HYDERABAD: During the Nizams era, male adornment was predominant; elegant bracelets, cufflinks, signet rings, brooches and necklaces with classic pearls were a splendour of Hyderabadi men. Now, the trend is back! 'Mir The Label', a brand started by city-based jewellery designer Mir Raoofuddin Ali Khan, has begun making handmade heritage jewellery for men inspired by the Nizam's collection.
"Gentlemen until the 20th century in the city would wear bracelets, cufflinks, rings, brooches and necklaces to imprint the insignia of the state ruled by the wealthiest man on earth," says Mir Raoofuddin Ali Khan, who has come up with handcrafted heritage men's jewellery collection.
Mir was always inspired by the Nizami heritage and jewellery, particularly men's jewellery. He longed to develop a brand that would cater to men who wished to adorn themselves with heritage accessories, and that's how Mir The Label got its inspection. "My inspiration lies in the buttons I had inherited from my grandfather and great grandfather, who were from an aristocratic lineage -- these buttons remarkably express Nizami culture and tradition with a mix of Gulbarga culture of erstwhile Hyderabad state," Mir asserts.,
Many families still live in classic Nizami attire, Sherwani and the lifestyle that goes along with ethnic clothes. "In this culture, buttons are not stitched to the clothes. They are precious, handcrafted with ornate details that carry a symbol of heritage. For this reason, my wife pushed me to start a business, and I could not disagree with her," he says. Adding, "We are completely customizable, and that is our USP. The charm of having something specifically made for you beats the mundane and monotony of mass production. We see that the world is going with the trend, but we want to return to our roots.”
Mir further adds that he is sticking to offering the unique luxury of lineage and inheritance: "Each piece is handcrafted, with the equipment used in the past. With this, we are also reviving the craft which was dying. I found the craftsmen still practising the craft of men's jewellery making to bring the best of heritage wear for men."
The brand uses brass and silver, and gold and platinum on request. "We melt the metal and handcraft it, a tradition we want to maintain. We use a few techniques that make things easier but doing it by hand is something that we forte in. The wardrobe of the Nizam heavily inspires me; that is where my whole family comes from, and I have followed the tradition by looking at the literature and jewellery pieces."
Mass production of jewellery undoubtedly led to everyone buying the same thing. The idea of educating a client about customization was tricky, but down the line, everyone has got a hold on to it. Mentioning his challenges for the brand launch, he says, "The world has moved to a more sustainable and eco-friendly process, and that is what we started with; there is no wastage in the old-masters crafts. The biggest challenge was handcraftsmanship depends on the person who has been doing it; they are humans, and we have to respect them. Proceeding with them is an important challenge, and the pandemic was a whole new issue, but we have waved through it."
Regarding their availability to people who would like to choose their pieces, he says, "we tied up with the Taj group, and our main Kiosk was at Taj Falknuma and other Taj Hotels in Delhi and Bengaluru, but since the pandemic, our collection are exclusively available online."
Taking the brand forward and coming up with different pieces, Mir says, "In the future, we have seen a lot of emphasis on urban jewellery and streetwear jewellery which is still exclusive. Maintaining that exclusivity, we started foraying into modern chains, bracelets and rings, which we had planned. With this, we also planned a few products for ladies and the growing into a more comprehensive brand," Mir concludes.