Coimbatore has been known for its fine jewellery and textiles throughout the world. The city is known as the ' Manchester of South India '. Families like ' Kikani ' have added to the textile wealth of the city. The innovative members of the family have continued to do well for the city and themselves.
Coimbatore has been known for its fine jewellery and textiles throughout the world. The city is known as the 'Manchester of South India'. Families like 'Kikani' have added to the textile wealth of the city. The innovative members of the family have continued to do well for the city and themselves.
Prachi and Janak Kikani are the happy parents of the ace jewellery designer Mitali. The young designer did her schooling at the Stanes Higher Secondary School. She continued her education at St.Xaviers in Mumbai. Thanks to the initiative of her mother, Mitali did her Diploma in Jewellery Designing (3 year programme) at SNDT in Mumbai. Now she is doing her part time Bachelors degree in jewellery design and manufacture at the same institution. Her elder sister Dhwani is a User Interface & User Experience Design expert at Lollypop Studio.
Mitali Kikani works at the design conscious H.Ajoomal Fine Jewellery in Mumbai. The bright designer is the proud winner of a number of recognitions and awards over the past couple of years. She recently won the' Artisan Jewellery Design Award 2019'. The event was organized by the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council and it included a cash prize of Rs.200,000. Mitali was happy to share the details of her victory over a tasty Gujarati breakfast from her home in Coimbatore. "The support and encouragement of the faculty at SNDT helped me to succeed. They encouraged me to participate in competitions and this helped me to free my mind and think out of the box. My boss Harshad Ajoomal has been a constant motivator. Contests are much more than designing. We have to produce the piece in brass or some other material. Sheet drawing, wire drawing, melting, casting, soldering, polishing, piercing etc., are part of the process and one has to endure quite a bit. Getting injured is a part of the game. The finished piece gives immense joy to the creator, " smiled Mitali.
The students of SNDT are usually made to do a 'State Project' during their final year and Mitali had chosen Jammu & Kashmir as her theme. She designed and finished the piece at her college. Her work got her the ' State Project of the Year ' recognition. The famous jewellery designer Varuna. D.Jani had once organized a competition for the students of SNDT. It was a ' Red Carpet ' competition and the students had to design ornaments for a Bollywood actress of their choice. Mitali designed two pairs of ear rings and rings for the famous actress Sonam Kapoor. "The designer liked the presentation. I had placed the jewellery on a photograph of Sonam Kapoor. The designer liked my work and it was recognized as the best innovative presentation. We draw the piece, make a cut out and place it on ourselves before manufacturing the ornament. Checking it out this way gives us a sense of proportion and this helps us to present fine jewellery. Reverse loops, C clips etc., are quite big in size and therefore it is better to understand the impact before taking up the process of manufacturing," added Mitali.
Mitali Kikani spoke about the 'Artisan Jewellery Design Award' during the course of the conversation. "The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council is the energy behind this annual happening. About 500 entries enter the first round. The participants do a sketch of the concept and send it to the organizers. Entries make it to the second round based on technicalities ( 28 designs are shortlisted ). There were three categories and I participated in the category ' Broaches and Pins '. The jury round short lists 6 out of the 28 designs. Designs thus chosen are made in brass for the final round. Our company H.Ajoomal sponsored the piece designed by me. The jury chooses the winner from the 6 pieces manufactured. Winners are decided based on pre defined parameters - design aesthetics, wearability, relevance to the theme, makeability and innovation. The contests take a lot of time. We do a research for about 2 days and this helps us to get a feel of the concept. One has to understand and decide as to which aspect will have to be assimilated in the design process. The concept was ' Cosmos ' and I had to check out everything connected with it before picking up my choice. I chose the ' Milky Way ' and presented a write up in 50 words about my sketch. The sketch and the accompanying note will have to showcase the entire design. We pick the theme and then decide what kind of piece will work. Contests give us the freedom of design for the size or budget does not matter. I was really happy to receive the award and this has helped me to move forward. Our boss Harshad Ajoomal has been a good mentor. He gives me creative and innovative concepts all the time. His brand is actually out of the box and innovative. We do about 10 to 15 sketches everyday.
A reference image is given and we have to design many pieces which have to belong to the same type. The budget is also a major consideration. H.Ajoomal have just one piece per design and will remake a design only on the basis of an order, " stated the designer who has done her internship in Emerald of Coimbatore. Mitali Kikani and her work have been featured in ' Vogue ' and ' Solitaire International '.
The grandparents Uma and Vasantlal Kikani are happy to see their grand daughter blossom into a fine jewellery designer. "There is a difference between a pebble and a gemstone. We need many designs for we need numbers. The huge number of designs are like a nice collection of pebbles. However, the designs which stand out are important. They are akin to the finely faceted gemstones. These fine designs take time but they are fantabulous," said Mitali while showing her designs. Recently, her father Janak Kikani had won a snooker tournament and Mitali had designed a lovely ' coat pin ' based on the game. I thank my mother for leading me into the right path and my father for his fantastic support," stated Mitali. Incidentally, her mother Prachi had done ' Fashion Designing ' in SNDT. Her father Janak continues to be in the field of textiles.
Mitali shared her belief by sharing a statement, "It is extremely important to go with the flow. You have to believe in yourself and you have to work the way you have begun with. In any case many people will not agree with you and yet will be supportive. You have to believe that the idea will work and please make it a reality," Well said Mitali. Coimbatore is really happy to see the successful 'Jewellery Designer' in Mitali Kikani.
