Bold and Beautiful

Fashion weeks are the best places to make a statement.

Fashion weeks are the best places to make a statement. During the course of the India International Jewellery Week (IIJW) 2012,which concluded in Mumbai recently,many trends came walking down the ramp. Its become de rigueur to have celebrities,Bollywood actors mostly,walk for jewellery brands and designers this years edition was no different. But noticeably this time around,men (celebrities again) wearing large statement neckpieces,brooches and even kalgis were the showstoppers. Abhay Deol looked dapper in a stately black Jodhpuri jacket when he closed the show for jewellery brand Amrapali. He sported a giant paisley maharaja brooch-cum-armlet with a large,carved emerald and three emerald chains from the brands new Panna collection. Designer Preeti Jain chose actor Ayushmann Khurrana for her show,where he wore a dazzling maharaja brooch with pearl chains. Model and actor Sahil Shroff presented Ganjams royal Nizam collection wearing a kalgi and multi-coloured strings and pearl necklace. The common denominator in the collections was traditional occasion wear for men. But is that all there is to men and their choices in jewellery?

The answer is a yes and no.

Well-known jewellery designer Hanut Singh,who designs for both the genders,explains it better. There is indeed a strong market for traditional Indian jewellery for men,like sherwani or bandgala buttons and sarpechs for turban ornamentation during weddings. One sees a lot of grooms wearing pearl strings or emerald beads when they get married. Thats the traditional part, says Singh. As far as everyday wear goes,the designer admits they always wear some form of jewellery be it cufflinks,chains,ID bracelets or rings. Jewellery is very much part of the male sartorial lexicon, adds Singh,who likes to play around with modern interpretations of sherwani buttons,claw-like jewellery,rings

and bracelets.

However,the mens product portfolio with most jewellery labels has been restricted largely to the premium segment featuring kurta buttons,cufflinks,sarpech,brooch pins,kalgis,rings and bracelets.

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Casual wear is about wearing wedding bands with few options in the retail segment catering to casual mens jewellery. There might be a vacuum when it comes to mass retail lines but the demand for bespoke jewellery is on the rise, admits designer Raghavendra Rathore. After a successful run with womens jewellery,Rathore has now forayed into customised jewellery for men. The idea is to incorporate individual family totems or insignias into mens jewellery. The range would bring in achkan buttons,pendants,rings and bracelets, says the designer. Functionality,he explains,is the first thing men look for when buying jewellery. They arent looking for conversation starters but something elegant with strong aesthetics. Their approach to buying jewellery is very different from that of women, quips Rathore.

According to Aparna Gujral,head of the design studio at Ganjam,There has always been a market for mens jewellery in India more than any other country. Though designing precious jewellery for men,she admits,is challenging. Men who indulge in jewellery have a discerning eye for fine details in the product. When such requirements are not met,they rarely compromise, adds Gujral.

A third generation jeweller,Mumbai-based designer Laksh Pahuja,who also showcased at the recent edition of IIJW,says,Men like jewellery but prefer it to be less flamboyant and more personalised.

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