Rohit Bal’s fashionable silhouette cuts through his own luminosity of an ever-evolving design metier. India’s original master couturier has now expanded his design coquetry to home art and collectibles with Husn-E-Taairaat, a home decor and apparel line, which he has designed for Good Earth.
You cannot only wear the designer now, but also drink, eat, admire, entertain and sleep in Bal with his exquisitely designed tableware, vases, scarves, candles, espresso and tea service sets, and more from this jewel-toned capsule collection.
The couturier spoke to tabloid! ahead of the Husn-E-Taairaat launch, which will be held at Good Earth, in Mumbai on Saturday, November 12: “I’ve always known that if I designed a home decor line, it would only be with Good Earth, India’s leading design house, simply because it’s a beautiful and aesthetic match of our sensibilities.
"It was either this or designing a home line for my own store. Home decor is virgin terrain for me, and a completely new and exciting category that I have stepped into ... My Husn-E-Taairaat [which means ‘beauty of a bird’ in Persian] collection for Good Earth is a reinterpretation of the themes that inspired my 2015 couture line, which was a tribute to the rich crafts of Persia, that drew parallels with renaissance and post-Impressionism art movements, in the form of a fine home decor and a capsule fashion line,” said Bal.
NATURAL SELECTION
“It’s always been an organic process for us — a natural extension of conversations about shared inspirations and style, and that is how the Rohit Bal Husn-E-Taairaat collection came about right after his 2015 couture collection,” says Simral Lal of Good Earth.
“Being Kashmiri, Rohit has an understanding and deep reverence for flowers and wildlife, all of which are at the heart of our design vocabulary and language. We also share an audience, but for different occasions, and that makes this collaboration particularly exciting. We thought it would be fun to make his couture collection relevant in an everyday context. The collaboration with Rohit has been a very enriching experience and I’m sure this association will continue for a very long time”.
The line is an amalgamation of his Kashmiri roots, thoughts, influences, art affiliations and his “deep, personal love for Indian textiles”. It celebrates the beauty of wildlife, birds and flowers in harmonious design scapes.
“The signature motifs of this collection are inspired by vintage Pichwai paintings, one of the most intricate styles of Indian temple art hailing from Rajasthan. The apparel collection in Habutai silk resonates a contemporary aesthetic, with modern silhouettes and a relaxed style, which is very Good Earth.
"Together, we have beautifully captured my maximalist style and nature-inspired motifs in a gorgeous set of home art collectibles accentuated by Good Earth’s rich design language and technical creation expertise,” said Bal, adding that “a multitude of inspirations” helped him reimagine his couture line into cushions, espresso and tea service sets, tapas plates, glasses, candles and vases.
“Most importantly a common love for nature, wildlife, decorative arts and crafts and the need for reviving and preserving indigenous fabrics and techniques. This enabled us to work with an inspired and synergised design language, without losing our individual design essence that is clearly visible in our capsule collection.
"It was a joy to create a line of exclusive collectibles and select accent pieces for home decor and dining. All the products feature my signature motifs — multicoloured lotuses, long-tailed birds like peacocks, fruits, beauty, nature, wildlife, flora and fauna.”
ALL IN THE DETAILS
The collection, featuring less than ten unique styles and pieces, comprises intricately detailed hand decoration artwork decals and motif placements on fine bone china, ceramic and glass, accentuated with 24-carat gold and platinum, in vibrant shades of royal blue and jade, offset with creams and natural tones, bringing the line to life, Rohit Bal style. Only three pieces have been made of a limited-edition tall vase and are very special to the designer. Bal is of the opinion that his collection will appeal to young, urban, tasteful millennials around the world, including Dubai, that are looking for everyday luxury.
“This line has been designed with a strong focus on individual, standout pieces and not complete product sets, making it highly versatile and immensely appealing to a wide variety of age groups and home settings.”
For Lal, the best part of the collection is the “maker’s expertise with quality, pattern play and gift ideas”.
“There is a charming high tea service. We’ve never done one in such a crepuscular palette and now I wonder why. It’s so rich and opulent in jewel tones and hand decorated with glimmering 24-carat gold accents. It’s very festive and very Rohit Bal, and I love it,” says Lal. “My favourite hostess gift for the season would be the jewel glass candles with a heady tuberose fragrance. In the apparel collection, I think my first buy is going to be the jacket. Maybe it’s just the weather, but I love the versatility of this statement apparel piece that can be styled with saris, dresses, pants and farshis alike”.
— Rubina A Khan is an Indian journalist and photographer.
Where to get it
The price points of the Husn-E-Taairaat collection are not astronomical, as one would expect of a designer of his calibre and popularity, ranging from gifts at $85 (Dh312) to limited pieces that go upwards of $1,500.
Simran Lal of Good Earth says the collection will be available from November 21 on good earth in with shipping to over 50 countries, including Dubai.
However, for limited edition pieces like the tall vase, of which there are only three pieces, one can make the purchase by emailing Good Earth directly.
“Given the Rohit Bal design history and extraordinary demand, we expect the Husn-E-Taairat collection to go down extremely well in Dubai and the Middle East, which has always shown a penchant for our classic and decorative design aesthetic,” said Lal.
