It is a long winter in many parts of India and home becomes the zone of comfort most of the time. The furnishings and accents that make up your space also determine how calm you can be when news of another pandemic looms large. You may still be on the lookout for anything that evokes excitement and happiness.
Pinkley: Blending Heritage in Contemporary Designs
Daisy Tanwani studied Mass Media with specialization in Journalism from Jai Hind College, University of Mumbai and has worked across industries for over 15 years mainly in marketing and branding functions. In the early 2000s, she found herself marveling at a piece of tapestry at an international home decor brand in the US. “A little tag said ‘Made in India’ and I wondered why carrying Indians from elsewhere in India” That’s why I started Pinkley – to design and make in India for Indians who are now well travelled, demanding and discerning,” she says.
In 2015, she resigned from Danone where her role was leading the launch of an international baby food brand and returned to Jaipur to launch Pinkley. “I spent the first 17 years of my life in Jaipur and the city has a lot to do with what I do today,” she says. “The idea behind Pinkley was simple – a more Create an accessible, aspirational, lifestyle brand that caters to the modern Indian by taking our handcrafted heritage and blending modern designs in unexpected ways.”
The company’s first milestone was the launch of the brand at The Lil Flea, one of the biggest exhibitions in Mumbai. The idea was to test the market, understand customer behavior and preferences, receptivity to the product offering, and understand market gaps and opportunities.
“We can’t think of a better way to do this than by standing in front of our customers and listening and learning the old-school way. While we’ve always wanted to be an online-first company, the learnings from our first exhibition shaped how we view our business and offerings,” says Tanwani.
Pinkley launched with a small, but highly curated collection of cushion covers, quilts, laptop sleeves, tote bags, plush toys, ceramics, and wood and metal artifacts for the home, kitchen, and garden. “I personally designed my first collection and worked on everything – from product to marketing. Our initial investment from incorporation to launch was ₹12 lakh,” she says.
After that there was no looking back. Apart from online, the brand now has two offline experience stores in Mumbai and Bengaluru with a third store coming up in Hyderabad.
On international players entering India, Tanwani says they are wonderful and operate on a very different scale, but eventually foreign brands are trying to come to India to cater to Indians. “We are an Indian brand trying to cater to modern Indians and global citizens who value small batch handcrafts. And, there is a difference. Pinkley blends heritage handcrafts with contemporary designs. Our design language is authentic and timeless with bold use of color – it is Indian but not kitsch,” she says.
Pinkley’s designs are crafted to communicate stories – often inspired by natural elements and the diverse crafts and cultures around the world. “I love to travel and every collection has an element from my various travels in India and elsewhere. We carefully choose unique themes and offer collections like Mahtab, Onam, Padma, Misfit and more.
The brand deals in a variety of art forms such as hand block, kantha, embroidery, patchwork, kalamkari, dabboo and ikat, combining designs with the right art forms to reach our ultimate collection.
Tanwani says the company is looking at creating an omni-channel experience for customers. “We already have a strong online presence and we are looking to expand our offline footprint in the coming years. We look forward to opening retail stores in major cities of India. Besides this, we are also doubling our efforts to build a strong international presence,” she says.
The Yellow Dwelling: Creating Aesthetic and Sustainable Products
Launched in 2017, the brand is the brainchild of a couple who left corporate life to experiment with creativity. Yellow Dwelling’s journey began in January 2017 from a small guest bedroom in Abhinaya Sundaramoorthy and Nandakumar L’s Bengaluru home. affordable. Yellow Dwelling was founded with the aim of bridging that gap,” she says.
Banana fiber and bamboo lampshade from Yellow Dwelling.
The brand aims to create a delightful range of sustainable goods at affordable price points as the term sustainable is now used interchangeably with expensive. The pair were also keen to innovate as they had reached a point where their corporate careers felt confined. The initial launch was small—the first curated collection was shown to friends and family in a single guest bedroom. The overwhelmingly positive response has inspired them to sell them at local flea markets like Sunday Soul Sante, Step-In Night Out, and other apartment flea markets.
Blooming Meadows Bedding Set.
“”Our initial investment for that first collection was ₹12,500. As the business grew over the next three years, we invested around ₹95 lakhs in our stores, warehouse and inventory. We continue to re-invest in the business because we see great promise and potential,” says the founder.
Yellow Dwelling product ranges initially included bedding, cushion covers and dining. Over the years, the brand has ventured into other categories such as cotton and linen curtains, sheer curtains, bedsheets and quilts, cushion covers and throws, dining ranges, wooden wall decor, banana fiber and bamboo lighting, terracotta pots and more have entered.
cushion covers and sheer curtains
The brand’s design philosophy focuses on creating aesthetic, durable and utilitarian products. Each collection is unique and a new inspiration – a walk in a meadow, Middle Eastern architecture, a quaint little English cottage. The latest collection, Enchanted Palace, is inspired by the majestic architecture of Indian palaces and the rich flora and fauna found around them.
The brand strives to create more functional home decor products using natural fibers such as cotton, linen, river grass, banana fiber and bamboo.
Apart from online retailing, the company has retail stores in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Pune. The glut of home decor brands in India and the launch of international players like H&M Home, IKEA and Pottery Barn doesn’t worry The Yellow Dwelling.
What does the future hold for The Yellow Dwelling and its founders? “Our vision for The Yellow Dwelling is to become the most preferred home furnishings brand with a contemporary design philosophy and using a wide range of sustainable natural fibers. We want to open 25 stores by 2025 and 100 by 2030.