Jason and Anshu’s ‘smallshop’ offers a new festive wear collection available in Amethyst for the very first time. Designer Jason Cheriyan spoke to Richa Tilokani about his design sensibilities and future plans.

Smallshop is a collaborative undertaking between Anshu Arora and Jason Cheriyan, the husband wife team of designers who make innovative garments for the fashionably forward. The smallshop aesthetic can be best summed up as vibrant, whimsical and luxuriously languid. The label retails at Raintree in Bangalore, Bombay Electric, Le Mill, Aza and Kimaya in Mumbai, Evoluzione in Chennai and Delhi and Jodhpur etc. They have showcased their creations at the Singapore fashion festival in Fall 2007, the Delhi Fashion Week in 2009 and the Wills India Fashion Week in 10-11 (both summer and fall). They also do a children’s line, ‘smallstory’ at Good Earth.

Both the designers were very clear that they wanted to do something creative after school. So Jason enrolled in art school at the Govt. College of Arts and Crafts, Chennai from 1986 to 1988 and followed it up with a two-year stint at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, specializing in fashion from 1988 – 1990. Anshu studied literature at St Stephens, Delhi, post which she joined a course in fashion at NIFT Delhi, between 1994 and ‘97.

Luxurious celebration

Smallshop’s latest collections comprises of exquisite floaty ghagras, jeweled sarees, embellished blouses, floaty tops, sheer tunics and more. True to their style, it is luxurious and colorful.  It is a whimsical range of apparel, described by the designer as “enveloped in clouds kissed with stardust and flowers where with every swish of the skirt, hidden treasures swirl”. The ‘Luxury’ here stems from the various unique hand processes the product goes through and the use of natural fabrics, which are finally translated into clothes that are soft, draped and artistic.

[wzslider autoplay=”true” lightbox=”true”]

Shares Jason, “Our pieces are unique as we pay a lot of attention to craftsmanship. Of course, it is not as easy to get craftsmen in Bangalore as compared to Chennai, Delhi or Kolkata.” But he is happy with the response in Chennai so far, “Chennai is a not a conservative market as is often said. We have always received a good response here,” he says.

Creative duo

Of working with Anshu as a team, Jason says, “It is great that we work well together and our designs come together in a very natural way. We don’t have a formal way of demarcating our inputs. Sometimes we disagree with each other but if we are convinced about an idea, we go ahead and execute it to convince the other person.”

It’s been an exciting journey for the two young designers and the future looks even more promising, “Anshu is also interested in doing up interiors and there are a lot of opportunities in Bangalore, so we are keeping our fingers crossed,” ends Jason with a smile as he gets busy with his customers.

Mumbai based jewellery designer Shachee Shah’s exquisite range of Art Jewellery on display at Amethyst Chennai is a connoisseurs delight, finds out Richa Tilokani.

Shachee Shah’s latest jewellery collection is a range of traditional handcrafted art jewellery, showcasing exquisite lace texture on gold. The range includes signature classic and modern pieces, harnessing surface treatments that are rejuvenated when worn.

The young designer shares how she got started, “Post studying commerce at Jai Hind college, my love for fashion drove me towards SNDT university. There, I pursued a one- of- a kind course introduced by the University- Diploma in Jewellery Design and Manufacturing in 1996. This intensive 3-year course included training under professors from UK and exposed me to international curriculum in India. Here, I learnt not only design but also the entire manufacturing bench working, metal smithing etc.”

Jewellery forever

To make her jewellery stand out, Shacche worked hard to achieve the distinctive lace texture on gold. She undertook a lot of research and development, working with metals hands-on and creating samples to create the exclusive and signature pieces in her latest collection. “I have used LACE motifs and recognized that lace has a special quality in terms of playing with the idea of being hidden while being seen, transparency versus being opaque and translated them into a piece of fine jewellery through micro-engineering manufacturing techniques,” she shares.

Shachee is also intrigued by the concept of bringing together our past heritage, our pragmatic present lifestyle and the sensibilities of what our visionary future might look like. “My pieces are rooted in the best quality of creation and the designs are forward inspiring. Through my work, I bring out the best from my craftsmen who are from the lower socio-economic group but have immense talent – they just need to be recognised for their brilliant craftsmanship!” she says with a smile.

Jewelry made in India is distinctive from others due to the strength of our craftsmanship, believes Shachee. “The beauty of Indian jewelry is seen from its heritage. I aim to showcase my designs as a reflection of our inherent skills that define jewelry making in India,” she says.

Making her mark

On the future, Shachee believes she it’s a great time for the industry every body wants branded products. “Clothes, bags, shoes, watches, make- up, beauty care- every field, designer and brand has its distinctive place today, so why not jewellery?” she says. Big designers are known for their distinctive styles and she hopes that one day, her pieces of jewellery will also be recognized just like those of Chanel, Van Cleef Arpel, Cartier etc.

Indeed as the industry evolves in India, one hopes that it will not be long before customers are able to recognise a Shachee original jewellery just as easily as they would recognize a Sabyasachi or a Tarun Tahiliani creation.

Sonal’s Bijoux unveils the latest collection which includes a wide array of coral jewellery and plans to change the representation of this gemstone by using Coral beads, branches, cabochons in combination with diamonds, emeralds, smoky quartz, rubies, pink sapphires to name a few. The sheer versatility that corals have offered in this range cannot be overstated.

[wzslider autoplay=”true” lightbox=”true”]

Sonal Sahrawat, Creative Head, Sonal’s Bijoux adds: “As a design house we have always been fascinated by the vast variety and creative options that coloured gemstones offer. For unique designing avenues we have explored various regions across the world and during one such trip to Europe we discovered the beauty of corals which are available in variety of colours like red, white, pink and peach. If this wasn’t enough they are also available in various shapes and sizes, some man-made and others natural and that’s when the idea of coming up with a coral jewellery range came into my mind”

The only jewellery brand which considers its beauty no less than that of Rubies, Emeralds and Diamonds aims to change the way how it is represented to the Indian jewellery enthusiasts and it is therefore one of the reasons why it sets apart from other design houses. 

So hurry up and gets your hands on this exquisite collection. 

Available at: Sonal’s Bijoux

Ground Floor (Right Wing), Pitruchaya, Plot No.21, N.S.Road 2,
JVPD Scheme, Vile Parle (West), Mumbai 400056

Let’s take a look at Jimmy Choo’s special set of clutches and small leather goods created especially for Valentine’s presents. They feature a ‘Love Shoe’ on them and make the perfect Valentine presents. I hope you can feature the same. Do let me know if you require any further information regarding these.

[wzslider autoplay=”true” lightbox=”true”]

Jimmy Choo is available at BERGAMO, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Chennai.  + 91 44 42050953

Balancing the roles of a businesswoman and royalty, Rani Kamini Singh’s creations are subtle and classy. Kamini has been highlighting the beauty of traditional craft and embroidery and thereby generating employment for the village women of her estate.

“Rose Tree”, showcased a collection synonymous with the subtle elegance of traditional craft and embroidery, through formal and informal dressing, a seamless amalgamation of Indian and Western ready to wear cotton tunics and shararas embellished with tulsi beads, mother of pearl, gota for a touch of the royal and more in earthy shades

Evolv presents the 431-88‘s Spring Summer line – ‘Cut In Knot Up’ which is inspired by the Chinese characters or Hanzi. The Sporty Vibe of the collection is translated effortlessly in Panelled Sheath dresses in Taffeta and Satin Crepe giving this edgy collection a luxurious feel. Carrying forward its focus on urban wear, the collection explores distortion of classic tailoring in a completely new dimension. Using the shape of the logograms, parts of the garments were extended from the patterns that were further developed into knots. With the same shapes, the angles on each character were used as cut-outs that facilitated the movement of panels through each other.

[wzslider autoplay=”true” lightbox=”true”]

The colour palette of the collection moves from a vibrant story of Electric Blue, Pop Orange, Cherry Red and Coral to a more neutral territory of Creamy Whites and Blacks. Each piece is beautifully finished and proudly made in India.

Mango has spotted and decided to make a mark on the ever-growing gap between stylish-trendy clothing and plus sizes. Spanish retailer Mango has announced the launch of Violeta, a new line targeting plus-sized women set to debut in mid-January alongside the store’s main-line spring collection. Tag line, “It suits me and I like it”, reflects the brand’s promise for youthful, high-quality fashion which will include 400 pieces, both clothing and accessories. Initially it will be available countries in Europe, so splurge on your vacations until it reaches Indian stores by the end of the year.(we hope)

DIOR’S iconic VIII Grand Bal Modèle Résille is starting the new year with a more colorful version, in white ceramic and pink sapphires. Originally inlaid with diamonds, the new watch with a mother of pearl ring and dial, will be inlaid with pink sapphires. iThe limited edition watch will be available from January 2014 in a limited edition of only 88 watches. One of the most remarkable features is its self-winding “Dior Inversé” movement whiCh evokes the twirl of ball gown, a detail honoring the couture tradition of Christian Dior.