TAARA
"I wanted to pursue the longtime dream of mine of starting a jewelry brand"
"I wanted to pursue the longtime dream of mine of starting a jewelry brand"
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Designer Megha mixes semi-precious stones with crystals in a lot of her pieces.
Beautiful peacock earrings made with 22k gold plated, which prevents it from tarnishing.
Keith Richards' family wearing Taara's jewelry in Vogue US (August 2012).
Keith Richards' family wearing Taara's jewelry in Vogue US (August 2012). |
“I woke
up one day and realized I was miserable. I knew if I did not take the plunge
now and
quit my job at Morgan Stanley, I would be stuck. I quit and decided I wanted to
move abroad,”
revealed Taara
founder and designer Megha
Jain.
Keen
on showing off her “[Indian] background and
heritage in a creative way”,
Megha
began creating intricate
designs
that combined beautiful
semi-precious stones and crystals.
Taara
jewelry was recently worn by the women in Keith Richards’ family in Vogue US
August 2012 issue.
Read on to find out more!
Can you please tell us a little more about yourself?
I started Taara in Hong Kong. I had quit my banking job at Morgan Stanley in New York and moved to Hong Kong. I wanted to be able to show off my background and heritage in a creative way and saw that many people deemed Indian jewelry as "traditional." I wanted to make it more modern, fun and wearable and show young women that you do not have to be wearing a sari to have on Indian jewelry. I was lucky to be surrounded by very creative people who pushed me to explore this idea I had. Taara started as a very small operation. I was sketching and selling pieces from my apartment to friends and acquaintances. Hong Kong is a small community and luckily, word spread fast!
How did you transition from banking to design?
I woke up one day and realized I was miserable. I knew if I did not take the plunge now and quit my job at Morgan Stanley, I would be stuck. I quit and decided I wanted to move abroad. My best friend was living in Hong Kong at the time and she convinced me to come out and spend some time with her. I decided to stay in Hong Kong for 6 months, but ended up loving it so I never left! I knew I wanted to work for myself and start my own jewelry line but I did not know where to begin. Luckily, my business background helped me set up the brand/company and everything else grew organically from that!
When did you know you wanted to become a jewelry designer?
Once I was in Hong Kong and I met so many designers, I knew I wanted to pursue the longtime dream of mine of starting a jewelry brand. I met
so many people that had quit a banking job and started their own brand so I knew I could do it too. My aunt in India who has her own jewelry brand really pushed me to do it as well. She convinced me that my good eye for design and my business background would help me succeed.
What types of materials do you use and why do you work with them?
I use a lot of semiprecious stones mixed with crystals to keep the price point of my jewelry at a certain point. Some of my favorite stones to use are garnet, green onxy, black onyx and pink tourmaline. All these stones have a healing property as well which makes them extra special. The base of my jewelry is either silver or brass and everything is 22k gold plated. This keeps the jewelry from tarnishing.
Please tell us about your favorite piece.
My favorite piece would have to be the 22k gold plated enamel necklace in purple from my new collection. I love the bright purple color as it is a color I usually do not work with. I had the back of the necklace enameled so it can actually be reversed and worn on the other side! Two necklaces in one!
How do you describe your personal style, and do your designs reflect this?
Since I am always running around Central and I work from home, my style during the day is very casual. However, when I am at a work event, meeting a new store or out with friends, I usually always wear one or two pieces from my new collection. Many people have a hard time styling Indian jewelry with western clothing so I want to show that throwing on jeans with a cute top and a statement necklace from Taara can be done!
What’s next for your brand?
I just finished my Holiday/resort 2012-13 collection, Kaleidoscope, so I am busy shipping orders. I have already started working on my collection for Spring 2013 so will be busy with that the next few months. I just started working with a new agent in Tokyo so am looking forward to collaborating with them!
Do you have any advice for other independent designers?
Keep your overhead low in the beginning as you do not want to go into debt. Research your market and make sure there is a need for your product and it is not oversaturated.
There are so many items i want to buy as gifts n for myself. cant wait for your launch.
ReplyDeletemoomoo