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| Anamika takes a bow after the show at The Taj Palace |
Bulgari jewels paired with Anamika Khanna’s couture creations. That’s how close Calcutta got to one of the world’s biggest jewellery brands during a fashion show at The Taj Palace, Delhi, on Wednesday. The next day, Bulgari’s first flagship store in India was launched at Delhi’s luxury mall DLF Emporio.
Wednesday evening was as mystical as the jewellery’s roots in centuries-old Greco-Roman history. Divas on the wall and Cleopatra on the screen, floor chandeliers and green bowers towered over like the public gardens of Italy. Dusty stairs, perhaps reminiscent of the Spanish Steps on one end, transported you to a quaint place in time on Via Condotti — that fashionable stretch in Rome where Bulgari has stood for 130 years. As the hall plunged into darkness, in the flicker of candlelight and with the strains of Ain’t No Sunshine wafting in, models in Anamika’s subtle, dreamy creations and Bulgari’s feisty, edgy jewels, sashayed down the ivory ramp snaking around the Taj Durbar Hall.
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A post-show chat with Anamika...
We haven’t seen you associate with too many brands in the past. What made you say yes to the Bulgari show?
It was an association with a brand that I respect and I have loved for many, many, many years. That was my only reason to associate with them and they gave me such a free hand to work with. They were like ‘Anamika, you decide’ and there were no questions asked.
Your creations sharing the same platform as Bulgari — was it special?
Such an honour! For the CEO to say that even, I feel blessed. There have been offers in the past and I’ve been asked to associate with different brands but I didn’t find them share that emotion that we’d share — to be a bit subtle and quiet. I also needed a brand that thinks ahead of time and that is what Bulgari does. They were the first in coloured jewels. It’s a historical brand and to share the same space with that jewel was an honour.
Tell us about your creations for the show and the inspiration behind them...
It’s an interesting journey I’ve had after I saw the jewels and was asked to present them. In India we don’t wear black dresses and attend functions. We wear our colours, our layers, embroideries and if I have to do this, I have to do it our way. How do I do justice to a jewellery brand which is so elegant, grown up and understated at the same time in its own way? So we decided to do what we do best, that is keep the Indian craft intact yet make it modern and contemporary because that is how ladies dress nowadays.
What we have is really intricate, fine work that would not overpower the jewellery and yet do justice. That’s how I want to wear jewellery. Just a simple thing and a large piece of jewellery, those days are over. I want to be stylish, dress fashionable and that’s how we wanted to present it. I wanted to keep the collection very ethereal and most of the colours soft. I wanted it to be romantic, delicate and still powerful in its own way. So a lot of sheer, organza, self-embroidery in white-on-white textures and different motifs. We started with ivory, went into the gunmetal collection and then the pastels. In the end, it was about flowers because the high jewellery collection was multi-coloured gems and stones. The pastels would help bring out the colours of the jewels in an interesting way.
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| Models in Bulgari jewels and Anamika Khanna outfits |
The intimate setting, the live music and the ramp snaking around the Durbar Hall was a pleasant change from the usual fashion shows…
We didn’t want people to come and get stuck to watching a fashion show. We wanted it to be a gathering of people who understand and see a new way of presentation, interact with each other, have a drink, dinner, party a little and have a nice time. And we thought a live element with Talia singing and Gaurav (Raina) playing would make it special.
How do you think Bulgari and Anamika Khanna complement each other?
I hope we have done justice. I’ve been wearing some Bulgari jewels for a while now and their ready-to-wear B.Zero1 collection on an everyday basis. The jewellery is really modern, stylish, got its own individuality. They can complement anything.
Is there a signature Bulgari piece that you’re particularly fond of?
I’m wearing it. The Serpenti watch. I think it’s stunning, stylish and exceptional.
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Are you a jewellery person?
I go through phases of no-jewellery and then a phase of wanting to wear everything, but yes I am a jewellery person. I like to wear eclectic pieces but I’m not one of those who collect for the sake of it. I like to buy things that I love and I will wear.
Do you have a personal style in jewellery?
The style evolves with the phases I go through. It’s never static. I wake up one day feeling like a gypsy, and the next day feeling really grown up and wanting to dress elegant, and the next day I just don’t want to do anything. I go through that very often.
Which zone are you in now?
I’m in a very grown-up zone right now! (Laughs) I just feel like that. I just want to be elegant but tomorrow morning I might want to be in my pyjamas again. But I like to wear my jewellery in a more nonchalant way. I don’t like to wear jewellery in an ‘okay, I’m wearing jewellery, come see it’ way. You may not even see it sometimes. That’s important to me.
Do you have a favourite gem or stone?
Pearls. I find them extremely beautiful. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend but I don’t care for diamonds just because they’re diamonds. If they’re beautiful, they’re beautiful. I’m partial to pearls.
Is there a piece of heirloom jewellery that you cherish?
There are a few but there’s one very special piece. It’s the finest strings of emerald drops that I have from my mum’s father. It’s been passed on to me and it’s the most beautiful, light colour emeralds that you can ever see. I really cherish that and wear it a lot.
Which Indian woman do you feel carries off jewellery very well?
Sonam (Kapoor)… she is crazy! She will wear something from her head to her toe and get away with it. Yesterday I had to tell her, ‘Calm down, calm down’ because she’ll always overdo it. But no one can do what she can do. Seriously.
The unveiling of the Bulgari boutique in DLF Emporio, Delhi
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A t2 chat with Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin about what makes India Bulgari-ready
This is Bulgari’s re-entry in India...
Yes, for jewellery. When our historical franchisee decided not to continue in a hotel in Mumbai and a hotel in Delhi, we had to decide for ourselves what kind of an organisation should we put in place. We decided to go for joint venture so that we could steer our collaboration, and instead of doing business as our franchisee was doing in the hotels, we decided that ideally we should do it in malls because we have much more traffic in a mall.
Once we decided on that, we had to wait to open because there are actually very few malls at this stage in India. Emporio being number one, a slot had to be available, which happened last year, to implement our new operations of doing it in malls rather than hotels. The modern model now is mostly driven by malls. Also, during those four years without the jewellery, we made big progress with watches. Most of these watches have been designed from jewellery and the watches being there in the Indian market non-stop sold through retailers has paved the way for jewellery coming back.
Why only Delhi now?
In Mumbai at this stage, we still haven’t found an equivalent in terms of luxury to Emporio Mall. We are very interested in Mumbai. There are projects proposed to us by landlords regularly and hopefully soon one of the projects will be considered as luxury compatible, meaning proper location, proper set of brands.
What kind of expectations do you have from the Indian market?
The potential is very strong if we manage to find a good real estate project to expand luxury to five to 10 other cities in the next five years. Obviously until there is essentially a mall or two, not to forget UB City in Bangalore, it’s difficult for the Indian market to become a major market when competing against other countries where you can find 10 to 15 luxury malls. Luxury expands together with malls.
Is Calcutta on the Bulgari map?
Of course! When you have a chance to be in a country where you have at least 10 major metros, where in each major metro you can see an important group of people, it would make sense to bring it to Calcutta. It’s one of the largest and most sophisticated cities in India when it comes to culture and education. There’s a lot of people in Calcutta who can afford jewellery. Most of those people do not want to fly to Dubai or Delhi, so sooner or later we should have a boutique in Calcutta. But again it has to be in an environment which is enhancing the luxury brand, so ideally a luxury mall.
What defines Bulgari today in its 130th year?
We just revamped the first Bulgari store in Rome because the last major revamping was done in 1934. Being a historical flagship, it was deserving.We decided to heavily invest in it with one constraint. One part of the store is protected by the state because the construction, its style and furniture is considered by Italian authorities to be a national monument or patrimony, so even though it belongs to us we cannot modify it. The other part of the store that has no restrictions has been reworked by Peter Marino, one of the best architects and designers who’s done a stunning job in developing a new boutique concept, trying to get closer to Bulgari’s Roman origins. You’ll find a lot of marble, columns and designs from Roman monuments. Not only the jewellery but also the new store concept is more Roman than Italian.
Any Bulgari novelties that will also be available in India?
The Bulgari store in Delhi is proposing three world novelties exactly at the same time as we propose them in New York, Tokyo, Shanghai or in Paris. First, the Diva collection born last year, which has pendants, solitaires, necklaces and bracelets with new interpretation of the chalice symbol, priced very affordably between 1,500 and 12,000 euros. Then there’s the Musa collection inspired directly by India. It was a coincidence because the idea of the stone came from our creative director, who was struck by the shape of rooftops of houses in Jaipur and has inspired a full line named after nine muses from an ancient Greek legend. Finally, the Lucia watch collection for ladies.
From Tag Heuer to Bulgari... how much of a challenge was your switch?
I knew about the watches but the watch history of Bulgari, I had to learn and be explained. Also, the chance to work with Nicola and Paolo Bulgari. Similarly I had to discover the world of jewellery, so I did a course on gemology, read a lot of books, spent a lot of time at the workshops, not to become an expert because my expertise is management but to understand the intricacies of gems and gem business. Same for perfumes, which I had never dealt with. I tried to understand fragrance families, their combinations and the logic of the Bulgari offering. So it’s been like energising myself to go back to school at 55 years! (Laughs)
Finally, please clear the air behind Bulgari spelt with a V...
In Latin, the letter ‘U’ did not exist and was written as a ‘V’. This letter was introduced in 1934 when the Via Condotti store was revamped to stress on the Latin origins of Bulgari. Our inspiration is Rome, with codes and designs converted into jewellery pieces capturing Roman monuments, architecture and art. The Bulgari family initially was from Greece, they wanted Bulgari to be understood as an Italian brand and therefore the fantastic idea to use the V symbol as a reference. It says Latin on one hand and being very geometric, it is also very contemporary.
