This Indian Nose Pin Brand Is A Little Postcard For South Indian Culture And Nostalgia

The Nose Pin: A Tiny Ornament with a Rich History and Cultural Significance

For generations, the nose pin has been a subtle yet significant element of a woman's attire. From a simple sparkling dot to intricate floral or star designs, this tiny ornament has been a part of daily life, evolving in form and function across regions and generations. In Maharashtra, the elaborate nath is a traditional choice, while in South India, subtle studs or twin-ring styles are favored. Brides in Rajasthan and Punjab often opt for dramatic pieces with ornate chains and filigree work.

Today, the nose pin transcends its historical roots, emerging as a contemporary fashion accessory. Mookuthi, a brand that celebrates this transition, infuses the nose pin with new meaning, appealing to a generation that confidently pairs it with both jeans and saris. Founder Sarath Selvanathan's journey into Indian culture, particularly South India, aims to give a voice to "invisible art" and lesser-known motifs.

ELLE: What inspired you to build a brand around something as specific and symbolic as the nose ornament?

Sarath Selvanathan (SS): It began with curiosity and a chance encounter. Designing jewelry was fulfilling, but the first nose ornament I created sparked a different emotion. It was a simple South Indian seven-stone floral pattern for a friend. The change in her face when she switched to it from a small diamond stud struck me. It wasn't the size or complexity, but its presence. It felt like stumbling upon a different kind of emotion, quiet yet powerful. That feeling became the seed. The smallest ornament I'd ever made was the only one that truly changed the way someone looked — and maybe, over time, how they felt about themselves. That stayed with me.

It didn’t start with a plan or strategy. It started with a sensation I couldn’t ignore — that something this small could hold such weight. I think repeating that emotion — recreating that moment — slowly became an obsession. And that’s how Mookuthi began.

ELLE: How do the Mookuthi nose ornaments symbolize culture and narrate different tales from around the country?

SS: Mookuthi began as a college project. I pitched Mookuthi, a brand that only makes nose ornaments. I realized how underrepresented the South was, and I subconsciously took to the South. It was just natural.

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The debut collections drew inspiration from the architectural details of South India, Athangudi tiles, and iconic South Indian nose ornament patterns. This became the foundation for Mookuthi.

ELLE: Balancing modern design with deeply-rooted Indian cultural sensibilities, what are the techniques used in the making?

SS: The process is more instinctive than technical. It's a personal lens looking for the old and the new. I've been rooted to the South, shaped by its sensibility. Education, travel, friendships, technology, and modern influences have brought new perspectives. There's a thread connecting what I knew to what I'm getting to know. The balance between the old and the new, the rooted and the evolving, is something we hold close at Mookuthi. It’s the lens through which we decide whether something is a Mookuthi or not. And maybe that’s what makes it a Mookuthi.

ELLE: The nose pin is something that carries nostalgia, identity, and feeling — it can be considered an heirloom in that sense. Would you agree?

SS: Absolutely. The nose ornament carries something far beyond adornment. Especially when inherited, it becomes a vessel of memory. It’s like borrowing that person’s identity, carrying them with you. Wearing their strength, their softness, their story — quite literally, on your face.

It becomes part of the wearer’s own self. I’ve even met sons who inherited their mother’s nose ornament and now wear it as a single earring — as remembrance, as love, as continuation. So yes, it carries nostalgia, identity, emotion. But sometimes, one person’s ornament becomes another person’s anchor.

ELLE: Can you share a story behind one piece that particularly moved you or your team?

SS: For me, it goes back to 2017, exploring what Mookuthi, the college project, could be. I had this idea of creating a series inspired by Athangudi tiles. That led me to Meenakari and going to Jaipur.

I met Harminder — a master Meenakari artisan from a family that’s been in the craft for generations. When I showed them the tile-inspired sketches and explained that I wanted these made as nose ornaments, they were intrigued. Especially by the fact that the Meenakari would be on the front of the piece — not hidden at the back, as is traditionally done in jewellery. “It’s going to be seen?” Harminder asked. And something about that — about an invisible art finally being visible— struck a chord.

When the first pieces were ready, he called me back to Jaipur. We put that piece up for sale when we launched in February 2018. It sat on the shelf on the 16th and 17th. And I secretly hoped no one would buy it. It holds everything for me — the chaos and the clarity, with which I built Mookuthi. It’s not just an object. It’s memory, effort, and meaning — all folded into that one square centimetre.

ELLE: You collaborate with artisans from across India — how do you find them, and what have their interesting inputs been for each nose ring?

SS: Finding an artisan is an exploration in itself. You read up, gather enough, go in person and try building a relationship with the artisan.

As for their inputs, given their rich experience and relationships, they’d suggest directions you had not even considered. The more they trust you, the more they open up and the more you learn. It’s a slow process but if you enjoy learning, they enjoy sharing. Their inputs to each nose ornament is often felt than seen.

ELLE: In particular, the nose pins draw a lot from South India — from tiles to designs and other motifs. Please tell us more.

SS: It’s really just what I’m most familiar with. I didn’t consciously set out to focus on South India, or to build a body of work around it...They’re all reflections of my childhood. That’s what’s been shaping the work all along.

Everything you see displayed at the store in Chennai — every piece on the table — is in some way drawn from a memory. A rhythm. A pattern I’ve lived with. And so, yes, the pieces today mostly represent South India. But they do so not as a strategy, or a conscious cultural statement — they do so simply because that’s where I’m from.

ELLE: Is there a move to make the nose ornaments find appeal with Gen Z?

SS: To be honest, I haven’t thought about designing for Gen Z specifically. They are deeply self- aware and do not shy away from being themselves or expressing themselves. My body of work, when I look back, is quite bold in the category of nose ornaments and I guess it would invariably resonate with anyone who has learnt to be unapologetically themselves.

On the other hand, I’m constantly observing noses around me. At a bar, at the salon, on a flight, or while picking cake — I notice noses, their shapes and begin visualising forms that would be interesting on her, on her nose. I guess I’m always caught between these two ends: the nose and everyday inspiration.

ELLE: What’s next for Mookuthi? Are you planning to expand into other categories or continue deepening your exploration of the nose ring?

SS: For now, the nose has me hooked – I’m not looking to expand to other categories. There’s still so much more to explore within the nose ornament. Seeing all that obsession come together at the tip of a nose…it hits differently. It’s seven years now and I still feel we are just getting started.