“Jewellery to me is like salt in the food,” says designer Nitya Arora, the woman behind the bespoke label Valliyan, known for its costume/fashion jewellery.
A Parsons School of Design (New York) graduate, Nitya started Valliyan after quitting architecture and a brief stint in jewellery designing. Keen to reinvent costume jewellery, Nitya launched a jewellery line in 2008. And the next thing she knew was that her designs featured in Vogue . Accolades poured in after she showed at fashion weeks. Her label soon established a global presence through trunk shows and online retailing. Valliyan is also a favourite of many Bollywood biggies such as Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra.
The label has its roots in traditional Indian designs with a touch of global styling. She is sentimentally attached to the brand name Valliyan, which in Punjabi means hoops, as it was the first piece of jewellery gifted to her by her grandmother. Nitya treats each of her creation as a work of art. “I experiment with materials and I am very adventurous when it comes to textures and colours. I travel a lot so am always picking up baubles from vintage flea markets and stores, taking it apart, mixing it with other elements and interpreting it, in true Valliyan style.”
Nitya also plays around with elements of surrealism and fantasy in her designs. “Valliyan is an extension of my personality and everything I design is pretty much to indulge my whimsical self.”
Speaking of her collection that she designed for this year’s Lakme Fashion week, she says, “It was called Juliet loves Juliette. The Nature-inspired pieces captured the beauty of the flora and fauna.”
According to the designer, fashion jewellery is having its moment now with more women opting for it to give their traditional outfits a modern spin. She plans to come up with more pieces that complement all kinds of clothes and appeal to women with varied style sensibilities. Besides, Nitya is also working on a jewellery line for men.
Log on to >Valliyan.com or log on to facebook page – >Valliyan by Nitya or look for her designs at >perniapopupshop.com
