Lost in a furniture museum in Paris last year, 26-year-old designer Mrinalini Chandra was suddenly struck by an idea: What if she created jewellery inspired by the chair? So Mrinalini set to work, crafting precious and semi precious metals and gemstones into pieces of jewellery that all had the “chair” as the central motif.
From the grand singhasans of India’s regal past, to national treasures like the Peacock Throne, the palkis that noblemen and women were transported in and the comfortable rocking chair that might be found in any home the chair in all its avatars found its way into necklaces, bangles and rings, hair ornaments and anklets, even cummerbunds, nose rings and a bolero!
Called “Please Have a Seat”, the line was showcased at the Spring/Summer 2014 edition of the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai. “Please Have A Seat does feature works inspired by chairs. But there is a deeper story to it as well,” said Mrinalini, of her designs. “I wanted to remind people to have a seat, take some time out and enjoy life.”
While inspiration may have struck her almost serendipitously, the designer admitted that it was a challenge to translate her ideas into reality. Working with a specially customised gold alloy, recycled glass stones and semi precious gems like jade and onyx, and coated pearls, Mrinalini put together a handcrafted line with the help of veteran craftsmen.
To complicate matters, many of the pieces had actual moving parts or mechanisms. From little dining room chairs arranged in the shape of flowers to make a kalira to a giant wheel movement within a brooch, there was more to these designs than met the eye. “It took a while (to create the collection) but seeing it come to life was all the reward I needed,” Mrinalini said.
With such intricately detailed work as her oeuvre, Mrinalini said her design process needed to be “organised chaos”. “I begin by absorbing the concept as much as I can, then I structure the research and get down to the designing. For this, I first sketch by hand and then do 3D rendering and finally, hands on prototyping in metal,” she explained.
If her process is technical and “concrete”, then her inspirations are equally abstract. Mrinalini counts among her inspirations, “the small things that bring cheer and joy into our day, a reverence for craft and a love of colour and anything poetic”. “It is nearly impossible for me to comprehend darkness or anything sinister and you would never see such influences in my work. I worship detail and finesse and hope, every day, that that’s translated in my work,” she said.
Mrinalini said she has also been inspired by the works of designers like Balenciaga and Anamika Khanna, as well as iconic designs such as Mont Blanc’s limited edition writing instruments. “I am a collector of all things unique and one of a kind,” she said.
And that’s exactly what she’s offering others through her designs. “The delicate nature of jewellery and the profound relationship the wearer has with it is what drew me into exploring this craft,” Mrinalini said. “My muse is every girl who is strong, modern yet rooted, likes to experiment with her looks, and loves life!”
