A Series of travel experiences lands you in the most creative mindset. For fashion and lifestyle brand Good Earth, it was the annual retreat of its design team to the Maldives last April that inspired the latest collection of decor, dining and textiles, titled Maladvipa.
According to Anita Lal, founder and creative director, Good Earth, Maladvipa, is formed from two Sanskrit root words – Mala, meaning garland, and Dvipa, meaning island – that ancient seafarers created a conjoined term for the island nation we know today, in English, as the Maldives.
She says, “Made up of over 1000 coral islands, the Maldives’ atolls float across the waves like bejewelled necklaces floating on the Indian Ocean.
"These coral-lined atolls are home to a startling variety of native Maldivian flora and fauna both on land and under the sea. And their forms and colours inspired the designers at our entire annual collection which celebrates the generous abundance of this small group of tropical islands.”
Lal has always been inspired by the calmness of the ocean along with the diversity of life that inhabits it. That’s why Maladvipa’s core message is of sustainability. She says, “Conserving this unique biodiversity of the islands, is something that we would like to focus on as an underlying message through this collection. We work not just towards sustaining crafts and traditions but also sustaining the planet and livelihoods.”
Talking about the highlights of the collection, Lal brings our focus to Maladvipa textiles which are inspired by the tropical foliage and flowers of the island such as the hibiscus, champacas, and passifloras.
These elements are included as colourful hand block printed patterns across quilts, bedspreads, table linen, and cushions.
Lal has also used recycled brass such as old locks for brassware décor items such as incense holders and metal boats which are inspired from the Maldivian dhonis (sailboats). “We have tried to capture and recreate the limitless beauty of these tropical islands,” Lal says.
Available at: Good Earth Stores across India and on its online portal