Judith Leiber’s Swarovski-studded handbag is inspired by Lord Ganesh

India is the flavour of the season… and how. As Jai Ho! becomes an anthem of sorts, Indian and international luxury brands are putting their faith in India and boldly using Indian motifs and symbols on a wide range of accessories.

So you can wear India on your sleeve — or wrist (as it were). Each time you look at your watch (your Cartier watch, that is), you may be gazing at the Taj Mahal which is the centrepiece of the exquisite mother-of-pearl dial.

Or when you step out for a fancy do, you could carry your little nothings in a Ganesh-shaped clutch bag from the American luxury brand, Judith Leiber. Then again, you could pick and choose from the massive range of jewellery and watches that flaunt the very Indian paisley motifs or designs culled from royal jewellery collections.

Cartier’s limited edition Santos 100 has a jewelled Taj Mahal on its dial, Pic by Jagan Negi; (Above) A pair of emerald and diamond earrings from Cartier’s Inde Mysterieuse range;

“India-inspired accessories are connecting well with Indians who are enjoying showing off Indian motifs and designs on accessories ,” says Sunil Sethi, president, Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI). Sethi affirms that Brand India is the current hot-seller the world over and that the Taj Mahal is most popular symbol along with elephants and other elements related with Indian royalty.

Ajoy Chawla, vice president, Titan, feels that today Indians are being drawn towards Brand India like never before. He says: “India is suddenly in vogue and Indians are proud to flaunt their Indianness,” he says.

Recently, Cartier dedicated a complete line to the country in its Inde Mysterieuse collection. The jewel in its crown is the Santos 100 Taj Mahal limited edition watch that has two rows of diamonds making up the bezel and the Taj Mahal on the dial. The mother-of-pearl Taj is topped by a diamond dome, along with a lot of hand-carved gold, onyx, and emerald completing the picture. This collector’s edition watch is priced at a whopping Rs 40 lakh.

And that’s not all. Cartier also offers diamond-studded necklaces, rings and earrings designed like paisley patterns. Then there’s the Indian panther series with its yellow gold panthers set with yellow and bronze diamonds and onyx while shiny emeralds make up the eyes. There are panther pendants, drop earrings with panther heads and brooches shaped like leaping panthers. The collection also has bracelets and rings with panther heads. Prices are on request.

Or check out Hermès’ high-end watch — the Cape Cod Email Grand Feu. A part of Hermès’ Spring-Summer India inspired theme for 2008 called Hermès Orange Indian Pink, the watch was priced at a cool Rs 4.5 lakh. On the dial of the Cape Cod Email Grand Feu you’ll spot paisley motifs in white on an orange base.

(From top) Malaga’s bejewelled evening bags are inspired by the Nizam’s jewellery; Hermès’ Cape Cod Email Grand Feu is high on Indian-style paisley motifs; A watch from Titan’s Raga Diva collection with kundan work on its straps and dial

Guillame de Seynes, president, Hermès says: “The piece is a tribute to the union of traditional and contemporary trends. The intense colours of India dominate the collection.”

And American luxury brand Judith Leiber has gone for an Indian theme in a big way for its line of couture bags. The brand’s Ganesh-inspired bag — the Ganesh Minaudière (Ganesh handbag) comes studded with 12,000 multi-coloured Swarovski crystals and is priced at Rs 2.6 lakh.

Frank Zambrelli, director of the company and designer of the bag, conducted thorough research and looked at nearly 700 images of Ganesh before creating this bag. “It was important to make this piece a true representation of the deity, while still allowing for a more Leiber-style expression of colour and design,” says Zambrelli.

Each crystal in this bag is painstakingly positioned by hand. “This one has more colour variations than any other Leiber minaudière ever created, and takes more time to complete than any other piece we design,” says Zambrelli.

Indian royalty has inspired Malaga’s line of bags by Malini Agarwaalla. Her lines are usually inspired by the Nizam’s jewellery and flaunt miniature paintings surrounded by precious and semi-precious stones.

“The idea was to make the bag an heirloom which can be handed down the generations,” says Agarwaalla. The designer liberally uses semi- precious stones like amethyst, coral and turquoise and precious stones like emeralds and rubies on the bags. Prices start at Rs 14,000 for the zardozi and brocade bags with jewelled frames and go up to Rs 1 lakh for the fully jewelled pieces.

“Since Brand India is sophisticated and very popular, these bags are hot sellers in Milan, Paris and the Middle East,” says Agarwaalla.

Meanwhile Titan continues to root for India in its Raga Diva and Nebula collections with the watches glorifying Indian designs and calligraphy. While the Raga Diva collection reflects India’s craftsmanship with kundan work in the straps and dial, the Nebula collection comes with calligraphy.

“The calligraphy has been done by Achyut Palav, who has used Devnagri and English scripts in his works,” says Chawla.

Watches in the Raga Diva collection that’s specially designed for women, double as jewellery. They have been carefully crafted with intricate and colourful enamel motifs and are set with crystals in floral designs.

“India exudes a charisma which over time is only growing bigger internationally,” says Sethi. And yes, you can expect more of the same.