Heimtextil India and Ambiente India—two of the world’s finest home fashion business exhibitions—recently held their fifth edition in the national capital. The two events were held between 27-29 June at Delhi’s Pragati Maidan. The Minister of State for Textiles, Ajay Tamta, inaugurated the proceedings, along with Raj Manek, Executive Director of Messe Frankfurt Asia Holding Ltd. among other dignitaries.
Speaking at the inauguration, Tamta said, “I’m glad to be present here at the inauguration of the 5th edition of Heimtextil and Ambiente India trade fairs. It’s an honour for Indian handlooms and textiles to be present here and I’d like to congratulate Messe Frankfurt for this initiative. India has been a part of this global event since the past editions and I also got a chance to attend it in Germany. It has been creating job opportunities for small-scale handloom and textile artistes.”
He further added: “This yearly event also gives a push to the Indian economy—both for handlooms and handicrafts. I’ve been told that many National Award winners and veterans have taken part in this event and it is great to see the industry coming together for this show.”
He also addressed the gathering, which included the industry’s new and leading brands presenting the latest collections for the Indian market.
The three-day fair was organised by Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India. They brought more than 150 top manufacturers and suppliers of the home textiles and interior décor industry from across India, as well as from China, Indonesia, Switzerland and Thailand under one roof.
The exhibition also provided a platform to several startups, as well as reputed companies like D’décor, Reliance, Aditya Birla, Hira Hastkala, and Solidbench among many others.
Highlighting the events designed exclusively for the business fraternity, Raj Manek said, “Every edition of the co-located show has successfully managed to curate exclusive programmes for the benefit of its buyers and exhibitors. Along with a host of new displays, zones and insightful sessions, this edition has a specially designed pavilion by ‘Cohands’ that will display India’s legacy in art and design by highly acclaimed National Awardees.”
The Council of Handicrafts Development Corporations’ specially curated ‘Cohands’ Pavilion brought together figures like the Padamshree and National Awardee Prakash Lakhwal; National Awardees Vivekananda Bagchi, Sneh Gangal, and Kamlesh Jangid; Shilp Guru Awardees Har Krishan, Mohd. Matloob and Brahmdeo Ram Pandit—just to name a few who displayed their work in traditional Indian crafts here.
Together, the awardees displayed traditionally crafted products with a contemporary touch—from miniature paintings, to terracotta, cane and bamboo arts; from wood carvings and wood inlays, to Mithila paintings.
At the side events here, one could witness a plethora of modern design concepts, native décor themes, art, colour trends and fresh business ideas. From themed exhibits to inspiring product designs, to seminar sessions and experience zones, the platform offered a quality experience in terms of business and industry networking.
On the first day, Heimtextil India and Ambiente India 2018 hosted the Interior Lifestyle Awards, to honour creative masters from the interior décor and home textile sectors, who will now represent India on a global platform at the next edition of Ambiente and Heimtextil in Frankfurt.
With over 500 entries from around the nation, it was a tough task for the jury to choose the winners. Ace designers Leena Singh, Alex Davis and Lipika Sud were given the responsibility to pick the winners for the two designated spots. But this time there were three winners—Jaya Kanwar for home textile; and Hitesh Sharma and Pravin Singh Solanki for home décor.
Hitesh Sharma, founder of Solidbench, spoke to Guardian 20 about his experience. He said, “Me and my partner, Anant Khirbat, never expected that we will get this opportunity to present our brand globally on such a big platform.”
He informed us that he had received a mail from the organisers saying that they can showcase their collection at the exhibition. Among 500 entries from across the world, 11 applicants were given the opportunity to showcase their collection at the Delhi exhibition, in home décor and home textile categories.
Sharma added, “We are delighted that our brand got selected to showcase globally at Frankfurt next year.”