“I am inspired by the Australian way of life when I am designing accessories for Indians. And I promote our Indian craft when exhibiting my work at boutiques in Brisbane and Sydney,” says Divya Jayant Sethuraman of chic accessory brand ‘Plum Tree’. Hailing from our very own City, this textile designer by qualification and an accessory designer by profession, retails her brand out of several boutiques in Sydney and Bangalore. The Australian connection comes from the fact that the young designer lives in Sydney with her husband today. She often organises exhibitions in Bangalore to stay in touch with her roots. 

If you have a fetish for bags and shoes, who better to go to than Divya who kick-started her design journey convinced by her ardent love for these two accessories. She started her label ‘Plum Tree’, which  has completed five glorious years now. Narrates Divya, “I graduated from the Shrishti School of Art in 2001. I am a qualified textile designer. But I chose to become an accessory designer because I simply love bags and shoes. I would buy them all the time. This is when I thought, why shouldn’t I design them! And here is ‘Plum Tree’.”

Creative success was assured for Divya’s genetic make-up is so. Divya grew up in a creative environment watching her mum working on the interiors of the house and even designing bags! “I always wanted to be a designer. My mother was very creative and did the interiors of our house. Colours were essential components. Back in the 1970s, she used to design handbags. Now you know where this is coming from,” chuckles Divya, and adds that she is also inspired by the colourful works of the UK-based interior designer Tricia Guild.

Divya’s Spring-Summer line is based on the theme of travel and holiday. With the right doses of comfort and couture, the collection is practically very fashionable. Clean lines with minimal bling describes her new line. Designed to perfection, the line comprises bags in various sizes coupled with matching sandals. For instance, a package would include a big holiday bag in cane for all your travel essentials, a matching clutch and a pair of sandals in the same design and colour scheme. So, head to the beach or go shopping with a holiday bag and dump a small clutch in for the party at night. A package, including a holiday bag, clutch and sandals, approximately costs Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000.

Talking about her new collection, Divya says, “It’s an exclusive small collection with just about 50 products. The idea is holiday and the theme is travel. That is what summer is all about. Big bags are very in and the idea of matching gladiator sandals makes your travel a bit more fashionable. However, you can buy a single piece from the package as well. I have used a lot of cane and silk embellished with buttons and beads. The colours used are shades of blue, whites, rust, aqua and red. Both the footwear and handbags are handmade and hand-embroidered.” 

In Australia, Divya retails out of boutiques like ‘Avenue Joffre’ and ‘My Island Home’. She also participates in upscale beach markets organised regularly in Sydney and Brisbane. She says that it’s the handcrafted indo-fusion element in her designs that win her many clients there. Colourful beads, peacock feathers and other elements from royal India is a hit among the Aussies. While on the Australian subject, one cannot help but ask Divya about cricket and racial slur and if she has ever faced it. “I hate cricket but I love the controversies. Personally, I have never faced any sort of racism in Australia. But I guess cricket gets all the attention. In fact, most Aussies have found the whole controversy silly,” says the young designer.

So, where is India in the international accessory market? “I started designing accessories when only a few were doing it. Today there is an influx of accessory designers. Mass productions from Bangkok and China have infiltrated the Indian market. So, my aim is to design what is not there in the market. It’s difficult but designing something exclusive is a high,” ends Divya on an enterprising note.

Divya’s line will be on exhibit at Raintree (opp Hotel Windsor Manor) on February 8 and 9 between 10 am and 7 pm. For details call 23415014.