‘It’s not about gold and diamonds’

It may seem that designer Azeem Khan has taken to keeping a low profile these days, but those in the know are aware that the designer has been keeping himself busy with a new venture. In fact, Azeem will soon be launching a full-fledged line of accessories. “A lot of my friends would ask me to design stuff for them and then I thought to myself, why not really get into it? And that’s how this line has come about,” explains Azeem.

He further stresses the importance of accessories in putting together a complete look. “Just like clothes, good accessories are an integral part of the ensemble. Moreover, a good set of accessories can spruce up even the dullest of outfits,” he points out, adding that his line of accessories is meant more for evening wear than day wear.

“The line mainly has elaborate, heavy and chunky items — be it bags, necklaces or earrings.  I have also done some belts and hip-huggers — the latter being modelled along the lines of an embroidered belt. But they will actually work as separate accents around the hip and can be beautifully worn over a sari,” says Azeem, who, as of now wants to concentrate only on  women’s accessories.

It has taken the designer about a year to complete this line. All the while he has received constant support from his wife Sameena who has been helping him “with the marketing aspects” of the line. “I think the USP of my line is the fact that it’s not just about gold and diamonds. I have used pearls, rubies, emeralds and several semi-precious and precious stones such as the tiger’s eye and malachite. The element of transparency lent by the glass used in the line is also a strong talking point. What’s more, the line is quite reasonably priced too with the rates for the semi-precious jewellery items starting at as low as Rs1,500,” he ends.