Poonam Soni on VVV Art Deco: Exploring Colour, Craftsmanship and Culture Through Her Latest Fine Jewellery Collection

Poonam Soni has been an independent voice in Indian fine jewellery for almost four decades drawing from Indian craftsmanship and culture to create unique pieces that evolve into distinctive collections With her latest collection VVV Art Deco ndash Vivid Vibrant amp Vintage she explores a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours textures and unexpected combinations bringing together unique precious stones and an artistic palette shaped by months of experimentation1 VVV Art Deco brings together Art Deco geometry vintage influences and bold colour What inspired you to explore this particular intersection for the collection and what does ldquoVivid Vibrant amp Vintagerdquo mean to you as a designerAns Art Deco is my latest passion with its symmetry and timeless modernity qualities that translate wonderfully into fine jewelry With VVV Vivid Vibrant amp Vintage I wanted to strip away the rigidity often associated with classic periods and infuse it with unbridled energyTo me ldquoVivid Vibrant amp Vintagerdquo is a celebration of vibrancy and color through design Vintage honors the roots of craftsmanship and makes it timeless while Vivid and Vibrant represent the fearless contemporary spirit of todayrsquos wearer Itrsquos about taking heritage lines and waking them up with electrifying color and modern movement2 You have often challenged conventional ideas of how fine jewellery should look and be worn How do you see the role of jewellery evolving today particularly as younger consumers increasingly view it as an expression of personal style rather than just an investment or occasion purchaseAns Precisely because the customer is so discerning we offer unique styles to keep them excited and going a step further we customise to their choice and personality Our strength is new styles design innovation and customise so we have a loyal addicted customer who gets the excitement of New and the choice of a variety of all kinds of jewelry of their choice And thatrsquos what is the difference between a designer stylist and businessmanWe are first designers fearless to experiment and start new trends For too long fine jewelry in India was treated like museum pieceslocked in a bank vault and reserved strictly for weddings or highprofile events I have always believed that high jewelry is meant to be lived in loved and integrated into everyday selfexpressionTodays younger consumers are wonderfully liberated They donrsquot buy jewelry for societal validation or purely as a safe financial asset they buy it as an extension of their personality They want pieces that tell a story transition effortlessly from a boardroom meeting to an evening soireacutee and reflect their individual style ethos This shift has forced designers to be more experimental versatile and avantgarde3 The stackable bangles in VVV Art Deco reinterpret the traditional bridal chura including the ivory bangle with the handpainted evil eye motif What drew you to this tradition and how did you approach reimagining something so culturally familiar in your own design languageAns Today a woman is experimental and wants her own unique style I wanted to design a colorful stack of bangles in vivid colors The idea of reinventing the Chuda came from there The evil eye canvas paintings is a very Poonam Soni style or variable art and it is done on ivory which is the auspicious way the Chura starts after that the bride can use her own innovative colours and complete the stack look of chuda The traditional bridal chura is one of the most culturally potent symbols of Indian heritage yet it has historically been bound to a specific life stage and rigid material conventions I liberated that concept and made it wearable beyond the wedding day versatile modern and deeply personalIn reimagining it we maintained the stacking rhythm of the traditional chura but introduced fine materials Art Deco geometry and handpainted artsuch as the evil eye motif Marrying miniaturized handpainting with fine jewelry is a signature of my design vocabulary blending protective symbolism with high fashion 4 Colour plays a particularly strong role in this collection What is it about colour that allows jewellery to become more expressive and personal and how do you see women styling coloured jewellery differently todayAns The Poonam Soni style has always been about color and this time the color has been elevated into a kaleidoscope of visual impact you canrsquot imagine till you see it Color is an emotional trigger it speaks before design even does While white diamonds and traditional gold have their place colored gemstones color painted bases inject soul and individuality into a piece No two colored stones or artistic finishes are identical which makes the jewelry intensely personal to the wearerToday women are styling color with incredible confidence They arent waiting for a matching outfit anymore Instead they are using vivid rubies emeralds sapphires and multihued enamels as statement pieces against minimalist silhouettesor mixing contrasting colors fearlessly Color has become a tool for sartorial storytelling5 VVV Art Deco is a limitededition collection with 5037 of the pieces prebooked even before its formal rollout What does this response tell you about how the Indian fine jewellery consumer is evolving and what clients are currently looking forAns For me designing is a passion The selling is the second part of the story the very fact that almost 7037 of the Art deco pieces are booked is validation of the design and demand of a client Theyrsquore looking for new things Theyrsquore looking for styling different trends and unique pieces Clients are no longer looking for massproduced uniformity they crave exclusivity storytelling and collectible design This is precisely the reason that the Poonam Soni Brand has remained niche with each piece of Jewelry telling its own story Mass expansion would mean mass designThis response tells me that patrons want our wearable art with a distinct point of view They trust creators who push boundaries and they recognize the value of limited editions When a collection has a soul and a distinct narrative it resonates instantly6 Having built your jewellery house over several decades how have you seen Mumbairsquos fine jewellery landscape and clientele evolve And as the city continues to shape Indiarsquos fashion and luxury conversations what do you think will define the next phase of fine jewellery in MumbaiAns When I pioneered bespoke jewelry design decades ago the market was strictly traditional riskaverse and driven by commercial weight rather than artistic design Mumbairsquos landscape has transformed radically since then It has emerged as Indiarsquos true fashion and creative capital with a clientele that is globally traveled deeply experimental and appreciative of craftsmanshipThe next phase of fine jewelry in Mumbai will be defined by artmeetsjewel concepts experiential retail and uncompromising individuality Clients want to be part of the creative journey and they expect retail spaces to be immersive galleries rather than standard jewelry stores The shift from Jewelry houses into fine Jewelry entering fashion brands is actually more a mass concept than a Designer one It is more of styling than designing unique pieces designers creating unique collections and customising will always be the choice of a discerning customer7 Looking ahead as you continue to expand your design vocabulary and explore new themes what are the conversations cultural influences or shifts in the modern Indian woman that you are most excited to translate into jewellery nextAns As a Designer I am totally involved and rooted in my Latest collection VVV Art Eco and it has a long way to go because we still are experimenting with unique colours new textures and we have different factories who turn out one piece single piece so the next collection is going to be an expansion of the same theme and beyond that I havenrsquot thought because Design is not thinking itrsquos a passionate involvement of creating the unique but definitely the brand is always going to be active and turning out new exciting jewellery pieces and creating path breaking designs My focus is only my creativity and design and expanding the story of the jewellery history of IndiaWebsite httpswwwpoonamsonicom

Poonam Soni on VVV Art Deco: Exploring Colour, Craftsmanship and Culture Through Her Latest Fine Jewellery Collection

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Poonam Soni on VVV Art Deco: Exploring Colour, Craftsmanship and Culture Through Her Latest Fine Jewellery Collection

Other Articles

Mid-Day Fast