It would reflect a truism if we say India loves its jewellery. Even men. How kings would love adorning diamond and emerald necklaces. The more elaborate the jewellery, the more powerful the maharaja, was the saying. A lot changed after masculinity got redefined in the 18th century Britain and America. Men were expected to eschew bright colours. Ornaments were a huge no-no. Then came the flamboyant 90s, when actors, sportsmen and rappers flashed their gaudy jewellery.
Before men could find a silver lining, jewellery became either clichéd—getting confined to dog tags, studs and leather bracelets—or too experimental to be worn under the cuff. “That’s right. And this is what we want to change,” says Manreet Deol, the designer behind Manifest Design, a jewellery brand that she started with her brother Samraat Deol. This is why their jewellery for men—bracelets and pendents—is sleek without ornamentations but never without a twist. Its pieces are nothing like the ones that are being passed off as men’s jewellery. Its steel Classic Kada (bracelets worn by Sikh men), inspired by the 17th century martial arts traditions of North India, has its edges running on top of each other. The Ribbed Kada stainless steel bracelet has masculine features: criss-cross texture and a black finish. The three-year-old brand that started with sculptural jewellery for women (and still does), not only got into men’s jewellery but also began pushing the boundaries. It is out to renounce what men have been offered. And the seed of renunciation, if not revolution, was sowed years ago.
Picture this, a ninth grader, standing in front of Delhi’s People Tree store, watching people not only appreciate the jewellery she’s made but also buy it. “The joy was unexplainable,” says Manreet, who designs everything herself. She used seeds, electric wires and rubber pipes to create edgy pieces. Years later, she’s back at doing what she’s always loved—jewellery making. A lot happened in the years in between.
The Deol siblings were working for renowned companies—Manreet designed for luxury brands like Judith Leiber and Samraat headed teams at e-commerce giants such as Amazon—before they decided to leave their careers behind to create something of their own. The fact that they were based in different cities didn’t deter them. “Growing up in army cantonments makes you love the nomadic life,” Manreet says. This also reflects in their designs. The Totem pendents have shapes—a new moon, a pendulum and a large drop—taken from different cultures and are like contemporary Talismans. The Totem bangle, its top selling piece, has an indigenous value, an earthy soul and yet is universal in its appeal.
Talking of indigenous, the Deols work closely with artisans and metal workers of Delhi and Jaipur, who handcraft each piece using age-old techniques called sand casting and hot forging. “It might take us days to create one piece, but we don’t get into mass production using rubber moulds,” Manreet says. She herself sculpts designs in clay. But limited number doesn’t mean pieces have exorbitant price tags. Priced between `650 and `3,800, the jewellery is available at manifestdesign.in, Ensemble stores in Delhi and Mumbai, Metropolitan Museum of Art and American Museum of Natural
History in New York. The duo understand that they have limited audience but they’re doing their bit to get the numbers rolling. “We meet people at trunk shows and work out looks that goes best with the jewellery,” Manreet says.
Men, it seems, have found their silver lining.