The new wave of Indian design: Why slow, authentic craft is the ultimate luxury

Each of Vikram Goyal’s collectible design objects tells a story. They are not just there as decoration, they are designed to satisfy some primal urge in us—for beauty, for authenticity, for grasping that which always remains just out of our grasp. Just like how he makes metal flow, he gives shape and form to something as fluid and elusive as longing. And then, he turns it into luxury. Much of his visual language is inspired by his past. His frequent visits to his maternal family’s home in Rajasthan “filled with inherited and collected artifacts—portraiture, sculpture and objects” deeply inspired and shaped his design sensibilities. In fact, his first publication, Shringara of Shrinathji, was a collection of his grandfather’s miniature paintings.

For over two decades, Goyal has created immersive installations, sculptures and lifestyle luxury merchandise with a focus on metal, particularly brass, that has now expanded to cane, wood, textiles and lacquered finishes inspired by the landscapes of Kutch and Kashmir. Through his luxury brands—the Vikram Goyal Studio and Viya in Delhi and Mumbai—he has designed a craft tradition that blends materials, culture, tradition and modernity.

Walking into Viya’s flagship showroom in South Mumbai feels like drifting into a land that is as ancient as it is modern, as ethereal as it is earthy, as rooted as it is dream-like. Craft breathes through every pore. The Gothic arches and tall colonial windows create a dramatic contrast against the sensuousness of the molten-looking brass installations. There are sculptural mirrors with hand-worked metallic foliage, metal consoles that ripple like liquid frozen mid-flow, towering floral brass forms that resemble mythical gardens in full bloom, and striking woven cane pieces. One table, assembled painstakingly from chips of green jasper and black Porto semi-precious stones, reinterprets mosaic work through Indian lens. Carpets woven from recycled silk saris are stories told in fabric.

These are all pieces made from Indian materials that feel globally fluent instead of overtly traditional. And that is precisely what Goyal wanted. Luxury in today’s times, he feels, has come to be defined as a desire for things that carry the imprint of the hand and the patience of time. He does not want his craft to be defined as “ethnic”. Instead, he wants it to be contemporary design with scale and intellectual heft.

For decades, Indian craftsmanship was admired for its labour and ornamentation, but it was rarely positioned within the vocabulary of contemporary luxury. That perception is beginning to change. A new generation of Indian design houses like Goyal’s is no longer treating Indian craft as something to be preserved behind glass, but as a living language capable of competing on international design platforms. “Indian craft is going through a transformation—from ethnic or decorative to contemporary,” says Suhasini Paul, an eminent Indian toy designer. “What we are seeing is not just change in the craft itself, but in the setting in which it is put out to the global audience. Digital platforms, international collaborations, design fairs and international design weeks have played a role in putting Indian crafts on the global map.”

Goyal, whose works have appeared at prestigious global fairs from Milan to Miami, would agree. “At Nilufar in Milan or Design Miami we are not showing up as outsiders anymore,” he says. “We are holding our ground as equals. It marks a subtle, but important shift in how Indian luxury is perceived globally. For decades, India exported craftsmanship while importing validation. Today, we need to reverse that equation. Increasingly, international buyers are seeking texture, narrative and authenticity over sterile perfection. Handmade objects with visible irregularities and [marked] human labour have become a new form of luxury.” He describes himself as “an innovator in design and preservationist in craft technique”, embedding the principle of “Indian in soul and international in sensibility”.

Chaitanya, one of Goyal’s clients who has known him for over 20 years, says his work has undergone a remarkable transformation over the years. “I use his work in almost all my projects because it lends a sort of luxurious glamour while bringing in Indian craft the way you have never seen it before,” she says. One aspect of his work that she particularly values is his ability to translate a client’s vision into an artistic narrative. “You explain a vision—like I said I wanted elephants walking through a forest—and he is able to develop an entire scene with beautiful detailing,” she says.

In many ways, Goyal’s journey mirrors the evolution of Indian luxury itself. After a career at Morgan Stanley in New York and Hong Kong, he returned to India in 2000 and co-founded Kama Ayurveda, helping package ancient wellness traditions for a modern global audience. In retrospect, the trajectory feels consistent. Whether through Ayurveda, metal craft or conservation initiatives like his work with Elephant Family, a global charity for Asian elephant conservation endorsed by the British royal family, Goyal’s underlying passion remains the same—to lend contemporary relevance to Indian cultural heritage. This is evident across all verticals. His apparel collection, for example, draws inspiration from ancient Indian beliefs linking Zodiac signs with specific plants. His interiors borrow from mythology, architecture and traditional motifs without becoming overly thematic.

And does AI help or harm his mission? “AI is a tool, not a disruptor,” he says. He feels technology enhances communication, visualisation and efficiency. Better renderings allow artisans to understand designs more clearly. Digital tools make craft easier to present globally. But the actual act of making—hammering, shaping, embossing and hand-finishing—cannot be automated without losing its emotional core.

Whether it is through identity, authenticity or emotional sustainability, Indian luxury is changing its hues without losing its heart. And contemporary luxury creators like Goyal are right at the helm of that change.