The honourable East India Company succeeds again

The East India Company is the custodian of one of the oldest and richest company histories in the world today. The greatest economic entity of its time, it has an impeccable pedigree and a truly enviable heritage. Founded by the Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, the Charter conferred on the Company a monopoly on all trade in the East Indies. Its influence reached out to all continents, and the consequences of its actions, both great and small, are the very fabric of history itself. The East India Company held sway over half the world’s trade and a quarter of its population. As early as 1620, it laid claim to the Table Mountain region in South Africa, and ruled India, occupied St Helena, established Hong Kong and Singapore, and even employed the legendary Captain Kidd to combat piracy. It caused the Boston Tea Party, and made the fortune of Elihu Yale. The East India Company shipyards provided the model for St. Petersburg and its flag inspired the Stars & Stripes. It internationalized the world’s weights and measures, ran armies and the world’s largest navy, governed territories, built entire industries and had its own currency – the only Corporation in the world to have its own currency, which gave rise to the term ‘cash’. It introduced tea to the British, woolens to Japan, chintzes to America, spices to the West Indies, porcelain to Russia, and polo to China. Many of the Officers of the East India Company were great patrons of the Arts and took pride in their collection of the finest of items: carpets, shawls, tapestry, furniture, silks and cashmere, paintings. The Daniels’, whose works are coveted by collectors today, were known as the Company School Artists. Through the sheer scope, scale and diversity of its operations across countries and continents, The East India Company is undoubtedly among the first examples of the modern transnational.
The historic, artistic and commercial legacy of The East India Company remains unrivalled and it enjoys unprecedented levels of awareness and strong associations across a wide spectrum of exotic and luxurious merchandise. Today, the East India Company draws from its rich multi-cultural legacy and manifests its unrivalled heritage in the form of fine foods, fine furniture and fabrics, luxury and lifestyle products and more. It promotes scholarship and commissions work from the world’s leading artists, designers and craftspeople by developing niche products for discerning consumers across all major global markets. It is also forging partnerships in many parts of the world where the Company is a household name. The reborn East India Company has established close ties with institutions in London that have inherited the original Company archives and artifacts, such as the India Office and Library, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Royal Armories. The Museum of London has provided the original “chop” or merchant’s mark of the Company, and the Garter and Clemenceau King of Arms of the College of Heralds have kindly granted permission for the Company to use and register as a Trade Mark the original Coat of Arms of the East India Company. With its centuries-old tradition of quality and craftsmanship, the East India Company Interiors is one of the world’s foremost firms of Cabinet Makers and Interior Designers. The Company has redefined the art of living, with diverse offerings including fine fabrics, carpets, lighting, stained glass, home accessories, and is particularly reputed for its exclusive range of both period and contemporary furniture. The Company’s Architectural Consultancy team advises clients and architects globally on interiors and aesthetics. The East India Company Interiors partners with clients on design, material, furniture, accessories and outsourcing, and also helps execute the chosen designs and products, either in its in-house workshops or through renowned firms.The Company’s exclusive products are offered in limited editions and are hand-crafted under the strictest standards of quality control and aesthetics. The of the Company’s Chop and the Coat of Arms granted by Queen Elizabeth I East India Company Interiors proudly bears the its four hundred year heritage and is the sole privileged bearer. On 25th April 2007, The East India Company launches its first home interiors store in Mumbai, India.