42 ARCHDIGEST.COM
ONES TO WATCH
Hands-On
Approach
Four emerging design
studios reimagine
traditional Indian craft
for a new era
DISCOVERIES
LEAH SINGH
Upon returning to India after
attending Parsons School of
Design, Leah Singh experienced
her homeland’s vibrant textiles with
fresh eyes. “I saw an opportunity
to modernize these traditions and
target a new market,” explains
the designer, now based between
New Delhi and New York. Age-old
techniques, she learned, were
languishing as artisans pushed
their children toward office jobs.
But at local Indian markets she
connected with producers from
across the country who could stitch,
weave, and print her patterns on
pillows, carpets, throws, and more.
Each group has its specialty: In
West Bengal, Kantha embroiderers
compose patterns from triangles,
whereas in Punjab, Phulkari
embroiderers sew in small stitches
that are perfect for more intricate
designs. “I don’t change the way
they work,” says Singh, who adapts
these customs with her own color
palettes and architecturally inspired
motifs. “They’re so special. They’ve
been there for so long. I want
to highlight that.” leahsingh.com
INDO-
When Urvi Sharma (below right) and Manan Narang,
who both grew up in New Delhi, met at RISD in 2016,
they realized they were working on similar projects:
reinterpretations of the Charpai, a traditional Indian
bed. They decided to join forces under the moniker
INDO- and soon debuted Char Quarter, a pale beech
bench with a woven cord seat and split-turned legs.
Soon they took that same approach to other Indian
archetypes, using ikat dyeing techniques on the
tambour doors of a credenza and updating mooda
seats as barstools by placing them atop skinny steel
legs. (In May, they’ll debut mooda-inspired light
fixtures at the WantedDesign fair.) Each piece comes
out a little different from the last, but they embrace
those variations. “Growing up, a lot of the objects we
encountered were handmade,” recalls Sharma. “Now
some of that is being lost for the sake of convenience.
So we’re trying to celebrate an element of hand and
the identity it brings with it.” indo-made.com
FROM TOP: OR HARPAZ; FRANCES DENNY
