Raj Mahtani Couture Jewels’s new line blends the statement with the edgy and cool. The jewellery collection lends itself to versatile styling, all with a sense of haute oomph. t2 chatted with Raj on the inspiration behind the collection, how travel impacts design and the woman he designs for now.

The pieces look stunning. What was your inspiration?

I was in Rome, Milan and Florence, and the whole feeling of being in Rome actually reminded me of Calcutta because of the buildings and the grandeur. I think I’ve been extremely fortunate to be in Calcutta… just to see how the buildings can be used to showcase art… intellect and culture is really the space that Calcutta is in. That has allowed me to create my own visual language. There’s a certain avant-garde artistic freedom sort of spirit in Calcutta, and I think that is what we have to take forward and that I think is at the heart of our jewellery.

So, my new collection draws from the two cities, which I think have the same soul… Rome, with its imperial arches and the sculptural magnificence and Calcutta, with its colonial buildings, the romance and the artistic opulence. I just felt that there’s a synergy there… the table-cut diamonds that we do and the emeralds with baroque flourishes echoing the Bengal Renaissance but with silhouettes that are really modern. My endeavour has always been to make everything contemporary. I like to take the traditional but twist it, and I think that’s what I’m really known for. I have been instrumental in engineering that in my work, and now I feel more so with the kind of youngsters that we have, the millennials, the young girls who are getting married now. They’re very practical and they want to be able to reuse their jewellery. So, it becomes important to be extremely contemporary because how many people are wearing lehngas and saris after their weddings? Even the mothers-in-law today don’t wear saris.

I feel I know what women want in terms of emotion, expression, and every girl wants a very powerful identity. I feel through jewellery, I found a voice to mould my vision into a unique style that speaks to women who dare to dream.

For me, every piece is about how the old and heritage and the contemporary and the modern come together to create something bold and something new, because everything has been done before, but we have to, of course, reinterpret it. And a little spark of daring, which I think I like to add. My signature style is noticeable from far, and I have always been inspired by art, the way it pushes boundaries through paintings, sculpture and architecture.

The styling looks bold yet clean…

This time I’ve done a line with a lot of emeralds. It’s actually the renaissance of jewels, and I also feel that in terms of styling, we’ve tried to show it in a very modern way, without lehngas. It’s very today and edgy. I think what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to show luxury, but trying to see how people would like to dress today. The impact is very strong. We’ve done pictures which are like really, you know, cinematic. Some of them are playful and acrobatic. I want to also be able to show that there’s a fun side to wearing big jewellery.

How have you tweaked the sensibility over the years?

I took over when my father passed away in 1986. I was young then, and it took me a couple of years to find my way. Then, of course, I went away to Europe for 10 years, and I came back in 2000.

The only thing that is constant is change. So, you have to change the way you think and the way we sort of imagine ourselves to be, because the Indian woman whom I designed for, she has undergone a sea of change. Her style of dressing, her thought-process, her behaviour pattern… everything has changed. She is not happy to play second fiddle any more… she wants to have a life of her own, even independent of a husband.

I think it’s very important for the woman to be able to understand that her jewellery also has to reflect who she is from within, and of course, a sense of style. When you’re going out in the evening, you want to look chic and fabulous. Travel changes us. Heritage can sort of egg you on and provoke you because of the beauty, but you have to come into the contemporary space to be able to understand your own thought-process. Now my endeavour is to dress this woman who is confident, bold and who wants to make a difference… wants an identity of her own.

I’m constantly looking at, for example, a girl wearing a pair of jeans with a black top, and I think, what would I put on her neck? Would I put a huge traditional necklace? No. I want to put something simple but thought-provoking, which is going to shock. I have always been a shocking person! (Laughs) You want to see something that you don’t expect to see.

I think it’s important to be OTT, but still have a method to the madness. A good artist will evolve, but he’ll always have a signature style. It’s all about having that control to be able to execute and create something with fabulous craftsmanship, so that it really sits beautifully like a second skin on your neck.