You may need a reminder that you have “One life, many adventures” and that “Everything is a choice”. Or encouragement to “Wish it, do it, dream it” and “Follow the yellow brick road”. Perhaps a reinforcement in your belief to say “I can and I will” and that “Magic happens”.
Find these positive, empowering messages hidden in plain sight — within graphic patterns in Puja Bhargava Kamath’s latest collection for her jewellery brand, Lai Designs. The sentences are revealed when you hold the pieces close, or at a certain angle. The idea, she says, is that, “When looked at, even passingly, it sends subliminal messages to the brain, reinforcing positivity every single time.”
Sign of the times
While most of this NIFT-trained designer’s works are inspired by her love for travel, history, culture and architecture, Hidden Messages was born from changes taking place in the world. “I wanted to create pieces that are current and tell the story of our times, with the conversations around feminism, women’s rights, our strengths and self acceptance... I combined my love for doodling and words to create this collection,” says the founder of the New Delhi/San Francisco-based brand.
Kamath has been designing silver jewellery for brands like Fab India since 2009, before setting up shop in 2011. What drew her to the medium? “I love jewellery, especially silver. I felt unexcited by the same old designs that were in the market and wanted to create jewellery that was contemporary. Not in a stark, clinical way, but one that celebrated an Indian minimalism, was wearable, relatable and, most importantly, affordable,” she explains.
Her designs, she says, “cater to urban, intelligent, well read women — ones with a certain level of artistic appreciation. They are travel happy, very aware and get our references, whether it is to a craft skill, to a small town in India or a movie or a book. They are in tune with trends, but have a confident, individual style that sets them apart. It is always a challenge to keep coming up with collections that excite them.”
All inspired
Her collections are inspired by places that fascinate Kamath (Alhambra, Kinner Kailash and Kutch), cultures and their aesthetics (Greek, Kashmir and Mughal), iconic motifs and their history (paisley, mehendi and rangoli) or crafts (Bidri and Nathdwara). Almost all their designs are limited edition — the most she has done is 50 pieces of a particular one, while the usual number is 25.
The brand launches two collections a year, and the next one is due around the festive season in October/November. What can customers expect? “The easiest way for us to grow and sell more would be to cater to popular taste and do more of what did well, like the vintage coin jewellery which sells faster than we can make them. Or something similar to Mukta Carita, our best selling seed pearl collection. But it won’t satisfy us creatively. No matter what we do next, we will make it exciting and new for us and our audience,” concludes Kamath.
Visit in.lai-designs.com
Published - May 25, 2018 03:39 pm IST
