Karachi
Are you rich enough? Or secure enough? Because to wear precious jewellery in these turbulent times requires you to be a whole lot of both. This is precisely why, as the price of gold soars through the skies while the sense of everyday security comes crashing down, one sees more and more women investing in adornments that cost a little less than their usual heirloom.
Keeping precisely that in mind, Kiran Aman – perhaps the only jewellery designer in Pakistan who conceptualizes jewellery collections with the same commitment as a designer does fashion – inaugurated the concept of a mobile ‘pop-up’ store for her brand. While Kiran does design and create extremely fine jewellery (her logo, KFJ stands for Kiran Fine Jewellery) she is someone who understands the need to cater to the instable climate that we live in. Her pop up counter had precisely four or five precious diamond pieces; perhaps to attract the eye of the discerning client, but otherwise flaunted an impressive stock of wearable pieces that were priced within an affordable range. Now available at Misha Lakhani’s flagship store on E Street in Kara
One wonders why she chose the duration of three short weeks because jewellery, even relatively affordable jewellery, is hardly something that women will invest in on a whim.
“I have a flagship store (at Ocean Mall) as my base,” Kiran spoke to Instep, “so that isn’t something I’ll worry about. This (launch) was planned as the first of a series of interesting fashion collaborations that I’ll be executing to increase brand visibility. It’s a new line of marketing I’ve taken.”
Strong marketing has been Kiran’s strong point, one that has reflected her work as that of an artist instead of a mere businesswoman. She agrees, adding that “I’d be selling eighty percent more if I were making commercial pieces instead of the unconventional.”
Her collections have been unconventional to say the least. From the Khajuraho inspired, symbolic Esoteric, to Time Scripts Man, Man Scripts Time that put letters from the urdu alphabet on spheres to symbolize the eternal attitude of time, they have been an expression of the designer’s stream of consciousness. Her latest, Harmonia, featuring a pair of ghungroo in each piece emphasizes the harmony struck between two dancing bells. It could be interpreted as musical note or merely a note on life. Kiran’s approach to designing jewellery is intellectual, something that she owns instead of strives to change.
“I’d rather see women change their taste and evolve,” she rejects the temptation to design for the millions. “Plus, I think there’s a certain kind of woman that wears my jewellery and I prefer it that way.”
Has showing as part of fashion week helped build her brand?
“Images from fashion week get the most publicity. I’ve had clients walking in with images of the show and usually it’s the showstopper piece that immediately gets sold off,” she shared.
While the rich and famous are some of KFJ’s more prominent clients - those unbound by monetary or security concerns – the designer admits that most women are opting for smaller and more wearable pieces nowadays. “They don’t want to be running to lockers all the time and they don’t want to feel unsafe wearing it.” Toying with the idea of affordable jewellery, Kiran also plans to launch a new line called Kino (meaning motion and movement) that will be metal based, affordable jewellery for men.
Kiran’s portrait by Rizwan ul Haq, event and product photography by Mahvish Rizvi