Hints Of Japanese Influence Come Alive At Obataimu’s Mumbai Store

The bylanes of Kala Ghoda are a great starting point for when you intend to get lost on purpose. And so it was for us when we embarked on a quest one fine Saturday afternoon in search of nothing in particular. In through one alley and out another, our eyes glazed over the street art and window displays until one little shop just off the corner pulled us in as though with the wind. The boutique ‘Obataimu’ spelt a confluence of India and Japan; through the wooden door we entered into an oasis of creation. The minimalism of room takes us by surprise, at first. The lacquered white flooring was strangely familiar, in fact, it’s the very same one that thousands upon thousands of people walk over on their daily commute - the flooring of the BMTC buses. The walls that act as a canvas for the clothes are made of cork, reverberating the very philosophy that is Obataimu, as well as making for the perfect acoustics. The wooden shelves across the store hold books from a bibliophile’s dream - W.B. Du Bois to Japanese folklore and cookbooks on how to decolonize your diet, they’ve got it all.

Slowly, but obviously, a giant glass wall comes into focus behind which we see myriad sewing machines, with textiles running through and busy bodies carrying designs - an air of creation comes into sight. The artisans in their crisp white uniforms are the backbone of this project, and we witness all this live as though it were a constant performance. Noorie, the founder, describes Obataimu really as an art project. When they started, the clothing was a very small part of the larger umbrella. After a number of experiments, this is what showed promise - an experiment of sorts that had gone right.

Noorie tells us that “the core idea of the space is that a corner shop can present a glimpse of your universe. It can be a tool to have something to say and express yourself. Besides that, I am particularly interested in small space architecture and the multiple possibilities, like a rubix cube. So the guiding idea of the shop space was a rubix cube - that’s why it’s square. We also wanted to create an outdoor living room, and technically how was I to do that? This is why we have the supari wood ‘gates’ to create an enclave - because I’m allowed to have a gate but not allowed to do this (sit on a chair at a table right outside the store, basically onto the street). By keeping the gate open, we create this outside space. We also wanted a lot of green.” The plants give the space an automatic extension, and hold true the values of urban design.

We wondered how Japan found a place in this larger than life story, and Noorie explained that she grew up in Hong Kong, as her parents did a lot of work there. “It’s always been a huge influence in my life. I was really interested in the juxtaposition between Japan and India - they’re both such ancient, rich cultures. I love completely opposite things about both, and to my knowledge there wasn’t an example of them being juxtaposed in terms of their aesthetics and practices. The core idea of this project of Obataimu is a fusion of Japan and India - but this might not be the case for something we do in the future.”

Japan is the stronghold, but the thought and concept are essentially born and brought up in Mumbai. “While I draw a lot of my inspiration from Japan, I knew I wanted to do everything locally. Local talent, local resources, and street materials. The artisans that we have were working on the streets of Bombay in one way or another (factories and sweatshops to name a few). This is the same concept we applied to the architecture,” says Noorie. To elaborate, the wooden shelves that hold the books are all supari wood. Supari is grown in abundance in India, and has very similar architectural properties to bamboo. She chose to experiment with polish and see how the wood could work for her in different ways.

The transparent wall, a feature of the store that truly stands out, is a metaphor for the lack of transparency that currently exists in the fashion industry. Unlike the food industry that has slowly begun to open up and increase political and social awareness, the fashion industry remains behind closed doors. Obataimu works with their artisans on the basis of creative collaboration - they are in fact training their tailors to be designers themselves. It is, therefore, crucial that the tailors understand what the front end of the business looks like. This element of design is just as much for customers to actually understand what’s going on. This is important because there is no buying off the rack at this boutique - every single item is made to order, thereby reducing wastage that is characteristic of the fashion industry as it stands today.

Kinetic architecture is almost synonymous with urban design and small space architecture today. It is the multidimensional use of space that calls for attention, and Obataimu holds this element at its core. The sewing machine stations are food and alcohol proof, and the wooden wall transforms into a platform or stage. The master’s tables double up as the bar, and the cork walls provide the necessary acoustics. The boutique area is a duplex, and the top floor acts as a DJ booth cum office, and the party opens out onto the streets. They also have lectures by artists and public intellectuals, and the whole boutique area gets cleared out and floor seating is organized.

All of these kinesthetic elements have one thing in common, and that is a commitment to building a community. This really is the word to describe this project, or experiment as they’d like to call it. It is an act of togetherness, consciousness and creativity that will not go unnoticed. It is a space that is alive, constantly growing and evolving in function, form, design and thought.