If you love jewellery, well, who does not? So, good news is well-known jewellery and fashion designer, Anu Merton, is in the city with her exquisite jewellery collection. But that’s not all. Maku by Santanu Das also comes to town with Spring Summer 2024 collection, Solaris. We speak to Anu and Santanu to know more about their collections.
Anu Merton
Please tell us how you started your journey as a jewellery designer.
I started by working in fashion retail for a decade, then spent a few very dissatisfied years as a freelance fashion stylist! I felt like no one ever really understood what I wanted to do, and I always found myself toeing a line my pig headed brain couldn’t come to terms with.
When I launched Anu Merton though, it felt like everything I had seen, felt, and done in the past just added up and fell into place. I decided the brand was going to be all me, and I wanted people to know, to see, understand, like, dislike, lust after, and lastly, buy all this gorgeous jewellery that I loved. I’d been making pieces for family and friends for a while then, and starting the business was a huge leap of faith but I’m glad I believed in myself and saw it through.
How do you make your designs different and unique from the rest that are available in the market? What’s your USP?
My only gold standard is what I like, what I feel, and what I believe in. I’ve witnessed the incredible workmanship our country is capable of, and I love our traditional Indian motifs, so that’s a theme you’ll always see across. My work really comes from what I’ve seen and been inspired by, from memories of my Ma’s pallas to a gorgeous Jaipur sunset. My customers should be better judges, but I think my USP is the final flourish of adding my personal style to the story; on how the jewellery can be worn in multiple ways, everyday, and on different occasions. I like to make versatile pieces that one can effortlessly take from day to night; pieces that make you feel a certain way, because jewellery really has the power to do that.
Please tell us more about your jewellery collection that you are showcasing in Chennai. What can people look forward to?
I’m excited to showcase my core collection this time around in Chennai — all the staples, easy to wear pieces, and the ones that are the most popular with customers. Pieces that can not only be great bases to build your jewellery wardrobe on, but are also great additions to pair with things you might own. You can look forward to gorgeous, affordable polki jewellery — necklaces, earrings, bracelets and bangles, rings, the works.
Could you share the process of your creations? How do you come up with design ideas?
I’ve always expressed how India inspires me endlessly. The raw beauty of every region in this land, childhood memories of winter mornings when the whole household moved out into the lawn, monotonous everyday things, my mum, the palla of her sari, Indian music, and how the sun just shines differently here — everything is alive with emotion.
It’s also how I fall in love with a piece — with a surge of emotion. I see a piece of jewellery and close my eyes, and it all starts coming alive together — the sights, sounds and smells... I imagine the moment it will be worn, how it might make the wearer feel, and I go from there.
Please share tips on how your jewellery can be styled with various outfits.
My styling tip for this collection would be to be fearless, and not be shy! I want my wearers to go out and express themselves. Jewellery has always been my mainstay, and clothes are the canvas I play on, so I wear a lot of my pieces with fits as simple as a white shirt, or with a chiffon sari on summer evenings, or with a heavier Banarsi sari if I’m attending, let’s say, a black tie dinner. You’ll often find me taking the same pieces from day to night on different looks. And that’s what I love to see from my wearers — play with jewellery in their own unique way and let their personality shine through.
What are you currently working on?
I'm currently working on a very fun, very colourful collection which is almost done, and I’m so excited having looked at the finished samples!
I’ve worked a lot with polki and I’ve come to realise there’s so much potential with coloured stones. I’ve also used some new techniques which I’m particularly excited about. We’ve done enameling and setting at the same time — you’ll see what I mean when it launches. The design is of course inspired by the subcontinent, but this time around, with colours, which I haven’t ever done before.
Price starts at Rs 1,890.
Santanu Das
What is Solaris inspired by? What does it mean?
The unfathomable spirit of the sun in its illuminating forms spread across landscapes, reaching its subjects far into the universe. It is interacting with the creations of life and guiding the course of the day. Solaris, in its exploration of identity, life and the cosmos, presents a rich amalgamation of our encounter with seasons, plants, animals, water, fire, sky, sand and the stars.
What are the designs available in this collection and what are the materials used?
Hand spun and hand woven cottons, fine silks, linens and cotton silks have been woven with intricate jamdani motifs with contrast selvedge details, then meticulously crafted into comfortable, yet flattering silhouettes, highlighted by fine and delicate embroideries, inspired by the Rabari communities, keeping us connected to our indian crafts and their roots.
Have you chosen any specific colour/s for this collection?
Yes, specific colours like sand pale beige, clear sky blues, sunny yellows have been picked from our natural surroundings, reminding us of the natural elements that keeps this world for us going; t keep the spirit of these elements within us alive and grounded.
Please share tips on how pieces from this collection can be styled with various outfits.
Each piece can stand out individually and also can be inter styled with each of the other pieces from the collection. One of our most gorgeous style, Kamama, can be wron as an overlap dress, and can also be styled as a front open jacket over another dress, for example the Aquila, which is a more fitted dress in comparison and also brings in a beautiful texture through the fabric it has been constructed in.
What are you currently working on?
We are now currently working on planning our next summer 2025 collection — the inspiration, the colours, the textiles story and textures to bring forth for next year.
Price starts at Rs 4,700.
March 15 to 24, 10.30 am to 7.30 pm.
At The Amethyst Room, RA Puram.
Email: rupam@newindianexpress.com
X: @rupsjain
