The world revolves around colour. Each shade, each tint has a meaning. Inspired by this symbolism behind colours, Obeetee Carpets and Tissage Rugs have joined hands to present their new collection, ‘Chroma People.’ This collection goes beyond colour trends, instead using colours as an analogy for the fabric of life.
This one-of-a-kind collection explores four sets/rooms, each representing a colour admired by the Chroma People, and what it means to them.
“We drew inspiration from the fictional tribe ‘Chroma,’ a community that discovers purpose in the reverence of colour. The Chroma Collection is a journey of upliftment, weaving spirituality and craftsmanship into the very fabric of your spaces,” says Nikhil Kapoor, Creative Director of Tissage Rugs. He elaborates on the concept: “Each day the tribe gets up in the morning, by virtue of these different colours that we have showcased, we have captured in the campaign, a typical day in the life of the tribe. Each colour represents an attribute, each ritual represents a blessing that they receive in exchange.”
Mr. Kapoor points out that it’s an extensive and colourful collection, which has taken a lot of references from various art forms, artists, masters. “We have about 15 designs in this collection. Each represents a completely different colour palate. The campaign covers the four primary colours, and that’s where the story emanates from,” he says.
Speaking from an artist’s perspective, Mr. Kapoor highlights that the designs are abstract, saying he would love for people to connect, to relate with the idea. “Colour is what you see. The colour has to speak. It’s the reference point, visually.” While the Indian rug market has not seen abstract designs being as popular as in other markets, Mr. Kapoor admits his love for abstract expression in general played a role. “Given that it is abstract, that makes it easier to place the product in a whole range of settings. The commercials also come to the fore with some of the logic here. That’s definitely a big reason for why we wanted to do something that was abstract in nature.”
Traditional, modern, or in between?
As for the preferences of the Indian carpet consumer at the moment, Angelique Dhama, CEO, Obeetee Carpet points out that there is a range of preferences. “There is somebody who wants a contemporary one, somebody who wants a more traditional design, and there are those who want something in the middle, a transitional design. This is a category that is left by and large to the interior designer to spec in. Our partners tell us that the consumers want exactly what they see in the mood board – they do not want to change anything. But they have that choice. They have to live with it. While consumers know their minds, there is a tilt towards the contemporary.”
Mr. Kapoor feels that for any piece of art – “if it elicits an emotion out of you, you will buy”. When we are looking for concepts for design, we just look for inspiration. Mr. Kapoor says that personally, he would love to see a point where India turns to Scandinavian design and minimalism. “I don’t see that happening quite honestly at the moment. Every market is a little different.”
Ms. Dhama asserts that Obeetee is always going to be “on trend”. “You have to be relevant today.” Both agree that India’s design preferences do not fit with any other major market. “We are India, we are making our own market,” they almost chorus. As for what would constitute this distinctness in terms of design elements, Mr. Kapoor says “it could be any design element as long as you are being authentic”. We are making things that are beautifully crafted, timeless, we use the best materials to make it,” adds Ms. Dhama. “It’s a well-made, well crafted, thoughtful, made with love – that’s the best recipe,” Mr. Kapoor says with a smile.
Long term partners
Obeetee and Tissage have collaborated in the past – on a number of projects – all outside India though, and in the B2B space. This is the first collaboration in the B2C space. “We are not just carpet brands. We are promoters of the art form. We are carrying the baton of rug weaving in India. Tissage is a creative studio and Obeetee is the platform. We are the act, they are the theatre,” explains Ms. Dhama. “Tissage has created the product, we are going to be the beacon of telling the story. We wanted to create a reach.” Obeetee collaborates with multiple design studios around the world for its collections.
“For this collection, we want to talk to a particular segment of people who value design and innovativeness,” says Ms. Dhama.
New carpet market
As for India as a market, Ms. Dhama is bullish. “Everyone is saying India is where you have to be today, in terms of a market and audience. Most other markets – I would not say they have been saturated but they have been consuming for the longest time. This category (carpets) especially used to be only for the rich. Today we are saying let’s add light to your home – by the medium of the carpet. Therefore, India becomes a very important market today. There is a lot of scope – it’s not even close to the tip of the iceberg.”
In India, we are going through what China went through a couple of decades ago. India is seeing a consumption revolution. The best products in India historically – or at least in the last few decades – have been exported. Now we see a reverse movement happening where the best products are coming back to India. People no longer need to travel to New York or London or Milan for a lot of these products.
Coming back to the Chroma People collection, the carpets are available in a range of sizes and are customisable. Ms. Dhama estimates a typical 8×10 square foot carpet to be priced at about INR 3.5 lakhs. The carpets are available at the four Obeetee stores at the moment. So if any of these colours call out to you, add it to your floor.
