Here's what to expect from Kapurthala, a line of carpets by JJ Valaya in collaboration with Obeetee 

Founded in 1920, Obeetee is one of India's leading luxury carpet makers. Adding another feather to its cap, the brand recently launched its flagship store in Sultanpur, Delhi. To mark the launch, the company collaborated with designer JJ Valaya for a new collection titled Kapurthala.

What's in store?

The all-new, 3,500-sq ft flagship store has been designed to help its patrons experience what Obeetee truly stands for. It is a symbol of craftsmanship and luxury. The store offers a personalised experience to each customer with a room-in-room setting. It houses a wide range of collections including the famous Obeetee Proud to be Indian Collections, Amer Canvas, Gypsy Oasis, and Farmhouse Chic, among others.

The inauguration witnessed Obeetee and JJ Valaya unveiling the art image series in the form of a coffee table book titled ‘The Land of the Loom’.

A journey to remember 

Combining the visions of extraordinary Indian designers and the brand’s unparalleled craftsmanship, Obeetee presented the Proud to be Indian initiative. JJ Valaya is the fifth designer of this initiative whose designs have always been awe-inspiring and maximal, which makes most of his creations unique.

Inspired by jamawar shawls and a series of candid fine art images, Obeetee roped in JJ Valaya to create the Kapurthala collection. “Maharaja Jagjeet Singh was a great collector of jamawar shawls and this collection takes one on a journey of the shawl, which travelled with the Maharaja from Scotland to France and all over Europe, and became extremely popular all over the world. It is this journey that I have interpreted into a line of carpets,” says Valaya.

“The idea was to create something that reflects my ethos. We are going to do a trilogy under this collection — the royal collection is the one we have showcased, next comes the nomadic collection, followed by a collection with direct correlation to Maharaja Jagjeet Singh and Kapurthala,” he adds.

The carpet brand has been in business for over a century and has produced numerous collections of hand-tufted and hand-knotted rugs. Kapurthala marries a classic French colour palette with jamawar designs. “Kapurthala is inspired by the land of my forefathers. It is a collection where several pieces come together to create a beautiful story. Of course, some pieces are much stronger than others and different people will relate to different pieces but all in all, it’s a collection that resonates with our brand,” the designer states.

The first part is based on the journey of jamawar from Kashmir to Marseilles. Designing 14 unique pieces was definitely not a cakewalk for JJ Valaya. “I spent a significant amount of time in research, first sketches, colours, and details. I worked closely with the Obeetee design team on this project and it’s been a fabulous team effort. From conceptualisation to implementation, it was a journey in itself, but I’m glad that we got something unique out of it at the end,” he exclaims.