ATMA CANDY

Hello lovelies!

We've just received more new Atma Arm Candy bracelets and I thought I'd share them with you.

As some of you know we've been hosting events and trying to raise awareness about the lack of and importance of education in India.
So Kanch has created a limited collection in which 50% of the price goes to the charity, Atma.

For more information please contact me at Petra@Kanchancouture.com or visit HERE to purchase a bracelet!

$150 for 1 bracelet of your choice or 3 for $400.

For information on the charity visit:
atma.org.in
atmahk.org

Thank you for your love and support,

Petra & Kanch

Enquiries: +852 2117 1782 | info@kanchancouture.com

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PRECIOUS STONES

Hello lovelies!

I wanted to dedicate this post to our fabulous jewellery that we've been creating for 2 years now! It sounds like ages and when you look at all our collections it definitely shows!

We've currently got about 29 collections using tons of different materials, stones and embellishments that are sourced from all over the world such as India, China, the US, and recently Germany.

Its been so wonderful seeing our collections grow and learning more and more about techniques and trends that i've complied a list of my favourite collections and Kanch's.

Most of our components are made from brass which is created by using a sheet of metal, in our case a brass base metal and then a pattern is cut, embossed or engraved using a machine or by hand, depending on how intricate the design is. The piece is then mass produced, cleaned and sorted as the defect ones are thrown away or melted to recreate a new piece. Some pieces are wet sanded to remove marks or create smoother edges.

Another way of creating a brass piece is to create a mold of a design, that like a stencil is the negative so that the mold can be filled with metal and left to cool to keep its shape.

After either of these processes it is then micron plated, using gold or silver to prolong its life. Micron plating indicates the thickness of the plating. The great thing about brass jewelry is that the price is great and if you take care of your piece and clean it every so often and keep it in a dry place, it will last you years.
As a bonus, if you like vintage jewellery your item will wear over time and have an antique look, which personally is my favourite type of jewelry.

Kanch just recently went to Tsing Tao, China to do some sourcing and check out some factories, which also make jewelry for H&M, Forever21 and Zara to name a few.

A little insight on our favourite collections.....

My favourite collections are the Indian Onyx Collection which is an Indian inspired collection with this beautiful vintage gold looking plate over the brass that gives it an antique feel.
I think this is my favourite collection because it reminds me of the jewellery the Ancient Egyptians wore.
Kanch used green, blue and purple onyx stones to give each piece a little more colour and depth which i thought was a fabulous choice as green and purple are my favourite colours.
I would call myself a plain jane, and this collection is perfect if you're looking for something simple but works with both casual and a glamourous night out.

Kanch's favourite collection (so far of course) is the Gold Collection which is our largest collection yet with over 50 pieces.
With this many pieces there is a wide range of large and small, with stones or without that suit all types of personalities, events and occasions.
The main attraction to this collection is the delicate filigree pieces with different shapes and patterns that are spruced up with jade beads, natural stones, pearls and glass.
Kanch loves a big signature piece so her favourites are the chunkier pieces but the great thing about this collection that I really like is that the larger pieces usually have smaller sister pieces for more mellow and plain or classic personalities. Check out some of the pieces below!

Love, Petra

Enquiries: +852 2117 1782 | info@kanchancouture.com

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ATMA ARM CANDY

Hello everyone!

Apologises its been a while but we've been swamped with our charity events and orders but on a lighter note, we've created some fun fresh pieces that have come in just in time for Christmas and for a great cause.

Kanch designed these Atma Arm Candy bracelets and are handmade and braided together with neon strings. Kanch embellished the bracelet with Swarovski mud balls with a brass, silver plated centre piece.

As some of you know Kanch is the founder of Hong Kong chapter, charity Atma and every month we've created an event to raise awareness for the foundation.

Kanch was inspired by the Arm Candy trend which has always been popular to stack and coordinate them, such as gold and bronze base metals together with accent colours or boho thread bracelets.
Usually, you don't mix base metal colours together like gold and silver, but stick to one and build from there.

Bangles have also been a large contender for the Arm Candy trend and mixing and matching has always been a fun task for us. Carefully deciding which bracelets go together and which ones should be put in the "maybe for next time" pile.

This trend will never go out of style as bracelets will come and go but the art of stacking them and creating a chunkier or simpler stack.

The bracelets are the set, 3 for $400 HKD and 1 piece for $150 HKD and 50% goes to Atma. 

Please email me if you'd like to purchase them as a gift or for yourself- Buy@kanchancouture.com 

ATMA-
20% of India’s poor have no access to education. 86% have no access to technical and vocational training; 45% drop out before eighth grade.  By 2015, 65% of Indian population will be youth. By 2050, 50% of  the world’s illiterate will be in India. Supporting quality education for all children. To build the capacity of NGOs and the development sector as a while through effective and profound partnerships with the organisations that work in the areas of education, children and community development.

When I first read this I was totally shocked, as India has the second largest population in the world and 50% of worlds illiterate wil be in India is a very sad and chilling statistic.
Everyone deserves a fair shot at an education and knowledge is so important to survive in a modern world so Kanchan Couture is 100% dedicated to getting the word out there and hopefully change this.

Stay tuned for more events!

Visit: www.atmahk.org

Love, Petra

Enquiries: +852 2117 1782 | info@kanchancouture.com

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DOS & DON'TS

Kanch and I were talking this week about the dos and don'ts of fashion and even though trends come and go and rules change, there are a few things that will always apply. 

Here are some of our major fashion dos and don'ts

1. Length: Do experiment with lengths of your clothes like skirts, dresses, and tops fo example. Midi skirts and dresses are becoming increasingly popular and take on the 40s and 50s look. But, DON'T wear micro skirts and shorts because it’s so last season. 

2. Basics: Do stock up on your basics such as the LBD, denim shorts, white tees and black trousers as these pieces will never go out of style. Although basics are our comfort zones, don't always rely on your basics. DON'T always go plain jane, dress up your basic look with funky and chunky jewelry or wear a brightly coloured jacket or heels. 

3. Statement: Do make a statement with your outfit, wear at least one thing that stands out, whether it's jewelry or maybe some red trousers. DON'T hide in a fashion shadow, stand out.... 

4. Body: Be aware of your body shape, wear clothes that flatter your figure and enhance your curves or invest in a pair of good quality spanx. DON'T wear ill-fitting garments. Be body conscious, don't wear super tight jeans and a short top if you're spilling out the top of your jeans. 

5.Donate: Do donate your unworn or out of season clothes to charity, DON'T throw them away; there are people that need it more than you.

Our picks for certain body types: 

Wear items that are figure hugging but not too tight. Wearing pieces that accentuate your waist are great such as items with a waist band or are high waisted. 

Items that are slightly baggy are flattering for slim figures but make sure something is accentuated such as your waist to balance your look 

Love, Petra

Enquiries: +852 2117 1782 | info@kanchancouture.com

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BESPOKE SHOES

In August we created our first Atma workshop to raise money for those that can't afford an education in India.

Kanch had a vision about starting a Hong Kong chapter of a charity and felt that Atma (India) was a perfect fit for her so I am proud to say that Kanch is the founder of the Hong Kong division! 

To kick off our fund raising we teamed up with Shoe Artisrty- Made In Hong Kong, along with Kanchan Couture, Atma, and wine sponsor Pietro Becoucini to educated people about Bespoke Shoes and the dying art that we are trying to revive. Owners Jeff and Kit of Shoe Artistry talked a little bit about how to make the shoes as well as getting the shoe master to demonstrate the stages and tricks he uses. We also all got a hands on approach and got to cut our own pieces of leather and draw on our lasts. 

Everyone really enjoyed it and learnt something new which we're all really happy about and because it was so popular we've decided to go for round 2! 

So join us on October 26th for only $200 HKD which 50% of it will be donated to Atma.

RSVP soon so you don't miss out!
Love, Petra

Enquiries: +852 2117 1782 | info@kanchancouture.com

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Fashionably Late Update

Hello fashionistas!

I'm sorry it's been a few weeks but we've been ever so busy with the Hong Kong Jewelry Fair and our Charity events recently that we haven't had time to update you all.

But, we're back now and I just wanted to share some of our latest endeavors.
So 2 weeks ago we participated in the Hong Kong Jewelry Fair which Kanch and I get excited about every year for a couple of reasons, 1. We get to show our jewelry and new collections, 2. Meeting fabulous new people and new clients, 3. Dressing up in our heels and dresses and finally 4. The vintage section- of course.

This time around we had more jewelry to show to buyers and clients, about 14 more collections than last year and Kanch and I were running around our little chic booth prepping, calculating, tagging, and talking.
It certainly paid off and we had a lot of people interested in our designs which we're ecstatic about and even had a visit from a former Miss Asia for purchase a couple of items and made a request about one of our earrings which i customized for her!

Check out the pictures below!

Love, Petra

Enquiries: +852 2117 1782 | info@kanchancouture.com

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2011/12 FASHION

A year in fashion is finally over with the September issues wrapping up everything glam of the past year but there have been some very memorable moments.

I decided to take a look back at the most memorable fashion shows of 11'/12' from the drama to the glamour, here is our round up and our favourites.

Continuing from the past year, who can forget the John Galliano debacle thats been dragging on for quite some time but this month Galliano will stand trial for the incident and face a £21,000 fine.

On another note, Dior seemed to be really struggling with his absence and with its first couture show without him was really quite tragic. However, Dior certainly redeemed itself with a beautiful simple and elegant Spring Summer 12' couture collection that rekindled or love and lust for CD.

These past seasons also featured some unlikely runway models such as the younger Kardashian/Jenner sisters Kylie and Kendall modeling for brands such as Abbey Dawn, Avril Lavigne's line and recently Sherri Hill. Other guests include Kristie Alley, among other celebrities.

Some controversial topics that occurred last year was Vogue Italia that was 'lost in translation' with a certain product in their "Shop the Trends" section where they sold Slave Earrings, which they changed to 'Ethnic Earrings' a couple of hours later following a large amount of backlash.

Another topic that caught my eye was political leaders becoming fashion icons once again. The last we saw of a fashionable politcal leader or a princess perhaps that has driven sales and become an icon in just a few months. Michelle Obama and Kate Middleton are the top contenders with their classic, simple and elegant charm, a refreshing sight from the youth of today and their constant need to top each other by wearing less and less.
Luckily we have these ladies to inspire a look that we most certainly need back.

Paris fashion week was in for a real surprise when Zhaia Dehar a former teen prostitute who was involved a famous French footballer showed her lingerie collection at Paris Couture Week which was well received considering her past endeavors. She is also said to be Karl Lagerfeld's new muse.

Love, Petra

Enquiries: +852 2117 1782 | info@kanchancouture.com

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