Lopa has become a brand ambassador for House of Gharats to help it promote Indian artisanship in the fashion 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”.
Images by Amit Patel for Count Creation.
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.
About Neishaa Gharat
Neishaa is a designer and the co-founder of House of Gharats. She studied visual arts and pioneered the concept of design studios in India. In 1995 she co-founded Paramount Vision, a design and communications studio, one of the largest in the country – the studio worked successfully with global and national brands. From 2008 until 2013, she worked as a brand consultant in London, focusing on businesses entering the Indian market. Neishaa then followed her passion and launched House of Gharats, a design house that investigates and re-interprets the role of Indian art, craft and culture within the context of British and global design. Designed in London, the label represents a responsible approach to fashion and lifestyle, as it aims to build a sustainable future. Neishaa received the Global Indian Excellence Award in 2014 from WCRC. In 2015, Neishaa was shortlisted for the Asian Women of Achievement Award for Arts and Culture.
About House of Gharats
House of Gharats is a design house, fusing cultures and blurring the lines between art and fashion, producing a clever approach to everyday dressing and living. Neishaa & Pretam Gharat, founders of House of Gharats, endeavour to bring together various cultures, redefine cultural relationships, and create new style synergies through art and fashion. Living amidst London’s international hybrid city of cultures and its influential past results in objects that are profoundly modern, distinctively stylish, yet inherently classic.
House of Gharats is stocked at the Taz Khazana boutique at The Taj St. James’ Court Hotel, 54 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AF. For further information visit http://www.houseofgharats.com/