Latest news with #Evoluzione
Fashion Network
09-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
House of Amrapali, Evoluzione, and SR Artefacts launch joint flagship store in Mumbai
Jewellery label House of Amrapali, fashion curator Evoluzione, and silverware specialist SR Artefacts have launched a joint flagship store in Mumbai, marking a collaborative venture in experiential luxury retail. The 4,200 square-foot space spans two levels and merges fine jewellery, designer fashion, and heritage artefacts in a setting designed to evoke both a gallery and a temple. 'With the launch of our new flagship store in collaboration with Evoluzione and SR Artefacts in Mumbai, our vision was to bring together culture and craftsmanship in their purest forms," said Amrapali Jewels' creative director Tarang Arora in a press release on May 9. "From design to detailing, every element has been thoughtfully curated to celebrate Indian artistry in a setting that feels both intimate and grand." Each zone of the store, dedicated to jewellery, fashion, and collectibles, has been designed to have a distinct ambiance, unified by a design narrative rooted in Indian craftsmanship. The interiors feature polished marble flooring, warm lighting, and a combination of antique-inspired furnishings and modern architecture. A notable design element is a staircase wrapped in Thikri mirror work, echoing the Sheesh Mahal style, while the jewellery room is accessed through an archway crafted over a period of 1,200 hours by Jaipur-based artisans. The store houses over 1,000 handcrafted fine jewellery pieces from Amrapali Jewels and 1,500 silver jewellery designs from Tribe Amrapali. Evoluzione presents a selection of over 35 Indian designer labels, and SR Artefacts showcases more than 500 handcrafted items including silverware, idols, and restored heritage pieces. A curated collection from London-based Ananya Fine Jewellery is also on display. The collaboration aims to offer a retail experience that reflects the shared ethos of the three brands. "At Evoluzione, we've always believed in redefining luxury through meaningful curation, and this collaboration brings that belief to life in its most dynamic form," said Evoluzione's co-founders Tina and Atul Malhotra. "This flagship store brings that philosophy to life by offering a space where fashion, tradition, and modernity co-exist effortlessly."
Fashion Network
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
VBJ and Anju Modi present traditional splendour at joint fashion show in Chennai
Fine jewellery label Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers (VBJ) and fashion designer Anju Modi held a collaborative fashion show at The Leela Palace in Chennai, showcasing traditional grandeur. The event marked VBJ's 125th anniversary and was titled 'An Affair of Glamour and Grandeur.' The fashion show presented a fusion of heritage jewellery and couture design, announced VBJ in a press release. The evening opened with a social gathering followed by a dance performance by Padma Bhushan awardee Shobana. Then followed a runway presentation curated with fashion retail platform Evoluzione, featuring layered silhouettes, bridal ensembles, and fine jewellery from VBJ. 'At VBJ, every piece we create is an heirloom of emotion, craftsmanship, and history," said VBJ's managing partners Amarendran Vummidi and Jithendra Vummidi in a press release. "As we celebrate 125 years, it is only fitting that we honor this journey with a collaboration that reflects India's eternal spirit. Anju Modi's revival of our weaving traditions mirrors our passion for preserving and evolving Indian craftsmanship. Tonight is not just about fashion; it's about storytelling, legacy, and the soul of India.' The finale saw curators Vimmi, Ranjitha, and Sarika join the VBJ family and eponymous designer Anju Modi on the runway in a tribute to the artisans behind the showcase. VBJ was founded in 1900 and operates two showrooms in Chennai. The brand launched its first international store in Dallas, US in 2023.
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Anju Modi's new collection Virasat is an ode to Madras
For designer Anju Modi, every time she visits Chennai, it feels like homecoming. When she started her eponymous label in 1990, Madras was her 'epicentre' for all things fabric-related. 'This was my base when I used to go to nearby villages, towns and cities like Salem, Coimbatore, Kanchipuram, and Venkatagiri (Andhra Pradesh), and stay with weavers in their homes. Their culture, temples, and even things like the kolam that they draw every morning, reflect in the fabric they weave. And these have stayed with me,' says Modi, whose new collection Virasat is an ode to Chennai. Virasat, which translates to legacy, was launched, over the weekend, in collaboration with city-based legacy jewellery brand Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers, at an event at the Leela Palace Chennai. 'VBJ is a 125-year-old brand. For this collaboration, they were looking for a designer who understands the heritage of the South, especially Tamil Nadu. And I have been working with clusters of weavers in the region, so the whole thing vibed well with our ethos,' she says. While Vummidi showcases the jewellery at their stores, Modi's garments are on display at Evoluzione. 'I have been coming to Evoluzione for 30 years. I am also very much in love with the people of Chennai. They are value- oriented and evolved. They don't get influenced by the glam factor, they are classic in their choice,' she says. The collection features saris, lehengas, anarkalis, jackets and lehenga saris (a fusion of the two) in Kanjeevaram silk, georgette, tussar, mashroo silk, Kota tissue, Chanderi, crinkle tissue, brocade, and velvet. Craftsmanship shines through in the form of zardozi embroidery, and traditional adda work. Vummidi does temple jewellery, and keeping that in mind, the designer has used intricate embroidery that draw inspiration from temples. Tones of emerald and gold have been used in the garments to match the temple jewellery pieces. There is bridal wear in red and gold, and rose colour drapes to go with rose cut diamonds. 'They also designed the jewellery line with my colour scheme. So it was collaboration in the real sense and we took over two months to complete it,' says the doyenne of couture. Thirty five years in the industry and Modi is still passionate about her craft, and working with weavers. From Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to Uttar Pradesh, she has been working with 25 clusters and in many cases with three generations. There is an endearing tone in her voice when she talks about the weaving communities. 'You see, initially the weavers were disillusioned. People had forgotten about woven treasures and were going for mill-made fabric and clothes. I helped revive this handwoven legacy. Now consumers have started understanding the beauty of it,' she says. After a prolonged episode of weavers' children leaving their family business and moving to other cities in search of jobs, Modi says she is finally seeing a reversal happening. There is a certain pride about being self-employed and taking up a family business and this is what many of them have realised. 'Now, the children of weavers are going to NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) and learning fresh trends and getting equipped with the latest technology. Design inputs are coming from the younger generation. They work on computers, have email IDs, can work out the warp and weft on computers and implement them on looms. From Delhi I can email weavers in Bhuj and other cities and villages,' she smiles. Even though these technological advancements were unthinkable in the 90s, Modi reminisces travelling back and forth on buses, trains, and cars to meet and work with weavers. 'But that was another level of experience; I enjoyed it,' she says, adding, 'That way, you could see a country at the ground level, people's living habits, the rains, the heat..., and one needs to absorb it all to be part of that culture.'
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mass. man gets prison time for defrauding Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. of $2.3M
A Massachusetts man who, along with his girlfriend, defrauded Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. of $2.3 million and used the money to buy luxury items and a $1.9 million luxury condo in Boston's Seaport District, will spend time in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney said Monday. Samuel N. Montronde, 39, of Brockton, was sentenced in federal court to 30 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV handed down his sentence. Montronde was also ordered to pay $2.3 million in restitution. In December, Montronde was convicted of three counts of wire fraud by a federal jury in Boston. The jury acquitted Montronde of one count of wire fraud conspiracy. Montronde was arrested and charged in January 2023 along with his girlfriend, Priya Bhambi of Brookline, a former senior employee in the technology operations group of Takeda, for setting up a fake consulting company that billed Takeda for services it never actually provided, Foley said. The two were later indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2023. The couple used the money it defrauded from Takeda to buy a Mercedes-Benz Model Class E, a diamond engagement ring, freightliner trucks, a $1.9-million 2-bedroom condo in Boston's Seaport District and a $50,000 wedding venue deposit, prosecutors said. These assets are now subject to the court's forfeiture order. In October 2024, Bhambi was sentenced to 46 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release, after pleading guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud. Bhambi was also ordered to pay $2,585,480 in restitution. In 2022, Montronde and Bhambi orchestrated and executed a scheme to defraud Takeda of at least $2.3 million in payments 'for purported consulting services by submitting fabricated invoices on behalf of a sham consulting company,' Foley said. Prosecutors said Bhambi had previously engaged in the same fraud using a different sham consulting company, resulting in payments from Takeda totaling nearly $300,000 for consulting services that were never provided. In February 2022, Montronde and Bhambi incorporated a sham consulting company, Evoluzione Consulting LLC. Later, prosecutors said Bhambi created a website for Evoluzione with false information, including fabricated blog posts, to make it appear that Evoluzione was a legitimate consulting business. After incorporating Evoluzione, Bhambi, in coordination with Montronde, submitted a statement of work to Takeda, resulting in Takeda signing a master services agreement with Evoluzione. Bhambi issued a purchase order to Evoluzione for consulting services with a total cost of $3.542 million, prosecutors said. Then, between March and May of 2022, Bhambi and Montronde fabricated and submitted five separate invoices to Takeda for services that Evoluzione had not performed, each in the amount of $460,000, prosecutors said. The couple also created a fictional employee, 'Jasmine,' to handle communications with Takeda, prosecutors said. 'When questioned by Takeda employees, Bhambi made false representations regarding the services purportedly provided by Evoluzione,' the U.S. Attorney's Office said in its statement Monday. 'Before discovering the scheme and terminating Bhambi, Takeda, relying on these false representations, paid all five of the invoices to business accounts opened by Montronde in the name of Evoluzione.' In total, Bhambi and Montronde defrauded Takeda of $2.3 million in payments to Evoluzione for services not provided, prosecutors said. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement on Monday. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie Wright and Mackenzie Queenin of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit, is handling the forfeiture matter. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
