Jewellery Design Resident

Company Description

Mookuthi celebrates South Indian heritage and craftsmanship through nose ornaments. Established in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in February 2018, Mookuthi pays homage to the timeless elegance of the nose ornament. Our brand infuses this humble canvas with the rich tapestry of South Indian culture, history, and artistry. Embraced by a loyal global community, Mookuthi has evolved into a lifestyle statement, reflecting our commitment to craftsmanship and creating immersive experiences that blend tradition with contemporary elegance.

Role Description

Design at Mookuthi doesnt begin at the sketch. It begins in observation, in conversation, in selling, in listening, and in simply being present where stories unfold.

Before designing a nose ornament, we believe its important to first learn how one is chosen. How someone tries it on. What they look for. What they hesitate over. At Mookuthi, selling is not separate from design its how one begins to understand what truly matters.

This is a full-time, immersive role. You will work closely with the founder across the full design journey from consumer interactions and material sourcing to production and product development. Some days will be spent on the floor speaking to clients, others at the bench with artisans. Youll participate in refining ideas, developing textures, evaluating proportions, and observing how a design lives once it leaves the studio.

This is not a role where youre handed one task to repeat. Its an invitation to grow by immersion. To learn through rhythm, detail, and presence. If youre someone who notices things, who learns by doing, and who wants to be part of a design process that is shaped as much by people as by materials, this might be your place.

You will work closely with the founder and assist across all areas involved in bringing a product to life. Your role at Mookuthi will include the following:

• Sell

  If you cant sell what you design, you arent really designing. You will learn to sell, and through that, learn how to take cues for design.

• Observe

  A core requirement of great design is the ability to observe keenly. You will learn to study patterns, craft, culture, stories, raw materials, colour, texture, artisan capabilities, their tools and techniques, consumer behaviour, vendor offerings, and more.

• Manage

  Management is an art in itself. You will work with artisans, suppliers, CAD designers, timelines, and people across the process. It takes a village to bring out a design even a single nose ornament.

• Design

  This is the core expectation, but one that begins after you&aposve immersed yourself in the layers that inform a product.

• Prototype

  You will work with artisans to bring new pieces to life and refine existing collections.

• Etc.

  Mookuthi is a startup - you might be pulled in to shoots, shows, events, etc. at any given point in time, impromptu. You never know.

Youll love working at Mookuthi if you:

• Love people and enjoy talking to them
• Are organised and enjoy working independently without being micromanaged
• Are a team player and know the joy of collaboration
• Have a strong eye for detail
• Love art, craft, culture, and the stories they carry
• Enjoy working closely with artisans
• Have a love for nose ornaments (of course)
• Carry a strong sense of aesthetics and an eye for fashion