ASHIESH SHAH THE ‘GLOCAL' DESIGN MAVERICK

HIS WABI-SABI DESIGN PHILOSOPHY MERGES WITH FRESH JUXTAPOSITIONS OF LOCAL HANDICRAFTS FROM HIGH UP IN MEGHALAYA TO DOWN SOUTH IN KARNATAKA. HELLO! CHATS WITH THE DESIGN MAVERICK MAKING GRASSROOTS INDIA RELEVANT TO A FAST-CHANGING WORLD

- SANGEETA WADDHWANI

Mumbai’s epicures go into a trance at Neuma, a multi-mood fine-dining space designed by Ashiesh Shah, who envisaged people walking across spaces with different paces, revelling in each. The restaurant is only a small feather in his design journey, but it whispers of all that he loves. In the display of folk elements and motifs, we can see Shah’s talent for envisaging Indian handicrafts in a modern avatar. In line with sustainable luxury, Shah taps into local resources that are either readily available, renewable or recycled. His artisanal networks stretch as far as Longpi in Meghalaya and Channapatna in Karnataka, among other notable craft clusters. He was recently chosen by The Invisible Collection, a globally renowned e-commerce interiors site, to retail his home accessories. Here, we present a conversation with the ‘glocal’ son-of-the-soil.

Congratulations on being the first Indian designer to be part of The Invisible Collection! It’s wonderful to see your creations amid such talents as Pietro Franceschini, Cristina Celestino and Damien Gernay…

They’ve been following our work at the Atelier for a long time. They approached us about two years ago and ever since then, the process has been in the pipeline, until its recent launch.

Your approach is very much in line with the post-pandemic idea of consumption with a conscience. How has your support of Indian handicrafts changed lives and helped keep the crafts relevant?