Divya Nambiar is an emerging woman entrepreneur whose revolutionary fashion jewelry label ‘
Unniyarcha’ has taken the Indian jewelry industry by storm since its launch in May 2015. This Bangalore-based brand offers a range of fusion jewelry, which is a unique mix of traditional and contemporary designs. Every piece produced under this label, right from necklaces and earrings to bracelets and rings, is fit for a queen – a woman of infinite spirit and beauty. Through Unniyarcha, Divya aspires to offer jewelry that can be worn on multiple occasions and would go equally well with a traditional outfit as well as a modern ensemble.
The unusual brand name has a deep meaning behind it. When the label was being conceptualized, the horrifying Nirbhaya rape case had just occurred and its gruesomeness had shaken up Divya deeply. Thus, she wanted a name for her brand that would showcase women as glorious fighters rather than pitiful victims. Divya grew up listening to the stories of Unniyarcha, who was an immensely beautiful and legendary warrior of 17th century Malabar India. Known for her grace and valor, adorned in jewels and armed with a fierce spirit, Unniyarcha has been an inspirational figure for Divya all her life. Thus, she decided to dedicate her venture to this legendary woman who is a symbol of beauty, grace, bravery and female ability. Unniyarcha’s jewelry depicts the same fire, beauty and power as the woman the brand is named after and Divya wants her customers to be proud of the brand’s heritage and feel as gloriously beautiful and strong as the legendary warrior.
The Unniyarcha collection is available in the top designer stores in Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai. It also caters to a large online customer base through their website. The collections are divided into two categories - ‘Limited Edition’ and ‘Express’. The Express collection consists of a wide range of jewelry pieces that are curated and handpicked globally by Divya and her team. Whereas the Limited Edition collections, designed exclusively by Divya, are inspired by themes and only a limited quantity of each design is made. All designs are handmade, 18k gold or silver plated and the stones ethically sourced.
Her first Limited Edition collection, named as the ‘Epic Collection’, is Divya’s ode to one of the greatest epics of all times, the Mahabharata and the many colours it shows within each of its numerous stories. The Epic Collection has received a fantastic response from customers, with many of its pieces getting sold out within a very short span. The success of this Collection has fast-tracked Unniyarcha’s growth and has put the brand in the league of the top designer fashion jewelry brands of India. Divya now plans to come up with some exceptional collections 4-5 times in a year and has recently launched her second Limited Edition collection, named as the ‘Samskaara’ collection.
The story behind Divya’s journey towards starting this venture is quite an interesting one. Born into an affluent South Indian family, she inherited the knack for jewelry designing from her mother and always admired her talent. She would often doodle designs in notebook during her childhood. But making a career in the design industry was not what Divya had envisaged and pursued post-graduation in Finance from the reputed Columbia University. Thereafter, she declined the opportunity to work for Deloitte Consultant and moved back to India to work with her father, who is the country’s biggest manufacturer of retail fixtures. This opportunity honed her entrepreneurial and management skills.
While she was doing well on the professional front, Divya often felt that her life lacked a creative element. One morning while walking through her father’s manufacturing facility, the sunlight falling on a pile of scrap metal drew her attention and she was fascinated with the way rainbow colors were being reflected from it and could immediately visualize a variety of designs using different color combinations. That was a defining moment for her as she realized that creating unusual art pieces is what makes her the happiest. With her father’s encouragement she decided to venture into the field of designing.
Divya chose jewelry designing because she found this area of designing most fascinating. Moreover, during her stay abroad, she observed the absence of renowned Indian brands in New York and other fashion capitals of the world. Indian craftsmanship being superior to many other countries, she felt that Indian jewelry brands had a great scope globally and therefore decided to start a jewelry label with the intent to soon make it an internationally recognized brand. Initially, she decided to take the safer path and gain relevant knowledge in the field of designing. But after being accepted at the world-renowned Parsons School of Design in New York, she threw caution to the wind and decided to start the journey towards launching ‘Unniyarcha’.
For Divya, Unniyarcha is not merely a business venture, but the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Her initial journey as an entrepreneur was full of challenges and learning lessons. After a not-so-successful collaboration with a leading retail chain, Divya vowed to always follow her instinct rather than get lured by brand names. Also, initially due to her lack of training in jewelry manufacturing, she would accept whatever excuse artisans would come up with. However, she soon realized that she had to be assertive if she had to come up with unusual designs. Today, those very artisans respect her creative ability and go out of the way in an endeavor to convert her vision into a reality.
In her dual roles as the Founder and Creative Head of Unniyarcha, Divya’s responsibility is not only to ensure high quality and out-of-the-box designs in every collection. Rather, every aspect of the brand’s operations, right from sourcing the best artisans in the country, to ensuring that the implemented designs match up to the blueprints, to regularly updating the website, packaging as well as coming up with interesting marketing campaigns and building a loyal customer base is in Divya’s scope of work. Hence, she has learnt the art of time management and delegation so as to ensure seamless operations and impeccable customer service.
So far the customer response has been phenomenal and currently, all her focus is directed towards increasing the brand’s online customer base. Within the next five years Divya plans to take the brand to international markets, especially in the UAE and Europe, through the website as well as entering into partnerships with high-end design stores.
