By adorning the visible, material body, they also seek to saticefy a universal longing for the embellishment of its intangible counterpart. The Human Spirit.
A journey of divine Traditions...From generation to generation...
Acknowledgement 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 would like to take this opportunity to thank my friend and senior Hardik Madaan for his constant assistance and guidance throughout the project. I sincerely thank you all for your help in the realization of this project. - Thank you
Contents 1. Introduction 2. Inspiration 3. Concept 4. Mood Board 5. Colour Board 6. Client Board 7. Final Plan 8. Motif Exploration 9. Material Exploration 10. Final Embroidery 11. Design Development 12. Range Sheet 13. Final Garment Photoshoot 14. Conclusion 15. Bibliography
Introduction “ 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 exhilerating 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.
Inspiration 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 embellishment 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. Symbols 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 intricasy 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 can't 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.
Concept 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. Traditional Indian ornaments sre established symbols of ethnic unity and identity, which is why, in India, from generation to generation, all women within a cultural community aspire to own the same traditional objects. An exquisite piece of traditional jewellery never goes out of style. 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 sensuality, 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�.
Mood Board
The enchanting and exquisite heritage of the art of jewellery making in India truely represents the richness of the cultural and ethnic history of the country. The ethnicity and aesthetic beauty of the Indian forms of ornamentation, express the traditional values and the diverse cultural history of India. In addition to that, the delicate and intricate style of the work completely mesmerises any individual . 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 creativity.
Material
Colour Board 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 used 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.
Farbic
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 any International Award Ceremony.
Client Board The client board reflects a group of people or occassion for which the collection is to be created. My collection is a combination of traditional techniques in the form of ornamentation and the sensuality and freedom of the western world, thus, creating a collection of ensambles to reflect the traditional values of Indian culture in sync with the feminine grace and elegance. The aim of this collection is to take this traditional craft of Indian jewellery making to the global platform of encouragement and appreciation, and an Indian graceful personality at red carpet of an international event or award ceremony is apt to be the client profile for the collection.
Final Plan Collection : The Immortal Jewel Season : Autumn Winter couture collection 2014 Inspiration : Indian Traditional Jewellery No. of Garments : 5 Embellishment : Brass metal motifs, Beads, Pearl, Stones, Golden Chain, Golden Thread work, Metal thread work. Silhouttes : Purely Western Couture Fabrics Used : Raw silk, Velvet, Silk Tissue, Organza, Crotia net, Silk Satin. Colour Story : Neutal and Metallic Colour palette (Black, Pearl white, Beige, Golden etc.) for the fabric and Vibrant and glowing colours ( Maroon, Peacock green , Peacock blue, Pearl white, Golden, Bronze etc) for the Embellishment
Motif Exploration “ 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 sands 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 natural forms. For instance, a flower attributes to many denotations of symbolism. The two most distinctive stages in a flower’s development 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 unending 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.
Symbolism in Traditional Indian Jewellery •
Sun, Moon – Cyclical pattern of movement in the universe.
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Triangle, circle – Cosmic circular motion in the universe.
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Vegetables, Mineral .
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Seed – Potential Growth and prosperity.
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Animal forms - Butterfly, peacock, bee, birds etc.
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Fertility symbolism.
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Nature inspired Motifs – Flowers, leaves, animals, stars, planets.
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Lifestyle inspired – Mythological incidents and religious beliefs.
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Cultural aspect – Colour, texture, size, shape and identity of the regional cultural heritage.
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Social aspect – Status symbol, positioning in the society.
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Religious aspect – For different religious and traditional occasions, according to the need and the aesthetic sensibility as per the occasion.
Material Exploration 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. Indian 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.
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.
Design 1 Completely filles with embellishment with a flared detachable belt, accessorized with a chain layered neckpiece.
Design Development 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.
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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.
Design 2 Crotia - net halter dress with heavily embellished velvet overcoat.
Design 3 Silk Satin A-line gown embellished on the shoulder with a layered chain accessory on the back.
Design 4 Embellished collar dress with heavily embellished belt made in velevt.
Design 5 Silk tissue dress with a boat neck style, complete with Laser thread cutting and embellishment in the form of the human body cage.
Final Collection
Garment Photoshoot
Conclusion This journey through the enchanting and mesmerizing world of India 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 complicated 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�
Bibliography 1. Costume,Textiles And Jewellery Of India Traditions In Rajasthan By, Vadana Bhandari. 2. Traditional Jewelry of India By, Oppi Untracht 3. Indian Jewellery By, Nick Bernard 4. A Jewelled Splendour: The Tradition of Indian Jewellery By, Asha Rani Mathur 5. Dance Of The Peacock Jewellery Traditions Of India By, M S Kumar Usha R Bala Krishnan 6. Costumes and Textiles of Royal India By, Ritu Kumar 7. The Techniques of Indian Embroidery By, Anne Morrell