By Royal Appointment

Raghavendra Rathore, a couturier of royal lineage, and Obeetee, the world-renowned carpetmakers with deep history, come together in a memorable collaboration for the brand’s Proud to be Indian collection

- Raja Shree Balaram

Designer Raghavendra Rathore took all of four years to complete Obeetee’s 2019 Proud To Be Indian collection that is set to be launched next month. (The brand has previously collaborated with designers Tarun Tahiliani and Abraham & Thakore as well for a line-up of creations expressed in their distinct sensibilities for the same collection.) In a world thriving on instant turnarounds, Rathore’s prolonged contemplation on design and material is a class act of defiance, even an unfaltering refusal to rush a labour of love. And this collection embodies all the old-world aesthetics and regal grandeur that’s been long familiar to Rathore, a member of Jodhpur’s royal family.

Since 2015, Rathore and Obeetee’s design team have been devouring references on history, culture, architecture, embroidery and choice of colours favoured by royalty. One of the concepts include carpets with over 90 per cent silk yarn, their shine deepened with gold and silver washes. “I have experimented with paisleys, asymmetrical designs and unusual patterns that echo the past to create unique design sensibilities,” says Rathore, whose uncompromising standards are a matching fit for Obeetee—the company’s carpets fetch a premium because they come invested with a rare calibre of effort that would remind you of legends of artisans of yore. In fact, a group of five weavers have been busy working on one carpet for six years now.

HISTORY ROLLS AROUND