Nitya Arora, 28, is going online with her brand Valliyan, as this Parsons’ graduate is hoping to retail from Barneys soon!

By Asmita Aggarwal

The name Valliyan comes from the first ballis (hoops) that her grandmom gifted her when she turned 18, and that served as a perfect platform to launch a line of inventive costume jewellery in 2008. “I liked the ring of (Valliyan), I am also Punjabi and it had that colloquial touch to it. Being the only child, my parents fully supported me. Though they were a bit surprised that an academically inclined girl would ever think of doing fashion,” she says.

Mumbai-born Nitya Arora, had no formal education in designing when she started, but did go for two years to study apparel design at Parsons School after a successful run at retail from Bombay Electric, her first outing with selling. “I had done a few internships before launching Valliyan, one with architect Ashiesh Shah and that taught me a lot about spaces and mouldings which helped shape my motifs for jewellery,” says Nitya.

Valliyan’s philosophy was to stay rooted to Indian culture and celebrate its opulence, but maintain the cross-cultural influence, keeping a vintage vibe to it. “I still wear my grandmom’s saris and stoles, I liked the aged feel. Even my taste in music is more of Madonna, Wes Anderson style of movies, so like the jewellery I do, it is classic but relevant even today,” she adds.

A fan of Surrealist Salvador Dali to Van Gogh, Henri Matisse and Picasso, Nitya uses 18K gold plating, to craft stunning pieces with an Art Deco feel, as studying art in school gave her an understanding of various mediums. “We always looked at what is not being done and I did just that. We were the first to combine kundanwith neons, or acid colours with jadau jewellery to give it a distinct appeal,” she adds.

Interesting, after almost seven years in the business, Nitya feels that a lot needs to change in the way women perceive jewellery, not as a closet favourite or investment option, but as an everyday piece that is an essential part of dressing up. “It saddens me when I see copies of my work, when I have worked so hard to keep it original. That’s the reason why we have decided to go online this year,” she smiles.

Nitya has ambitious plans for 2016, she hopes to retail from Barneys New York and is thinking about launching a Valliyan Home line as well as dabble in fashion. “My jewellery is unique, it combines agate, opals, jades with acrylic, glass, crystal, to wood, resin and porcelain. It can be worn by anybody, anywhere and that’s the beauty of it,” she concludes.

Watch sneak peak for Valliyan by Nitya Arora at the Twitter #Blueroom

Click here to watch Valliyan by Nitya Arora at #AccessoryShow #AIFWAW16