This isn’t the first time Obeetee has invited an Indian fashion designer to collaborate on a collection of rugs for them. Their ‘Proud To Be Indian’ campaign, which was kickstarted by none other than Tahiliani in 2017, was founded with the goal of blurring the lines between couture and carpet. The following years saw Shantnu & Nikhil, Abraham & Thakore, Raghavendra Rathore and JJ Valaya try their hand at rug-making. However, this is the first time that a single collection has united four designers, each of whom bring their trademark styles to Viraasat. Tahiliani, who has long been inspired by Kashidakari—the famous embroidery which originated in Kashmir—and Pichwai—the centuries-old art form born in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, which is home to the famous Shrinathji Temple, blends the two disciplines in his carpets. Accordingly, the cows that appear on his designs symbolise Lord Krishna, who is known as the cowherd, while the flowers are a cornerstone of Kashidakari needlework. Dalmia also pays her respects to Krishna via a carpet that is a handwoven recreation of the holy town of Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, where the beloved god is believed to have spent his childhood. Again, we see the cows that are so integral to Hindu mythology, but we also see monkeys—perhaps alluding to Dadhi Lobha, Krishna’s pet monkey—and the peacocks, whose feathers always appear in his crown. Similarly, Modi derives her inspiration from the mythologically significant Panchvati district in Nashik, where Lord Ram—an incarnation of Lord Vishnu like Krishna—spent a few of his 14 years of banishment. Lilaowala, on the other hand, leaves India to draw from Persian and Oriental culture, depicted through the flaming sun—a revered symbol in Zoroastrianism as well as the fact that it appears in the Eastern sky before anywhere else in the world.
