ISLAMABAD: After a successful exhibition in Karachi, jewellery designer Ayesha Bilgarami brought her debut collection ‘Meraki’ to a cafe in Islamabad, on Wednesday.

A truly transcontinental exhibition, it featured contemporary designs reflecting the young designer’s own Colombian-Pakistani heritage.

From the exhibition posters in shades of red and burgundy, featuring a Colombian model with a shaved head, to the jewellery pieces on display, everything about the exhibition spelled ‘bohemian-chic’.

“I wanted a model with a shaved head so that nothing distracts from the jewellery that she is wearing,” said Ayesha.

Ayesha Bilgarami works with materials such as silver, gold, copper and uses stones such as raw uncut emeralds from Columbia and turquoise and deep blue lapis bought in Pakistan. The pieces have been handcrafted by Colombian jewellery makers at Ayesha’s own workshop in Colombia.

The small display featured sculpted bracelets, cascading beaded necklaces and cocktail rings in copper and silver, with gold plating. The pieces are priced between Rs2,500 for the smallest studs to Rs75,000 for the most expensive piece — an elaborate beaded emerald and gold necklace.

Ayesha draws inspiration for her jewellery from indigenous pre-Colombian tribal designs as well as from ethnic Afghan and Pakistani jewellery. Pre-Colombian designs, Ayesha explains, come from indigenous cultures that inhabited South America before the Spanish invasion and colonisation.

While the pieces are inspired by tribal and ethnic designs, Ayesha gives each piece a modern twist, making the final product truly her own.

A South American tribal nose ring, for example, is taken by her and turned into a contemporary cocktail ring. Similarly for a set featuring a torque necklace and rings, she has replicated bells from Afghan jewellery.

Silver and gold torque necklace with Afghan inspired beads.

The bells are fixed in bunches onto the rings and the ends of the torque necklace. The final pieces makes the bells resemble sea shells of silver and gold.

“I make them as sets but I also sell the pieces separately because not many people would wear all three pieces of the set together,” she said.

Most of her designs are minimalistic with clean circles and lines, without the intricate carvings commonly featured in Pakistani jewellery designs. The polish is mostly matt in light gold or silver. But the sheer size of the cascading necklaces or chandelier like earrings makes them statement pieces.

The collection also features earrings encrusted with raw emeralds or tiny metal balls attached to the end of ribbed metal pin.

This design, Ayesha explains, has been inspired by the ‘popolo’ — a common vessel used by indigenous cultures in present and pre-Colombian South America.

Designer Ayesha Bilgarami wears earrings, ear-cuffs and studs from her collection. —Photos by Khurram Amin

But attached to the top of the earrings is the Pakistani style ‘sahara’ — a chain affixed to the top of the ear or pinned to the hair to support heavy earrings. It is this fusion of cultural motifs from South America and Pakistan which gives Ayesha’s pieces their own, very distinct identity.

Ear cuffs and studs in both silver and gold are also part of the collection. “Ear cuffs have tribal origins but are in fashion these days. The best thing about them is that just wearing an ear cuff, with a casual outfit, can make one feel dressed up,” she said.

Ayesha was born to a Colombian mother and Pakistani father. She grew up in Colombia, travelling frequently to Pakistan. Later, she trained as a fashion designer in Italy. She said jewellery is something she has loved since childhood.

Meraki is the first collection from a brand she launched in Colombia in September 2013, since then her pieces have been featured in a number of Colombian fashion magazines.

At the exhibition on Wednesday, dressed in an all black maxi dress and wearing at least half a dozen of her own pieces, she excitedly encouraged guests to try the pieces on. “Jewellery is all about having fun,” she said.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2015

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