More is More

As accessories become fashion’s favourites,there is a spurt in those who want to retail modernistic,eye-catching pieces. This is a marked difference from the days when the focus was on garments and hardly any effort was made to infuse creativity into accessories. Indian women traditionally accessorised their saris with flowers,glass bangles or old pieces of jewellery passed down from mother to daughter. Precious jewellery was most aspirational; that which was fake was considered good for young girls but not for ladies. “I started designing jewellery eight years ago,back when people were still only using traditional materials such as silver,gold and diamonds,” says Ahluwalia,”I began using semi-precious elements,including stones and metals,and slowly the trend caught on.” Now,most of the accessory designers agree that innovative and statement-making elements are the future of fashion. For instance,Ahluwalia’s new collection speaks out against marital violence with bold,stunning and almost aggressive pieces of bridal jewellery. Gold pendants shaped like knives,daggers,bows and arrows and a grave skull-shaped pendant have been coupled with semi precious stones to become neckpieces that demand respect.

Similarly,Rohan Arora’s elevated shoes are a statement against inflation. The collection of fabric-covered,hand-painted shoes start with high platforms,and progress towards gradually shrinking heels,until only plain,flat shoes remain. “The concept for the collection came to me when I read an article on inflation. It’s supposed to tell a riches to rags story,with the high heels signifying the high life and the flat shoes speaking about impending poverty.”

While such accessories — original and conceptual — may seem too unconventional to be commercial,the designers themselves insist that the demand for such products is picking up. Arora,for instance,says that when he debuted at LFW last year,media curiosity was higher than actual buyer interest. This time,however,he’s had many more people walking in with the intention of purchasing his shoes. “You have to give some time for the idea to catch on. People are gradually losing their fear of unconventional stuff such as this,” he says.

Even in the stalls,this penchant for going against conventional design is evident. Sannam Chopra has been designing quirky,statement jewellery for almost four years now. Her highly “editorial” pieces,as she refers to them,already retail out of several boutiques in India,but she still finds it useful to set up a stall here. “During LFW,I’m in direct contact with the buyers. They can tell me what they like.” Another jewellery designer,Vandana Dewan,has already got other designers at the LFW coming and picking up her designs for themselves. “It’s great to see that accessory designers are getting the same kind of exposure that fashion designers have been getting for so many years. For an emerging designers such as myself,it’s a great encouragement to know that I can have this platform too.” The great advantage of LFW,everyone agrees,is that a wider group of people know that they no longer have to fall back on staid accessories and can find something more creative.

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