The Met Gala 2023 may be over, but the talk surrounding the event’s iconic carpet is far from finished. Made by Indian brand Neytt by Extraweave, the beige-toned rug was hand-painted by local artists in New York City and crafted in India, before being walked on by the biggest names in fashion at the prestigious event.
In an interview with Vogue India, Sivan Santhosh, founder of Neytt by Extraweave, discussed the brand’s history, its sustainable ethos, and the Met Gala carpet that has catapulted it onto the international stage.
Neytt is a high-fashion rug brand with a legacy that dates back to the 20th century. The parent company was founded by Sivan’s grandfather in 1917, while Extraweave was established by his father in 2000. Based in Alleppey, which has a long history of manufacturing and exporting coir, Neytt has a vertically integrated unit where everything from the fibre stage to the end carpet stage is done in-house. The brand uses exotic raw materials such as sisal, lyocell, and linen, with the aim of revolutionizing the world of premium lifestyle floor coverings.
“Through Neytt we wanted to create an exclusive sustainable space using exotic raw materials such as sisal, lyocell, and linen to name a few. Our aim is to revolutionise how premium lifestyle floor coverings have been explored till now,” said Sivan.
Sivan also revealed that Neytt collaborates with designers and artists from around the world to create a limited number of exclusive rugs that convey a message through their collections. Before making the Met Gala carpet, Neytt had already worked with notable names in the industry, including Pottery Barn, Ralph Lauren Homes, and IKEA, for whom it has been a regular supplier for seven years.
During the 2018 Kerala floods, Neytt custom-designed rugs that incorporated all the major events of the massive flood, paying tribute to the fishermen and humans of Kerala who had braved the adversity. The design won the Elle Deco International Design Awards.
Neytt’s collaboration with Fibre Works in the United States led to its involvement in making the Met Gala carpet. Fibre Works, a customer of Neytt, is renowned for doing many high-end projects in the States. They requested a specific rug to be made using Sisal fibre, which Neytt was happy to create. The Sisal fibre Neytt worked with is derived from the bark of the Agave plant, which mainly grows in Brazil and East Africa.
“We collaborated with one of our customers called Fibre Works in the United States,” recalled Sivan. “They are renowned for doing many high-end projects in the States. They wanted this specific rug to be made through us using Sisal fibre.”
The white-coloured fibre is 100 cm long, strong, and sturdy, and is known for its utility in making wall and floor coverings and designer carpets. Neytt made 58 rolls, each 30 metres by 4 metres, which is a total of 6,950 square metres. The brand took 60 days to make the 2023 Met Gala carpet, which was then sent to New York for design.
For the Met Gala carpet, Neytt collaborated with Swiss designer Vanessa Meister Varma, who is settled in Kerala. Vanessa’s work mainly features women from different nationalities and cultures, and the Women Power series that she created in collaboration with Neytt conveyed that women are beautiful no matter how they look or dress.
As a brand, Neytt lays a lot of emphasis on sustainability. All the water used in the dyeing process is treated and recycled back, and the brand has an effluent treatment plant where the water treatment takes place. The treated water is then placed into a small tank where fish are grown to ensure that the water is clean.
Sivan said he was proud of the fact that Neytt had made a rug for the Met Gala for the second time in a row, and that the brand had something to present on the international stage. As an Indian brand, it was a proud moment for them, and seeing the design come to life on the steps of the Met was an unforgettable experience.
“We are extremely proud and happy to make a rug for the Met gala for the second time in a row. Seeing the designs at first, we didn’t think they would come out well– changing from the traditional red colour of the red carpet to a beige tone. Being a brand from Kerala, we got to do this. It’s a proud moment for all Indians. We are also happy to know that we have something to present on the international stage,” stated Sivan.
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