Innovation Craftsmanship Heritage

CRAFTSMANSHIP INNOVATION HERITAGE

LOCO DESIGN Founder Parminder Singh Pal Singh looks to make an imprint with his company. Having worked with product design development teams for some of the world’s most established luxury brands, he is perfectly placed to bring an Indian luxury furniture and accessories company to the global table.

Parminder, along with his business partner and brother, conceived Loco Design as a design house from which to initiate distinct streams of design business. Their combined energies have taken the company, which now encompasses its own brands, custom projects and services on a growth trajectory which sets to continue.

Loco Design set up Madheke as one of three related brands which celebrate fine craftsmanship. Madheke is driven by a passion to create the finest crafted furniture: its sister subsidiary line Pintark offers crafted surfaces (tiling, weaves and tapestries), and another Loco subsidiary, Taamaa, creates cosmopolitan design pieces aimed at “apartment living”, such as decor, accessories and board games.

The birth of Madheke as a lifestyle vision began 20 years ago, when Parminder started to become concerned with the direction in which Indian craft and heritage expertise was taking. “Product realisation lacked substance, with a typical look and feel, and the choice of materials was really conservative,” he says. “Our aim was to bring refined Indian craftsmanship and first-world technology together to create the finest products. A revival in confidence in the heritage crafts is key in sustaining a relevance for craftsmanship.”

Madheke’s furniture stands out with what Parminder calls its “craftcentric” vision. Pieces are rooted in tradition but have a modern feel due to subtle changes to form, or fine contemporary materials added to the finish. “Our customers have an evolved taste,” says Parminder. “They celebrate craftsmanship and are discerning enough to recognise that high-quality materials and finishes lend themselves to a distinguished product.”

“Creating brand relevance requires material innovation, contemporary use of crafting techniques and an aesthetic that sits at a juncture between traditional and forward thinking,” says Parminder. It’s this innovation that sets Madheke apart. The world’s strongest woven material, carbon fibre – developed for the automotive world and used as a key element in Formula One cars – is regularly on the brand’s hot list. You’ll even find a carbon-fibre coathanger in the brand’s signature Rialto Valet wardrobe, while its Norton dressing chair is made from carbon fibre, here used solely for aesthetic impact.

Launched in 2012, Madheke and Pintark have already developed a global, in-the-know following but both look set to make a bigger impact in the coming years. London’s architecture aficionados are already au fait with the brands after a Pintark material installation for the architectural practice Foster & Partners. High-end hospitality chains, yachts and private residences in Beijing, London and the Middle East are being decked out in Madheke. India’s business and entertainment A-list are all fans, and it is only a matter of time before the rest of the world wants a seat at the very same table.