We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashish Bajoria a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashish, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Ashish Bajoria (Co founder): I went on to run my family engineering business successfully, which gave me the opportunity to travel the world and open my vision to world art and design. Suman Kanodia (sister and Co Founder): I have been a dreamer and an interior designer for more than two decades and planned homes and commercial spaces all over the country.
We combined our common passion for design to form Scarlet Splendour with a view to integrate our maximalist sensibilities with a world view and become, possibly, the first design editors in India.
Our maiden collection – Vanilla Noir, was with Italian maverick, Matteo Cibic. For this collection, Matteo Cibic ‘invented’ a new resin material to replicate ivory inlay. He was inspired by the Indian handicraft of bone and horn inlay, and wanted to elevate the indigenous artistry so that it would have an urban flair and international appeal. It was challenging to create pieces in which one might recognize not only Indian technique and but also Italian design and finesse. Now it has become our most note worthy and iconic collection.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Ashish Bajoria and Suman Kanodia founded Scarlet Splendour in 2014. The siblings grew up in Kolkata, India with a deep sense of appreciation for the aesthetic. They combined their mutual passion for design to form Scarlet Splendour, with a view to integrate their maximalist sensibilities and become, possibly, the first design editors in India. They set out to create trailblazing furniture, lighting, and rugs on the borders of classical and modern, whimsical and serious, and functional and dramatic. Scarlet Splendour has collaborated with international stores, press agencies, artists, and designers to transform and take local craftsmanship to global levels. The company heralds a blend of cultures and transcends geographical boundaries to achieve the extraordinary in the design world.
Scarlet Splendour was launched at Spazio Rossana Orlandi during the Milan Design Week 2015. Their debut collections were born out of the genius of Matteo Cibic from Vicenza, Italy. He has won the 2017 Elle Decor International Design Award in the Young Talent category.
In addition to Matteo Cibic’s designs, the Scarlet Splendour portfolio contains a range of work from Karim Rashid, Richard Hutten, Richard Yasmine, Elena Salmistraro and Nika Zupanc- who has been called “the real star” by The Wall Street Journal.
Since Milan 2015 and following exhibitions, Scarlet Splendour has increased its collaborations with designers of international acclaim and the latest is the Artefatto Design Studio from London.
In 2018 Scarlet Splendour participated in the Salone del Mobile. Milano, a milestone not only in the company’s young history, but also in the history of the global presence of India’s design fraternity.
This year, Scarlet Splendour created history by being one of the very few Indian brands to showcase at iconic design store 10 Corso Como in Milan, during Fourisalone.
Scarlet Splendour combines its exquisite artistry with immaculate design to evoke decadence and timelessness. We invite you to experience its avant garde aesthetic, and share our passion for luxury.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Maximum is the new minimum. We unabashedly believe that more is more and that there is no excess. It’s nice to have an object of utility that is fantastically designed and brings a smile to the owner’s face. Since its launch, the brand has created a niche for their trailblazing designs, as they break away from conventional and standardized furniture forms. Our products are now called “functional art.” In six and a half years, we believe, we have created a brand that is known for its avant-garde designs and exemplary quality by seamlessly integrating international designs with Indian craftsmanship, to create path-breaking products.
So its important to have a unique voice, and even more important to stick with it. Success for us has been slow but steady, which is what everybody should aim for.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

We share stories on Instagram on a regular basis as the platform has proven to be most engaging and lucrative for us. We follow monthly editorial plans based on the current campaign or series that we are working on. Sometimes if a new event or important designer or photos of spaces with our products comes unexpectedly, we rework our plans to ensure the grid is maintained. Reels have proven to be very successful as well in terms of reach and enquiries. Posts are published on alternate days across Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest and Instagram. Video content is updated on YouTube as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.scarletsplendour.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarlet_splendour/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScarletSplendour
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/luxe_scarlet