A collaboration that we did not see coming, but one we’re very glad happened. Over the years, NorBlack NorWhite and Bhavya Ramesh have each cultovated loyal communities around their work, developing creative signatures that are unmistakably their own. One approaches fashion through colour, culture and storytelling, while the other has become known for jewellery that is bold, expressive and deeply rooted in symbolism. Bringing those worlds together was always going to result in something interesting. The result is STARE, a collection that explores themes of femininity, protection and self-expression through a shared creative lens.
While the collaboration may feel fresh, the admiration between the two brands has existed for years. For Bhavya Ramesh, working with NorBlack NorWhite carries a personal significance. “Honestly, it feels very surreal. It really does feel like a full-circle moment for me because NorBlack NorWhite was one of those brands I always looked at and thought, ‘This is so cool.’ Not just the clothes, but the world they had built around the brand, the confidence, the identity, the way they always had such a strong point of view.”
That respect was mutual. Mriga Kapadiya, co-founder, NorBlack NorWhite, explains that the idea of working together had been circulating for some time before the collaboration finally took shape. “We’ve admired the world Bhavya’s built and I personally carry my staple BR pieces which move around the world with me. It all got sealed when Bhavya popped into our studio for the first time. Her energy was grounding and wild all at once, thoughts clear with an undeniable passion. It felt just right to build together.”
What began as conversations soon evolved into a larger creative exchange. Rather than jumping straight into products, both teams spent time discussing their experiences, perspectives and the themes they wanted to explore together. “Getting to know each other on a human level, sharing how we are feeling in this world, what emotions are rising, and collectively what do we want to say at this time,” says Kapadiya. “We started floating ideas around which naturally progressed into, ‘Okay, we must work together.'”
Those conversations eventually became the foundation of STARE. At the centre of the collection is an exploration of the unwanted gaze and the ways women navigate, challenge and respond to it. The starting point came from a version of the nazar battu that immediately resonated with both brands. “We are both platforms led by women and we wanted to draw on some of our own experiences through this process,” says Kapadiya. “Diving into the ideas of how we deal with an unwanted gaze, what measures we take to protect ourselves and honour the feminine experience of it all.”
The collection translates those ideas into jewellery and accessories using symbols associated with protection. Eyes, snakes, chillies, lemons, fangs, moons and ghungroos appear throughout the collection, transformed into contemporary adornments that carry layers of meaning. Yet the success of STARE lies in how naturally these symbols sit within the visual worlds of both brands.
That balance was one of the biggest creative challenges. Both NorBlack NorWhite and Bhavya Ramesh are known for having strong identities, which meant finding common ground required constant dialogue and experimentation.
“I think that was something we were aware of from the beginning, because both brands do have very strong identities,” says Ramesh. “There was always a chance that it could become too much of one world or the other. But somehow the process felt very natural.”
She continues, “There were no hard rules like, ‘This has to be Bhavya Ramesh’ or ‘This has to be NorBlack NorWhite.’ It was more fluid than that. We kept going back and forth, seeing what felt right, what felt too much, what belonged, what didn’t.”
Kapadiya echoes that sentiment. “We are both bold. Very bold! So the challenging design exercise was figuring out how to bring things together in a more nuanced way. Also thinking about pushing both of our design language forward individually and together.”
That process involved countless iterations and conversations. According to Kapadiya, every piece had to earn approval from both teams before making it into the final collection. “There were many iterations to get the collection to feel balanced and for each piece to be loved by both our teams. And as per the usual, the last-minute additions became the most exciting.”
Among her personal favourites are the Gaze eye clips, which she describes as capturing the spirit of the collection. She also points to the Viper earrings, the Rattle anklets and the Keeper bag as pieces that bring together many of the collection’s recurring motifs. “We were very intentional in how we used the lime and chilli motifs in a fresh way,” she says. “I love the pops of red and sleekness of the Viper earrings, feeling very animalistic and chic all at once.”
Beyond the products themselves, STARE extends into a larger visual narrative developed alongside filmmaker Bijoy Shetty. The campaign film plays an important role in expanding the collection’s themes, transforming the jewellery and accessories into a fully realised world.
For Ramesh, seeing that world come together became one of the most rewarding parts of the process. “I think the most fun part was seeing the world come alive, especially through the video. Once we started putting everything together, it began to feel very real. It wasn’t just products anymore. It became a whole mood, a story, a world.”
The campaign shoot eventually took the team to Kerala, creating some of the collaboration’s most memorable moments. “Travelling to Kerala for the shoot was also really special,” says Ramesh. “Being there, and realising that there were people who genuinely connected with what we do, was a beautiful feeling.”
For Kapadiya, the experience was equally meaningful. “Laughing and snacking through our sessions and of course travelling to Kerala to shoot the visual. Getting to experience a journey with collaborators who became friends is a deep privilege we don’t take lightly.”
Of course, bringing together multiple creative voices comes with its challenges. Yet both designers speak about those challenges as an essential part of the process rather than obstacles to overcome.
“Jamming on ideas with Bhavya and Bijoy, working through so many possibilities and then actually bringing it all to life was the most fun and also the most challenging,” says Kapadiya. “We are three strong forces and finding a confluence that felt right to us all has brought out the strength for this world we created.”
Ramesh agrees. “The video was probably the most fun part, but also the biggest challenge. There were many moving parts, different people, different creative energies, different processes. But I don’t think the challenges made the outcome weaker. They actually made it stronger.”
That sense of genuine collaboration is what makes STARE stand apart. This is not a project built around two names sharing space on a label. It is the result of two brands investing in each other’s ideas, challenging each other’s perspectives and building something together from the ground up. As Kapadiya puts it, “This is definitely not a project where we slapped each other’s names together. All hands have been on deck and now it’s finally out.”
For Ramesh, the collaboration represents a full-circle moment. For Kapadiya, it is the culmination of years of admiration and creative curiosity. Together, they have created a collection that allows both brands to remain completely recognisable while opening up new territory for each of them. In a fashion landscape increasingly crowded with collaborations, STARE succeeds because it is rooted in a genuine exchange of ideas. The collection may have started as a conversation between two creative worlds, but the final result proves just how compelling that conversation can be.
And that is perhaps the power of STARE: it captures your attention not through spectacle, but through intention. Long after the first glance, its stories, symbols and craftsmanship continue to draw you in, inviting a closer look every time.
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