Meet Mitun of Rajoori Silks

Hi Fellow Riders, we have been receiving lots of lovely comments about our store and our products from you all and we want to let you know that we really appreciate that you write back to us with such wonderful and kind words. Each message means a lot to us because we all know what busy lives we lead and to really go back and then bother to leave a word or two is not only an extremely sweet gesture, it keeps us going. So thank you and we look forward to hearing from you as always.

So we are back again with our series of designer interviews and this time with we talked to a very talented woman, creator of Rajboori Fine Silk Items

Meet Mitun Chakrabarti – the founder and designer of an eco-friendly and sustainable luxury home textiles company based in Vancouver, Canada.

Hi Mitun, we really appreciate you taking time out for our chat. We want to know so much about you and your internationally famous brand. So let’s get started J

                                                          

So let’s start with a little bit about yourself and how you started Rajboori.

Mitun: With an adventurous spirit, a passion for design, and a zest for entrepreneurship, I embarked upon an adventure called RAJBOORI as the Founder and Designer. Ever since my childhood in Calcutta, when I learnt how to paint and sketch as a hobby, I dreamed of creating my own designs for the home.  However, the journey to the world of design had its challenges and a few detours.  I moved to the US as a young woman pursuing undergraduate studies in Business and IT and an MBA at the University of Georgia and Georgia State University.  Eventually, I worked in corporate America in IT and general management areas for about 8 years.  But, something was always missing.

Constantly looking for inspiration in my surroundings and my passion for travel and learning about new cultures, the creative soul in me reigned strong.  Once my husband and I relocated from the US to beautiful Vancouver, the opportunity to start a new venture of my dreams awaited me. 

RAJBOORI was an obvious evolution.  Creating an upscale, contemporary, designer collection of luxe home textiles made from rare artisanal silks was a natural next step. An excellent pairing of my business experience and global inspired contemporary design aesthetic, RAJBOORI's Premiere Collection fills an important void in the global, home textiles market.

Combining contemporary design with traditional craftsmanship forms the core value of my design philosophy.  I work closely with the artisans in a village in North Eastern India and in Calcutta and strive to sustain a community one product at a time.

Wow, that’s an inspiring story. So many of us wish to follow our dreams but so few actually do. So when did you get started with the idea?  

Mitun: The concept of a luxury home textiles brand was in the making for a couple of years before the launch of RAJBOORI in 2009 at the New York International Gift Fair.  I had begun the research and sourcing process well ahead of time and spent a good amount of time in India in 2008 to conceptualize and create the debut collection for RAJBOORI.

Hmm. So tell us more about Rajboori – is there a theme? A process?  A cause?

Mitun: RAJBOORI is a premier offering in the space of home textiles where we combine contemporary design with traditional craftsmanship while incorporating eco-friendly Peace Silk and contributing to sustainability.  Rich and vibrant colors are playfully yet elegantly paired with crisp geometric shapes and patterns to create our pillows, coverlets, and quilts.  All the silks are hand-woven by an artisan weaver community and stitched by another group of artisan master craftsmen.  We use all natural materials to create our products so that comfort is still of a higher priority even though the products are luxurious.    

So how did you come up with the name for your brand? Does Rajboori mean something?

Mitun: When we were thinking of the name for the brand we were evaluating various options that would capture the regal and luxury element but also add some playfulness to the essence of the brand.  I didn’t want us to have a “stuffy”or “pretentious” feel as that’s not me. It needed to have elegance spiced with joviality and playfulness. So, RAJBOORI means Regal Old Woman as Raj stands for regal and “Boori” in Bengali means Old Woman.  Silk is a traditional and old textile and since our products are made from a rare silk, the brand name encapsulates that essence.  

Oh that’s a nice twist. Who would have thought Rajboori meant Regal Old Woman. Quite quirky in itself. So tell us what inspires you?

Mitun:  I just love to be involved in a creative process!  When I see things around me, in nature, in crafts, in everyday objects and they catch my eye, I try and find a way to make them look artistic and incorporate them into my designs. I love innovative and modern uses of the old. I am also an eternal optimist and I feel that through the results of my creative process, I can spread a little bit of cheer and share my optimism with others who can take that little piece of vibrant and cheerful RAJBOORI into their homes.  I feel that we all need to have positive elements around us to rejuvenate our spirits.

When I work closely with the artisans, I feel great!  It’s like witnessing magic happening before my eyes.  They are so skilled in their trade but I find that most of their work is very ethnic or traditional. My goal is to offer a contemporary spin to this traditional craftsmanship so the designs are more globally appealing and also suitable for the tastes and preferences of modern India. I’m very hands on in terms of my designs and my business in general and that has helped me immensely in developing a holistic view of every element that pertains to my work.  I always like to push the envelope in terms of design and through my work, help sustain the communities I work with.

I agree. Nature is truly inspiring and Rajboori does showcase all things vibrant and cheerful. We love the colors and patterns in every piece.

So do you admire any great artists or designers who has inspired you so to speak?

Mitun: Alexander McQueen, Missoni, Moroso, Tord Boontje, Pucci, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, to name a few.  However, I admire anyone who has followed their passion and succeeded in the world of creativity.

So apart from your work which is also your passion, what else do you love doing?

Mitun: I love to travel and my husband and I take off every time we get a chance.  I love meeting people from different backgrounds and cultures which enriches my soul and broadens my horizon. I love to write, read, paint and listen to music.    

Wow…writer, traveller, entrepreneur, painter – you are a woman of many passions trulyJ.

 So tell us are you working on something new?

Mitun: I am always looking for new inspiration and my last trip to India ended with a hurricane trip through a segment of Rajasthan.  I was blown away by the amount of creative inspiration that was around me and would love to incorporate that in my upcoming collections.  

India is truly full of creativity and inspiration. Now for all our dear readers, who are in various parts of the country, where can they find your stuff?

Mitun: At the moment, RAJBOORI is only available in Bangalore at The Orange Bicycle but we hope to have a storefront in another major metropolis in India soon.  Our products are available in global locations ( http://www.rajboori.com/store-locator) and through our website (sales@rajboori.com) 

So what would you say are the five things that you think is necessary to be successful?

Mitun: Passion, hard work, resourcefulness, confidence, and a very positive attitude.  Obviously, in case of a business venture, money is a big part but you can’t buy everything with money.  

So true! So lastly anything else you want to add/talk about - advice for other creative souls out there, business advice, how to draw inspiration for the non-creative souls, how to go about shaping your creativity and more.... 

Mitun: All I can say is, if you have the hunger and passion for something that you think would be a great venture, you should at least try it once.  Don’t be afraid of failure as long as you can pick yourself up and move along, having learnt from the mistakes you made.  Success doesn’t come very easily to everyone but if you believe in your work and if it’s a model or idea that should turn out to be a good venture, then you will be successful provided you put in the dues. 

Patience is a virtue I had to learn to cultivate.  Try to find the Blue Ocean to operate in and be on the lookout for upcoming trends and in which direction the world is moving.  This will help in moulding your ideas better and be on top of things.  The world we live in is very fast paced so being aware of our surroundings is going to be very critical.  Being innovative will also set you apart from your competitors

Lovely advice Mitun. It’s been a very very inspiring chat. Am sure our readers would love reading about you, about your brand, about your inspiration and practical pieces of advice. I know I loved hearing from you.

We wish you all the best for greater success, more stores in India and best of luck for the future.

Now for some recommendations – well we love color and her rangoli collection is a personal favourite. It actually reminds me of a colourful kite. Check out some images here to see what I mean.

Do come by to check her stuff if you haven’t already. You can see more of her design at www.rajboori.com