Every piece of Super Fertile's striking jewelry references a conflict-torn country. Called "Tourism (Terrorism Affects Tourism)" the company's most recent line features oversized silver- and gold-plated necklaces -- murals, really -- that use the national identities of Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and others as themes. Each is more of an artwork than a personal ornament. "Iraq," for instance, features palm fronds and oil rigs; "Afghanistan" is built on a poppy field. Super Fertile eschews molds, so every piece is cut by hand -- the necklaces take around three weeks to make. "I wanted them to be huge, so you could see them across the room," says Super Fertile founder and creative director Kali Arulpragasam. "I wanted to overwhelm people with beauty and then to make them think about the real country behind it." That the 33-year-old designer is so politically conscious should come as no surprise: She's the big sister of punk-hop style icon M.I.A. World issues run in the family. "We represented nine countries in total," she says. "The most difficult part of it was researching elements to include that reflected positively on those countries. You always read about the wars. I wanted to create unexpected awareness of their beauty."
Arulpragasam worked at advertising firms in New York and L.A. before moving back to London, where she was raised, in 2006. Now based in the city's East End, she and her company have produced several lines, including "Endangered Species," a collection of rings that feature the heads of rhinos, stags and bulls. Although Super Fertile is only sold in Europe at the moment, North American orders are accepted over the Internet, and Arulpragasam plans to sell Super Fertile at New York retailers come spring.
Additionally, Arulpragasam plans to donate each respective necklace design to its corresponding country's national museum. "I'm one of those people who can't do much about what's going on in those places," she explains. "This is small compared to what's going on, but hopefully it will have an impact."
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