By Priti Salian in Bangalore
Manish Arora has done it again. The Indian fashion designer's third and final collaboration with luxury jeweller Amrapali once again showcases his knack for creating contemporary jewellery, this time using a palette of deep reds, fuschias, banana yellows and mint greens.
The Manish Arora/Amrapali Spring/Summer 2014 collection is a modern-day interpretation of the outrageous fashions and eccentricities of Josephine Baker, a famous dancer, singer and actress in the Jazz Era.
Arora's vibrant vision and psychedelic style is beautifully manifested in chandelier earrings, long chained neckpieces, midi rings, palm bracelets, ear cuffs, waist belts and hair accessories. Fluoro fruits, including pineapples, grapes and bananas, and Arora's trademark heart motifs are a succulent addition to these fabulously fun jewels. Like the previous collections, there is something for every buyer, with prices ranging from 5,000 to 1,000,000 rupees.
For Amrapali, which is famous throughout the world for creating magical pieces inspired by classical Indian art and the Mughal Empire, the collaboration with one of India's best-known fashion designers is a sweet twist. Because of its traditional connotations, Amrapali was initially unsure about the project when approached by Arora back in 2012. "But we admire Manish as a designer," says Akanksha Arora, the designer behind Amrapali, "so we went ahead with it." The first two collections were a hit both in India and internationally.
For each collection, the design process began with Arora presenting a mood board to Akanksha, who dealt with the technicalities of creating the jewels. "We maintained Amrapali's standards while creating pieces that matched Arora's design sensibilities," says Akanksha.
For the fashion designer, Amrapali was a natural choice. "When I think of jewellery, only Amrapali comes to my mind," says Arora. "Bringing my experimental designs to fruition was easy for them with their immense experience."
