Fusion jewellery sparkles across Indo-Western spectrum

A youthful entrepreneur has embarked on a quest to promote jewellery and bejewelled accessories created by top Indian designers into every kind of ethnic market.

Rajveer Kaur Panglia, 26, who moved to Rotterdam in 2006 from Hyderabad, has been selling a stunning selection of designs online since June this year and reports enthusiastic responses from customers around the world.

She has named her business Fusion by Rajveer, which reflects the fact that fashion items she commissions incorporate stylish modern specifications that she judges will appeal to women of all ethnic backgrounds for different social occasions.

She believes Fusion will prosper because of the inventive contribution of young India-based designers like Pooja Pariani, who is renowned for her clutch bags, and Mahek Lokhandwala, who has made a name for herself with individualised handmade accessories.

“The target audience is women of all ages – but definitely those who like to feel stylish and classy and like to experiment with their looks,” said Rajveer.

“It is not aimed at a specific ethnic audience – it is designed to appeal to everyone irrespective of their ethnicity. Already I have Dutch, Turkish, Moroccan and Spanish customers, as well as Indian.”

An art graduate from Hyderabad’s St Ann’s College (economics, public administration, political science and mass communications/multimedia), she believes there is huge scope to build a brand in the Indo-Western fashion marketplace. She has her eyes firmly set on the UK and America. “I have had an offer to launch the brand in the States and am hoping to finalise a deal.”

She would be happy to take Fusion into the high street. The first step will be a presence in a Rotterdam store called The Hubshop and she hopes this will lead to other retail outlets being established in Holland and then across Europe.

Rajveer said: “The business is very young and has not yet received much media attention but I have showcased my collection in a lot of fashion events – including one in Rotterdam called Fashion Village, which resulted in an interview with a TV channel that aroused a lot of interest.”

“I am delighted with the way things have taken off. I do get to hear good things about my products and I am on cloud nine when I get these compliments.”

Core beliefs for Fusion include allowing those skilled craftsmen and women to express themselves in the design of innovative yet versatile products.

The collection includes quality clutch bags in faux leather and satin, decorated by diamante studded brooches, coloured stones or ornate metal finishes. It also features wild animal prints, pure pearl jewellery and handmade funky bangles, necklaces and bracelets adorned by all sorts of beads, not to mention earrings of semi-precious stones.

The emphasis on creating a modern look from traditional Indian designs is convincingly projected by the company website  (www.fusionbyrajveer.eu) which was devised by a design house called Goradia Infotech – famous for creating sites for Bollywood actors and fashion stylists like Manish Malhotra and Vikram Phadnis.

Rajveer’s interest in art and fashion is partly attributable to the many hours she spent as a child helping her mother design and make fashionable garments for a loyal set of Indian clients. What she learned from the home-based business about different materials and colour combinations helped forge her confident foray into the fashion world.

Later, she sharpened her business skills in a partnership running an event management company called Cirrus, before leaving India to settle down with her husband in Holland.

In The Netherlands she attended university and learned to speak Dutch and was making a career in sales before the desire to be her own boss became too strong to resist.

Rajveer said: “I believe I can bring Indian design into the international market by giving these products a truly contemporary international look. I enjoy every bit of the business, from interacting with the designers, to supervising the creative process, to promoting the finished products. I make my own decisions without outside interference to produce beautiful objects that I believe women will be proud to wear.”