When innovation meets tradition

Projects on jewellery and other designs by students of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Hyderabad saw the merger of creativity and new ideas with traditional crafts recently.

Can Geisha performances from Japan inspire jewellery design in India? According to student Suhana Hossain, yes it can. “It’s the concept of the traditional ‘kimono’, the hand fans and not to forget the pink cherry blossoms of Japan. They all inspired me,” she says.

Kanika Kalra, another student, adds, “Some of my designs have been inspired by the Aztec civilisation and the poppy flower paintings of Van Gogh.”

Says Abhimanyu Kumar, “My brass collection is inspired by the rain dance of the peacock, with motifs of peacock feathers.” Dhrupad Das adds, “Mood lights for the living room are made with the material of leather puppetry of Kerala and Gond art of Madhya Pradesh.”

Ankita Khampa meanwhile has based her designs on Moroccan art and sunflowers, while Ritika Ranjit has worked with beads to create handbags. Dhwani K. has created lightweight spectacle frames, titled ‘30th Feb Eyewear.

For Divya, Priyanka Dutta, Sushmita Dusa, Bingi Varsha Akshara and Abhilasha Bajpai, it’s been the influence of Kanjeevaram saris, rudraksha motifs, spices, lotus and shining celestial bodies. Says Apeksha Masrani, “What is important about these projects is that now traditional craftsmen have got new designs to tap buyers of the present generation.”