Heritage: Rustic Reflections

The old usually retains its charm by enthralling us with its stories. Here's a space that speaks about the nuances of creating a fine garment, weaving design elements that take clothing from being an object to a piece of art. The Heritage, a brand catering to men's Indian formal wear and Indo Western garments, recently unveiled their boutique store in New Delhi to quintessentially express the exquisite craftsmanship involved in creating these fine ethnic apparels.

Deepak Kalra of Ravish Mehra Deepak Kalra architects (RMDK), lead a team to design the space where the interior revolved around the brand's name HERITAGE.

The 2140 sq ft store, creates a striking impression right from the entrance, where the elevation is designed to stand out in an otherwise organically evolved market space, making a bold and clear statement. The entire façade made of burnt bricks, serves as a strong backdrop for a logo in copper sheen that dominates one's first visual impression.

Upon entering the store, the shoppers come across a multilayered & multicoloured screen of threads, with glass and metal alphabets from the word'Heritage' in two different languages, translating the art of weaving into interior hardware. The store is primarily divided into three zones which are men's ethnic wear, men's western wear and a tailoring zone that displays fabric options for customers to choose from.

From dark brown and copper hues to industrial fixtures, burnt bricks and reclaimed wood, all elements within the store create an impactful masculine environment. The exquisite backdrop acts as a perfect setting for each garment to be experienced as a piece of art.

A variety of rustic and reclaimed material has been tastefully incorporated into the design, where attention has been paid to detailing and using all materials in their true and honest form. Rusted iron, reclaimed wood with elements of polished and rustic copper support the theme.

Reclaimed parts of old looms enhance the heritage atmosphere, which are suspended from the ceiling to weave the display space with its threads. As a focal design element in the space, a solid reclaimed wooden counter with all its cracks and knots sits in the center of the space under a large customised light installation made of copper.

A staircase has been suspended by metal cables with rusted iron and copper fixtures, while garment display systems made with reclaimed wood and copper detailing further add to the charm of the space.

Speaking about the planning and execution of this project, the RMDK team reveals that it took them a period of over two years due to a pre-existing running shop and certain technical problems.

The brand played a crucial role in realising the design concept. RMDK believes the brand's owner Sunit Nanda's foresight and aspiration was a great help in creating the design. Constant bouncing of ideas back and forth with new additions and alterations every time lead the concept to its maturity.

"The store's design objective was to recreate the weaving environment using typical detailing, enticing the customer into a relaxed yet dramatic shopping experience,” says Deepak Kalra, RMDK