Good Earth Unveils their Farah Baksh Design Collection 2012-2013

Good Earth’s Design Collection 2012-2013 Farah Baksh celebrates the sophistication and finesse of the arts and crafts that have flourished in the Kashmir Valley.
Simran Lal and Beenu Bawa (both dressed in Farah Baksh creations) hosted a brunch to unveil Good Earth’s latest décor and apparel line ‘Farah Baksh’ at Good Earth , Raghuvanshi Mills , Lower Parel Mumbai.

Romance and song sequences in the breathtaking landscape of Kashmir are associated in our collective memory with the flamboyant heartthrob of Indian cinema, Shammi Kapoor. Goodearth presents the Dashing Hero Collection as an ode to the handsome star who embodied joie de vivre and will live forever through the songs we remember him for.

The era of Shammi Kapoor-Kashmir romance was recreated by an exuberant Flash Mob choreographed by Amey Mehta to the euphonious numbers from the legend’s blockbuster movies. The Shammi Shimmy was one of the highlights at the Good Earth brunch ! Guests and staff joined in impromptu to the catchy tunes as an ode to Kashmir.

Celebs who mingled over the Kasmir inspired décor line and the lavish luncheon included doyen Anita Lal, Krsna Mehta, Saryu Doshi, Bandana Tiwari, Haseena Jethmalani, Anil Chopra, Dolly Thakore, Divya palat & Aditya hitkari, Sabina Singh, Sona Mohapatra, VJ Juhi Pandey, Avan Contractor, Vikram Raizada, Neetu Hinduja, Nachiket Barve, Sabina Chopra, Farhat Jamal, Kadambari Lakhani, Nishka Lulla, Leetu Shivdasani, Payal Khandwala, Carol Gracias, Little Shilpa, Diandra Soares, Akanksha Nanda, Zeba Kohli, Divya Thakore, Bharat&Priyali Mahtani, Sanvari Alagh Nair, Saryu Doshi, Rahul Akerkar, Anjana Sharma, Farhad Samar, Shahid Datawala, Sheena Sippy, Pria Kataria Puri etc.

Good Earth’s annual design collection Farah Baksh has been inspired by the Kashmiri Heritage and its sophisticated design sensibilities. The collection is an eclectic mix of cushion covers, dinnerware, centerpieces, bed linen and apparel. The Dashing Hero collection, which is an ode to Shammi Kapoor and his joie de vivre in the Kashmir Valley, lends a kitschy and edgy twist to the collection. With Kashmir heritage being the crux of the design concept, Farah Baksh is expected to be a mainstay at the Good Earth stores for the next one year, with new design launches every month.

MUGHAL GARDENS
In 1619, on the edge of the Dal lake in Srinagar, the Mughal emperor Jehangir create a pleasure garden for his beloved empress Nur Jehan, in the Persian Chahar Bagh style and named it Farah Baksh, the bestower of delight.
It is, however, now known by its original name Shalimar, which means abode of love in Sanskrit and can be traced back to king Pravarsena II who created a sacred grove on the same spot on the Dal Lake in the 6th century AD.

DESIGN LEGACY OF BUTAH- KAIRI- PAISLEY
The Kashmiri pashmina shawl, with its intricately woven butah and kairi patterns, symbolizes the ultimate refinement and defines true luxury. The Butah and Kairi designs, perfected in Kashmir are ironically now known as Paisley worldwide.
Paisley was a town in Scotland where they copied and mass-produced the Kashmiri shawl. They could never rival or even come close to the original handwoven jamawars of Kashmir and ultimately the mills in Paisley closed down.
The world of design owes a debt to the unsung craftspeople of Kashmir who combined the highest degree of art with craft to create masterpieces in shawls that have been admired and coveted the world over.
Their design directory, developed over centuries, has inspired designers around the world.
KASHMIR HERITAGE
Drawing from the imagery of the Butah, Kairi and the Gardens of Kashmir, we have designed a range of bed linen, cushions, dinner service, tea sets, glasses and decorative accessories for the Home. We have also created a line of scarves, shawls and apparel inspired by the patterns of Kashmir.
Working with the Naqashi karigars, we have designed a new line of papier-mache, which is contemporary and yet retains the spirit of their tradition.
POPULAR CULTURE
We celebrate the imagery of Kashmir in popular Cinema though a design called Dashing Hero, which is an ode to Shammi Kapoor, who embodied the spirit of Romance.
If Kashmir is the locale of our dreams then the dashing Shammi Kapoor is the hero of these dreams.