When you enter the site >Indiacircus.com , you are met with a riot of colours, vibrant designs and eclectic products. Colourful mugs, bold rugs and intricate candle bases vie for space with luxurious furniture and geometry inspired stoneware -- From home decor products to office and personal accessories the site retails it all.
Going through the products it quickly becomes clear that design and aesthetics is the driving force of Indiacircus.com. This isn’t surprising considering the design director is Krsna Mehta, an artist and designer who has been associated with The Bombay Store and Good Earth among others. “I always wanted to venture out and do something on my own,” says Krsna, who has studied at Parsons The New School of Design and Fashion Institute of Technology both in New York.
At Indiacircus.com, Krsna’s first entrepreneurial venture, he and his team create all the prints and patterns that go on all the products. Says Krna, “My involvement is very much with the design aspect of things.”
You have coasters which pay homage to India’s monuments, elephants and swans on cushions, and even a red double- decker bus on a doormat. From the Mughal era to street life, it is interpreted and represented on the products. “Our designs are Inspired by all things India: be it the arts, crafts or the culture,” says Krsna. “We contemporise it to make it relevant for today, to create products that transcend lifestyles, countries and spaces.” So the fun Jalebi Fillet Chair, which has a cycle rickshaw design against a blue background will have a place of pride in an apartment in New York or in the family room in a home in New Delhi.
Lotus and peacock motifs are used in quite a few of the designs and are almost synonymous with the India Circus brand. And while the mugs and cushions are some of the bestselling products you also have quirky doormats and elegant art works. “We try to balance our design sensibility with what the customer wants.” Says Krsna. “Motifs and patterns are created by our print makers and graphic designers.” These prints are artistically used on everything from a handle of a mug to a visiting card holder.
The aim at Indiacircus.com has been to create globally appreciated products at an economical price, without compromising on quality. “This is a platform to buy good, well-designed products which are reasonably priced due to lack of overheads,” says Krsna. “So far, the journey has been fantastic.” They have seen people shopping at all hours on the site even at 4 am, they have had customers calling in to place their orders.
This has led to a continuous churning of new products. The site has expanded to creating and selling fashion and jewellery. “We have tied up with international stores and leading Indian retail shops to sell our line of products,” says Krsna.
One of the best features of the site, Krsna has found, is the proactive customer service. “Our people are trained to be helpful and do everything to ease the customers’ experience,” he says. “Quality control is something we are very stringent about as well.”
But, what makes this site and its products truly unique is the design factor. “We own our designs,” says Krsna. “We control the brand DNA which is very strong.”
Indiacircus.com is also expanding its blog with tips on how to decorate rooms. The site also plans to feature styled rooms so that people can shop for the products and recreate the same look in their homes.
While cups, coasters and accessories start from Rs 399 upwards, furniture pieces start from Rs 6,999 onwards.
