The Immortal Jewel

By adorning the visible, material body, they also seek to satisfy a universal longing for the embellishment of its intangible counterpart.

The Human Spirit

A journey of divine Traditions...From generation to generation...

There are people who by simply being what they are inspire and influence us to do things we never thought ourselves capable enough of doing. Among these come my mentors, parents, friends and other near and dear ones without whose constant help and support, this project would never have been complete.

First and foremost I would like to thank all my mentors - Mr. Prasanna Baruah and Ms. Seema Singh for their undying support, motivation and guidance throughout this journey of the final graduating collection. I would also like to thank my classmates and friends who lent their helping hand and support during the process of this project.

I sincerely thank you all for your help in the realization of this project.

- Thank you

1. Introduction 2. Inspiration 3. Concept 4. Mood Board 5. Colour Board 6. Client Persona 7. Motif Exploration 8. Material Exploration 9. Embroidery Exploration 10. Final Embroidery 11. Silhoutte Exploration 12. Design Development 13. Final Collection 14. Garment Photoshoot 15. Conclusion 16. Bibliography

“ Jewellery is a piece of art so rare and a craftmanship so exquisite and skilled... it touches your heart and resides in your soul �

Even in the earliest records of costume in India, jewellery is seen as a vital accessory to everyday life and attire. Jewellery in India is the manifestation of a refined design sensibility and skill, evolved by a civilization over the millennia. The vast diverse range that exists today is an indication of creativity and aesthetic consciousness of the Indian craftsperson as also the inherent desire for decorative ornamentation.

The journey of this collection, takes one through the enhilirating and enchanting process of the representation of Indian traditions in the form of ethnic ornamentation, combined with the freedom of the western civilization, so as to take this beautiful art and the complex techniques involved in its making to the global level of recognition and appreciation. The skill and the intricacy of workmanship for this exquisite art need to be put up to the world with pride and honour, grace and elegance that is all consuming and unconditional.

India, like no other country on our planet, can rightfully boast of an unbroken heritage of intricate and exquisite jewellery designs that span at least five thousand years and extends back into antiquity. People here have expended limitless energy and creativity in the invention and innovation of ornaments that celebrate the human body in its purest form. By adorning the visible, materia body, they also seek to saticefy a universal longing for the embellisment of its intangible counterpart : The Human Soul.

Indian jewellery comprises of a vast and complex assortment of marvels. Traditional Ornaments, having a distinct cultural identity, play a significant and fascinating role in characterizing Indian civilization.

Rarely is an Indian traditional ornament simply decorative and devoid of any inherent meaning or symbolic value. The ability to create and use symbols is a uniquely human characteristic. Symbold found in traditional Indian jewellery act as a metaphorical language communicated from the weaver to the viewer.

Jewellery is a part of the iconography of physical appeal. Worn by men, jewellery symbolizes power and wealth. Women in Indian art and in life persue adornment as a form of devotion to the enhancement of their sensuality and feminine personality. The art of jewellery making in India has been there, is there and will be there for as long as the humans exist, thus truely defining its immortality in the field of traditional art. The unique identity of a piece of Indian jewellery also serves the purpose of differentiating one socio-ethnic group from other.

In every human soul resides an artist who can undestand the ethnic sensibility and the itricasy of a craft that is so charming and divine in its outlook that it can never be completely acquired. It always seems that there is more to it. One cant seem to get enough of its appeal and mystical attration.

These intense and inspirational aspects of this divine and mesmerizing traditional art form of the Indian subcontinent, truely deserves a high and prestigious global platform to be carried on to so that the world may know and appreciate its splendour and grace.

The Indian art of Jewellery making, as a concept, can safely and proudly be pronounced as immortal in nature. Its existance, from the times unknown and forgotten into antiquity, itself proves its precious and magnificient heritage. The human soul connects itself to the enhancement provided by the delicate ornamentation to the body, making it priceless and celebrating the beauty of God’s most precious creation. The use of symbolism inspired from nature is a means to connect the human soul with the beauty of the natural environment surrounding it. Its value and power goes on increasing and increasing as the ages come and go.

I, as a designer, feel that it is my creative responsibility to take forward an art, so precious and prestigious, and introduce it to the global level in a much more innovative and creative manner. The aesthetic sensibility of the traditional outlook can be combined with the western outlook of freedom and sensuaity, in terms of the garment silhouttes, to create an ensamble that can rightfully justify the balanced combination of Indian traditions and western freedom and sensuality of the feminine soul. This concept of the combination of this immortal and everlasting Indian traditional art and western silhouttes represents the core soul and heart of my final collection,

“ The Immortal Jewel�.

TRADITION

HERITAGE

CULTURE

RICHNESS OF COLOR AND FORM

STRUCTURE

ANTIQUE UNIQUE

Unlike western notion, a piece of Indian jewellery is never simply decorative. There is invariably a symbolic value attached - The desire to enhance the human spirit. Popular magic, theological and metaphysical beliefs are expressed through jewellery. Very few forms of art are capable of expressing the elegance, grace and the charm of the richness of Indian cultural heritage as the art of ornamentation in India.

The aura of this journey of combining this traditional form of art to the freedom of the western ages completely saticefies my inner passion for innovation and design.

Indian Jewellery, just like the immensely colourful heritage of Indian culture and traditions, is filled with the shine and the glamour of the cultural diversity and values. Like the sun, gold is also held to be immortal and sacred.

Likewise, the cool, white shimmer of silver is considered representative of the moon. The variety, in terms of material and techniques of developing this exquisite art, provides it the much required colourful identity.

In order to create the desired effect of this traditional art form in my collection, a variety of rich and vibrant colours are to be in terms of the material aspect of the collection.

On the other hand, in order to enahance the art of traditional Indian jewellery, the background of the collection need to be neutal in its colour aspect so as to completely balance the final appeal of the garments of the collection.

Client Persona The Immortal Jewel Age Group : 25-35 years Occupation : Indian celebrity or a personality of noted fame Income Range : HIgh Class Characteristic Trailts : Curious and eager of exploration of Indian culture, Strong personality representing India on a global platform, Loves Indian art and craft, Raw and close to the Indian roots.

Occassion : Red Carpet at an international event or an International Award Ceremony

“ Jewellery, in Indian culture, forms a part of the ongoing circle of life. ” Indian art of Jewellery making derives its motifs from various sources of the environment that surrounds us and holds special place in our aesthetic sensibilities. From the times unknown and forgotten by mankind, the intricacy and minute details of the natural environment and the system of the universe that surrounds us have always inspired the art forms of the jewellery making process. The traditional motifs still continue to be a major source of inspiration for this complex and exquisite art form, thus correctly rendering it “immortal” in the sand of time.

Every piece of Indian jewellery hold an aesthetic and symbolic value attached to in, be it in terms of the cultural and traditional context or the emotional context. The shape especially symbolizes esoteric life concepts and is often believed to exude growth and energy. For instance, geometric shapes like circle, represents heavenly bodies like the sun and the moon, which, in turn, represent the cylindrical notations in the cosmos. Hence, a seed represents the propensity for potential growth while fertility is symbolized by animal representations such as fish.

The most powerful forms used in the art of jewellery making are the ones inspired by nature and its enchanting assortment of nutural forms. For instance, a flower attributes to many denotations of symbolism. The two most distinctive stages in a flower’s develoment are the bud and the full-blown blossom, and fresh flowers in both forms are commonly used as an inspiration for the motifs of jewellery.

The leaf is nature’s means of nourishing the plant, and its multitudinous forms, is another much-used jewellery design source.

It basically symbolizes a mother’s ability to nourish and care for the family and help in its growth and prosperity.

The use of cosmological bodies like the sun, the moon, stars etc. provide a way to express the awe and curiosity, that mankind has experienced from times unknown, by visualizing these heavenly objects in the unebding covers of the sky. Also, it represents the urge and craving in one’s heart to reach out and acquire these celestial bodies in one form or the other.

There is an endless array of raw materials available to inspire the Indian jeweller’s craft and there is a corresponding profusion of techniques at hand for jewellery making. India jewellery complrises of a vast and complex assortment of marvels. When one realizes that all these exquisite and intricate pieces of art have been handmade with elementary tools, one cannot help but be amazed by the ingenuity and skill of the traditional jeweller.

The use of metals like Gold, symbolizing the purity and sacred nature of fire or the sun and Silver, symbolozing the cool and relaxing feeling of the moon, itself renders the end product mesmerizing.

Also the use of colourful gemstones like emerald, rubies, turquoise, amethyst, topaz, diamond, sapphire, pearls etc. indicate the play of vibrant colours in the making of the jewellery as well as play a significant role in the cosmological and metaphysical beliefs of the people.

My collection aims to use materials that would bring out the three dimentional effect of a traditional Indian jewellery on to the garments. This can be achieved by motifs made out of metals in a three dimentional manner and placed on the fabric in such a manner that it produces the desired effect of an exquisitely crafted indian traditional piece of jewellery

Embroidery Exploration

Final Embroidery

Embroidery is that embellishment on a fabric that enriches it with a needle and a thread in such a manner so as to render it glowing with richness and pure elegance.

Silhoutte Exploration

FRONT

BACK

DESIGN 1 Fabric : Velvet silk

with Silk organza tissue drape trail.

Lining : Silk Satin

During the process of design exploration and development, two thing are of the utmost importance - Silhoutte of the garment, Surface Embellishment. • Surface Embellishment : The final look of the embroidery in the collection is very three dimentional in its approach.

It basically goes on to replicate the complete effect of an Indian traditional jewellery in its full splendour and grace on the surface of the fabric, thereby, adding on to the splendour and richness of the fabric. • Silhoutte of the Garment : Since the emphasis of the garment is on the richly crafted and intricate embellishment pattern on the fabric, the silhoutte needs to be basic and neutral in its approach. Taking into consideration that, the aim of the project is the merging of the Indian traditional art to the western aesthetic sensuality and freedom and providing it a global platform in a much more innovative and creative manner, the forms of western silhoutted have been adopted so as to render the collection with, the much required, indo-western appeal.

FRONT

BACK

Fabric : Velvet silk

withpoly mesh and satin silk for the jacket and cotton embroidered lace fabric for the dress inside Lining : Silk Satin for the jacket, cotton cambric and can can net for the dress

DRESS

DESIGN 2

FRONT Fabric : Silk satin Lining : Cotton cam-

bric for shoulder straps.

DESIGN 3

BACK

FRONT

Fabric : Velvet silk Lining : Silk Satin

BACK

DESIGN 4

FRONT

Fabric : Silk organza tissue

Lining : Silk Satin

DESIGN 5

BACK

THE SHOW STOPPER

THE ONCE-UPON-A-TIME ENSAMBLE

THE IMMORTAL SILHOUTTE GOWN

THE CHIC LAPEL

THE SKELETON

This journey through the enchanting and mesmerizing world of Indian Traditional Jewellery, can never be forgotten. This graduating collection has not only conferred me with a treasure of knowledge and experience but also has given me the opportunity to interact with amazing personalities, some of them being friends others being my mentors.

The experience has been exhilarating and though some complicatied situations had to be crossed in its path, the end product of this journey of hardwork has payed off. The collection leaves me with a great sense of pride and honour in what I have accomplished and experience throughout the journey.

I thank all the people, who have directly or indirectly, influenced and supported me throughout this journey. I am deeply gateful to the skilled artisans who have helped me in achieveing the perfection I wanted in my work. I wish the skill and amazing talent in India for Traditions and art remains immortal , justifying my collection...

“The Immortal Jewel�