Stainless steel gets a touch of class

Stainless steel is being reinvented for home and office. At one time the material was present in virtually every home, more so in the south, as utensils in round or at most oval shape.

That gave stainless steel a cosnervative, durable and value for money image, the furthest from being stylish or trendy. Those labels went to items made of materials like colourful, presentable and durable plastic. In the process stainless steel got into a bit of a time warp and started disappearing from the universe of the trendy.

But Jindal Vijaynagar Steel Ltd is trying to make stainless steel bounce back with designer lines and innovative shapes, not just on its own but as a key element in mixed materials which also include leather, plastics and ceramics. To make this possible the company has hired designers from the National Institute of Design and National Institute of Fashion Technology.

More recently, dedicated 'brand stores' have been opend which stock, display and seek to entice new age shoppers with designer steel.

To make all this happen, JVSL has formed artd?inox, a strategic business unit. With things going rather well "" business growing at around 600 per cent per annum for two years and current sales at around 40,000 pieces per annum "" the unit is likely to be spun off soon as an independent business.

Sugata Bose, business head of artd?inox, is clear about his goal. "The objective of artd?inox is to make steel look classy." Naturally, it comes at a price. You can pick up a little something for Rs 135, but more likely you will fancy the Rs 11,000 high end dinner set.

The target clientele is the new middle class with spending power, a desire to be trendy and a rapidly growing aesthetic sense. Foreign markets are also being targetted and exports are presently being made to countries like Canada, US, and the UK.

Stainless steel is being refashioned not just for the drawing and dining room but also for fittings and fixtures for the bathroom, office and bar. While office and bath accessories are exported, the other ranges are available locally.

The sales team at the designer stores of artd?inox appeal to the sublimial desire in the middle class to have more of class but have not entirely given up the old sales line. They tell you that the particular little vase to hold a single stem is as finely turned as any bone chain piece can be, but additionally the kids can't break it even if they want to.