At Ilina, we believe that every good design is a conversation... it talks to you and sometimes it even tells you a story! We believe thus, that our designs are always more than a mere good-looking fashion statement.
Our design language borrows stories and elements from the rich Indian heritage – traditional artesian techniques, handloom fabrics, glorious forts or the paintings in these forts. We love these elements – it is such a joy to experience to be a part of the glory and the sheer grandeur.
1500 years back, India was known for its Silk and Jewelry throughout the world. It was exported to the kingdoms of the middle east and as far as Rome in Europe. The processes of dyeing and block-printing were fairly evolved, and the finesse appreciated world-over. Everything, including the production of fabric, is standardized and mechanized today – we love integrating the ancient techniques and designs even more to preserve some of this heritage, to stand out from ‘factory-made’. You will find the Benarsi Silk Saree fabrics in our stoles but not just those, in unconventional places such as watch dials, and on some of our shoes! We understand the aesthetics of why these motifs and designs appeal, we feel the appeal can spread beyond traditional uses - reinventing how they are used is infusing them with new life!
We combine contemporary state-of-the-art technology, fine craftsmanship and design elements borrowed from this timeless era to create one of a kind designs that you will never tire off.
And then there is the air of celebration! You will feel a festivity in most of our designs, a little bit of Diwali ki badhaiyan, Id-Mubarak, a whiff of gulal… birthdays, and weddings and parties…. But we pride ourselves in the right balance of ‘light bling’, which is to say, we ensure that our products are never over the top, that they remain daily-use-office, after office, casual weekend, party, outing… wear, just adding a little spring to your step. A sense of joy is part of our design DNA.
The Peacock has always been a part of the Indian cultural lore, the peacock feather has long been associated with Lord Krishna, the peacock itself is associated with Godess Saraswati. It has been long been considered sacred, auspicious and been included in jewelry, apparel, paintings.
The Mughal miniature paintings used the peacock extensively. As did the Royals of Rajasthan.
It was one such painting that fascinated our design team and that was the beginning of the ILINA peacock series.
Diamond dust was used to create shiny flowers, embellished on to this watch using a rather complicated design technique – but then, flowers were important to the design!
The visuals were further accentuated with stones in peacock itself.
This design became such a big hit that more than 3 million cheaper versions of this dial were created in the market.
We extended the series to create a portfolio of 9 designs and then we extended it apparel, shoes… in fact the Peacock became one of the core ILINA design stories.
Sometime our designs start like this, while at some other times, they begin somewhere between broadly what we wish to do and the available ingredients. The following design for example uses the curve of a bracelet to create a stunning peacock dial. We call this process a design flow approach where elements seamlessly flow from one medium to another without constraint or disruption. The final watch is a stunning design!
