The rose is very happening internationally. I do use it as a motif whenever I can, in my Indian creations or designs for brides. It's delicate and regal at the same time

Maria Rose Reine Louis traces the history of the intricately whorled blossom she is named after, which continues to be a designers’ delight.

My given name precluded the possibility of me ever escaping the significance of the rose…but as I grew older, I realised that its existence went beyond paying obeisance to me – the Queen of Roses! Universally embraced as the flower of love, the rose has been immortalised in song, poetry, art and design through centuries. And there is nothing more romantic than receiving blood-red roses from a cherished admirer. Among the lasting treasures I have accumulated, besides the ubiquitous fabric/garments decorated with roses, are rose brooches and earrings, a rose-perfumed red Swatch with a rose dial, rose table mats, and an audio cassette of Nat King Cole’s Ramblin’ Rose – but maybe there’s room for the long-stemmed sterling silver avatar from Frazer & Haws’ latest collection?

One of the oldest flowers known to humankind (according to fossil evidence, it is 35 million years old!), the rose was grown in profusion for its perfumed oil in Persia, where the petals were used to fill the Sultan’s mattress. In Kashmir, the Moghul emperors cultivated beautiful rose gardens…and the blossoms were strewn in the river to welcome them home. While in Rome, emperors filled their swimming baths with rose water and sat on carpets of rose petals for their orgies. Of course, the fact that poor peasants were reduced to growing roses instead of food crops is another story!

Widely used by architects and interior decorators as a design motif, it was most popular during the Arts & Crafts movement – when it was reproduced on tapestries, carpets, wallpaper and tiles. Among printed textiles, floral patterns are the most popular; and the favourite subject is the rose…perhaps an unconscious collective desire for love and beauty? Captured on fabric, roses reveal a certain poignance. To a largely urban society, these flat blossoms with no fragrance bloom forever as perennial reminders of nature’s infinite sensual pleasures. It is probably the artificiality of modern living that compels us to welcome images of flowers into our homes, or to decorate ourselves with them through our garments.

Of the countless rose motifs dotting the history of textile design, a few stand out. The first well-known fabric rose was the Tudor, emblem of the 16th century rulers of England. Variations of this flat, stylised flower are often seen in designs by William Morris and other artists of the Arts & Crafts movement. More realistic are the roses painted by the French botanical illustrator, Pierre-Joseph Redoute. Napoleon’s wife, the Empress Josephine had established an extensive collection of roses in the 1800s, and she commissioned Redoute to create a watercolour folio of all the species. The result, Les Rose, published between 1817 and 1824, is still considered one of the finest records of botanical illustration. It earned him the title ‘Raphael of the Rose’ and has influenced textile designers of the 19th century up to the present day.

The association of flowers with earthly and divine love is evident in a group of large 15th century detached silk flower paintings, attributed variously to Eastern Persia or Central Asia. They ultimately provided the models for an authentically Persian interpretation of the theme. “From 1925 onwards, the rose began to predominate in the Persian decorative repertoire,” reflects Krishna Mehta, design director of Zeba, the home fashion brand. “Roses were favoured as symbols of the prophets…and this theme subsequently became evident in Chinese textiles, porcelain, tinted paper with gilt ornamental designs, and rugs,” he adds. Zeba has interpreted the rose in a more European classical manner, stylising it with hand and machine embroidery. The motif, which has remained their constant favourite (only changing colour, embroidery, technique and placement) has recently been given a more contemporary look through shape and form. For instance, their latest bedroom line sports three-dimensional roses in silk organza, embellishing cushions and throws, in keeping with the trend of the raised floral look.

Indian Shawls: Mantles of Splendour, a fascinating book published by Rupa & Co. recently, records the popularity of the rose as a motif in shawls made in early 18th century Kashmir. “A subtle green matan or field has a pallu with rows of delicate roses, the flower of love and poetry,” is author Asha Rani Mathur’s description of a loom-woven shawl with characteristic Mughal features. While the evidence of another shawl having been made for the European market rests on the “chintzy, bold floral motifs” used to decorate it. Which brings us to the fact that India is the source of many words in the English textile vocabulary, especially chintz, an anglicized plural of the Hindi word chint – meaning variegated or spotted, which could apply to virtually any print with a small-scale all-over pattern. What distinguishes chintz is a glaze of wax, starch or resin. The shiny finish, which was believed to repel dust, made it a popular choice for curtains, upholstery and bed covers. Invariably, the print on chintz is a floral – so it’s no wonder that chintz has become almost synonymous with the rose pattern.

The best-known 20th-century example of this motif is that of French fashion designer, Paul Poiret, who made a highly stylised rose his personal emblem. Throughout the 20th century, fashion has been coloured by the rose, which has been employed endlessly in accessories as well as in apparels. It has managed to retain its popularity for an entire century, merely by adapting in size and shape. In addition to the rose prints favoured by British designers, Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano, who make good use of antique sprays and patterns, roses are often used in modern embroidery and appliqué work. Rendered in silk or cotton thread, in wool or lame, rose motifs are worked in pearls or sequins, on the narrow boleros of Christian Lacroix.

From Pallavi Jaikishan, who started out in the early 1970s – to Surily Goel, the latest entrant on the scene who designed a stole with a rose motif (modelled by Malaika Arora Khan) recently – Indian fashion designers have also invariably turned to the rose for inspiration. “Since my style is quite European in essence, I use a great deal of florals,” concedes Jaikishan, who uses roses as embroidery and as prints to embellish her lehengas, kurtas, salwar kameezes and saris. “My ‘Enchanted Garden’ line had an entire bloom of floral motifs starting from the basic rose exquisitely rendered in shaded thread, 3D sequins, shaded beads and lace techniques.” A year ago, she did a collection called ‘Ode to a Rose’; and more recently she created a special outfit embroidered with silver roses for a fashion shoot with Hema Malini. “I love the rose because it can be used in a wide variety of colours and techniques,” she explains. “Besides, there are so many different types – from rosebuds to cabbage roses and Dutch roses.” Goel too shares a fascination, manifested in her creations, for the rose. Says the young designer, “Internationally, the rose is very happening. I do use it as a motif whenever I can in my Indian creations or designs for brides. It’s delicate and regal at the same time.”

So passionately in love with the rose is fashion designer, Arjun Khanna, that you inevitably find the exquisite and delicate flower in vases strewn around his tastefully furnished apartment. “I think the rose motif is beautiful!” he exclaims. “It’s been around for ages and creeps up all over…it’s a classic. You will see it in textiles, especially in woven textiles for furnishings. I have personally used it loads of times, in embroidery. Two collections ago, I used it in my ‘Prato di Fiori’ (Meadow of Flowers) collection.”

Flowers, especially roses, have been a great influence on Azeem Khan too. “I have always used roses in my designs, either as a bouquet or as sprinkles,” agrees the fashion designer whose creations are a fusion of the East and West. While the silhouettes may be Indian, the embroideries are European – which explains his extensive use of the rose motif, created not just with thread but also with crystals. “Personally, I like to use embroidery. However, I have highlighted it for ornamentation in pre-woven fabrics – which I create for European designers like Valentino,” he discloses. “In India, the paisley is used more for wedding ensembles, while the rose is favoured for After Seven wear. Internationally, however, the rose is much more popular.”

Fashion designer, Krishna Mehta, not to be confused with the design director of Zeba, lists the reasons why it is her all-time favourite motif: “A rose can be given varied dimensions. It is as beautiful in the bud form as it is in full bloom, it can look equally beautiful with or without the colour shadings, it can be recreated in so many different colours, with metal and silk threads or even sequins and beads…it’s a designer’s delight!” She has always used the rose – be it woven in silk with gold and silver threads in Benaras, block-printed with natural dyes in Jaipur, hand-painted on textiles in Jodhpur, or embroidered on saris and dresses with sequins and beads in Mumbai. Mehta considers the paisley more Indian, but loves the rose because it can be as ethnic as it can be modern.

Whichever way you look at it, the rose is queen – adapting and reinventing the very essence of fabric design as it mutates and grows. This enduring symbol of romance cannot be ignored today, but only time can tell whether it will continue to rule the world or lose its crown due to overuse. Long live the Rose!