Rolling out the red carpet

Two years ago, Rajan decided to lay out the red carpet for his Indian customers and set up Zeba Carpets in Worli. Last month, he extended his portfolio and included soft furnishings, pottery and lamps. He also widened his consumer base and now his goods will be available in 11 Indian cities. To ensure that his expansion drive does not flounder halfway he has also invested Rs three crore to set up his home textiles division. Within Mumbai, Rajan has increased the size of his store to accommodate his extended product range. His design cell, located in Lower Parel, has five designers working full-time and one designer is even deputed to the store to advice clients on decision-making.

But setting up shop at home has been harder than becoming an international brand. Inflated property prices was the first barrier. Rajan bought the Worli store in 1992 and has built it up stage by stage, using his export revenue to increase his domestic base. But Rajan is committed to India Inc. "We are getting more fashion conscious and this has extended to the home. Indians are maturing. It is a bit like partying. When you are young you party every night and as you get older you become more selective. Flaunting wealth is not in fashion anymore as people are realising that less can be more," he says.

And to make sure that less is more, Rajan encourages people to work within a budget. You can walk into Zeba and no one will turn their nose up if you say, `Money is the issue’. "It is not a product we are selling but a look," says Rajan. You can opt for tiger prints, checks or stripes. He even does custom-made floor coverings and ceramics. The prices start at Rs 30 and go up to Rs 10,000. "It is easy to over price but that is not our goal. Our goal is take design to people. We are the only shop where each carpet has a price tag. It does not matter who you are, the price is the same for everyone," says he.

Already many interior designers and architects look to Zeba to source their fabrics and floor coverings. Hotels such as the Taj, President and Holiday Inn have used Zeba products for their rooms. And Rajan hopes that a time will come when every room will have a Zeba product in it. Until then, he plans to makes more and more room to house his products.