Legacy of sustainability taking our 100-year old carpet brand to new heights: Obeetee Chairman

From the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi, the Oberoi in Marrakesh and Sukhvillas, and all Taj and Oberoi properties to some of the best-dressed homes around the world - all have their floors laid out with distinctive Obeetee carpets. Obeetee rugs adorn almost all leading international boutique hotels such as New York's Sheraton Brooklyn, Soho House and Beekman Hotel. With zero tolerance towards imperfection, Kolkata-headquartered Luxmi Group, which owns this more than a century-old carpets brand, has been taking the largest manufacturer of rugs from India to newer heights. Speaking to Bizz Buzz exclusively, Rudra Chatterjee, Chairman, Obeetee, chronicles the best rugs manufacturing out of India

Many of our workers are fifth and sixth-generation weavers working from their own looms or homes, our structure ensures that their agrarian roots are not neglected. For 100 years, Obeetee carpets have infused colour, vitality, and creativity into homes, hotels, offices, and palaces; they adorn illustrious and historic properties worldwide

The US is a major market for us and accounts for 90% of the total exports, the balance being the rest of the world. We currently have our office in New York and also operations in the UK. Now. we are embarking on a new and exciting journey to expand our domestic business through different channels

How did this heritage carpet brand come your way?

It all started with three British gentlemen in 1920- Oakley, Bowden, and Taylor- in Mirzapur and that is why the name Obeetee. They gathered the finest local craftsmen in Mirzapur, a town renowned for its handmade carpets. They acquired a heritage bungalow in Mirzapur and it was here that the thought of introducing the artistry of Indian handmade rugs to the world, was born.

Rug-making is a passion, I acquired after graduating from Kolkata's St Xavier's College. My father, Dipankar Chatterjee, had bought a controlling stake in Obeetee. We were providing the working capital to the company. Still undecided about whether to pursue post-graduate studies or join the family business, I headed to Mirzapur, Obeetee's production base in eastern Uttar Pradesh, to oversee operations as Edward's understudy. Edward wasn't the first, but one of my key mentors. One of the lessons I learn from him and my father was to have zero tolerance towards imperfection. Today Luxmi Group is the major shareholder of this company which they acquired in 1976. Obeetee has grown to become the largest manufacture of rugs from India and indirectly became the most reliable source of income for over 25,000 skilled weavers.

What are the most significant steps you have taken since you took it over?

Obeetee is a dynamic, creative and ethical company, driven by design excellence, quality craftsmanship, and process innovation throughout its network of 25,000 independent weavers and its 100-year-old legacy. We have taken active initiatives towards each segment and work on the philosophy of sustainable future and inclusive growth for everybody associated with it.

Obeetee has grown to become the largest manufacturer of rugs from India. Many of our workers are fifth and sixth-generation weavers working from their own looms or homes, our structure ensures that their agrarian roots are not neglected. For 100 years, Obeetee carpets have infused colour, vitality, and creativity into homes, hotels, offices, and palaces; they adorn illustrious and historic properties worldwide. Our consumers and our weaving community lie at the heart of everything we do. Our 'Proud to be Indian' campaign was started to begin the process of documenting the first India-inspired rugs. Though India has been weaving rugs for the last 300 years, the designs and the colours have a distinct Persian, Turkish or Tibetan footprint. In the proud to be Indian campaign, we have collaborated with renowned fashion and textile experts who have designed the collections taking inspiration from the rich textile and craft repertoire of the country. We will continue this campaign bringing in as many different designers; as they all seek to express or showcase a different dimension of India.

We collaborated with Parsons School of Design for their MFA Textiles program that affords students the opportunity to the students to work with the Obeetee team to explore new markets, develop colours and patterns, introduce sustainability techniques to the brand, and create and innovate new design concepts for the global luxury market. We have also launched our retail store in Delhi and e-store website - www.obeetee.com with which our reach has become nationwide.

Even in this age of high decibel campaign, how did you manage to emerge as India's leading producer, exporter, and possibly the most premium brand of exquisite hand-knotted, hand-tufted, and flat woven carpet brand without all these?

The key factors in becoming what we are today were maintaining our legacy of sustainability and creating our community. Our community is our backbone with whom we have built Obeetee over the past 100 years. It is our vision to improve the quality of life and achieve inclusive growth for everyone associated with us. The ingredients that sustain us, are maintaining a uniquely robust artisanal production capability, indulging in innovation and experimentation, and an industry-leading commitment to social responsibility.

Obeetee is also the world's first licensee of the 'Woolmark' for hand-knotted rugs since 1969, and the first hand-made rug company in the world to become a brand partner with the 'Wools of New Zealand' mark in 1997. What do you do on this front?

Obeetee is a sustainable and environmental brand and uses practices that are in the interest of both. In carpet making, the wool used in the carpets is RWS certified wool, ensuring that the material is responsibly and ethically sourced. Using Woolmark and New Zealand wools make Obeetee carpets eco-friendly and as well the brand for the generations to come. The RWS is a voluntary global standard that addresses the welfare of sheep and land management practices, providing brands with a key differentiation and complete traceability of the wool.

What is the price range?

The product range is from Rs250 to Rs11,000 per square ft. We have products that are at all different price points like a one-stop shop for rugs- the spectrum of qualities range from Flatweaves to tufted and knotted. Our beautiful floor coverings range from Rs200 per sq ft to Rs11,000 a square foot. There is a carpet for every genre of space be it minimal, bohemian, eclectic, or classical.

Which are the countries you export to?

The US is a major market for us and accounts for 90 per cent of the total exports, the balance being the rest of the world. We currently have our office in New York and also operations in the UK. Now we are embarking on a new and exciting journey to expand our domestic business through different channels.

What would be the percentage wise break up of institutional sales and individual sales?

In the domestic market, the breakup would be 60 per cent Institutional sales (mostly Hospitality industry and Government projects.) Our retail stores and online channels service the category of Individual sales, which makes up for 40 per cent of our total domestic business. The export is totally a B2B industry supplying to many international home décor and furniture brands.