Interview with Simran Lal: Founder of Indian Home & Fashion Brand Nicobar

Today's feature is on newly launched Indian lifestyle brand Nicobar, a home decor and fashion brand taking India by storm. Nicobar has just celebrated its first 100 days in business, but this lifestyle brand is already capturing the attention of international audiences with their use of beautiful natural materials and modern silhouettes. 

Nicobar was founded by Simran Lal along with her husband Raul Rai. Simran's experience in the lifestyle industry began with her role as CEO of Good Earth, a long-standing cult brand in India recognized for reviving authentic Indian craft in luxury design. The success of Good Earth motivated Simran to launch another lifestyle brand with a contemporary feel, while still maintaining the essence of India. This brand was Nicobar.  

Kumarkom Printed Sham - Indigo

Hathi Mug illustrated with India's history and tropical landscapes. 

"Modern Indian is our playground: rich with tradition, and at home everywhere."

BEHIND THE NICOBAR NAME:

If you're wondering how they chose the company name, there's a story there. Nicobar are a set of islands in the Indian Ocean known for natural beauty and relaxation. The Nicobar brand was inspired by the Indian Ocean, the Spice Route, and a relaxed island aesthetic. This relaxed island inspiration is at the center of the Nicobar brand. 

THE CROSSROADS OF TRADITIONAL INDIAN CRAFT AND CONTEMPORARY STYLE:

I absolutely love Nicobar's refreshing home collections. The designs are unique and contemporary, yet grounded in traditional Indian design with pops of natural elements like wood and marble. Co-founder Simran Lal comes from an entrepreneurial family and watched her mother launch Good Earth. Good Earth has now been a thriving and well known company in India for over 20 years. Simran's experience and appreciation for Good Earth motivated her to create something new and fresh - Nicobar! Her interest in art history, Indian's rich cultural heritage, and old world and natural textile processes have all become intertwined into Nicobar's modern brand. 

Nicobar blends old world craft with contemporary style by utilizing these old world processes that have been around for centuries such as weaving handloom fabrics and creating fabrics printed with natural dyes. Also noteworthy is that all of Nicobar's fabrics are natural if not handloom woven, which is actually totally on trend! For the contemporary twist, Nicobar's home decor and fashion collections utilize cotton, linen, and silk in Western silhouettes while maintaining an Indian identity.

(Right) Verandah Lime Green Cocktail Napkins, (Left) Verandah Stripe Dinner Napkins in soft gray

Mahe Botanical Cushion

Nicobar is also a cutting edge fashion brand...

"Nicobar is much more than just fabric and thread. At Nicobar we're creating a modern Indian way of living, dressing, and looking at the world."

Polka wrap top - cotton silk

Jinan trouser - Indigo

Cotton Tie Top shown in "multi checks" design.

LAUNCHING THE COMPANY:

Although Nicobar is only a start-up, it is a company that has been 12 years in the making. Founders Raul and Simran are an amazing husband-wife business duo who each bring different skills and background to the table. Simran says that her husband has facilitated the hiring of a fantastic team, who have been instrumental in the building and launching of Nicobar over the last year and a half. 

Simran's keys to success have been allowing for serendipity and taking time to plan for her upcoming week ahead of time. Most importantly, Simran and Raul took their time conceptualizing Nicobar as a brand. Now after starting their business digitally and having been in business just over 100 days, Nicobar has already opened several thriving stores!

Striped tunic in linen-cotton blend.

Layer dress in lime.

Polka pleated wrap dress

THE NICOBAR STUDIO:

Simran describes the Nicobar studio as always buzzing like a beehive. There is no typical day and not a dull second. One moment Simran is discussing fabric and product development, the next she's mentoring younger employees and handling business matters. When it's time to develop new collections, Simran builds creative mood boards to inspire each season, utilizing global locations, unique fabrics, and fine art as the foundation for new collections. One of Simran's favorite work activities is fabric hunting. Simran also regularly goes on factory visits and is always looking for ways to assist her employees and improve Nicobar's products.

Photo of Simran Lal at home, Nicobar Co-Founder/CEO of Good Earth (India). | Pillows shown: (back) Verandah Botanical Cushion - Ivory (front) Ikat Chevron Pillow

One sign of great design is being able to fill your home with the items and achieve an elegant and relaxed look. Nicobar's founder and Creative Director Simran Lal allows us a peek insider her home which holds special Nicobar elements throughout. As you continue to read you'll also find a few photos of the lovely home of Arya Nerker, the Head of Design for Nicobar's Home Decor. 

Home of Nicobar Founder, Simran Lal. | Marble Cheese Board with slicer | Verandah Candy Stripe Runner

Home of Nicobar Founder, Simran Lal.

Head of Design for Nicobar's Home Decor, Arya Nerker. | Aguada Quarter Plate in Lime | Aguada Oval Platter in Lime 

THE DESIGN PROCESS:

I also had the opportunity to speak with Nicobar's Head of Design for their Home Decor department, Arya Nerker, who shared a bit about Nicobar's design process. Arya notes that Nicbor as a company takes a very collaborative approach toward designing new collections. Their team often selects a global location of interest as the base for each collection, such as Gujarat and the Zanzibar spice route, two of their current design inspirations. Then each department interprets the global inspiration to develop contemporary home decor and fashion designs. They research the history of the area they are featuring, for instance studying the intricate door carvings of Zanzibar, where many Gujarati individuals traveled to in Africa over 100 years ago. These antique wood carvings are done in a specific style and depict ancient history which Nicobar has introduced into their contemporary designs.

Home of Arya Nerker, Nicobar's Head of Design for Home Decor

Home of Arya Nerker, Nicobar's Head of Design for Home Decor

Home of Arya Nerker, Nicobar's Head of Design for Home Decor. | Ele Palm Tea pot | Ele Palm Sugar Pot |  Andromeda Drop Vase in Mercury glass

AN AVERAGE DAY AT NICOBAR:

Nicobar's team refers to their amazing studio as “the tree house”. They work in a beautiful open-floorplan farmhouse about 30-40 minutes outside of downtown Delhi and their property has plenty of space, filled with lush trees. Nicobar teams meet at the start of the day to determine a plan for the day. The home decor department tests prints on various fabrics, with Arya Nerker giving approvals. One or two times a week they sit with Simran and focus on the direction of larger projects. Simran and the Nicobar team also work to ensure that both the home decor and fashion collections are cohesive. The team is constantly makes tweaks to their products until the very end of the production process. Nicobar's open office plan really helps with making these decisions and determinations collaboratively.

(Right) Marble & Wood Cake Stand, small and large sizes available. (Left) Kumarakon Floral Cushion - Indigo and orange

Jute table runner with silver accent and Andromeda Lota Vase in mercury glass.

Marble Olive Boat, small and large sizes available. 

Stripes Placemats (Set of 2) and Verandah Stripe Dinner Napkins in soft gray.

Nicobar's mission is to enhance self-expression, and to make thoughtful pieces that customers will treasure, all while exploring the creative edge of rich Indian culture, and considering how it communicates to a global audience.

Nicobar founder and Creative Director, Simran Lal (right) with Nicobar's Head of Design for Home Decor, Arya Nerker (left).

Verandah Botanical Cushion in Aqua.

Nicobar has launched an impressive, globally conscious brand retailing truly unique home decor and fashion designs. If you love this fantastic brand as much as I do, you'll be glad to know that Nicobar ships internationally. Visit the Nicobar website to enjoy more of their cutting edge designs.  

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A Chat with 'Injiri' label Textile Designer - Chinar Farooqui

Chinar Farooqui is a textile and clothing designer based in Japur, Rajasthan, India. Her passion lies in studying traditional textiles and dress, and the stories behind them. One can often find her spending hours in museums studying the folk garment collections. She finds a lot of inspiration from her travels as well, observing local lifestyles of people. Founded in 2009, her label 'Injiri' is the outcome of her interests in traditional textiles and garments. I am pleased to share my interview with textile designer Chinar Farooqui with you today in honor of her two new collections 'Ahir' and 'Recycle', for her innovative home and fashion label Injiri.

Hand-woven design from China Farooqui's label 'Injiri'.

Jacquin: What is inspiring you creatively at the moment?

Chinar: I am most inspired by vintage aesthetics, specifically in the way traditional people use textiles and the way they sew their garments. I am drawn a lot to Moroccan and Turkish textiles at the moment, as well. The inspiration for most of my garments comes from the local dressing styles of rural India and other folk cultures from around the word. It is the simplest work clothes of peasants, farmers and common man that inspires me most. 

"Being a student of textiles, I love the hand-loom.  It's more about celebrating the entire process of hand-weaving - and the clothes are actually little stories  about the textiles they are made of."   ~Chinar Farooqui

Original textile and weaving design from Chinar Farooqui's Injiri label. 

Jacquin: How did you develop your new collections? I would love to learn about the process.

Chinar: I design the textiles first with impressions I have in mind - these are usually visuals impressions that are carried with me from my travels. I do a set of drawings and illustrations as I develop each collection. I then sit with the weavers to interpret the visuals and drawings. I use their traditional textiles as references for techniques that I'd like to use from their existing vocabulary. This helps tremendously - as in India traditional textile techniques are region specific (like most places around the world). I develop all the patterns in close association with the weavers who then replicate it for production.

Hand-woven pillows from Injiri's new "Ahir" collection.

Injiri's new collection 'Ahir' (above) features bold and bright colors. Ahir is the namesake of the Ahir caste, and ethnic group migrated into India from Central Asia during the early Christian era. For generations they have been farmers, herders, and warriors. The elaborate costumes of the Ahir women have infused bright colors into the new Injiri home collections. 

An Ahir woman dressed in traditional garb, infused with colors, shapes and patterns. 

Jacquin: I had the opportunity to live in Jaipur (India) for a few months and I really enjoyed it. It's such a beautiful and traditional city. How does life in Jaipur, Rajasthan influence you as an artist? 

Chinar: Jaipur is extremely relaxed and full of traditional crafts. There are still many living traditions in Jaipur that artists can work with. I think my work is mainly influenced by the folk costumes and traditional textiles of Jaipur - but in terms of developing a local skill, there is only one collection in which I worked with the block printers from the city of Jaipur. I generally like the feel of living in Jaipur, which can be a very inspirational place.

Photo taken in the streets of Gujurat, India, where many Ahir people dwell.

Injiri's new collection 'Recycle' (below) has a traditional North Indian essence with a modern spin. The Recycle collection is created with leftover fabrics from weavers' workshops throughout Gujurat and Rajasthan. Threads of cotton are first dyed into different shades of indigo blue, then tufted by hand and sewn into pillows and rugs. The rough and shaggy texture of this collection brings a down-to-earth feel, delightfully refreshing and free-spirited.

Injiri Pillow from new collection "Recyle" by Chinar Farooqui, dyed in varying shades of indigo.

Jacquin: You've mentioned that you also take inspiration from other folk cultures outside of India? Which other cultures have you looked to for inspiration?

Chinar: I often look to traditional work clothes from Europe for inspiration. There is a museum in Birgimghan where I spent many days studying traditional European smocks. I think that was a big influence on the way I looked at the traditional clothing world. Although it's a different inspiration than provided with Indian dress, there is still a common thread that links the way folk costumes have been cut and sewn and its usage globally.

Jacquin: What would a perfect day be like for you?

Chinar: Textile and garment design are close to my heart, so it's important that I spend time creating. A perfect day is on in which I have achieved enough in terms of my creative work. Since my work involves many other aspects of business, I do have days in which I do not find enough time to do creative things - and therefore I really have to strike the right balance.

Shop Chinar Farooqui's new Injiri collections 'Ahir' and 'Recycle' through Minzuu, an excellent globally inspired boutique. Also, learn more about Minzuu and their unique global model in my recent interview and home tour with founder Yilan Song. Have a lovely weekend!

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Chinese Chicken Noodle Samosas - A Global Recipe

Ever wondered whether a samosa can be created with a unique Chinese spin? Well, then look out for this recipe for crisp Chinese Chicken Noodle Samosas. They are a gorgeous and delicious treat.

This recipe is brought to us by talented food blogger Farrukh Aziz Ansari of Cubes N Juliennes blog. Farrukh resides in Bangalore, India where she enjoys preparing inventive meals for her husband and two children. Farrukh especially loves surprising her family with unique variations on traditional recipes. Today's recipe for Chinese Chicken Noodle Samosas happens to be Farrukh's son's favorite snack! Whenever it comes time to make this tasty treat, she prepares them in bulk and freezes the samosas for a quick snack for weeks to come. Then whenever the crispy snack is in demand, she just fries the samosas right out of the freezer, which inevitably leads to an extremely happy son and family. Here's how to prepare your own Chinese Chicken Noodle Samosas at home.

Ingredients:

• 25-27 samosa wraps (or make your own samosa wraps with these directions from Williams-Sonoma)

• 400 grams, boneless chicken that has been boiled and shredded (or about 1 pound of chicken)

• 150 grams of hakka noodles (You can use any hakka noodle flavor or substitute with another Asian noodle type if necessary. 1 pack of hakka noodles should be enough.)

• 2 cups of shredded cabbage

• ¼ cup of finely chopped carrots

• ¼ cup of french beans finely chopped

• 1 cup of spring onion greens, chopped

• ½ cup of spring onion bulbs, finely sliced

• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped garlic

• 1 tablespoon of grated ginger

• 2 teaspoons of dark soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce (or oyster-mushroom sauce)

• 2 tablespoons of red chili sauce, or to taste (Sriracha hot sauce)

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 3 tablespoons of sesame oil

• 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour

• Water (to make a paste)

Instructions:

Step 1 - Boil the noodles as per packet instructions. Set aside.

Step 2 - In a wok or round bottom pan, heat sesame oil. Add garlic and ginger, fry until light brown and aromatic. Do not burn it.

Step 3 - Add sliced spring onion bulbs and fry for 2 minutes on high heat.

Step 4 - Add finely chopped french beans and sauté on high heat for few minutes until raw smell is no longer present. Add carrot and shredded cabbage and toss on high heat for few minutes (No water released from cabbage should remain, so toss well on very high heat taking care that it doesn’t burn.)

Step 5 - Add all-in-one  sauce, red chili sauce, dark soy and toss well. Then add capsicum and toss well for couple of minutes.

Step 6 - Add shredded chicken, boiled noodles, salt and pepper, toss well such that everything is mixed well. Remove from heat. Allow the mixture to cool completely.

Step 7 - Add chopped spring onion greens to the chicken noodles mixture and mix well. Sit aside.

Step 8 - Make a paste of 3 tablespoons flour mixed with a little water to create a paste. 

Step 9 - Make a cone shape out of the samosa wrap, fill with the prepared mixture and wrap the sides to form a triangle. Seal the edges using a flour paste. Do not overfill the cone with the mixture as it may cause the samosa to tear or overflow.

Step 10 - Repeat the same procedure till all of the mixture is used. At this stage if you to freeze them, place the samosas on the tray such that they don't stick to one other and freeze them for few hours. Once frozen, take them all and store them in a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

Step 11 - Heat oil in deep frying pan, or a kadhai.  Once oil gets hot, reduce the heat to medium-high and fry the samosas well, till crisp and golden brown.  Do not fry on high heat to avoid burning of the samosas.

Cubes N Juliennes is a clear evidence of my passion for cooking. The exotic food blog has turned my daily home-made dishes into a gastronomic collection of recipes, depicting a variety of cuisines and cooking styles. I always ensure to give my best in whatever dish I make for my family. I feel so glad when I see my small beautiful family relishing the food stuffs made by me. What more could a mother and wife ask for than seeing her family adoring the food she prepares and earning accolades from them!! This is what makes me the gladdest mother and wife.

- Farrukh Aziz Ansari

Stop by Cubes N Juliennes, a truly inspirational food blog, and say hello to Farrukh! Farrukh also has a beautiful Instagram page where she shares her latest gastronomic creations, so be sure to follow Cubes N Juliennes on Instagram, as well. Bon appetit! 

*Click here for more recipes on Interiors by Jacquin*

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Globetrotting in Style: Exploring Bangalore, India

Hey there! I'm Ashima Sharma, a lifestyle entrepreneur, freelance writer & travel blogger and the co-founder of the The Logical Traveler blog. I moved to Bangalore a couple of years back and it’s a city that rocks pretty much 24/7.  Whether you want to shop, chill out in the evening or just enjoy the pleasant weather, this place has it all. So here I am super excited to share some places that are a must visit in Bangalore, India.  

1. UB City Luxury Shopping Complex - It’s one of the finest spots to experience, as well as a very classy place. It gives you a feeling of having a fine lunch while also being great in the evening for enjoying the Bangalore breeze. This place is centrally located in Bangalore city, which makes it accessible for everyone. It has cuisines ranging from Indian, French, Asian, Mexican and Italian, to name a few. 

My favorite place in UB City is Cafe Noir. It represents the ‘French Art De Vivre’ offering a perfect outdoor ambiance for customers to enjoy the beautiful Bangalore weather. Along with a range of French cuisine, they have the best French Deli Corner. Here's what I recommend for a delicious meal. 

What to order at Cafe Noir: 

-Main Course: Minute Beef Steak, teamed up with a glass of Red Wine.

-Dessert: Chocolate Mousse 

Once you're here, you just have to check out the awesome stores that this place offers.  Its ranges from chic international fashion brand, Aviraté,  - to one stop solution for all your sartorial needs. This shopping district also features your classics, from Burberry to Louis Vuitton... and how can we forget the watches? Well, there is an entire alley of watch stores from Rolex, Seiko, Zimson, Tag Heuer and Omega to name a few.

2. Arbor Brewing Company: To experience one of the finest craft beers in town, this is the place to be! Their bar offers a selection of wine and liquor in addition to their award-winning beer.

What to Order at Arbor Brewing Co.– A must try is the Raging Elephant Beer.  To team it up with a delicious appetizer, you’ve got to try the Florentine Stuffed Chicken.

3. The Leela Palace Hotel – This hotel covers over 9 acres of lush gardens and cascading waterfalls. It gives you a true feeling of an Indian palace. It has a royal look and feel, yet designed in a modern way, so you're still getting a rich feel of Indian Culture. 

The Library Bar at The Leela Palace Hotel– A place you’d certainly like to drop by. Its decor combines Victorian leather and dark-wood furniture, and is an upscale experience like no other place in Bangalore. While you’re sipping one of the vintage malts, you can absorb the ambiance of the space as well. 

The Collonnade at The Leela Palace Hotel- (inspired from the term ‘Colonnade’ resembles a series of giant pillars) If you’d like to shop for some Indian Designer fashion, with or without a hint of modern touch, this is the perfect place to shop. However, if you’d like to relax and have a cup of coffee or read a book, then Cafe Collonnade is a must try!  

What to Order at The Collonnade – Café Frappuccino and the Blueberry Muffin

So now you know the top 3 places to visit when you're here in Bangalore, India! The pictures I shared do not do complete justice to these place, so you’ve got to see it and experience it for yourselves. The more you explore Bangalore, the more it grows on you and and trust me, you’ll love it! I hope I've tempted you to drop by Bangalore when you're enjoying your next vacation in India.

Ashima in front of the waterfalls at The Leela Palace Hotel.

Ashima Sharma is an Entrepreneur, Freelance writer and Travel Blogger. She travels to experience different cultures and cuisines and also makes new friends along the way. Her objective is to inspire people to ‘Travel More with Less’! To learn about her and get inspired to travel, pay a visit to The Logical Traveler.

Photo credits: Shreyash Sharma, Co-Founder, The Logical Traveler

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