Rima Chawla and Sneha Nagpal are sisters who cannot do without each other. Their ‘most dialled calls’ list have each others’ names. And Rima says it is not because they are each other’s agony aunt or have too many family gossips to share — “It is because we work together and discuss pop-ups, sales, new collection on a day to day basis,” says Rima.
Rima and Sneha together found ‘RISN’, a jewellery label, to take forward their love for branded collector’s jewellery pieces. RISN they say is all about timelessness versus trends. “Our brand is built on the belief that luxury should be sustainable and timeless. Those who love and appreciate sustainable luxury fashion, our collection is a dream come true. Our vintage high fashion designer jewels, have in a short span, found its niche market,” adds Rima as she pulls out a soft velvety pouch with ‘Christian Dior’ written on it. From a grey suede pouch come out a pair of CD ear studs. “We are all about pieces like these and our collection is meant for people who appreciate classic, lofty, eminent and worthy pieces of jewels,” she says.
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Launched in 2019, the sisters love to roll out the names of the celebs who wore RISN. More than that they are glad celebs appreciate the timeless classic pieces. “Our jewellery has been worn by celebrities like Sonam Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty, Neha Dhupia, Kiara Advani, Kalki, Dia Mirza, Samantha Prabhu [Akkineni], Kajal Agarwal, Regina Cassandra, Tabu to name a few,” says Sneha.
How do the sisters ideally like to market RISN and the collection? “Our fashion philosophy rides strongly on sustainability. The collection is worth rolling into generations. Our collection includes designers like Chanel, Salvatore Ferragamo, Givenchy, Christian Dior, Gucci, etc. We stock timeless pieces of jewels that include earrings, necklaces, hand cuff bracelets. We have a separate collection for men as well. It includes cufflinks and brooches,” says Sneha.
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There is a story to how it all began. Rima, the co-founder and CEO of RISN, lived in the US for a couple of years where she was first to be exposed to the vintage culture; appreciated and collected rare pieces from these brands. When she retuned to India, she wanted to bring this culture to India. It was then her sister Sneha, encouraged her to pursue this passion. “And thus formed ‘RISN’ an acronym for our names which also means to rise or elevate,” says Rima.
Speaking about fashion trends Rima says, “From Michelle Obama to the duchess of Sussex Maghan Markle and closer home Anushka Sharma to Deepika have all been repeating fashion clothing, accessories, shoes and bags in the recent past. Even the fashion police have started accepting and appreciating this cultural shift in the fashion world, so trends are no longer the fashion forefront.”
RISN mostly sells through pop-ups across the country and at high-end fashion stalls.
“Sometimes it is nice to see women walk up to us and ask for suggestions to pair the jewellery they select. This is another reason we operate through and with multi-designer stores and with stylists,” added Rima.
Is there any piece of jewellery they think is missing from the limelight? “Yes, of course. We wonder why the style of wearing brooches died a silent death in India. It is an amazing timeless piece and many Indian women still have their heirloom brooches forgotten and locked in some corner,” smiles Rima.
Check out RISN on Instagram at @risnjewels.