Kaia, a distinguished lifestyle brand that specializes in exclusive home, fashion and jewellery pop-ups brought together two avant-garde brands --- Apala and Anantaya- to showcase their exquisite jewellery and home decor collection, after a successful first edit last year, at Artistic Alchemy, a three-day (July 29-31) pop-up at Taj Bengal, in association with t2.
Apala was founded in 2006 and owner Sumit Sawhney wants to create a line of intricately fashioned handcrafted silver jewellery. Apala’s creations beautifully amalgamate European, Mughal and Victorian influences and have the likes of Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, Vidya Balan and Malaika Arora on its CV. In the latest collection, Apala has married tribal, royal and traditional aesthetics to create elegant pieces which were also showcased at Artistic Alchemy.
This piece comes from Pokhran where the pink-terracotta has been fused with wood and brass. You can choose from tabletop, ceiling and wall-mounted lamps. The contemporary design is striking.
APALA
Owners Ayush and Geetanjali Kasliwal of Anantaya believe in sustainability. Anantaya is an ‘interdisciplinary lifestyle design studio whose products are at a unique convergence of India’s past and present’. The designers collaborate with skilled artisans at Anantaya for eclectic homeware, furniture, lighting, textiles and accessories.
ANANTAYA: (l-r) The lotus is the vehicle for Saraswati, the goddess of music, arts, wisdom and knowledge. This lampshade takes the shape of a lotus with wire leaves covered in linen and khadi silk creating a diffusion of light through the translucency of handloom fabric. Using motifs from nature and fusing them with handloom cloth and welded wire, creates a symbolic light that is both sculptural and spiritual in its form. It can be used independently or even mounted on a base of your choice to create floor-mounted or tabletop versions, How lovely is the Roop Darshani mirror! The handle is a wooden one and the frame is made of ‘galvanized metal’. #sopretty
t2 dropped by to check out the pop-up.
(L-R) Sumit Sawhney, Neha Agarwala and Geetanjali Kasliwal. “The brands, Apala and Anantaya epitomize form and function inspired by art. The intricate craftsmanship showcased by Sumit Sawhney’s artisans is nothing short of exquisite, paying homage to the finesse that India embodies. The artisanal brilliance displayed by Anantaya is truly remarkable, an absolute marvel!” said Neha, owner of Kaia. “We love coming to Calcutta with Kaia! After the roaring success of last year’s event, we were looking forward to meeting everyone with a new curation,” said Sumit Sawhney, owner of Apala. Geetanjali Kasliwal of Anataya said “Calcutta is a land of culture and craft. It is a privilege to showcase Anantaya’s modern heirlooms and launch pre-festive collections here with Kaia.”