gone.  Very comforting news after an 11 hr journey with barely any sleep and more than than 9 hrs without a meal!  Apparently, I'm not the first vicim of theft at Maison during setup days and even during the show.  Exhibitors have complained about having their samples stolen from their booths!

I had to file a police report where the lackadaisical policeman kept lecturing me in French on how we shouldn't carry purses around or backpacks.  Guilherme translated the lecture in a quite disappointing manner as he knew exactly what I felt at that moment.  Nice way of hiding the lack of law enforcement in these aspects, I would surmise.  Anyway, the next morning the lovely lady at the Canadian Embassy helped me with filing for a temporary travel document/passport so that I can go HOME next week!

Maison is going well.  Repeat clients coming to see us again to see what new things we're offering, new contacts being established, people who had seen us last time coming back to see us again, and loads of new eco-friendly boutiques showing strong interest in Rajboori.  All good.  Looking forward to the next 3 days.

Here are some images for our booth and new offerings:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mumbai Masala, Calcutta Sweetness

I just returned from a very hectic and "around the world in 80 hrs" trip from India to Vancouver!  It was frustrating yet interesting to note that a Norther European airport such as Frankfurt, was so ill equipped to handle 10 cm of snowfall.  I'm sure Chicao, Winnepeg, etc. would have laughed at them!

We had to go from Calcutta-Frankfurt-Shanghai-Vancouver, with 7 hours of sack time, hours without food, countless hours in airport transfer desk lines, and no one to offer any comfort, especially to the poor passengers travelling with little children. 

To go back to our eventful and very productive trip to India in the past 2 months, it was an amazing time we spent.  In Calcutta I worked on some new designs for Rajboori that are further simplified and done in more neutral colors but not losing our signature "vibrant pop"! Waiting for the samples to come in this week for a very quick photo shoot and then I fly off to Maison et Objet next week to show off these new beauties.  So excited!  The streets and colors of Calcutta provided inspiration for this and the future collections.

A short trip to Mumbai was very informative and helpful to see how the market for home decor has evolved and refined in the past 10-15 years.  High end furniture stores and eclectic home accessories stores are tucked away in areas like Mahalakshmi, Colaba, Juhu, and more.  The ones we loved are: Goodearth, Hestia, Address Home, House of Raro, and Pallate.

A quick meeting with Elle Decor India's Art Director Mrudul Pathak Kundu was a great bonus!  Thanks, Mrudul!  Hope we can work together in the near future.

Tidbits from Calcutta

It's been almost a week since I came to Calcutta (Kolkata). I can't believe how quickly time's passing and I still have so much to do. It is unseasonably warm for November but from what I hear about the current grey, rainy days is Vancouver, this is a welcome break.

This time I've noticed that the pollution level has decreased noticeably. With new and improved public transport in the city the people are enjoying a cleaner quality of air. However, it's a long ways to go but signs of improvement are always encouraging.

I've been looking all around for inspriration for the next collection. A small exhibition on tribal art and handmade jewelry, ethnic chic Indo-Western fashion, accessories was a good start. The level of detail in the craftsmanship and the simplicity of design in some products was refreshing to see. Didn't have my camera with me so can't share those lovely images trapped in my head. Next time, for sure.

For those who are familiar with Park Street in Calcutta, my favorite coffee shop, Barista, has closed shop! Not sure why. However, don't even bother going to Flury's as it has lost all of it's old charm, service and quality. It's a shame. If you're looking for a delicious chicken/mutton roll, try Golden Spoon, across from Sourav's. It's one of the best.

Bold, Vibrant or Toned Down, Cool - Rajboori has it all..

Are you looking to spruce up your home with some fun and bold colors this winter or looking to curl up with some soft, neutral, cool tones?  Whatever your wish is, RAJBOORI has it all.

Now pillows are available without the gold fringes.  Stop by at Provide to select your Rajboori pillow or throw.

 

 

 

 

Create Your Own Style with Rajboori

Sometimes people ask me, how can I best mix the different Rajboori pieces to create an elegant, vibrant and fun look for my bedroom.

To help our creative and adventurous customers, here are some suggested styling options.  You can see how versatile and mix and match this collection is!  Just remember, creativity knows no bounds and with Rajboori, your options are limitless!  So, have fun!

  1. Rangoli Quilt and Coverlets in Fuchsia and piled high with soft pillows. 2. Rangoli Quilt with Teal Throw/Coverlet and lots of pillows. 3. Fuchsia Throw/Coverlet with Holi Duvet Shams and Rangoli Quilt.

 

4. Holi Quilt with Teal and Fuchsia Throw/Coverlet.  5. Holi Graphite Duvet and Shams with Rangoli accent pillows.  6. Rangoli Quilt and Teal Throw/Coverlet mixed with Holi, Rangoli and Mookti pillows

Maison, Rajboori and Europe...

I have been meaning to write about our great experience at Maison & Objet and Paris but life of an entrepreneur has me juggling too many balls to be able to sit and write.  However, I felt it would be great to put down a few thoughts.

This being our first time at this amazing show, where some of the brightest stars in the design world get to display their talent, we went with very low expectations and an open mind to absorb all that we could learn.  And, boy did we learn!

Rajboori had an amazing spot very close to the entrance in Hall 2 and surrounded by textile industry veterans such as Anke Drechsel, Margo Shelby, Decopur, Lisa Corti, Deschamps, and more.  My special thanks goes to Anke and Margo for being so supportive and showering us with valuable insights and advice those 5 days!

Our Holi Quilt was a show stopper and we had people stop and pick up catalogs, brochures and ask more about the unique and quite unfamiliar Peace Silk.  We also got placed in great stores like "nanimarquina" in Barcelona, Blanket Store in Frankfurt and Unternehmenform in Stuttgart.  Buyers, interior designers, personal shoppers, textile designers were all intrigued with our vibrant collection.  Thanks to all who stopped by and loved our collection!

Some key points to note:
- From our observation and the feedback we got from veterans, there was significantly low attendance from American and Japanese buyers
- People were buying but very conservatively.  No impulse buying but they were willing to try something new, in small quantities
- Even the veterans experienced lower volume orders and mostly from repeat customers
- The display in Hall 5A (more design focused) was amazing but the attendance was thinner than previous years
- There were more people scouting than buying

Overall, it was a great learning experience for us and an opportunity to show our products to the European market.  We hope to make the next show a bigger success.

In my next post I'll put up some Dos and Don'ts for any newcomer like us, how we looked for resources in Paris without knowing French and some great places to stay and enjoy.

I'll also explain what a "Bobo" is!