Minnie Menon’s daughter wants a family discount. She’s eyeing one of the neckpieces her mother has designed. Luckily for her, she gets it for free. Meanwhile, a bevy of women pore over the showcases displaying Minnie’s latest line of jewellery, her sixth edition, titled ‘Bangkok with Love’. Launched over a fashion show at The Park, the event also marked the socialite’s eponymous label’s third anniversary.
For over a decade, Minnie had been designing jewellery as a way to unwind. She designed for herself and close friends, and they thought her work was spot on. As a result of this encouragement, she turned her hobby into a business. “It was a case of following my passion and taking my brains along,” she says.
The new line came about after her visit to the 58th Gems and Jewelery Fair in Thailand. The trip gave her a perspective of the industry and how she positions herself. “Mine is a luxury brand. Each of my pieces are hand-picked,” she says. All the stones for this line have have been procured from Bangkok. Tanzanite, fiery opal, charoite, chrysoprase and malachite find themselves set in sterling silver. “There’s only so much I could bring back from there; otherwise, I’ll be in trouble with Customs here,” she laughs, adding, “To go with them, I picked up complementary beads from Jaipur.” While Minnie designs the pieces, the manufacturing takes place in Jaipur. “The craftsman who brings my patterns to life works only with seven designers who design for Selfridges, John Lewis and Harrods,” she explains.
‘Bangkok with Love’ has 65 pieces — earrings, necklaces, rings and bracelets. Her signature pendants with uneven stones stacked together and dramatic topaz earrings won themselves quite a few fans. “When I design, I have a muse in mind. I don’t tell them that. Sometimes, when they see the piece, they aren’t sure, but once they wear it, they say this looks great,” says Minnie. With this edition, she’s moving exclusively to semi-precious stones. “There is something about these stones. They have so much colour, it’s inspiring,” says Minnie.
With an international clientèle from Singapore, Australia, Uruguay and Germany, her plan is to take her label abroad. “Looking back at the three years, I believe I’ve been successful. You become successful with support from friends and family. Now I’ve got to get to the next level — very successful, and for that, you need enemies and great competitors, which I’ve got in great measure,” she adds, raising her glass of rosé.
(Bangkok with Love is retailed out of Mehta Jewellery, C.P. Ramaswamy Road. The price range starts at Rs. 6,000.)
