Niwar Collection

The Niwar Collection is a collection of upholstered pieces designed by the Lausanne based design studio BIG-GAME for Phantom Hands.

The collection evolved between India and Switzerland over 2022 and 2023. Phantom Hands approached BIG-GAME with the idea of creating an upholstered collection that was rooted in Indian textiles and the craft skills that Phantom Hands’ upholstery artisans offered. Seeing the quilted bags and mittens that Phantom Hands used for packing furniture, BIG-GAME initially suggested a sofa model with quilting as its central element. Subsequently, inspired by the thick cotton tapes (called Niwar) that are commonly used in India for making daybeds and chairs, quilting was replaced by Niwar as the signature element of the collection.

The Niwar pieces have cotton tape wrapped around their outer frame, enclosing soft linen upholstery within it. The handspun and vat dyed linen fabrics and matching cotton tape are custom produced for this collection by Bangalore based textile maker Zanav Home. The feat of matching colour shades for two different textiles - cotton and linen - is difficult and requires a high level of dyeing skill.

The Niwar Collection marks a significant milestone for Phantom Hands in terms of our role in the creative process and evolution into a craft innovation enterprise.