The trend of jewellery brands collaborating with fashion labels is well and truly catching on. It is a mutually beneficial exercise – both the collaborating parties get to extend the sphere of their influence, reach a wider audience and create a buzz around themselves.

In order for a collaboration to work, both parties need to share the same values and have a similar design aesthetic. A lot of thought has to go into the partnership if it has to succeed, and diverse talents have to combine seamlessly so as to offer customers a unique and compelling product, and a memorable experience.

Some collaborations that worked

In recent times, a number of renowned jewellery companies have collaborated with big names from the fashion industry to promote their brands, with very encouraging results.

Reliance Jewels and Monisha Jaisingh

Reliance Jewels collaborated with fashion designer Monisha Jaisingh to promote its Thanjavur collection at the Lakmé Fashion Week in March this year. Says Sunil Nayak, CEO, Reliance Jewels, “At Reliance Jewels, we are always seeking innovative ways to bring exquisite jewellery designs to our customers. Our collaboration with renowned fashion designer Monisha Jaisingh for our Thanjavur collection was prompted by her exceptional talent and unique creative vision.

“Monisha is known for her ability to blend traditional aesthetics with contemporary fashion trends, and we believed that her expertise would perfectly complement the rich heritage and opulence of our Thanjavur collection. Together, we aimed to showcase a stunning range of jewellery that captures the essence of Thanjavur's cultural grandeur, while offering a touch of modern elegance.”

The collaboration resulted in a visual delight as Reliance Jewels combined Jaisingh's fashion-forward perspective with its craftsmanship and expertise in jewellery. Sharing details about the collaboration, Nayak adds, “We have done multiple seasons of Lakme Fashion Week where Reliance Jewels has had the pleasure of collaborating with various creative minds in the industry. However, our partnership with Monisha for the Thanjavur collection was special as her expertise and unique design perspective complemented our jewellery, and also gave a fresh perspective to our offerings.

“This collaboration allowed us to blend the beauty and flavour of contemporary fashion with the artistry of jewellery, and create a collection that resonates with both fashion enthusiasts and jewellery connoisseurs alike. We look forward to continuing our tradition of collaborating with renowned designers with an eclectic approach to designs and bring forth extraordinary jewellery creations for our customers.”

Sangeeta Boochra and Payal Singhal

Another recent example of a collaboration between a jeweller and a fashion designer is that of the eponymously-named jewellery brand, Sangeeta Boochra, and fashion designer Payal Singhal. Sangeeta Boochra, a Jaipur-based entity known for its heritage silver jewels, tied up with Singhal to showcase its collection, Zaiwar, which is a blend of vintage elegance and modern style.

Says Abhineet Boochra, Co-founder, Sangeeta Boochra, “Sangeeta Boochra and Payal Singhal collaborated with each other because we have a shared vision and aesthetic sensibility. The collaboration allowed us to combine the creative energies and expertise of the respective brands, resulting in a unique fusion of jewellery and fashion design that appeals to the target audience.

“Sangeeta Boochra's jewellery brand and Payal Singhal's fashion designs have complementary styles that blend together seamlessly. By collaborating, we created a collection that harmoniously integrates jewellery and fashion, offering customers a cohesive and complete fashion statement.”

The 50-piece collection is inspired by Mughal art, and comprises contemporary, everyday jewels featuring kundan, silver and inlay work. Thanks to the collaboration, Sangeeta Boochra could leverage Singhal's marketing channels, such as social media platforms, fashion shows, and events, to showcase its jewellery collection to a larger audience. The cross-promotion increased its brand visibility and helped create a mutually beneficial association between the two brands.

“Both Sangeeta Boochra and Payal Singhal shared a commitment to pushing the boundaries of design and offering innovative creations to their customers. Collaborating allows us to experiment with new concepts, materials, and techniques, resulting in unique and captivating designs that stand out in the market,” explains Boochra.

Amrapali Jewels and various fashion designers

Amrapali Jewels has a history of collaborating with renowned fashion designers such as Masaba Gupta, Anamika Khanna, Manish Arora, and so forth. The brand has also created jewellery for movies such as Bahubali, Manikarnika and Bajirao Mastani. 

Says Tarang Arora, Creative Director and CEO of Amrapali Jewels, “We keep connecting with fashion designers for various ventures. In fact, when we take up jewellery for movies, we work closely with the designers who are doing the costumes. For instance, when we did Bajirao Mastani, we collaborated with costume designer Anju Modi. Similarly, when we did jewellery for Manikarnika, we worked with local designers.

“We have worked with Manish Malhotra in the past, and are still working with Masaba Gupta. Besides, we are also associated with Aulerth, which is a unique platform for jewellery that's couture-inspired and consciously made. Aulerth works with many designers, and our collaboration with it is very close to my heart as Aulerth is all about sustainability.”

Aulerth and several designers

Aulerth is a new platform that works with various jewellery designers. A digital-first start-up for jewellery created in partnership with leading designers, it launched officially in March 2022, hosting collections co-designed by fashion designers J J Valaya and Suneet Verma, and jewellery brand Tribe Amrapali.

“Aulerth is India’s first design house for jewellery that's couture-inspired and consciously made. It is an inspired way of thinking and living that's high on design and craftsmanship, and intelligently mindful of minimizing its environmental footprint,” elaborates Vivek Ramabhadran, Founder and CEO, Aulerth.

Talking about his collaborations, Ramabhadran adds, “Aulerth partners with leading Indian couturiers to create high-fashion designer jewellery collections. Our current design partners are Suneet Varma, J J Valaya, Shivan & Narresh, and Tribe Amrapali. Over the course of time, we plan to introduce new designer collections. Every designer partnership is special to us. We bring in the technical expertise to manifest a designer’s couture signatures into beautifully crafted jewellery -- that’s the DNA of Aulerth.”

These partnerships reveal that the coming together of couture and jewellery increases the artistic value of both the offerings. Collaborations help both the parties to benefit in terms of brand positioning, customer reach, and market visibility, all of which leads to greater commercial benefit. Expect more of such collaborations in the days ahead.