Following her Memorial Service held today at St. Peter's Church, Limpsfield, Surrey, we are extremely sad to announce the passing away of our friend, ex-designer and Co-Founder of Raj Tent Club.
During the early to mid 1990’s, Clarissa was living in Jodhpur where she was working on a project for the Maharajah of Jodhpur.
Having been inspired by photos of historical Rajasthani tents exhibited at the museum in Mehrangarh Fort, she suggested to the Maharaja that they might together resurrect the lost art of tent making so that he could continue the tradition of tented camps created by his forbears, and as a result create employment in what was then an economically depressed state.
His Highness agreed, and Clarissa’s first commission was to manufacture eighty Shikar tents for the camel fair at Pushkar. Tented camps followed at Nagaur and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan as well as yoga retreats and other projects all over India.
Clarissa was instrumental in restarting the tent industry in Rajashtan. Indeed, if you ask any tent manufacturer there today if they know of Clarissa Mitchell, all of them will say yes and express their gratitude for her insight and innovative ideas. She will sorely be missed in India, just as she will be by family and friends here.
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