FS Portraits: Shubham's love for wearable art.
How did your journey start?
My family business deals in the manufacturing and selling of synthetic diamonds in India and overseas. When the pandemic hit, I was fascinated by the idea of creating some jewelry for people of our age. In recent times, you don’t see a lot of millennials rocking jewelry. Thus, keeping in mind my target audience, I decided to act on my ideas and came up with icy Jordan 1 pieces. As soon as I posted it on social media, it blew up. Rest is history.
Apart from jewelry, do you project your art on any other products/items?
Yessir. Apart from jewelry pieces, I’ve made a couple of custom Air Force 1s with a crystal-studded swoosh. In fact, in one of my recent projects, I sculpted a silver swoosh and replaced it with the one on the shoe. I finished it off by covering the swoosh with gradient green crystals. Aside from sneakers, I am developing few concepts in my mind and trying new products to work on (Might release crystal-studded hats or framed jewelry). Check out my Instagram to stay updated.
Would you give a shot to custom Icy watches in the future?
Yes, for sure. However, I find it pretty vague to put the synthetic crystal on expensive watches. If a customer is ready to drop a big bag and work with real diamonds, IM ALL IN.
What are your top 3 favorite pieces?
That’s a tough one but here it is- Murakami Flower Spinner, Iced out Jordan 1, and Guy Fawkes.
Which jewelry piece is the closest to you? Do you have a story to share?
The piece which is close to my heart is the logo of The Noble Sculpture. It has no crystals on it but what makes it special is its size and the detailing. The piece is just 2.5 cm. It’s simply one of its kind and it’s never going for sale.
How much time do you spend on making one piece?
That depends on what I’m working on. If it’s a custom piece, I take a week or so to develop a concept then I present it to the customer. In all, It takes at least 20-25 days to finish custom pieces. On the other hand, the Jordan pieces only take me few days to finish. I have a whole team now so I work more efficiently.
Do you have any mentors in the industry?
YES. Some of my favorite artists are @Alecmonopoly, @jacobarabo, and @benballer. They’re all my idols.
Who would you most like to see wearing your jewelry?
It would be amazing if I saw Ranveer Singh wearing my Ice blue Cuban chain. I love his style. Apart from him, I would love to see Harshvardhan Kapoor rocking my hand-made piece. Lastly, having Drake or Kanye West wearing my art. I know it sounds unreal but manifesting it actively!
How can people buy your products?
You can directly buy through me via Instagram. If it’s a custom piece, we can discuss it all in DMs. My products are listed on CrepDogCrew as well so you can check them out. My official website is launching soon. STAY TUNED!
Do you think this industry is going to grow a lot more in India?
Without a doubt. This industry is in the early stages right now and it’s going to expand more for sure. I’ve already seen a lot of people taking this up as a full-time career. Needless to say, it is a huge space and I see a very bright future ahead, especially how well it functions with the streetwear culture.
Do you think streetwear and sneaker culture had a strong influencer on promoting your work?
Definitely! As I saw these two cultures growing in India, It made me question how I can contribute to it. That’s why I started executing my ideas and flooded the scene with my inputs. The best part is how well the field of my work goes hand in hand with the culture. Each of them compliments the other.
What are your thoughts on the streetwear and sneaker culture in India? Do you have any favorite pairs?
Honestly, I’m enjoying the rise of both the culture and it’s amazing to see how people are coming in with different concepts/ideas to drive the culture forward. It’s all fairly new in our country but it’s crazy to see people from different parts of India contributing their inputs and creating something unique. We have a long way to go but it’s worth it. Talking about my favorite pair, right now I’m in love with the AJ1 UNC.
Are we going to see any new pieces in the upcoming Mumbai pop-up at Freesociety?
YOU BET! I’m coming in with new Cuban chains and new colorways of my exciting jewelry pieces. Pull up at the event to get a closer look.
Check out Shubham's Instagram here.