On the red carpet of this year’s Met Gala, alongside couture gowns and international celebrities, lay a lesser-known Indian story, woven, quite literally, from the southern town of Cherthala by 480 artisans over 90 days. The carpet that welcomed the world’s fashion elite was crafted by Neytt, a contemporary rug brand co-founded by Sivan Santosh and Nimisha Sivan in 2021.
For Santosh, the Met Gala moment was more than just global exposure. It was a milestone shaped by generations of craftsmanship. “We come from a family business background. We’ve been in the carpet industry for over 108 years,” Santosh told financialexpres.com. His grandfather started the Travancore Mats and Matting Company in 1917. Later, his father launched Extraweave in 2000, paving the way for diversification into natural fibre-based carpets. Neytt, however, was born out of a desire to challenge conventions and bring southern India’s design language to the global forefront.
“When we did our market research, we realised carpet-making in India was predominantly associated with the North. We wanted to change that narrative,” Santosh explained. Neytt, as a brand, integrates southern craftsmanship, sustainability, and innovation into its DNA—elements that set the tone for the company’s distinctive approach.
The Met Gala project came through an American client who had worked with Extraweave for over two decades. “They’re based in Louisville, Kentucky. We’ve worked on many U.S. projects with them over the years. This collaboration was a result of that long-standing trust,” he added.
The base carpet for the gala was woven from pure white sisal, a natural fibre sourced from Madagascar. “It goes through an intense process, blending, spinning, twisting, shearing, before being transformed into bobbins that are finally woven into a tightly knit bouclé weave,” he explained. Every stage was meticulously monitored. “Even a tiny blemish could be visible on a wall-to-wall carpet like this. The entire team understood how high the stakes were.”
Beyond the red carpet, Neytt operates in both B2B and B2C segments, with a retail presence in Delhi and collaborations across India and abroad, including Dubai. These collaborations reflect the growing luxury home decor market, valued at $120 billion globally in 2024, per Statista. Their approach blends design experimentation with sustainability and technology. “We are the first to introduce photochromic and thermochromic coatings on rugs in India,” Santosh said. These smart textiles change colour in response to sunlight or temperature shifts, turning functional flooring into dynamic art pieces.
However, it’s not all about cutting-edge design. At the core of Neytt’s identity is a deep-rooted focus on sustainable practices. The company is working with Kerala’s Save the Loom Foundation and the fisherwomen of Vypin to upcycle discarded fishing nets into rugs and home decor. They’re also partnering with hospitality chains to collect and recycle used bed linen, converting it into virgin fibre for new carpets. “The goal is circular economy in action,” Santosh noted.
While the company’s recent work includes high-profile projects such as the Surya Palace in Jaisalmer, Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, Soho House Mumbai, and even COP28 in Dubai, “Being in textile manufacturing, sustainability is not easy, it’s often an overused term. But we’re committed to minimising harm and educating our workers on adopting eco-friendly practices,” Santosh is keen to ensure the brand doesn’t lose sight of its values.
Interestingly, some of Neytt’s most eye-catching collections have emerged from unconventional sources. “We collaborated with a six-year-old and an eight-year-old who designed a playful and imaginative rug series for us,” he said, highlighting the brand’s open-ended approach to storytelling and design. As Neytt eyes expansion into all metro cities and explores new product lines in sustainable furniture, its founders remain focused on building meaningful partnerships. “We look for collaborators who share the same values, people from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and age groups. The rugs we create are stories, told through thread, colour, and craftsmanship,” Santosh concluded.