Rohit Bal turns carpet designer

New Delhi: After spending two decades in the fashion industry, designer Rohit Bal is now venturing into the craft of carpet designing with a Denmark based company.

Inspired by the Mughal era, the rugs and carpets under the label Rohit Bal and multi-national carpet manufacturer Ege have the motifs of the tranquil lotus, beautiful peacock and intricate designs of the gardens for the global market. "The collection reflects the Indian essence globally and will be sold in 65 outlets all across the world. It`s a significant move to take India to the world. I have made 30 samples strongly inspired by the Mughal era," said Bal, who has earlier worked with Kashmiri weavers to design a few carpets. But Bal, 51, fondly known as `Gudda` in the fashion fraternity, said that the two processes of making carpets are very different from each other. "The process of designing a Kashmiri carpet is very different. It is very much craft based and needs two years to prepare one. It`s a cottage industry in the valley and there you don`t have much factories and resources like Denmark," he said. The India carpet collection comprises of two categories - Wall to wall carpets and signature rugs. The former category is a line that can be used in places like hotels, airports and corporate offices while the latter is meant to adorn homes. "We are proud to associate with Rohit Bal and he is the first Indian designer in our company, which mostly has European talents. This collaboration took place six months ago and our main focus are professional markets and corporate offices and we are also talking to many high end fashion stores in India," Svend Nielsen, CEO ege carpets, said. Bal, who has taken a break from ramp shows, will be seen designing installations inspired from the rich cultural heritage of our country. "I am designing two installations - Diwali and Indian mela. The Indian mela installation is made out of glass and steel. Apart from these, I am also opening 16 stores across India," he added. PTI