“It’s important that the pointy thin heels don’t get stuck in the weave. The carpet should pass the stiletto test,” says Santhosh Velayudhan.
Managing Director of Extraweave at Cherthala in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, Santhosh is discussing the wall-to-wall bespoke carpet that his company made for the Met Gala 2023, which was held in New York on May 1. Instead of the conventional red carpet, this year featured an off-white version made in the unassuming industrial town, providing a fitting canvas for a parade of celebrities who were honouring the late fashion legend Karl Lagerfield.
Extraweave produced last year’s red carpet as well but chose to remain “low key.“ says Santhosh. “We did not want to publicise it earlier but, this time, we realised that it is a proud moment for our town, for Alappuzha, for Kerala and for India. So we put the news out on social media,” says Sivan Santhosh, director, and son of Santhosh. In 2021, Sivan established Neytt, a design wing of Extraweave.
