Inspiration can arrive quietly… sometimes through nature, sometimes through a single idea that transforms into an entire visual universe. For our latest collection, that spark came from the Japanese word ‘Komorebi’, which is the beautiful effect of sunlight filtering through leaves.
It is subtle, fleeting, and captivating, a moment where light and shadow meet to create something magical. It is this delicate intersection that inspired Hope.
Our Art Designer, Rakhi Shenoy, who has been collaborating with Aranyani for the past three years, shared how this idea took form. “Komorebi is the beautiful play between shadow and light. It is fleeting and temporary, yet when you look at it, you are captured by its beauty. That intersection brings out the essence of hope,” she says.
The journey began with understanding Komorebi not just as a visual theme, but as a feeling. Rakhi approaches stories visually. When the concept was shared with her, she immediately began imagining surfaces, colours, and textures that could mirror this natural phenomenon.
The creative direction centered on expressing shadow and light on leather; and this led to a new technique for our atelier: hand spray-painting. It required patience, testing, and refinement, because each layer had to hold both artistic intention and technical durability.
“We experimented a lot to get the technique right. We had to think not just creatively, buttechnically- the longevity, the finish. The process taught us so much,” Rakhi explains.
Spray-painting brought something unexpected. It means that no two bags are alike. The tempo of the spray, the angle of the hand… each creates a different shadow effect. That natural variation mirrors Komorebi itself, where no light pattern is ever repeated.
LAYERING LIGHT, SHADOW, AND TEXTURE
From concept to final artwork, the design evolved through multiple layers - both literal and creative. The process unfolds in carefully considered layers. It begins with classic gold gilding, creating a luminous foundation reminiscent of sunlight.
Over this, delicate hand-spray painting is applied to mimic shifting leaf-shadows, followed by spray-painting over the gilded surface to introduce subtle tonal movement. The piece then evolves through intricate hand embroidery in two styles- one using traditional yarn and another crafted with gold zari, a silk thread wrapped with gold traditionally seen in saris. Finally, hand-placed beadwork is added, introducing tactile dimension and bringing depth and three-dimensionality to the artwork.
These layers come together to create a three-dimensional, textured surface- one that changes as light moves across it. Every detail reflects exploration, refinement, and collaboration inside the atelier. As Rakhi notes, “Everyone is open to experimenting… that mindset helps push boundaries.”
A creative journey shaped by intuition
The path from idea to finished piece was not linear; and it wasn’t meant to be. Rakhi describes her process as one filled with back-and-forth, returning to the story, adjusting visuals, and letting the concept breathe as it evolved.
“It’s not the most structured way of working, but it works in a creative space,” she adds. Certain ideas emerged gradually, including the understanding that hope itself is fleeting and that its power lies in those fleeting moments.
This theme guided both the emotion and the craft behind the collection.
Komorebi: A moment captured in craft
The Hope collection is the result of experimentation, artistic vision, and a willingness to explore new media. From delicate shadows to gold accents, from surface manipulation to bead work, each bag holds a moment inspired by nature’s quiet magic.
It is a conversation between light and leather, story and surface, idea and execution, one that is shaped by hands, imagination, and curiosity.
Just like the Komorebi effect, each piece invites you to pause, look closer, and notice what shifts in the light.
