Self-healing meets jewelry design in Indiaインド在住のジュエリーデザイナー、緑川りおさん

インド在住のジュエリーデザイナー、緑川りおさん。ヨガをきっかけに南インドへ渡り、宝石の都と呼ばれるジャイプールに魅了され、現地でアクセサリーブランド「Pahi Amulet」を立ち上げた。多様な英語のアクセントが飛び交うインドで、英語がほとんど話せない状態からのスタートだったという。

Japan’s fashion industry is famed for its innovative and cutting-edge designs. It is, however, infamous for its substandard labor practices. Jewelry designer Rio Midorikawa had worked hard in this industry for years before she burned out. “That’s when I knew I had to get out and do something to heal myself,” says Midorikawa, the designer and owner of accessory brand Pahi Amulet, which she runs out of Jaipur, India.

Why India? Midorikawa’s resolve for self-healing had led her to yoga. “I got hooked on yoga and the culture surrounding it. I wanted to delve deeper, so in 2010 I went to southern India to learn yoga right from the source.”

Midorikawa says that both India and yoga dramatically changed her life. “The more I got into it, the better I felt.” Midorikawa says that in India, she was restored to her former, energetic self, eager to “make things.” In her second trip there, she went to Jaipur, which she was told by a local friend was a treasure trove of clothing, textiles and stones for accessories. Jaipur indeed turned out to be everything Midorikawa had hoped for. But then 3/11 happened. Midorikawa watched the news footage coming out of the Tohoku region and thought that from now on, she must do something to cater to the soul – her own and those of others. “To that end I decided to launch my own accessory brand.” Her brand, Pahi, is named after the ancient Sanskrit word for “divine blessings.”

Midorikawa now works with local artisans and retailers to conduct the day-to-day business of her brand, all in English. “This came as a surprise. Back in 2010 when I first came to India, my English ability was at ‘This is a pen.’ And the English in southern India is so heavily accented that I had a lot of trouble understanding anything. But with time, I got used to it.”

Now, English is part of her daily fabric. “Indian English has as many accents as there are regions. The English I listen to on American TV series and the English I hear when I step out onto the street is completely different. I’ve learned to differentiate my accents and the words I speak between the people who have gone abroad for studying and business and the people who have never been out of their locale.”

For Midorikawa, the message in her designs is as important as the language she uses to convey it. “Every stone is unique and comes from the earth. I want my customers to wear my accessories and be energized and happy to face the day.” That’s why the back of every Pahi box has an inscription: “You are so beautiful.”

When Midorikawa was still in school, she says, “I liked English but I wasn’t an ace student. I thought it would be great if I could speak the language, but I was too deep into fashion and the arts. English first had a real impact on me when I was attending a fashion college in Tokyo. My instructor was French but she taught us in English.”

At this point, Midorikawa would love to study and learn Hindi. “Some of the artisans I work with can’t speak English. So I try to communicate in Hindi. I can manage some rudimentary phrases. And when I speak their language, I’ve noticed the atmosphere of the workplace becomes a lot better. “

Now, 13 years after arriving in Jaipur, Midorikawa says that her appreciation and fascination with India just keeps growing. “There’s so much that I don’t know or have yet to fathom. There are people who live exactly as their ancestors did a century ago. There are others who live in luxurious, towering skyscrapers. There are many dialects and so many different letters. It’s all a beautiful chaos.”

In the midst of that chaos, Midorikawa is about to open her own flagship store. “Through the years I’ve learned that time flows differently in India. I’ve learned to look at things from multiple angles and to not get stuck in my own vision. This is India, after all. Things happen that would be unthinkable back in Japan, but I’ve learned to take everything in stride.”

Words to live by