Big, bold, and dripping in glamour—at Anayah, a British brand with Indian roots and craftsmanship, jewellery makes a loud statement. The brand’s chain link necklaces and shoulder-grazing earrings, carpeted with CZs and studded with doublet stones, seek to stand out with their oversized proportions and va-va-voom designs. Little wonder that it is drawing attention, not only from consumers but also a lineup of A-list celebrities. Anayah jewels have been spotted on the likes of Doja Cat, Lisa, Sydney Sweeney, Paris Hilton, Bhumi Pednekar, Huda Kattan and several others.
Founder Nilofar Jacques started Anayah as a side-hustle that has turned into a success story in the making. Beginning with jewellery she bought from Indian manufacturers to sell to diaspora clients, the brand now creates its own designs—made in India but speaking in a trendy, global language.
How did you come to start Anayah?
I absolutely loved fashion, but my family wasn’t initially very keen on it. So, I ended up in banking. I went to New York for a work-and-study programme, and I landed an internship on Wall Street. That was 14 years ago, and it was a big thing for me—I felt that I’d made it, and this was what I would do.
Three years later, I came back to London and worked for another eight years. After I got married, my husband and I wanted additional income. Jewellery was a way to make some extra money. I remember when I got married, I was looking for wedding jewellery and there weren’t many options in the UK. I thought there was a clear gap here for people who wanted good Indian jewellery. In the beginning, we weren’t designing any of the jewellery. We were buying from Indian manufacturers and selling it.
What made you switch the business model and start designing in-house?
I thought it was boring. I wanted what I did to have some meaning, and excite me. Besides, with buying and selling designs, others had caught on to it and there was nothing unique about what we did apart from the pricing. By 2020, after my first child was born, I decided to make my own pieces. By then, we had done this long enough and knew the right contacts. We found a factory to produce our designs, and that’s when Anayah really began. We rebranded as an international brand designing our own pieces. In doing that, things started to click. People thought what we did was different. One thing led to another and here we are.
Anayah is positioned as a brand rooted in Indian craftsmanship. What makes you seek out the artisans here for such contemporary designs?
There is such an Indian influence in what we do. We keep a lot of modern options because we want to have a space for everything. But I want to do it without losing my Indian identity, which I am extremely proud of. Even the biggest designers make their couture in India—the embroidery and intricate work is all done in the country. We are not designing polki or kundan jewellery [the traditional jewellery on Anayah’s website are old pieces], but our craftsmanship is Indian, and I want to show what we are capable of.
Can you tell us a little more about your production and design processes?
We make everything in India. We worked with a manufacturer earlier but in January this year, we set up our own factory located outside Mumbai. My brother, who has a background in engineering, has moved to India. The workshop and our India operations are managed by him.
We have about 30 people in the team. I am also very excited about the fact that we have hired four women. Earlier, all of our workers had been men, but women empowerment is close to my heart and I insisted on having women artisans who needed an opportunity. Hiring women also required building separate spaces (such as restrooms) for them, installing cameras to ensure their safety. Our design team works with me, but they are also based in India. My entire business is really being run out of India.
Your pieces are distinctive for their use of colour and proportion. Designs like the Roza choker have also proved very popular. How did you hone the brand’s design language?
Roza was made for an event. I was going to be there and thought I needed something that reflected me and the brand and what we stand for. We put it together quickly and it was a one-off thing for me to wear. But for the entire event, everyone asked about the piece. And it wasn’t even finished!
Roza was a turning point. I felt that people would be drawn to a standout piece. So, we tried to make more designs that were just a bit unexpected. After Roza, we made another choker called the Lexi—it’s a chunky piece made with a bunch of rhinestones. The idea is to make outrageous, standout pieces that people would want to wear and set us apart from other brands.
Are there techniques or materials that you particularly favour?
I love bling. A lot of our designs are just studded with lots and lots of CZs, and we also lean towards coloured stones. In our new collection, Rouge Lagoon, we have used black CZs which we have not done before. As I was saying, we don’t want to blend in or become just another brand doing a version of the same thing.
A lot of our customers say we should make everyday designs. But it will be what everyone else is already doing. It’s okay to do fewer things, but let’s do it right.
What I am proud of is that people are beginning to understand that we have a design language. Sometimes we let a celebrity wear a piece before it is launched, customers see it and ask if it’s ours. They can now instantly recognise what they think is an Anayah.
Speaking of celebrities, Anayah has been seen on a lot of famous faces. Was it a conscious strategy for the brand?
I think we got lucky. To be honest, it shocks me. The funny thing is that when we get a request sometimes, I have no idea who the celebrity is. I am very desi—a fan of Bollywood stars like Kareena Kapoor Khan (who wore an Anayah earlier this year), Rani Mukherjee, and Sushmita Sen. But there has been a snowball effect.
When Doja Cat wore Anayah, I had another celebrity stylist reach out to me. Lisa (of BlackPink), who is massive and very popular in the US, wore it and led to others. It has come to a point where we have to say no because there are so many requests! We still have a business to run.
My karigars love it even more than I do. They don’t know about international celebrities, but it’s exciting for them to see Kareena or other Bollywood stars wearing something they have made.
Which are your biggest markets, and where does India feature in your growth plan?
We operate in four markets: the UK, the US, the Middle East, and India. The UK and the US comprise the major markets, though the US tariffs on India are really impacting us right now. In India, we are still fairly new. We are looking at growing it and potentially considering retail options in the market.