Putting the luxe in Indian luxury

Fashion and heritage experts discuss how the country’s design legacy should be showcased to the world

HOLISTIC APPROACH (from left) Muzaffar Ali, Ritu Beri and Peter D’Ascoli

Comfort and opulence cannot exist in a vacuum. Luxury has to relate to the nation’s cultural heritage and above all, to its people. This point was reiterated by distinguished speakers from the world of fashion, heritage and media, at The Luxury League Round Table & Awards 2017.

Noting that luxury was a broad subject and at the same time very dependent on personal experience, filmmaker and couturier Muzaffar Ali said: “Luxury is what you create and share. We must have a passion to create a product that can be shared. A brand is also very important, especially one that is made in India. We Indians have to establish ourselves not as consumers, but as creators.”

Throwing light on his obsession with chikankari embroidery, Ali said: “I am promoting chikankari because I want to provide a livelihood to the people in my village and share their craftsmanship with the world. My film

Anjuman talks about plight of local embroidery workers. It has no luxury but a lot of pain.”

The art of hospitality is also dying out, says Ali. “How you receive a person and how you make him feel comfortable are interesting aspects of luxury that are getting lost. We are becoming highly Westernised, too professional and our indigenous culture is losing its innate charm.”

Role of films

Pointing out that films are an important medium to showcase luxury, Ali said: “Unfortunately, films which have come out of India are calendar art. They don’t understand the essence and finesse of luxury. They overdress the actresses with jewellery. That isn’t luxury. You have to understand the language of luxury which we once knew. We were a great market for foreign brands like Cartier and Rolls Royce. But we have lost the plot. It is important to rebuild ourselves and showcase our legacy in music, poetry and dance which have is unparalleled in the world. We cannot commercialise it in the name of luxury.”

Land of textiles

Textile designer, Peter D’Ascoli, Creative Director D’ Ascoli & Company, said: “People outside India tell me that I live in a land of textiles; you are in paradise. Even though there are no major luxury textile brands locally, India is producing many luxurious textiles for the world.”

He added that both manual and industrial manufacturing in India lack quality.

“It will take investment and nurturing of community craft clusters.

Craftsmen might be master of techniques, but they have been lagging behind because they have been working without a consistent creative vision.”

The Luxury League founder, Ritu Beri said: “My desire is to strengthen the voice of India abroad and to open country to the world by showcasing our artistic talent through creative interactions and dynamic networking. The idea is branding Indian luxury globally and creating an increased pool of knowledge and competence.”

Abha Narain Lambah, architectural conservationist, said: “Luxury means search of excellence when we don’t want to compromise on quality.

Unfortunately, we have created a mass production line of fake Kanjeevarams silks and Chikankari. Our system doesn’t understand the value of our handicraft.”

Expressing concern over the neglect of our historical monuments, Abha added: “If I want to replicate the same jaali (stone lattice work) which took Allauddin Khilji 10 years, then I would have to pay extra for it. Unfortunately, we are doing shoddy restoration work. This is not what the Mughals and the Tughlaqs did. This has become the cultural policy.”