An Artful Life
House Of Gharats is a design house creating conscious luxury for artful dressing and living. The old and new play off one another in perfect harmony. There is an undeniable appreciation for tradition and the antiquated, but also so much creative progression – and a love for beauty.
Founders
Neishaa & Pretam Gharat, founders of House of Gharats, endeavour to bring together various cultures, redefine cultural relationships, and create new style synergies through art and fashion. Living amidst London’s international hybrid city of cultures and its influential past results in objects that are profoundly modern, distinctively stylish, yet inherently classic.
Culture Of Craft
We are passionate about heritage arts and crafts, engaging with the makers and the process. Therefore our designs draw on the essence of tradition, cultural juxtapositions, stories, materials and function. In addition, heritage crafts, unconventional materials, sculptural tailoring, bold colours, fanciful details and artful prints speak our story. Our commitment is to make responsibly through sustainable practices.
“The influence of our native country, which can be felt through our collections, is grounded in tradition and timeless eccentricities, yet fearlessly modern.”
– NEISHAA GHARAT
“There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness.”
– MAHATMA GANDHI
Loved and Enduring
The objects that we choose to surround ourselves with, tend to be those with the strongest and deepest connections to our past, present, and future. In addition, they may embody fond memories or represent special people, but cherished things also reveal what we value—beauty, utility, knowledge, craft—and when assembled can function as a portrait in time.
Design
Design is one of the most powerful forces in our lives.
It is a superpower and with it, we can change the world.
Therefore, we believe that social and environmental issues go hand in hand and through exploring the connection between these issues we may find innovative design solutions to sustainability.
Kaye Goleta
I like how the combination of cultures inspires the designer’s work. This is shown on the website, along with the pop of colours shown on the pages which really shows the identity of the brand.
The page ‘The Neishaa Gharat for Oxfam Collection at London Mela 2013’ means a lot to me and is something that I can relate to as I like to buy clothes from charities to make a difference. Also, the fact that Neishaa and a team of volunteers re-created pieces from Oxfam to give them a new life and to illustrate “the creative capabilities of shopping at Oxfam”, is really powerful.
This can be linked to how sustainability has been positively represented on the website, which I find very important to talk about as it is an issue that should be dealt with especially in today’s society.
Rui
Things on the website that attracts me:
– Especially a sustainable fabric luxury design is standout
– Graceful colour theories therapy
– Culture background combination
Focused on colourful information shows to the audience accurately
Shows a story behind the pattern design
marie
-I am a passionate scarf collector myself because they are timeless pieces that are both wearable and beautiful to decorate a room with. I like the quote of living an artful life with purpose.
-I found it interesting to learn about new fibers such as sea cell fabric being used in your production process and how sustainability is a core issue to the brand.
-The appreciation of traditional craftsmanship with the idea of creating timeless pieces of quality that are made to last resonated with me.
Shanaz Hosany
Whilst looking at your website, the top three aspects which have captured my attention are:
• The identity of your products resembles the identity of your website. For example, your bold and colourful shapes and patterns on your products resemble the same characteristics on your website through the images taking the whole screen. in addition to this, you refer to this on your website by specifically talking about your colour theory behind depicting the identity in your Brand’s identity.
• The House of Gharats website has a clean and crisp aesthetic which is captured in a sophisticated way. This can be seen with your neutral pallet when designing the website, yet the scarfs being the pop of colour. This highlights what you are trying to sell appropriately.
• The scarfs are true to the traditional identity of India, but also is in fashion with modernity. Fashion is forever adapting and so creating scarfs which reflect the past history of India is significant whilst adapting it. I like how these cultural references are seen throughout your website with the quotes, for example, by Gandhi.
Ruben
House of Gharats is a brand I fell in love with. Ofcourse, the silk scarves are beautifull and of very good quality. But for me it is about the story of the brand and the vision of Neishaa. “Change the world one scarf at the time” is something I and everyone can help her with and I think that is great.
Beatrice Boidi
Looking at your website the three things that impressed me are:
– your ability to exploit the cultural meaning of a clothing item like a simple scarf in order to carry your message.
– the way your website is designed together with the strong interest you demonstrate towards the people which speak with you. I really appreciate the fact that you directly interact with your customer encouraging a very personal relationship.
– how the focus on sustainability is clearly underlined.
Mariana Felix
Regarding your brand and website, the fact that it mixes tradition and modernity is very exceptional. Being myself a fashion fan, it is indeed observable that trends are momentary nowadays. Joining culture and modernized aspects of the designs makes it very unique and inspiring. Beside being very colorful and lively, I admire that is also a brand that seeks to break the cycle of poverty.
Summarizing, the 3 aspects that touch me the most are, firstly, the importance of your heritage shown in your fashion, secondly the fact it helps a great cause, and thirdly, the aesthetic and quality of the entire brand.
Giulia
3 things on the website that mean something to you ?
-colour is EVERYWHERE! it feels warm and welcoming, fun and joyful.
-what I see is the product you’re selling, just as it is. I like that you focus on it, almost no models, no celebrities, just straight to the point, it’s something fresh and unique.
-the website tells a story of love for culture and heritage; the layout, the images chosen, the quotes, all reflect the perfect balance of history and innovation.
Jana
– I like the mix from traditional and modern style.
– Love the craftsmanship and the workmanship that go into creating your products.
– A company who cares about sustainability, Working in an environment with such positive values would be a pleasure for me.
Maria
1. “Culture of Craft” as a Design Management and Cultures student at UAL, the varying concepts of cultures always intrigues me. The way culture is used in this case builds up communities and connects design with various heritages and traditions. Craft is often regarded as a dying art form and seeing the House of Gharats re-invents the meaning of the words, inspires the designer in me.
2. “fearlessly modern.” There is often a struggle in the fashion culture between tradition, classical design and the concept of modernity. The house of Gharats manages to incorporate all these complex elements of classic design and tradition into its brand core and designs. Yet the modern element of the brand is by far the most impressive for me, as it’s risky and many design houses are afraid of it.
3. “a Love affair” It’s hard to find the balance between being and dressing professional and self-expression, especially in a metropolitan city such as London. I love the idea of bold and statement accessories, as they provide a middle ground for the above dilemma. As a young creative the enterprise world often seems closed off and restricted. Having something like a bold silk scarf, to act as this love affair between rules and freedom is inspiring.
Eryl Davies
– Fair working conditions for people who are creating ‘timeless pieces that can be passed down through generations’ (not fast fashion, which we need to step away from).
– Family Business hoping to change the world ‘one scarf at a time’!
– Creating viable livelihood opportunities.
Léa Maginot
The first thing on the website that means something to me is the “Culture Of Craft” section. The will to meet in one scarf, the tradition and culture of a country as well as a modern side, is a really exiting challenge. I am French and have a passion for history, culture and art. Being able to mix old and new is etched in my blood. A philosophy that I try to use in my way of dressing myself and decorating rooms.
The second thing that inspire me is the colours game between bright and yet sophisticated. It is present both on the home page of the website and on the scarves as well. The scarves not only are made to be dressed but also to express a feeling, a state of mind. It is inspiring.
The last thing that strikes me is the new purpose given to those scarves through an engaging design. Sustainability and innovation should become one, creating and thinking, wearing and being committed to a cause, an issue.
payal mohanty
1. The first thing that strikes me is the concept of the brand which clearly resonates with the images and graphical content of the website- color coordination, the arrangement of stories and pictures. Without reading about the brand, it slightly gives me an idea about the culture and heritage from where the products are coming from.
2. Live collaborations and pop up events- they attract me the most as it shows how raw and natural a brand can be.
3. https://www.houseofgharats.com/how-to-tie-a-scarf/- this is very useful and scarfs being such a special product and especially with Gharat pieces which are super unique with mostly prints all over… it is really helpful to assist the consumers in properly styling them. For me, Styling is the key to fashion.
Ana R
The first thing that caught my attention was the amount of bright color the site has, just like the design of the scarfs. The identity of the web resembles your products. Brand identity is en every corner of the web/blog.
The second thing is the brand values, the fact that House of Gharat follows the slow fashion movements. Sustainability has to be the future of fashion. In a very changing industry like fashion, we need timeless pieces.
Finally, the strong cultural and artistic styles; the mixture of tradition and modernity. Every pattern is incredible visually attractive and the storytelling behind each collection is very powerful.
Sarah Elliott
Identity, sustainability and craftsmanship are the three things that stood out to me when looking at the House of Gharats website.
I love that the brand focuses on the fusion of cultures and reflects Neishaas Indian heritage through the colours and imagery used. As an illustrator myself, this is what first attracted me to House of Gharats. However what resonates with me the most is the devotion Neishaa has to “change the world, one scarf at a time”. I admire her use of sustainable materials such as sea cell, her work with Oxfam in 2013 to encourage ethical consumption and also her appreciation of traditional craftsmanship in a world full of fast fashion.
I believe that to be an artist is a blessing but to contribute to a greater purpose is a responsibility.