As a Personal Stylist in London I not only work with clients on one to one packages and group styling events but I also get amazing opportunities to work with brands in the fashion, beauty and wellness spaces to support them in bringing their campaigns to life. At the end of March I worked with the jewellery brand Umara, on their new collection photoshoot. The Sōnā collection launches soon and I really wanted to share more about the brand Umara, how they are changing the solid gold jewellery space and what goes on behind the scenes of a campaign shoot.
Umara Jewellery
The history of Umara is steeped in the cultural significance of gold in Indian culture. “Umara,” derived from Punjabi for ‘lifetime,’ encapsulates their ethos; offering investment pieces that will transcend generations. I absolutely love their ethos and how they are bringing the beauty of Indian gold jewellery to the western world.
Having personally grown up with an Indian heritage, the significance of gold jewellery has always been prevalent. From the moment you are born, babies are often adorned in an element of gold jewellery like bracelets or anklets. Gold jewellery is gifted on special occasions like birthdays and weddings and holds true significance in our beautiful culture. And as I am exposed further to gold jewellery within my culture, I am beginning to understand more, that these beautiful pieces have the ability to hold energy and tell stories. Often being passed down between generations, the gold held within families are true heirlooms.
Ahead of another shoot this week I will be sitting down with my Mum to hear about her gold stories and to use some of her beautiful pieces to showcase the power of gold jewellery.
I wrote a comment for Umara’s article in the Modern Jeweller:
“Gold… a symbol of status, luxury, wealth? Gold has so many connotations. I grew up seeing my Mum wearing her gold mangal sutra and gold bangles with pride. The yellow hue complimenting the warmth in her skin. I guess for me gold has those childhood memories. For me jewellery is an expression of me. So each piece I pick relates to me and my personality. As I’ve learnt about my colour characteristics I’ve seen the power of gold in working with my complexion to bring an outfit to life. So you’ll often see me wearing some form of gold that reflects me in some way. I love the elegance and fun it can bring to an outfit while keeping it classic and refined.”
The pieces handed down through generations will continue to do so in many Indian families and there is something really beautiful in that. And so being a part of this shoot was really monumental for me. Celebrating the beauty of solid Indian Gold and bringing it to the western world to be worn by the very people like me with mixed heritages, those form the diaspora connecting to an element of their culture.
Shoots are such a creative outlet. They allow you to bring a vision to life and work with and collaborate with different elements of creativity. So I thought I would share with you some of the process that went into bringing this shoot to life.
Creative Concept
Ahead of the shoot, Priya, founder of Umara, and I worked on the creative direction for the shoot. We discussed everything from the mood she wanted reflected in the shoot, the aesthetic of the venue and how props would help to bring the vision and jewellery to life. We selected models to resonate with the target audience and how the models would be styled to represent the east, west demographic for the brand.
We created moodboards, shot lists and concepts to ensure everything was perfect for the day. There is so much that goes into a photoshoot and considering the product, jewellery, it was really important to show close up shots of each beautiful piece.
Outfits
Each model was styled in a Kanya London, ‘Inspired by our interconnected world, Kanyä London aims to embrace our multicultural identities through fashion. We create elegant sarees, lehengas and apparel to reinvent South Asian wear to an everyday look.’ Choosing a brand that mirrored the ethos of Umara Jewellery was really important for the shoot and enabled us to resonate better with the target audience.
Each piece was carefully selected considering brand image, model aesthetic and styling options to ensure the jewellery could really stand out.
On The Day
The energy on the shoot was perfect. Fun, uplifted but calm, creative and focussed! Models were staggered through the day and we shot everything from individual pieces to stacking and group shots. We literally made magic!
A huge thank you to the whole team who made the day so creative yet effortless!
Are you a small brand or do you know of one in the fashion, beauty or wellness space with a beautiful ethos and story like Umaras? Book in for a Style Call and let’s see what magic we can create together!
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