Strikingly cool, sleek, contemporary and with a heritage heart, Tribe Amrapali has carved its own fan base. As the aspirational brand inches towards a decade, we caught up with the beautiful Akanksha Arora, CEO, Tribe Amrapali, for a look-back chat.
As Tribe Amrapali nears a decade, how do you look back on this journey?
The journey of Tribe Amrapali started with an e-store in March 2013, which catered to shipping jewellery worldwide. As we inch closer towards completing a decade of establishing Tribe Amrapali, I would like to mention that these 10 years have been extremely exciting and yet challenging at the same time. Over the years, we gradually navigated through the process of taking the e-store offline. The first offline store of Tribe Amrapali opened at Palladium Mall in Mumbai. With our first retail store gaining recognition far and wide, we expanded our retail footprint across the country by establishing multiple stores at different locations such as New Delhi NCR and Calcutta. There have been many major milestones throughout this process with its own ups and downs but we have only been learning and growing along the way.
We have also recently expanded the brand presence into the home decor category. Our Tribe Home Collections entail exclusively handcrafted decor items that showcase Tribe’s unique blend of traditional designs with contemporary definition and intricate craftsmanship.
What was the idea behind the brand and the name?
Tribe Amrapali is an affordable, trendy, and fashion-forward brand catering to all age groups. Our inspiration comes from the heritage of India, and the mother brand, Amrapali but with a contemporary shift focusing on the young and vibrant energies. The brand caters to the youth of our country. We decided to name our brand Tribe Amrapali for two reasons. The first being that Tribe Amrapali buds out of the essence of the mother brand, Amrapali, which when it started was a tribal silver jewellery brand. The founders were my father-in-law and uncle who travelled to different villages across our country collecting authentic tribal Indian silver jewellery. We also now have a museum of their private collection in Jaipur, which is the largest of its kind in our country.
Secondly, a tribe denotes a group of people holding a similar thought process and in our case a common interest in enigmatic jewellery. Tribe was a clear term that perfectly fit with the essence of our brand and our entire thought process.
How did you ensure that Tribe Amrapali develops its own identity?
Tribe Amrapali is an enigma of traditional folklore in a young and vibrant embodiment. What makes Tribe Amrapali distinctive is that it creates contemporary and affordable designs cultivated out of experimental design philosophy, primarily focusing on silver, gold-plated silver and fashion jewellery. The identity for Tribe Amrapali speaks to a youthful and modern customer; someone who has an instant connection to cultivating a tribal culture in new ways. The jewellery is heritage and yet eclectic at the same time. The brand is infused with vibrant and dramatic energies which emits Indian modernity.
Multi Enamel Coin Chandrika Necklace
Talisman Chandrika Ear cuff with hair comb
Do you have a separate team of designers?
We have a separate design team for Tribe Amrapali that works in the same design studio as the mother brand. The designers from the two teams have a collective exchange of ideas and concepts, which leads to an increase in their creative output through the designs. Some of the collections from the two brands come into synergy with common attributes.
We love all the collections. What have been your favourites?
One of the most iconic collections of Tribe Amrapali is ‘The Chandrika Collection’ that beautifully intertwines contemporary fashion with the resonance of the signature Amrapali craftsmanship and tradition. The essence of this collection is that it reverberates from two main design inspirations — mythical creatures and animals of ancient India, and Indian charms. Based on handmade Sanganeri paper made by local artisans, the pieces are skilfully created through the rare finesse of handmade talent.
In future, do you see Amrapali going more pret?
The current generation has seen a rise in the Instagram culture. Millennials have brought with themselves a fresh interest in jewellery. We’re increasingly seeing a demand amongst the younger generations for affordable pieces, which they can adorn for multiple occasions. Instead of opting for a few expensive pieces, millennials prefer to keep updating their jewellery collections with newer, more accessible jewellery pieces. Keeping these considerations in mind, we are looking at moving Amrapali collections towards pret.
Let’s talk about your personal collections a little. You must be having an enviable collection?
Well, I am very fortunate to have a lot of striking jewellery pieces in my collection. Personally, I am not a hoarder and only opt for jewellery that I appreciate and connect with. My taste in jewellery is minimalistic, considering I have a petite frame, I avoid oversized pieces. The quality of jewellery is something I prioritise, making sure that the stones, diamonds and workmanship have an exceptional finish. My interest and thought process behind jewellery is what inspires my design philosophy for Tribe Amrapali.
What kind of jewellery do you like wearing on a regular basis?
I adorn a pair of vintage rose-cut studs on an everyday basis to go with my vintage rose-cut engagement ring to work. Occasionally I also adorn delicate gold bracelets along with my watch. I personally also love experimenting with pieces from Tribe Amrapali since the jewellery is contemporary and has an experimental design philosophy that can be artistically paired with all kinds of apparels, be it traditional or modern.
What are the favourite Amrapali pieces in your casket?
My favourite Amrapali pieces come from the ones that are housed in the museum, which showcases traditional silver jewelled arts of India reflecting the ‘everyday’ life of the people of India. I am happy we have an opportunity to share these ethnic designs with scholars, students, connoisseurs, artists and other visitors to Jaipur, who get a chance to explore the heritage and history of India through jewellery and artefacts. From Tribe Amrapali, apart from the Chandrika collection, the Parijat collection, which is a timeless collection that features antique gold floral charms tastefully studded with pearls and coloured glass, is also a favourite. I also adore our Navratna collection, which is amongst our Timeless Treasures, displaying a beautiful combination of nine semi-precious stones representing the core of Navratna.
