‘The Whole World Is Watching’

India has a strong tradition of elaborate handwork and lavish embellishment. How does this specifically Indian aesthetic influence global brands?
Anything handmade is the ultimate luxury today, and we still have this handicraft that is being used by the West to help them revive and preserve their own ways of doing things, using Indian craftsmanship to embellish their couture garments, or to have jewels set here. To preserve their own brands they're using Indian skills. It has switched: the maharajahs used Western skills to realize an Indian aesthetic, whereas today it's the West using Indian skills to preserve their Western aesthetic.

What is your idea of absolute luxury?
I think it's to have something made only for you, something that no one else will ever have.

© 2008