Let’s Give A Gift To Cherish Forever!

Photography By Ankush Sharma & Kunal Sharma

Meet the invitation and gift wizards, who will turn your gifting experience into fantasy, exquisiteness and pure luxury.

We humans are a majestic creature of the heavenly father. Aspiring for luxury and aesthetic is in our DNA. Following these very humanly characteristics, we want to do certain things in our lives in a magnum opus manner, especially those things which happen for the first time in our lives or happen only once in a lifetime. Don’t we?

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Be it our wedding, baby shower, house warming or any other special occasion, we humans give great importance to every detail. Right from the invitations, to giving away gifts on those special occasions, we just want to make it unique and unforgettable experience for our loved ones as well as for ourselves. But it is not an easy thing to do. A lot of creativity and efforts go into it. In fact, sometimes the process of deciding on a gift, that suits to the recipient’s expectations, becomes very stressful.

Here’s the good news. You are not alone in the process of finding a perfect gift for your dear ones. When it comes to invitation and gifting solutions, Izhaar By Core Designs is a name that you can totally rely upon. Reason? There are many. To begin with, the invitation and gifting wizard, Izhaar, transforms the process of giving gifts and invitations into a beautiful fairy tale. Don’t you believe us? Look at their gorgeous collections, and we bet, you will find them nothing short of a fantasy.

“Every single gift or invitation has a story behind it,” says Creative Director and Founder of Izhaar, Ruchita Bansal, in a candid conversation with L’Officiel India, adding, “Izhaar means expression of joy. When you give a present to someone, it gives both, the giver and the receiver, an immense amount of joy. That’s what I personally feel about the gifts. I design every item, asking myself, what value am I going to create in someone’s life who will give or receive the gifts and invitations, designed by me? This very feeling works as the source of inspiration for me, every time I design something.”

Ruchita launched Izhaar in the year 2014. “I initially began it as a hobby. But fortunately, very soon my project blossomed into a success story that met the demand of a worldwide clientele, looking for unique, distinctive and exclusive invitations and gifting solutions for different occasions,” Ruchita said.

When you enter the Izhaar design studio, located at Gurugram in the state of Haryana, India, you will witness in awe the talisman- esque artifacts, carefully decorated in glass cabinets. Each article in the studio, is enchanting and bewitching to a level that you have no choice but to gush over the drop-dead gorgeous collections. Here are a few of the collections, which allured us completely by their incredible beauty.

Gingham Bee Collection

Of all the mesmerising collections, the first one that drew our attention was, ‘Gingham Bee Collection’. Here, the classic black and white checked texture, called Gingham, was tweaked with luxurious gold-plated ensembles. “The inspiration behind the Gingham Bee collections design is floors of palaces. I do a lot of experiments with Indian art, fusing it with modern designs,” said Ruchita. “In old times, the floors of the palaces and in fact our enormous homes used to be in gingham design. It gave a feeling of luxury and opulence. I have recreated the same lavishness in this collection,” she stated.

The Gingham Bee collection is simple, graceful, and a work of pure craftsmanship and perfection. The minute detailing, unmatched finish and those small gold 'Bees' embossed on each item, take the design of the collection to a higher pedestal. The classic print yet chic design makes it stand out from rest of the mundane gift items available elsewhere in the market. “You will not find such collection in general gift stores because a complete mechanism and thought process work behind curating such collections,” said Anupam Bansal, Co-founder of Izhaar. The collection consists of a big Gingham Tray, Gingham Bee photo frame, Gingham jars, Black and gold Handi (bowl) and metal frame holder. This very collection is special, not only due to its distinguished design but for one more reason. The same collection was given away as an invitation and gift hampers to the guests in the wedding of Bollywood actress Kajal Agarwal, that took place in Mumbai (India) in October 2020.

“We customise the collection as per our client needs and requirements. We take care of minute details while customising the collection such as, the colour of bride’s and groom’s attires, any specific choice of sweets or any theme which might be there in the mind of our client. For example, we had procured Kajal’s favourite laddoos from a sweet shop in Punjab to fill the Handi (part of the collection). That’s why I said, we go into micro level details while curating the gifts,” Anupam stated adding “the cookie jars were stuffed with Belgian Chocolates and caramel dusted pecan nuts.”

Juggling between her busy work schedule and interesting conversation with L’Officiel India, Ruchita kept joining the tête-à-tête periodically. She said, “We don’t sell products but experiences and stories. There are many gift items which you receive on occasions like marriage, baby shower and so on. How many of them you wish to keep forever? On the other hand, our gifts become part of people’s lifestyle.

“For example, instead of designing invitation cards, we designed photo frames for Kajal’s wedding, on which the detailed wedding programme was mentioned. After the wedding festivities are over, you can use the photo frame to display your own picture; and jars and bowls for keeping your favourite nuts, dry fruits and cookies,” Ruchita said. “We call it ‘Sustainable Luxury’. We are driven by passion to create these luxurious but sustainable items,” added Anupam.

The duo has not only catered Bollywood celebrities, but business moguls too, such as Adani Group, Shikhar Group, DilBagh, Marble Center (Bangalore), SRM, Sriram Group, Nova Steel, Supertech Builders, Gaursons Builders etc.

Forest Stud Collection

Coming back to the collection, the next marvel which arrested us with its unabated charm, was ‘Forest Stud.’ Inspired by green forests of Kerala, a southern state of India, the collection comprised of a round shape malachite tray, big and small candlestands, Forest stud tray, jars, Green stud box, Green jewellery box and Kerala print Green trunk. All the trunks were looking like whimsical treasure boxes, popping out straight from the folklores of the Arabian Nights.

Talking about the price range of the collection, Anupam said, “Each item has a different price range. You can order online for single item but we generally customise the gifts in bulk. For example, in the Forest Stud Collection, the round malachite tray is around 2,950 rupees, big and small candlestands are around 1,550 and 1,250 rupees respectively, the Forest stud tray is for rupees 3250, the jars are 200 rupees each, the Green stud box is for rupees 2,450, the green jewellery box is around 4,950 and the Kerala print green trunk is for rupees 7,500. The whole collection will cost you a total of around 24,300 rupees. You can order the collection in bulk, such as 40 packs, it will cost you around 9,72,000 rupees.

Zilver Collection

If you are one of those, who value luxury, innovation and indulgence then ‘Zilver’ collection is the one, perfect for you. The name ‘Zilver’ is the brainchild of Ruchita, as she redefined the popular precious metal, Silver, in her collection by insetting Rose Quartz, a semi-precious stone, in it. All the items are made of Rose Quartz. This stone is known for its healing qualities.

Zilver consists of a range of thick high-micron plated luxury silverware. It is seamlessly ethereal in form and is full of grace. "The collection represents moon, timelessness and heritage. With an ideology of not keeping, it on the shelves but including it in your day-to-day usage, our ‘Zilver’ collection will add glamour to your lavish soirées. We have been striving to bring to our clients, unimaginable and intricate masterpieces to last for generations. I believe Zilver is a state of mind and approach to high living." said Ruchita.

Izhaar's Zilver collection is high on design, durable, tarnish resistant, easy to maintain and hypoallergenic. The intricate details and design of every single item is certain to make you feel spellbound. The collection is comprised of Gulabo nut bowls, Gulaboo candlestand with lotus buds, Gulaboo tri- butterfly jars, Gulabo small candles and candlestands, a cute rose quartz Tic-Tac-Toe game board with golden Os and Xs, bar accessories and a tea light frame.

Peshkari Peach Collection

Taking inspirations from Peshkari, a tradition art from Udaipur of Rajasthan (India), Ruchita designed this collection called, ‘Peshkari Peach Collection.’ “Peshkari is very famous handicraft from Udaipur, in which the artists use small mirrors, inserting them into many things, such as in earthenware, accessories and so on, for designing purpose. The same effect has been created on the items by using silver” Anupam explained.

The soft peach hues combined with regal Peshkari work, give a soothing effect to the senses of onlookers. This collection looks royal and sensuous. Crafted to perfection, it features silver embossed floral Peshkari work with beautiful peacocks which give it a magnificent look. The collection consists a total of twelve items. They are Silver jars, Silver bowl, Peshkari big tray, Peshkari sweet box, Peshkari big and small trunks, Peshkari platter, Single and double cavity guinea boxes, eleven cavity box, Gaddi box and Peshkari jar.

Talking about the collection, Ruchita said, “Our Peshkari Peach collection fits for all occasions such as wedding, baby shower, long-awaited graduations or memorable anniversaries to name a few. We have taken the time to seek out only the finest materials for crafting and designing this gorgeous collection. Even after the celebration is over you will cherish it for years to come as a decorative item, adding charm to your home decor,"

Mustang Collection

The name itself is enough to understand the paramount beauty, that this collection exudes. Izhaar’s Mustang collection satiates the desire of opulence and luxury in just one stroke. The imperial Mustang, imprinted on each article in the collection, looks as if it has descended from the Greek heavens and touched by Zeus himself. Bright hues, such as Navy blue, vibrant saffron and Cocoa Brown have been incorporated in the Mustang Collection. It is comprised of Mustang platter, Mustang sweet box, Blue, Brown and Orange jars, Mustang gaddi box, Metal tray frame holder, playing cards, Mustang Potli (pouches) and Metal round frame.

Serpenty collection

Have you ever imagined that a reptile- snake, which generally infuses fear in us, can become the USP when imprinted on an artifact? Well, this is the case with Izhaar’s Serpenty Collection. Inspired by ace fashion brand Gucci’s popular snake motif, this collection is sure to catch your eyeballs and you will but praise the stunning snake theme of it. Snakes hold reputation of highest order in many mythologies. In our own Indian culture, lord Shiva wraps snake around his neck. In Chinese mythology too, snake motifs are very important. The Chinese mythology is full of legends, myths, and folklores about snakes, having magical powers. The list is long, but these facts will certainly intrigue you to be enthralled about the Serpenty Collection, having this quirky creature on it. The collection has big tomb, Serpenty big, medium and small trays, Serpenty jar, Cup set, three tier silver plated tray and Serpenty sweet box.

Izhaar has carved a niche for itself by receiving many significant awards in the field of designing. Ruchita has, in her kitty, awards from prestigious organisations such as FICCI, EEMA and Wedding Sutra. She received ‘FICCI FLO 2020 Business Award’ as woman achiever for outstanding achievement in running successful gifting and invitation company and providing an employment opportunity to other women, EEMA Zonal Spotlight Awards 2020 under the category of ‘Gold Award’ for ‘Most Creative Wedding Invitation Design’ and WeddingSutra Influencer Award 2020 under the 'Platinum Award' category.

The brand uses materials such as wood, metals, high quality leather, silver, semi-precious stones and gold- plated elements for crafting their products. Izhaar also deals in Trousseau packaging, gourmets and Corporate gifting across India and internationally. The brand has its flagship stores in Haryana, Delhi and Mumbai and franchisee store in many Indian states.