Devarshy Arts

A Delhi based organization thriving on its promise to deliver quality-driven products, blended with fashion and art, Devarshy Arts International, is anything but your regular manufacturer of home furnishing products. After making its mark in the apparel and accessories segment, the company has recently extended its production base into the home products segment and just six months into the business, the company has already managed to create a distinct identity for itself through its products that offers complete ranges in digital prints…

With the foundation of the company being based on creativity and design, Parijat Devarshy, Owner, Devarshy Arts International, initiated the company in 2008 with an intention to make art a part of people’s daily lives, offering products with digital prints that recreate work of artist from around the world. While, initially the manufacturing and design studio of the company were both located in Delhi, but with labour cost shooting up, the manufacturing has since been shifted to Gujarat, where Parijat’s partner Harish Kapadia handles the factory. The design studio in Delhi is the nerve centre from where work is coordinated with designers who, sitting in their homes around the world, work on themes provided to them and are paid on the basis of designs created and approved. Working with the most advanced technology to conceptualize and produce digital prints on textile bases, the company constantly works on creating and serving new, different and contemporary pieces for its clients in the US, EU and Australia.

Working mainly with big chain stores and importers with mass volumes, Devarshy Arts has witnessed tremendous growth over the last year with its new range of home products. “We were content with our business in garments, but as I’m constantly looking for something new to do as an artist, I just thought of putting a painting on a bed sheet, and then reproduced a few pieces that went on to be really appreciated by our buyers and the rest as they say is history,” muses Parijat. With the demand of their digital printed bed sheets taking off, the company decided to extend the concept on to other products as well. The home furnishing product portfolio of the company now includes collections in curtains, cushion covers, bed covers, bed sheets, duvet covers, comforters, and complete bed sheet sets and quilts. “As cushion covers are the smallest price item, they sell the most and are the fastest moving products in the market,” shares Parijat.

Claiming to be the first company that has brought the art of digital printing in home textiles, Parijat maintains, “Being the first one to introduce a concept, it really becomes a challenge sometimes to convince your clients and capture a market as buyers are not familiar with the products and how customers will react to the same, but it has also provided me with the ‘first mover’ advantage as it eliminates comparisons and competition in the market.” The home products of the company are not available at the brick-n-mortar stores in India yet, but Parijat shared that they are in talks with some agents to introduce them to the Indian market also.

Even as India is known worldwide for its value added products in embroidery and other embellishments, the company wants to maintain its niche in digital prints. “Digital printing is the future of design and is visible everywhere. We are just trying to introduce good designs into the digital printing format,” says Parijat. However, moving as per the market demands, the company is now planning to add computer embroideries to their portfolio as well. The production is faster and not very labour-intensive; also it gives the same liberty of manufacturing small quantities like digital prints. “So we are working on a business model that produces small quantities and at good prices,” claims Parijat.

Even as the recession has compelled buyers to look out for cheaper options, Parijat maintained it has not affected his business that much, as buyers are still on the watch out for quality products. “It is true that the price of our products is a little higher compared to the screen and rotary print products, but the effect and quality that digital prints possess can’t be compared to either one of them. Also, digital printing gives us the liberty of customizing designs and quantities as per our clients’ needs, which buyers really look forward to, as they get a product no one else has. They are free to ask the designers to manipulate the designs a little as per their requirements, for example a different border, a change in colour and other such variations as per their wish. Also they come back to us as it is our motto not to use a design again for another buyer, the feeling of holding on to a unique product that no one else has is really appreciated by them,” reasons Parijat.

Parijat denies competition from China as a cheaper base for manufacturing digital prints. “I agree that China is cheaper for digital printed products, but they are not a competition to us as our designs aesthetics are poles apart, while they are still manufacturing bases with cartoon characters and zebras, we work on art forms, classic paintings like that of Raja Ravi Varma, so there is neither a comparison, nor competition for us from China. In fact, I am happy to boast about the fact that buyers are willing to pay us ten times more for our products,” says a delighted Parijat.

However, this does not mean that ‘cost of production’ is not important. “We also work on our costs, and as buyers prefer polyester bases over pure silks and cottons these days, it works well for us also as the printing cost on polyester is less than that on pure cotton bases. Since our printing costs are lower and the fabric costs are also lower, so ultimately the final product is also reasonable,” argues Parijat.

Working with around ten printing machines and 100 sewing machines at present, the company is manufacturing more than 20,000 metres of fabric per month. Looking out for a very positive year ahead, Parijat is geared for some new ventures. “We are now planning to make furniture with digital printed fabric; so the years 2013 and 2014, would be huge for Devarshy Arts. We are expecting growth by manifolds and I would like to increase my capacities to match my creativity in the coming times,” concludes Parijat.