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| Edited By: Dyuti Basu |Source: DNA |Updated: Mar 03, 2019, 06:35 AM IST
Look around the lobby of the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai, at the glossy marble floors, high pillars, the hundreds of rooms that climb upwards from the main floor and even the artistic floral arrangements. These are sure to impress even the highest of high brows. It is no wonder then that one of Britain’s oldest luxury retailers – Thomas Goode & Co – have decided to choose this location for their first ever branch.
The brand was founded in 1827; their 18,000 sq ft showroom on Mayfair’s South Audley Street has stood since 1945. Both UK and Mumbai stores carry some of the finest tabletop collections in the world including handcrafted British pottery pieces from Stoke-on-Trent; porcelain by Herend and Meissen; fine china by Royal Crown Derby; glass and crystal ware by Saint Louis, Lalique and William Yeoward; and flatware and silver by Puiforcat, Odiot and Cristofle.
But the shop and museum that just opened in Mumbai also showcases the connection between this British business giant and Indian royalty. The maharajas of Baroda, Kotah and Bikaner were among the many royals to have had their dinnerware imported from this company in the early 20th century. Other impressive feathers in the company’s cap include the dinnerware for the Tsar of Russia and the entire service for Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding.
For Chairman Johnny Sandleson, nostalgia seems to be a strong driving force. “As a child, I used to visit the shop with my grandmother. Later, my elder sister had her wedding list with Thomas Goode,” he recalls. And this nostalgic connection is what has caused him to now open a shop in India, a testament to the history between the two countries. “This is the first time in 190 years of history that we are opening up a shop,” says Sandleson, who flew down to the city for the opening. “The ambition is to have another branch in Delhi and maybe another in Hyderabad.”
While the pieces in the store are for sale, the company also creates bespoke tableware, flatware and glassware. Once an order is placed, they are commissioned to ceramic and glass artists in the UK, who are under the company’s employ. The product prices will be the same in India as in the UK.
This British brand, that wants to retain an undiluted traditional outlook, also aims to preserve the craftsmanship of their products that date back to the 1800s. “We work with different factories for different stages of production,” says Andrew Guest, Commercial Director, Thomas Goode & Co. “So, we have factories that just produce the china, but then we give it to a different artist who just paints the details and then the item goes to the gilders.” To further preserve these pieces, the company also conducts apprenticeships with the studios and artists who already work for the company.
This nod to tradition is also why, despite the fact that Sandleson wants to branch out into more glassware and crystalware, the core of the brand will remain the same – “the finest bone china with beautiful designs on it.”
While the company opened to create beautiful dinnerware for the crème de la crème of society, the aspirational middle classes now also fall under the brand’s purview. “A Thomas Goode product is like a beautiful dress that you bring out once in a while to wear for a special occasion, but you still feel a pride of ownership for,” smiles Sandleson.
