Priyanka Baid is shining the light on wood as an alternative to metal, as she handcrafts whimsical clutches armed with eclectic energy
By Asmita Aggarwal
Three daughters and a businessman father, who wanted an heir to run the family business in Kolkata made it hard for Priyanka Baid to choose, as destiny already had it all chalked out for her. But as they say, in life it is not the cards you are given, but how you play with them that matters and Baid did just that.
Wood and glamour cant be said in the same line without some amount of eye rolling when you think about luxury, so Baid, a Pearl Academy, post-graduate in design made the twain meet, almost simplistically in her label Duet luxury (with a partner but now she is spearheading it alone). Launched in 2013, most women have understood, the most effective way to rev up an outfit, (as now the trend is minimalism), is accessorising. This has given birth to labels like Outhouse and Miso, with their avant-garde offerings. Understanding this need, Priyanka, who knew, metal had become a tool used by most style aficionados in their design processes, substituted it with wood and combined it with leather to create a product that was light and had the prowess, of being the ideal accessory on the red carpet. Wood is a part of the family business narrative, and after I joined my fathers company that was into luxury packaging, I wanted to diversify and do something that satiated my creative being. I choose bags, she admits.
Baid who is a B.Com (Hons) student from Kolkata, interned with Abhishek Dutta and Nitin Bal Chauhan as practical experience taught her the nuances of shape manipulation. I never wanted to do clothes; accessories and their unpredictability always lured me. I came up with the concept of box bags, made of wood, but without the weight of the material, she admits.
The choice of wood ranges from mango, mahogany to cider and the strength of the wood matters the most, as Duet Luxury does structured bags. Our buyers were worried if wood would give them space, to keep their cellphones and car keys, and we achieved that and lots more through trial and error and R & D (the outer shell of the bag is where the trick is). And today I can safely claim that my clutches are lighter than metallic ones, she grins.
Six years ago when Baid began, it was a theme that no one had thought about or even attempted to work with, but she quickly realised the key is design versatility. She participated in Pitti Super (part of the famous Pitti Umo mens show), and the response was appreciable. I went in without a proper look book or strategy just an imposing product. Then Pure London, another trade show in the UK got us many loyal international buyers, she admits.
Duet Luxury bags are priced between Rs 6,000 to Rs 15,000 and now new additions include hand embellishments, bead work and zari that is intermingled with leather for sturdiness. We work with geometric and architectural shapes and I have been heavily inspired by periods like Art Deco, and art movements like Cubism or the industrial look, she explains. Young people today are bold and adventurous and they use fashion as a medium for self-expression and activism. As a designer there is no better time to be in the industry than now, when the wheels are turning and new territories are being explored, she concludes.
