Pharrell wears Tiffany's gandi copy of Mughal diamond glasses. Here's the Indian history they missed
American Rapper Pharrell Williams dropped a fashion bomb at the Kenzo Paris Fashion Week 2022. It wasn’t his clothes that caught the eye, but his eye-wear which grabbed all the attention – positive and a lot negative.
If you are wondering what kind of eye-wear can make the jaws drop, check this out:
These diamond-studded rims with single-cut gemstone lenses for a pair of sunglasses are awe-inspiring.
After looking at this, it can be safely said that it would be difficult to go back to the same old pair of shades we all own, and even the typical looking luxury ones that cost an arm and a leg seem to fade in their allure.
For the fashion-capped, here’s a bit of context on the pair of spectacles, who designed it, and how is Pharrell involved:
This pair of sunglasses for Pharrell was designed by Tiffany and Co. Pharrell was wearing the glasses at the fashion week to promote his upcoming collaboration with the American luxury jeweller.
You might want to note that Kenzo, a French fashion house founded by a Japanese designer and owned by LVMH, also owns Tiffany and Co. In fact, LVMH bought out Tiffany and Co. just last year, in 2021.
WHAT IS THE CONTROVERSY?
When Pharrell posted the picture on his Instagram, it received a lot of admiration. But soon, it was followed by clever netizens pointing out that the design is not original.
Turns out the design of the pair of jaw-dropping shades has existed since the 17th century. And where did it originate – India! Yes, you read that right.
THE HISTORY BEHIND THE SPECTACLES:
In October 2021, American fine arts company Sotheby’s listed two pairs of rare Mughal-era spectacles up for auction – one was known as the ‘Emeralds for Paradise’ and the other known as ‘Diamonds for Light’. These two pairs of glasses caught the fancy of everyone who viewed it, and some journalists were even able to pose with the glasses on.
Sotheby’s described the two pairs of bejewelled glasses as a princely treasury from the 17th century Mughal-era India.
Sotheby's catalogue also says the emeralds in the spectacles could be traced to the Muzo mines in Colombia, while the diamond lenses likely originated from the Golconda mines in present-day Telangana. These spectacles were likely created during the reigns of Jahangir (r.1605-27), Shah Jahan (r.1628-58), or Aurangzeb (r.1658-1707) in 17th-century India.
Writer & Historian, William Dalrymple described the spectacles saying, “This is the work of a supreme master, both of gemstones and of optics. This is a slice of diamond and a slice of emerald; through which you can see… they were definitely created to be worn.”
These glasses were meant to do more than just keep the sunlight out. They were meant to ward off evil and soothe the eyes.
Well, copying this piece of art definitely doesn’t seem to keep the negative comments away from Pharrell and Tiffany and Co. And the journalists who posed with the rare piece of Mughal glasses made it a point to let the collaborators know.
Netizens also commented below Pharrell and Tiffany and Co. posts, saying that they could have at least given credit for the inspiration.
Pharell posted a caption along with his Instagram post, “It’s about seeing things differently.”
Tiffany and Co. said, “Double take. @Pharrell attended Nigo’s Kenzo show in Paris wearing a pair of custom-designed Tiffany & Co. sunglasses in 18k gold with 61 round brilliant diamonds of over 25 total carats and two emerald-cut emeralds. #TiffanyAndCo.”
Neither of them mentioned anything about the design or the Mughal history.
Is it a violation of intellectual property rights?
That seems unlikely. The original pairs of glasses were designed during a historical period and there is also a lack of clarity on its origins.
Now, it needs to be seen how Pharrell and Tiffany and Co. react to the claims. It would also be interesting to know if Pharrell and Tiffany’s upcoming project is a fusion between history and modern hip-hop fashion.
Nonetheless, be it the Mughal glasses or the Tiffany’s ‘copied’ version, both are going to be in millions of dollars, and inaccessible to most but the few millionaires and billionaires of the world. Perhaps, now that it’s on the runway, we may see more copies - gandi or otherwise - of the glasses in the market too.