Rooted in the cultural landscape of the South Asian diaspora, Alankāra explores how diasporans use fashion and jewelry to navigate their intersectional identities. Having been raised amidst South Asian immigrant values and aesthetics, this project reflects how I understand the harmony between heritage, assimilation, and fusion as they relate to embodiment. 

Alankāra materializes through a collection of knitwear and jewelry, accompanied by a community-based workshop. 

Representing the core lens of this project, knitwear conveys Alankāra’s tactility and malleability—manipulating South Asian silhouettes and motifs through ribbing, beading, shaping, and fiber exploration. 

The integration of handmade jewelry references inherited keepsakes while reimagining these heirlooms into new forms. Using the techniques of metal fabrication, wax carving, and stone setting, my jewelry symbolizes memory and spiritual protection across time. 

Through open dialogue and collaborative art-making, a culminating workshop creates space to explore how South Asian identity—across gender, age, religion, and appearance—shapes and is shaped by what we wear.

By positioning adornment as both a personal and collective practice, Alankāra honors the multiplicity of South Asian identities.