Man created one of the toughest alloys in steel, and now bends and moulds it at his whim. Call it madness or creativity, as you please, for it doesn’t matter at all. Designers and engineers alike, are melting steel, shredding it into pieces, and welding it all over again to create works of art to seduce their way into the living rooms across the world.

Unless you are an engineer or a technology geek, steel is just another alloy to build bridges, airplane parts, girders for construction of skyscrapers and many other sundry utilities - technical nature of which generally arouses nothing but a confused grunt laced with indifference. Its no denying that steel is all pervasive. Yet, somehow, this magnificent creation of modern science has always been shy of the glory it deserves. If you must know, steel has a remarkable virtue in its amenability, congenital toughness notwithstanding. Modern fabrication techniques allow stainless to be cut, welded, formed and fabricated into desired shapes as easily as a moulding a piece of wax. One just needs to have a look inside the modern furnaces to believe the advances technology has made. Also, Steel is now being polished in newer ways to give it a glossy mirror look. A day is not far when steel would be perhaps as sought after a commodity as gold, if not more. A slow, silent revolution is underway.

Not many can work on a medium like steel - It’s an expensive and specialized craft. Still, Designers and engineers, driven by an urge to create, are working ceaselessly on Steel to introduce the unique craftsmanship of traditional blacksmithing. Through imaginative and stylish workmanship they are offering an opportunity to not only enhance interior space, but to own a piece of hand-forged art. Mind you, this art-in-steel, is not just for the connoisseurs to appreciate in the stark mechanized solitude of an art gallery, but comes in handy - something for everyday use. Stylish platters, serving trays, mugs, bowls, paperweights, lounge chairs, lampshades, pen-stands, flower vases – in other words, a whole range of accessories to give homes, that special touch of ‘Stainless Beauty’.

Magppie - Innovators

The first name that comes to mind when one looks for innovations in the use of stainless is Magppie. In 2002 Magpie became the first company from India to be nominated for the prestigious Red Dot International Design Award in Germany. The award is a one of a kind international recognition for achievements in design and communication. Magpie was given this recognition for its entry - ‘bottle opener & Paper Knife’ for its innovative design and functionality. The award is also recognition of the transformation of steel from an alloy into a work of art.

Magpie, an ISO 9001 company based in Delhi, was set up in 1994 to manufacture and market designer steel products. A design studio was set up in 1998, with an initial investment of US$216,000. Soon enough, Magppie developed a designer range of tabletop and kitchenware articles. It participated in an international exhibition called Ambitec-Frankfurt in Germany in 1999. As a result of good response in Frankfurt, Magppie set up a facility in Haryana in Sonepat. Within a year it received orders from around 40 countries. Today, Magppie products are exported to Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Australia, and North America. Magppie’s group turnover touched US$14 million. A major chunk of this comes from the export market.

In 2000, magpie began selling its designer products in the domestic market. Magppie has since introduced steel kitchen/table/bar/bath accessories in a classy and creative manner, making it a lifestyle statement for the upper middle class. Magppie, today, has a modern design studio and an integrated production system which links everything from design test models to mass-produced products - all under one roof. A team of eight designers from India’s best design institutes like NIFT and NID gives the required creative horsepower. Magppie presently has about 100 products in its design portfolio. The clientele includes retail stores like Shopper’s Stop, Ebony and Lifestyle. Magppie also serves to clients including major hotel chains like ITC, Taj, Hyatt, and corporate houses like Seagrams, Bacardi, and American Express Bank.

Magppie has opened offices and showrooms in the UK and Italy. Euro Magppie and Magppie Italy were established in December 2002. Magppie established in December 2002. Magppie is likely to touch a turnover of US$43.3 million from both these markets in the current fiscal year.

A separate design company called White Design has been floated to reach other markets across the globe. Magppie has already made a small beginning by selling its designs to a German company called Le Crueset, which has a brand called Scrupple. As of now, the road is wide open for Magppie.

Austenitic Creations – Poetry in Steel

Another player who’s taken it upon itself to popularize designer products in steel is Jindal Group of industries. Jindal Group is ranked sixth amongst the top Indian Business Houses in terms of assets; the Group today is a US$1.8 billion conglomerate. A Jindal Stainless Steel Design Center has been established along with a new company Austenitic Creations Pvt. Ltd., to increase the use of stainless steel in trend setting ways. Designers, architects, fabricators, producers, marketing specialists and technology suppliers have been brought together to exploit the possibilities that stainless steel offers in the lifestyle and related goods segment. ‘Artd’ionx’ a range of 50 designer products has been launched in the segments of giftware, environmental art, stainless art, bar essentials, fusion with other material and utility products.

The niche market for lifestyle products is huge in India. With the middle class expanding it’s dimensions in all directions in the wake of a liberalised world, the appetite for newer verities of products in the segment of lifestyle products is bound to increase. Players like Magppie and Austenitic Creations have given a new twist and colour to the options available to householders in customising the insides of their homes. Steel, indeed looks classy with the plush interiors of average upper middle class homes. Designs and the texture of the surface make designer products in steel a unique combination of utility and aesthetics. Although steel as designer ware is nothing more than just a concept confined to a very specific segment of the market, still the future is promising.