Timing a trend

Bring up this designer’s name and the first thing that comes to your mind is colour,lots of it along with terms like ‘kitsch’,‘pop-art’ and of course flamboyance. All of it put together is also Manish Arora’s USP. Apart from putting together collections for fashion weeks across the world,the designer has in the past collaborated with brands for special ‘Manish Arora’ editions. And this time around,he’s timed a trend well. Combining high-contrast colours and intriguing shapes with Bollywood sparkle,pop culture,humour and sheer joie de vivre,the designer has created a vibrant collection of fashionable accessories for the wrist (read watches) for Swatch. The signature international collection includes six watches for both men and women. “There is high synergy between Swatch and Manish Arora – both are known for their peculiar styles that reflect positive provocation and the joy of life. The watches are a mix of Indian ethnicity and global flavours. As an Indian too I am very proud of the new global collection of Swatch,designed by him,” tells Jyoti Das,brand manager for Swatch (India). Dittos the designer who admits he could relate to the “youth,colour,energy and cutting edge design that Swatch stands for.” “The spirit of both the brands is same and that’s what got me to create the designs,” remarked Arora.

A look through the line-up and Manish’s love for colour seems omnipresent as does his weakness for hearts! Noticeable is a watch called ‘Over Charm’ that brings in a pretty over-the-top skin and works like a semi-bangle bracelet formed of hearts-within-hearts in stainless steel. Then there’s his colourful tribute to the art of dance in a watch called ‘Dancing Hands’ which features close-up shots of bejewelled and painted hands in motion. The vibrant colour scheme from the strap is repeated with variations across the dial and as the hands revolve through a twelve-hour cycle,each disc rotates and the coloured hands combine to perform a dance with their companions! Also a part of the signature line-up are ‘Timespective’,‘Huge in all’,‘From within’ and ‘Giant Shimmer’. The latter has Arora’s sense of humour shining right through as he presents giant shiny hearts and a huge silver dollar sign on the dial.

The watches are priced between Rs 4,450 and Rs 16,200 and are also available at the Swatch store in Sector 17.