A diamond ring. That’s the only jewellery Pavan Anand sports. A little unexpected, considering he’s been designing jewellery for a decade. “I really don’t think men should be wearing jewellery,” laughs Pavan, who designs them only for women. The ring he wears was bequeathed to him by his grandfather. “When I was six I once asked him, ‘How many carats is that ring?’ He replied saying 3/4 of a carat and when in return I said ‘That’s all?’ he was rather shocked. He gave it to me before he passed away,” he says.
Even though he earned a degree in architecture, Pavan’s heart lay in designing. That’s how he started his label, Dagmar, in 2004: Dagmar, in German, means ‘a glorious day.’
“I was browsing through a few books and I came across this word. It caught my fancy and later when I learnt what it meant I decided to use it,” he says. And why did he move from bricks and mortar to emeralds and pearls? “Some things are organic in your life. And I always was interested in jewellery. I studied the market and found something missing. So I started putting together couture pieces of semi-precious stones,” he says. Self-trained apart from a couple of basic courses in gem and diamond grading, Pavan says, “I would be offended if somebody had to teach me the art of designing. You either have a flair for aesthetics and design or you don’t. You can keep studying and get 500 degrees but that’s not the same…”
The 35-year-old says that right from the beginning he was keen to foray into the international market. Initially, after three to four years of retailing within the country through luxury stores like Ogaan, Ensemble, Folio and Collage, he gradually made his presence felt abroad. But making it overseas wasn’t easy, as he found out the hard way.
“Around 2007, when I started approaching the stores, I noticed they would love the product but not the quality of the product. They weren’t impressed with Indian finishing. If something looks even a bit out of proportion, it’s rejected. We worked along those lines and perfected it,” he says.
Dagmar today has 22 offices across the globe. “I have several production units all over the world and they do the dirty work,” he laughs. And his client list includes Nicole Kidman, Goldie Hawn, Chantal Kreviazuk, Deepika Padukone, the royalty of Morocco…
Pavan comes out with five collections in a year. His most recent being — ‘A Parisian Affair’ which was launched two months back. “With this I tried to merge Parisian and Indian sensibilities.
It’s got emerald, ruby, pearl and elements of grey, bronze and champagne pearl.” As is with most of his collection, it comprises largely of earrings and a few hand cuffs and necklaces. The jewel couturier will be in the city today with this collection at Collage.
And what’s the damage to the purse, you ask? If Pavan is to be believed, “We follow a simple concept called affordable luxury.It starts at Rs. 7,000. I like more people to have beautiful things.”
