Coming from a family dealing in textiles, Avni Sejpal had an early exposure to design. As a child, she spent her summer vacations visiting her father’s factory as well as artisanal villages in Rajasthan and Kutch – “Rabari villages which kindled a sense of curiosity,” she recalls, adding that it gave her a better understanding of colours, textures and proportion. Her travels to international design shows like Maison d’Objet and Heimtextil, helped develop her interest in furniture and handicrafts. Avni also worked in Fashion for four years, designing garments for her father’s company for the Pret segment in Europe. While her father hoped she would choose textile designing, her interest lay in architecture. After her B.Arch at Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture, Mumbai, Avni did her Master’s in Design at Chelsea College of Design, London. “This gave me freedom to explore public art, furniture and textiles. Working with international designers like Paul Loebach, Xavier Lust and (in India) Rajiv Saini and Divya Thakur got me a much-needed structure and sense of direction,” she observes. When Avni realised that there were not enough studios working in all mediums, she found her niche – and established Studio Avni in 2011. She runs her product design studio with Vipul Mehra, her partner in life; and is currently working on lighting installations, textile murals and a sustainable furniture collection. Avni Sejpal Principal Designer, Studio Avni “LuxeBook is a treasure trove of curated luxury resources from all over the world” | 18
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