Revathi Kant of Tanishq decodes merging aesthetics with profitability

The lifeblood of all business growth is the product, and for a luxury industry like jewellery, where visual impression matters most, design is everything. Talking at the recently concluded Retail Jeweller India Forum 2023, Revathi Kant, Chief Design Officer, Tanishq, shared how design innovation entices the hearts of consumers and that product is really the soul of the jewellery business.

She highlighted how design is far more than mere aesthetics. Decoding design literally, she explained, “D is about differentiation and E is about efficiency. How efficiently is it bringing cash back, and whatever we create must be saleable and scalable. At Tanishq, we cater to many stores and consumers and whatever we create, has to be mass manufacturable. The I in design is all about innovation. And G is about guaranteed quality, the imperative of great design is that quality is embedded in it. The N in design stands for narrative, and every piece we consume must have a purpose for its existence, for a woman needs a powerful idea and inspiration behind a great design to tell a story.”

Kant’s presentation touched upon the five triggers for design innovation: trends, consumer insights, approach, authentic stories and heritage. Explaining how trends are not akin to fashion and constantly changing, she said, “Trends are something that helps us to keep up with the times. We have to look at it more seriously.”

For Tanishq, trends have been a key trigger, which she explained with the birth of the collection ‘Colour me joy’. “All of us in 2020 and 2021 were coping with Covid and wanted to see hope and happiness. That is when colour started becoming very important. The collection was joyful and full of energy, escapism, and impact. Those are the human emotions that got translated into jewellery.”

Then Kant talked about how the brand’s need to capture a larger market-share in Tamil Nadu drove it to study consumers. After much research, presenting the essence of the Tamil culture in a collection named ‘The Chozha’ inspired by the Chola dynasty created a strong identity, personality and deep emotional connection with the modern Tamil woman.

On approach and techniques, she talked about innovating signature designs (through proprietary technology) that build the design language of Zoya. On narratives, Kant shared the journey of the ‘Rhythms of Rain’ collection in capturing nature-oriented designs connected to the monsoon season.

She also referred to India’s 5000-year-old heritage jewellery industry and the Diwali-special ‘Alekhya’ collection that is testimony to India’s inimitable craftsmanship power. “We looked at Pichwai, and much research was done to understand the history of craftsmanship from the karigars. We packaged the art and history of jewellery that people already love to make great, affordable pieces,” Kant summed up.

Courtesy: Retail Jeweller India Forum