Suhani Parekh’s quiet strength is palpable once she starts talking. The force behind the conceptual jewellery label, Misho, Suhani, is a trailblazer. And, it’s easy to see why. In less than a decade, Misho has built an identity that most fiercely independent women swear by. The designs are strong and reveal personalities, without saying much. They are conversation-starters and make for engaging visuals. In town for Bombaim’s Design That Feels, a talk hosted by Richa Kanoi, the founder of the design den, Suhani chatted with t2 about what makes Misho the statement it is.

Welcome to Calcutta, Suhani!

Bombaim was one of our first stockists, so I have been stocking with them for maybe six years, but it is my first time here, yes. I actually really like the energy.

Anything that you like about how Calcutta looks, in terms of design and architecture, because your pieces are so architecturally rich?

I do, but it’s all from images, unfortunately. Today I arrived and went to the hotel, but I feel like I want to do a nice drive at night because I’ve heard that some of the architecture looks beautiful at night. Tomorrow I’ll sneak off at some point. I was just chatting with Richa (Kanoi), I was like, you have to give me a list!

What did you study, and has everything merged into what you are doing now?

I studied fine arts, sculpture and art history. I think it has merged a little bit. I think I had an art background, so I feel like I always wanted to do something creative, and I always wanted to do something tactile. After art school, I actually worked in art galleries, and I realised quickly that while it’s beautiful to go and visit a gallery, when you’re actually working in a gallery, it’s very administrative and it’s not very creative. That’s when I decided that I want to go back to the other side, which is actually making things. I am happiest when I am in the studio, when I get my hands dirty, when I’m playing with material and form.

It’s been eight years since the label. How has the journey been?

If you ask me, really, I would say five, because I looked at it as a serious business, probably after 2020. I’d say before that we’d done a lot of cool projects, and I think that the jewellery was super well-received, but I was doing it part-time. We only launched our website in 2019. I think that the brand grew very organically, and it just caught on.

The industry has been amazing to us, the fashion community, the design community. Generally, I feel like the whole fashion community in India is very tight-knit and they’re very supportive of each other in general. I think that’s kind of how the industry will grow. You have to see yourself beyond competition. You have to see yourself as contemporaries, because that is how you build that market. And I think that, at least for my generation of designers, whether it is ready-to-wear or Indian bridal, everyone’s approach is very different. It’s very contemporary, and then you almost need to come together to build that voice.

It’s a roller-coaster ride, such a learning curve. Amazing days, amazing highs, amazing lows. I think that goes for any passion project, for any business. I think that every day is a new challenge.

Have you always loved bold jewellery?

I didn’t like jewellery at all because I didn’t like the heavy ornamentation, the filigree and that kind of aesthetics that, unfortunately, at the time was the only thing available. So I do feel like, partially, I was designing these pieces for myself, the kind of things I would like to wear.

There’s an element of minimalism but very bold…

Yes. I was always happy to pick up something bold. I truly appreciate the aesthetic of traditional Indian jewellery, and I think it’s stunning, but it’s just not something that I necessarily feel like wearing personally.

You introduced a different language to jewellery, where it’s actually like a piece of sculpture…

That’s how we approach it. I feel like I’m making a sculpture that you can wear. So I think it’s a combination where you’re looking at form and function and balancing both. I’d say in all honesty, I start with form because I’m trying to build that sculptural object, and then I think about function in terms of it needs to be comfortable, lightweight, durable and needs to look amazing with like 50 of the other things in your wardrobe. The pieces are very versatile. Not just that you could wear them with like so many different things, but also versatile in the sense that you know, we have someone like a Zeenat Aman wear a piece, but then we have someone like a Kylie Jenner wear the exact same piece. Two personalities, different generations, different continents, and it’s the same product, and it works beautifully for both.

How has the space of conceptual jewellery evolved?

A lot of people are willing to experiment. When we started, one of the things I would always hear was, ‘It’s amazing, such a beautiful design, but I don’t know if I would wear it. I don’t think I can pull it off.’ There was always an appreciation for the design, but can I pull it off? And I think that it’s really nice to see how in these few years that has evolved. Women are so much more experimental with what they wear. I think that there is a sense of taking onus and kind of owning your personality. And if you ask me, while we are experimenting with different things now, nothing is as transformative as a piece of jewellery. You can be wearing a white shirt and jeans, and you put on that statement necklace, and your whole look is different. It’s that one piece that will transform it. I think that you can, in fact, communicate your personality so well through an object, in that jewellery is the master.

We have to ask you about your stunning corsets…

The first one we made was actually when we launched the brand, but at the time, our capability in terms of how well we could play with material was limited. So those are all wire corsets. Then, back in 2023, if you have seen the one where I have the bump, so that was the full cast, in bronze, gold-plated. I would say probably that was the critical moment, and I think after I wore that we had a lot of requests and we were making them throughout the year for clients, for weddings. And then I think that now we sort of systemised the process because it is very custom, you know. It needs to fit your body. You need to feel like this is made for you. So, we have perfected that process, and now we are able to release it as a product.

We use a different composite material; we have used resin and bronze. We have done some in real gold, a sculpted peacock, in 18-carat gold with sapphires. It’s like your armour.

When did you start making ready-to-wear?

We are launching our first collection this year. I have been making it for fun. I am trained as a sculptor. So, for me, fabric is my new material, and I sculpt in fabric the way I sculpt in metal. I have a really nice team, and I work with the craftsmen, and you learn on the job. We have done it in bits and parts, we have done it custom. There was a demand, and then I think that we launched our first bridal couture collection this August, where we had just five looks. So, the idea is not that here is my 75-look collection. I think that we put out five extremely bold, strong looks, each with a concept, with a vision, and the idea is, I would say, with bridal, you want to be able to design your outfit based on yourself. So, I feel like this is sort of almost a showcase of what I would like to do, what we are capable of… our aesthetic and then it’s really nice to work collaboratively with our clients.

We are going to be launching a more wearable version of those corsets. They are like lacquered, so you can actually play around with them in terms of throwing them over jeans, over a blazer, over a shirt. So we have those corsets, and then we also have a few trousers, beautiful draped skirts. I am a sucker for white shirts. The only thing I wear every day to work, in all honesty, is jeans and a white shirt.

You got married in one!

There we go! (Laughs)

Saionee Chakraborty
 Pictures: Pabitra Das