Jimmy Mistry

The studio and I would like to thank every member for their collaboration, support and friendships, contributing phenomenal amounts of effort at every stage of the studio's development, without the sacrifice of whom we would not have evolved into the 2,500 people organization we are today. Of the many difficulties we endured, the biggest one of them was, there was no business model to replicate or precedent for the type of environment or design practice we needed to create. We had to learn as we went along, and as I had never worked for somebody else before; after repeated trial and error, creating and scrapping, coupled with improvisation plenty, the contribution of all team members remains deeply appreciated.

Particular credit is due to my wife, Delna, who helped me to set up the studio and also identified the plot to build my first building, Della Tower; my parents, Late Mr. Rusi Mistry and Mrs. Lily Mistry, for their countless sacrifices and blessings; my sister Jasmine and brother-in-law Burgis Daruwalla; Nitin Mehta, Director for Finance and Legal, who took a leading role in its early development, and spends a huge amount of time with us provoking, questioning and encouraging, and continues to do so till date.

I have more than been supported by the involvement of mentors and friends: Nariman Nallaseth and Late Rusi Jamji, for kickstarting my contracting career by introducing me to various architects; Architect Darius Batliwalla (Patel, Batliwala and Manohar Architects) and structural consultant Ratan Dubash, for giving me the first break on a large project of Tata Press Ltd.

The turning point in my career was my first visit to Italy in 1995, facilitated by Manuel Mencarelli, who was then with Olivetti Synthesis, Milan, and the one man responsible for introducing and establishing my relationship with 26 more Italian companies, due to which I got a chance to learn design whilst working and importing furniture from these leading Italian studios and manufacturers; my friends Late Rustom Tirandaz, Hirji Nagarwalla and Darius Rafat, who helped me to fund and start the business of importing furniture from Italy; Late Edulji Turel, who stood like an angelic support to help me get my first bank funding for setting up the furniture manufacturing factory in Daman; T.S. Chandrasekhar for giving us the first break in a large interior project for HDFC Bank; Architect Hafeez Contractor for giving our modular furniture factory its first major project for IL&FS Ltd; and my friend Peter Mukherjea for giving the first break for turnkey office interiors (Star TV), which project went on to win me the IIID Young Design Practice Award.

I would also like to thank friends who have in abundance provided their expertise, experience and enthusiasm, each of them having played a vital role through the studio's history, and my friend Thomas Heatherwick of Heatherwick Studio, UK, for being an inspiration.

— Jimmy Mistry
Founder & CMD, Della Group