Digital entrepreneur Lopa Patel MBE has become a brand ambassador for House of Gharats to help it promote and champion Indian artisanship in the fashion and textiles sector. The brainchild of Neishaa & Pretam Gharat, House of Gharats produces a range of clothing and accessories, drawing inspiration from the rich heritage of Indian craftsmanship and reinterpreting it in contemporary design. Stocked at the Taj Khazana, a boutique at The Taj Group’s flagship hotel in St James, London, House of Gharats describes itself as a design house, fusing cultures and blurring the lines between art and fashion.
“I’m probably the most unlikely fashion brand ambassador you’re likely to find,” said Lopa, “but I love the experimental nature of Neishaa’s work. Her pieces are like works of art, combined with the intricate details of artisanship that you don’t find in high street clothing. The House of Gharats fashion items deserve to be seen and worn with love!”
“House of Gharats endeavours to redefine cultural relationships, and create new style synergies through art and fashion” added designer Neishaa Gharat, “by employing textile craftsmen, unconventional materials, sculptural tailoring, bold colours, fanciful details and novel prints to challenge conventional ideas of style, I’m passionate about engaging with the makers and process, and seeking to capture the essence of tradition, materials, stories and function. And really stories is where Lopa comes in”.
The duo first met some years ago and Lopa has since followed Neishaa’s work; from the Sari project for the ‘Ugandan Asian Exiles’ Project and the ‘Arts & Culture of India’ initiative at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London in 2014 to the ‘Biswa Bangla’ event where West Bengal’s artisans showcased at the London Design Festival in 2015. For the past two years, Neishaa has also provided an expert eye on the forthcoming red carpet trends for the popular Asian Power Couples Hot 100 list and she and her husband Pretam Gharat were anointed as the featured couple on the front cover of this year’s list.
“My love for a tailored jacket, craftsmanship and vibrant colours is legendary,” said Lopa, “and the synergy between what I do in writing about the South Asian diaspora and House of Gharats has been there for several years now. I was really surprised when Neishaa asked me to become a brand ambassador but look forward to wearing more of her unique designs and, more importantly, learning about promoting artisanship in the fashion sector”.
About Lopa Patel MBE
Lopa Patel is a digital entrepreneur who has founded a number of online titles for the South Asian diaspora including AsianPowerCouples.com; NewAsianPost.com; Redhotcurry.com and the Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech list. She is also the Founder of equality and inclusion think-tank Diversity UK. An inspirational leader with an outstanding record of achievement, Lopa was recognised with an MBE for services to the creative industries in 2009 and the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion 2015.
You can find out more here.
Seen in the pictures Lopa is wearing House of Gharats Limited edition jackets available at Taj Khazana, London boutique.
Limited edition – Kalamkari Block Printed Cotton, Tailored Jacket
Kalamkari is the earliest and more complex technique of hand painting & block printing on cloth using vegetable dyes. This flourished in Andhra Pradesh. The origin of the word kalamkari is from kalam or pen and kari or work. The kalamkari done here is a mixture of painting and hand printing. The process followed is complex and intricate, and the blocks used are made by specialist artisans. The process takes several days, weeks or months depending on the length of the cotton cloth.
Limited edition – Peacock Silk Benarasi Brocade with Luxurious Velvet Lapel, Tailored Jacket
The finest and luxurious textiles woven in India are known for their gold and silver brocade or zari, fine silk and opulent embroidery. Synonymous with rich, heavily patterned fabrics and with its roots going as far back into time as the existence of Rigveda, the art of Benarasi weaving has come to stand as a sole unique unit in the textile industry. Unrivalled, when it comes to the rich heritage and intricate craftsmanship.
Limited edition – Wool embroidery Work on cotton, Tailored Jacket
Inspired by the rich embroidery traditions of India. This piece is inspired by Kutch embroidery practices.
Photography: Count Creation.