Purvaai’s Autumn Winter collection launch at Top Drawer Autumn, 2012

We’ve just wrapped up all the frenzy of post trade show activity like booking orders, making sure the supply chain is handling the demand and toasting to the most successful showing till date! Exhibiting at Top Drawer Autumn 2012 was a very wise decision in retrospect despite all the drama before and during the show – what with some of the samples arriving the day before AND our stand having no walls to it. See how the trade show progressed in pictures. Here is how the stand looked like at the end of the setting-up.

Top Drawer Autumn 2012 stand

Here’s what we had to say about our participation in the trade show and our brand new collections.

Apart from all the serious stuff, we made some fab friends with our neighbors at the trade show. They all are enterprising entrepreneurs, with some fantastic products and great big smiles! Thanks for making all the effort so much fun!

Odd Co

Odd co – they make the grooviest cases for e-readers, i-phones – very cool

Matt from Buddha Board

Matt from Buddha Board – a really relaxing way of doodling – and no paint mess to clear after

Karenza

Karenza of Karenza & Co – we’ve crossed path at both trade shows this year – so feels like we are on the journey together

Potina Vuyisa

Potina Vuyisa – a South African ceramic artist with the widest smile ever and the most gorgeous products

And finally us, feeling quite chuffed with the whole experience! We will be at Top Drawer Autumn 2013….hope to see all our friends again and wishing them the very best till then!

LtoR – Tarangini, Priya and Sonali

Top Drawer Autumn… next chapter in our trade journey

Having bet on Top Drawer as our launch trade show in January this year, and coming away from it with many retail contacts and a few orders to sustain us, we were quite happy with the start of our trade career. So choosing to be back at the show this Autumn with a new set of collections, hoping to have another crack at the retail buyers, we must be stark raving mad!!

But there is method in this madness (or atleast we hope so!) as we are doing so many things which we missed out with our first show. We have the samples ready well in advance, stylized images evoking a sense of luxury are out into the digital world, press releases about our very many inspirations written and blogged, a feature in a trade mag BEFORE the trade show, invitations to the buyers sent out so that they receive them well in advance AND wardrobe for three days of high power sales sorted!

All we need is for hordes of buyers to flock at our stand (B122 in the Gift isle), gush at all the gorgeous colours and designs (a little bit of gushing is very good for the ego) but at the end of it all BUY our products! The other thing we have worked on (apart from the look of the wardrobe) is the product pricing – we have many many designs in the affordable range so that Purvaai’s gorgeousness can spread across many homes this Christmas (oooh we like the sound of that – Santa you have some serious competition!)

Visit us at Stand B122 at Top Drawer Autumn, 16-18 September 2012, London Olympia.

Tie-Dye….The Eternal Favorite

Bandhani and Lehariya turbans

An ancient and ever popular technique, tie-dye is a process of resist dyeing textiles typically using bright colors. While there are several variations in technique, the method basically involves patterns of color by folding, tying, stitching, crumpling the fabric to inhibit the flow of the dye into the folds of the fabric. The pattern of the folds and where the colors are squirted determines the final design.

Several variations of the tie-dye technique are evident the world over, from the Shibori in Japan, the Hausa technique in West Africa, Plangi and Tritik in Indonesia to the beautiful Bandhani, Ikat and Leheriya patterns of India.

The now very popular form of “Bandhani” derives its name from the Hindi word Bandhan which means tying up. Bandhani is an ancient art practiced mainly in Western India.

Lehariya turban

This region is also well known for its Leheriya pattern – literally meaning waves. This technique is quite different to the Bandhani as here the fabric is rolled from one corner to the other diagonally and then it is tied at intervals with strings. An astounding variety of Leheriya prints are produced using the simple process of tying and dyeing. The Panchranga technique, using five colours is considered to be very auspicious as the number five has a special position in Hindu Mythology. The Saptrangi flaunts the seven colours of the rainbow. Stripes that follow in one direction are called Leheriya, while diagonal stripes that intersect at right angles to form checks are called Mothra.

The leheriya was patronized in the nineteenth and early twentieth century by the local traders and merchants who wore turbans of bright Leheriya fabric.

This Leheriya (zigzag pattern of irregular colour stripes) is a visual invocation of the flow of water – creating a calm and restful coastal feel we gushed over in our earlier post. Especially in Indigo it shows the wonderfully varying depths of colour after multiple mud-resistant and dyeing processes. No small wonder that the blues in leheriya attract the eyes instinctively, as they did ours.

Purvaai’s Oceana tie-dye collection

Having experimented with the Shibori technique in the Spring Summer collection, Purvaai now brings to you the Leheriya pattern in its new collection ‘Oceana’ of quilts, cushion covers, tea towels and silk stoles.

Watch this space for more updates and visit us at the Top Drawer Autumn, Stand B122, 16-18 September, London Olympia.

The Winner(s) Takes it All…

As a part of its three day selling exhibition at CraftCentral in Clerkenwell, Purvaai hosted a Champagne Reception in honour of the participants and winners of its very first Textile Design Competition.

The Champagne Reception was the culmination of Purvaai’s Textile Design Competition, which ran in April and May 2012. The theme of the competition was ‘Reminiscing the Raj’ and participants were given a free reign to interpret the age of Indian Royalty and the effects of the British Raj on the arts and crafts of India.

The entry which won first place, by Chloe Hamill of Manchester School of Art, featured India’s national bird, the Peacock – a favourite of the erstwhile Indian royals, whereas runner up Laura Andrews of University of Brighton, was heavily inspired by Indian art and architecture, with geometric patterns and bright colours figuring prominently in her designs.

Chloe Hamill with her First Prize winning entry

“We can only imagine how hard judging all the lovely designs must have been for our judges’ panel”, said Priya Raghavan, Director and Co-founder of Purvaai. “But the winners are truly deserving of the titles.” Toolika Gupta, creative lead for the competition as well as one of the judges, addressing the gathering said “There is a lot of design talent out there, and this competition proved it without a doubt.”

Currently running at the Pennybank Chambers in St John’s Square, Purvaai’s home décor showcase (the selling exhibition) is set to run from Thursday, June 7^th to Saturday, June 9^thand is open to the public with late night shopping everyday. Images of all entries of the competition are also on display.

More images of the Award Ceremony available here.

Laura Andrews Second Prize winning entry

Diamond Jubilee Sale

Why have a Jubilee weekend when you can have a Jubilee Month?

We’ve decided to do just that with fab events and a whopping sale all through June

So grab a stylish bargain to ‘posh up your parlour’ by shopping online or come and see us at one of these events:

June 7-9: Craft Central, London

June 30: Norden Farm Centre for Arts, Maidenhead

More info on www.purvaai.co.uk

And the award goes to…..

Purvaai’s ‘Textile Design Competition 2012’ for students and recent graduates ran from early March to the end of April.  Applicants were required to design either a range of table linen OR to design decorative cushion covers and throws based on the theme “Reminiscing the Raj”.

One of the goals of the competition was to provide students and recent graduates of design programs the opportunity to showcase their talent in front of industry stakeholders. The judges’ panel was, therefore, carefully put together and included textile designers, a celebrated interiors journalist, a stylist and decorator, a buyer and proprietor of a well-known London home décor store and an academic.

We received entries from across the UK from both, current students and recent graduates. The design ideas were many from the vibrant to the romantic; from intricate to the contemporary. Many motifs, colours, architectural designs, jewels were used as inspiration by the participants.

Our jury had their work cut out. Toolika Gupta, our creative lead for the competition and also one of the judges, had put together various aspects on which the participants were to be marked, like; concept and creativity, interesting interpretations of the design brief, innovative placements, market relevance and practicality of execution. After a month long completely independent jury process, we finally have the winners! However, the suspense is to last just a little longer…..

The winning entries are to be announced at the Awards Ceremony during our ‘Home Décor Showcase’ exhibition at Craft Central in Clerkenwell, London on Thursday, June 7. A grand champagne reception is planned to felicitate participants in the textile design competition, as well as the awards ceremony where the winner and the first runner up will be announced and presented with their prize cheques. This reception requires an invitation which can be obtained by sending an RSVP to info@purvaai.co.uk.

Home textile design competition announced for UK design students and recent graduates

Purvaai announces a home textile design competition for all students living in the United Kingdom who are either pursuing a design degree or diploma or have recently (in the last 3 years) graduated from a UK-based design institute.

Purvaai’s ‘Textile Design Competition 2012’ entails designing a range of table linen including runner(s), napkin(s) and table cloth(s) OR designing decorative cushion cover(s) and throw(s) based on the theme “Reminiscing the Raj”.

“The days of the British Raj evoke nostalgia for the royalty of yore”, says Toolika Gupta, Creative Consultant and Competition Lead for Purvaai. “Those luxurious palaces and gardens, full of exotic Indian riches and a blending of the Mughal and British styles are full of inspirations. The beautiful chintz, Kashmiri shawls, miniature paintings, carved wooden boxes with secret compartments, the rich carpets or kaleens as they were called, and the dazzling white marble walls with semi-precious stone inlay in floral motifs- these were the reasons India was called ‘a jewel in the crown’ of the British Empire.” she adds.

Priya Raghavan, Co-founder and Director of Purvaai says “With this competition we hope to offer young, talented designers a platform to reinterpret this nostalgia in their very own special way.” Applicants may choose to design prints or embroidery and suggest base fabrics, colour-ways and finishing techniques.

Applicants must register by completing the competition form, which may be downloaded from the website www.purvaai.co.uk. They must also submit a concept note of about 150 words. Competitors can send in detailed inspirational pictures and notes along with fabric choices with each design, if they so desire, however this is not mandatory.

Learn more about Purvaai’s Textile Design Competition 2012 here.

Ragamala Miniature Paintings

Painting, music and poetry came together in the courts of northern India from the sixteenth century in the production of paintings known as ragamala (‘garland of ragas’). A raga is a musical phrase that evokes an emotional response in the listener, and is associated with a particular time of day, season and mood. ‘Male’ ragas were joined with ‘female’ raginis.

Ragamala Miniature Painting

The Ragamala Miniature paintings were commissioned under the Mughal patronage in India and this art form flourished between the 15^th and 18^th century. In these paintings each raga is personified by a colour, mood, a verse describing a story of a hero and heroine (nayaka and nayika), it also elucidates the season and the time of day and night in which a particular raga is to be sung; and finally most paintings also demarcate the specific Hindu deities attached with the raga, like Bhairava or Bhairavi to Shiva, Sri to Devi etc. The paintings depict not just the Ragas, but also their wives, (raginis), their numerous sons (ragaputra) and daughters (ragaputri).

The Dulwich Picture Gallery offers an exquisite opportunity to view these miniatures through their current exhibition titled ‘Ragamala Paintings from India: Poetry, Passion, Song’.  This exhibition will unveil a rare collection of 24 exquisite miniatures from the Claudio Moscatelli Collection, in a journey across the Indian subcontinent. It is the first show in the UK to focus exclusively on the Ragamala genre.

Purvaai is very proud to be associated with Dulwich Picture Gallery – our vibrant cushions are now available for purchase in their shop.

Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London, SE21 7AD Tel: 020 8693 5254

The Stand at Top Drawer/ Home 2012

Top Drawer/ Home 2012 has concluded and we were lucky to have the help of a few good people* as we set up our stand at Top Drawer/ Home 2012.

Thought we’d share with you some of the images; before, during and after, so that you can all see how we got there too.

Shankar putting up the rails to showcase our throws

Almost done- L to R - Sonali (seated), Shankar, Priya (with back to camera)

Putting on the last few touches to posh it all up

The stand finally all set up

*A big ‘Thank you’ to Shankar Raghu (Sonali’s husband), Isabel Costa Lucio (Our stand designer) and Sandra Vollrath (an Event Manager in a previous life, friend, adviser and sounding board.)

Learnings from participating in Top Drawer’s Home 2012

Getting selected to participate in Home 2012 at Earl’s Court, London, a brand new trade show spun-off from Top Drawer, featuring some of the best Home Décor sellers and brands, was a high! The reality set in later as we worked against time to get our stand just right- to make it attractive and accessible to all.

Now that we’ve been exhibiting there for two days (today is the third and final day of the show), we thought we’d share some of the lessons we’re taking away from this, the first of (hopefully) many trade shows we’d like to participate in.

1. Which Trade Show?-Although Home 2012 is a first, in that there has never been a separate Home show under the aegis of Top Drawer before- the response has been  excellent. When we were debating whether or not to participate in such a new trade show  seeing as we’re so new, what tipped the balance in favour of participating was the brand association with Top Drawer, which we knew to be a very popular, established and well organized show. It’s evident that those who attended Top Drawer, have come to Home 2012 too, expecting the same high level of creativity and novelty.

2. Feedback; especially if you’re new– Our brand philosophy has been validated several times over during the course of this show, as we see the typical attendee of Top Drawer – Home 2012 exhibiting a healthy interest in preserving the past and keeping handicraft traditions alive and well. The footfall at our stand, Aa 36, has encouraged us, as have the many enquiries. Trade Shows are a great way to get your ideas and your products validated. If they work, great, if not, go back to the drawing board with the suggestions you got there.

Our advice to others in our position would be, go with established trade shows, or even newer ones promoted by the same organisers as celebrated ones.

3. Location, location, location– At any trade show, as with property assets, the most important mantra is ‘Location, location, location’. Where your stand is located could be the difference between success in the form of several leads versus a boring three days standing around twiddling your thumbs or drinking coffee by the gallon. If you have a choice, plan ahead and try to get a spot that sees a lot of traffic and is easy to reach.

4. Whither Stand Design?– Next to location, perhaps the most important thing is the design of the stand itself. Ensuring that your stand is uncluttered, logically laid-out, and offers easy access to your products, so that visitors can touch and feel them, is imperative. We were lucky to find a gifted and cooperative stand designer who totally ‘got’ us and our brand.

5. Judging Interest– How do you know if someone at the trade show is serious about wanting to do business with you at some point? The dating principal applies! If they give you their contact details as well as taking yours, you can be fairly sure they’re interested in hearing from you. And after all, isn’t all business a bit like dating? Buyers and Sellers, if their interest in each other is mutual, only then can business take place and grow.

At trade shows, it has also become the norm to sweeten the deal a little bit by offering a raffle prize; for e.g. in exchange for putting business cards in a fish bowl, or filling out a feedback form with a section asking for contact details, your visitor may win a gift of some description. At our stand, Aa36, at Home 2012, we’re offering a goody basket filled with gorgeous yet utilitarian Indian handcrafted products.

We hope this post has inspired you to participate in trade shows and we’d love to hear your views on it.