HELLO! Exclusive: Marie-Anne Oudejeans' India connect

With a fan following from Doha Marie-Anne could have an uber to Capri, Oudejans remained successful  co founder of Tocca, a fashion label launched in 1994, with flagship stores in New York and Japan. So successful was the label that it earned the Perry Ellis Award for new talent in 1995. Both boutiques were designed under Marie Anne’s direction.

However, while on top of the game, she was forced to quit Toca for personal reasons. Moving to Rome to be a homemaker for a while, Marie-Anne chose to consult with renowned luxury fashion labels like Diane von Furstenberg, Nina Ricci. and Valentino. 

Destiny came calling when she was on a light to Japan, and a passenger told her she should go to India. She took up the idea, first going to Delhi — but it was Jaipur that brought a midas touch to her life. 

The Pink City, a repository of a rich royal, architectural and design legacy, resonated with her creative spirit and before you could say aangekomen (arrived in Dutch), she met Barbara Miolini, who had a design project cooking — the ultra popular Bar Palladio. She suggested that Marie-Anne take on the design, and rest was history. 

‘Shiv Niwas Palace in Udaipur inspires me the most. Honestly, there are so many such places that I don’t know where to start!’

CREATIVE REPERTOIRE

“I worked with artist Vikas Soni, who brought all the artists in. We worked with a block printing artist Gitto and with Marie Lusa for the logo. Together, we took Indian patterns and recreated them in bigger and bolder sizes. We chose colours that are less traditional, like blues. It was all very impulsive and straight from the heart,” she recounts. 

The end result was a bespoke restobar featuring local artisanal work, “and I guess my European twist to it all, with an overall timeless, exotic aura.” Marie-Anne and her teams tailor-made everything for the project — from the furniture, and lights, to the fabrics, tents, and tableware — “something we do for all our projects.” 

Her signature today, is a fusion of laid-back European flavours marrying  much-loved Indian aesthetics — and that’s what brands approach her for. 

SPREADING HER WINGS

New geographies always offer more interesting design stories. Bar Palladio garnered phenomenal appreciation. Following her instincts, even before she undertook the job, she launched a new company, Trust and Treasure Heritage, in 2013. Another project, the Kama Ayurveda store in London, stays true to its exotic Indian DNA, with the vibrant use of reds, striped pillars, and vivacious accents.

“The inspiration for the store came from a drawing that I created many years ago in red and white,” she says. “You can see that by painting directly on the walls and ceilings, the artisans gave the place an extra allure. We used different materials, but kept red as the heart of the brand.  The idea was to introduce Ayurveda with its Indian roots,  but make it appealing to the world of today. This job took 10 days to execute.” 

The Aquazzura store in Delhi was inspired by Mediterranean gardens. She stayed true to the brand colour  predictably, aqua — adding monochrome stripes on the floor. “We used a trellis design on the cabinets to make it resemble a garden, inspired by beautiful parks, spaces, and my love for botanicals,” says the designer, whose Tocca store also bore similar delicate floral motifs.  

ROYAL FOOTPRINTS

The trust that Marie-Anne’s projects have earned extended to Pacho, Jaipur’s Maharaja Padmanabh Singh II, who asked her to restore two heritage properties — Rajasthan Polo Club, a restobar he owns, and Jaipur House, his great-grandfather’s palace 19th century palace in Mount Abu.

“The idea was to recreate this space to complement his traditions and remain in  sync with its historic glory of great matches between Maharajas, international royals and players,” she shares. Rajasthan Polo Club was inspired by Pacho’s love for polo. She strove to give it “the Palladio feeling, with its strong colours, bold patterns and a European, exotic twist.” “We used arches to give a great view of the field,  planted trees to reflect the beauty of Rajasthan, and painted Pacho’s personal horses on the ceiling. We also featured some of the most famous cups to complete the club.” 

Jaipur House, sitting on a hill with a beautiful rock in the backdrop, overlooking a gorgeous lake, was built by the highly creative Maharaja Ram Singh. The palace had a larger-than-life character, with with spacious rooms, high ceilings, arches and terraces - in addition to the gravitas of history.

"Fortunately, Padmanabh Singh is open to modernising or renovating his properties, she shares. "His only brief was that before anything, this was also their home, so it should feel comfortable, and cosy, and reflect the traditions of their family."

"We kept all the furniture, using a lot of green upholstery to reflect the hill station's beauty. I was allowed to go to their archives and pull out 500 photos of the different maharajas.

One unique dimension of Jaipur House is that one can find historic images there that have never been seen before!"

We leave Marie-Anne to go on with her fusion-rich design journey, keen to see what shapes up next. It does seem, though, that the ancient saying about Jaipur being a Vaastu-driven city, is true. The drawing inks here never run dry!