ByIANSlife Features

September 15, 2019 (IANSlife) Anita Lal, founder of lifestyle brand and design house Good Earth, can be credited for the change in the way Indian consumers shop for home and lifestyle items. She has worked tirelessly to revive long lost traditional Indian motifs and patterns. IANSlife caught up with Lal to understand what it takes to influence lifestyle in the country.

 

 

Every year Good Earth releases a collection. Is this based on the themes that you are personally inspired by, or is it a process of ideation?

Lal:  At Good Earth, we approach the creative process through the lens of design. Every year, we present a design collection that is inspired by a singular idea/theme and is translated across both our Home and Apparel lines. The process of identifying this theme is an elaborate exercise involving travels, reading, research and deliberation. As a design-house rooted in the foundation of presenting an “Enchanted India” by reviving our traditions and cultural legacy, our ideas and mood-boards evolve every day, and over time. 

For instance, Maladvipa – our annual design collection for this year, has been over a year in the making. The collection is inspired by the Maldivian atolls and their flora and fauna. The idea of using a colour palette and motifs found in abundance in the Maldives came to the Good Earth design-team when we were at our annual retreat at Soneva Fushi last April. 

One thing led to another and not only had we found the theme for the 2019 collection, but also found a wonderful collaborator in the form of Soneva. So, besides launching Maladvipa, we are also delighted to present the Good Earth x Soneva Holiday Edit capsule collection. 

While the environs of Soneva Fushi form the visual cues, the Good Earth x Soneva Holiday Edit was born out of our shared passion for design, sustainability and travel. While we choose design to translate these into products, Soneva does so through the experiences it creates for its guests. With the collaborative capsule, we hope to share elements of both our ethos in a tactile form with design-lovers across the globe via Good Earth stores and our web-boutique as well as our retail pop-up at Soneva Fushi.

Good Earth focuses on sustainability. How do you achieve this?

Lal: For us, it is very important to look at the many facets that make up sustainability. From reviving our centuries-old traditions; celebrating nature and the natural and supporting crafts in the contemporary – sustainability is the foundation of all that we do at Good Earth. For instance, the apparel in the Good Earth x Soneva capsule imbibe traditional crafts by way of fabrics used and classic motifs on modern silhouettes that can be worn anywhere. 

 

While you have set the bar for home collectibles, does it bother you that your motifs are replicated by brands across the country?

Lal:  When I launched Good Earth in 1996, it was primarily to share my personal passion for design-stories and crafts originating in India. I found – as I still do, the assembly-line culture uninspiring. The genesis and sustenance of Good Earth was never motivated by commercial objectives, but by a deep affinity for good design. As a result, we have never thought of ourselves as a brand. We are a design-house and are driven forward by the desire to bring joy to the everyday.

Which is your personal favourite a amongst stoneware, brassware and porcelain?

Each of these is so distinct and lends itself so beautifully to take varied forms that it’s difficult to pick one. But, the Sea Jasmine Generous Cup – a pair of tea-mugs in fine bone-china, is a must-have. The mugs are decorated with motifs of tropical sea jasmines and capparis blooms on an aquamarine backdrop and accented with 24 carat gold, making them both, the perfect personal indulgence and a thoughtful gift. 

Good Earth might have been the first brand ever to start a bridal registry. Is it popular?

Lal:  We were certainly amongst the first few to have introduced the concept of a ‘gifting registry’ in India. We are currently in the midst of refreshing the registry experience for our customers across the globe.

 

The brand focuses of beauty and weaves in a sense of nostalgia. Do you think millennials, who are more utilitarian in their approach, will appreciate this in the years to come?

Lal:  It is a misconception that a thing of beauty cannot be functional, especially when it is created using a sound design language. Good Earth’s philosophy takes from the Indian culture, which in turn has been shaped by myriad civilisations and age-old influences.
 
Our constant endeavour is to dip back into the repository of legacies left for us and blend it with modern lifestyles via thoughtful design interventions. The result is both beautiful and practical -- little elements that infuse personal spaces with joy. In fact, we see everyday that the second-generation of Good Earth customers come back exactly because this thought resonates with them.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
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