Designer
Akassh K Aggrawal has been in the business of fashion for over 12 years now and
has presented his artistic pieces on known fashion Runways with stars like
Zeenat Aman, Swara Bhasker and many more 
walking for him as showstoppers. While the entire fashion and design
industry is witnessing revolution with sustainability being the focal point, he
feels that jewellery market is still dominated with ornaments that are not
nature-friendly.

“We talk about
sustainability in fashion but there is no awareness  about harmful metal used in jewellery which are absolutely  banned 
internationally. How in the name of cheap pricing harmful raw material
is used which often lead from skin allergies to skin cancers,” Aggrawal told Opoyi.

He also says that that there is no market for Indian handcrafted piece and that has resulted into no work for karigars( weavers).

“So when are
we  going to talk about our very own ethnic, Tribal  jewellery making mechanisms
like the nature friendly Terracotta or Teakwood handcrafted  jewelleries, 
people still don’t have awareness as well as  taste for that, and there is a section that
starts judging you the moment you wear an rich traditional  Indian handcrafted piece. That kind awareness
which has come for clothes, it’s not there in jewellery industry for 10 percent. There
is no awareness against the  chunk and bling or even German silver  that is transported from china,” he said.

He feels that karigars (weavers) are suffering a lot.

“Our karigars
are struggling to survive because of such dirt cheap imports…..as this is not
just harmful for us but for nature too, ” he told Opoyi.

“I thik jewellery market will start from an abruptly zero now because the entire
clothes  section has gone prêt that
almost needs minimalistic jewellery,” he added.

Aggarwal
started his fashion journey in the year 2008 with a  Showcase 
at a fashion event In Delhi. He later showcased his designs in different
parts of India and now retails his designs to international customers in US, UK
and Middle East.

A huge
supporter for LGBTQIA+  community, he has
now associated with group of transgender people to make jewellery with peroi
work. “I have associated with transgender and doing  jewellery focusing on peroi work.  We had the stock  from karigars making beads of terracotta and
meana motifs of Jaipur, now we will develop a story out of it,” he said.

Aggarwal sees
that the only thing that is going to boom now is the wedding jewellery
shopping.

“Wedding or
occasion wear shopping is going to emerge and nothing more will happen.  There will be some love for artificial and
chunk jewellery but that will also be occasional accessories. I think,
accessories will increase around occasion based specific and that will have its
own revival and that people will look forward,” he said.

The designer
wishes for karigars to come back soon safely , or that the jewellery industry
doesn’t die a slow death.

 Who is the maker of my product?

“Karigars (artisans) have gone out and there is no way to call them back as we cant
guarantee them healthy safety jobs…. We will eventually go back to machine
making business and that won’t be good help 
,” said the designer.

The lockdown imposed in India to combat the spread of COVID-19 has resulted into many weavers and labourer going back to their hometown because of lack of work.