ELLE Exclusive: How The Outhouse Sisters Reimagined Jewellery As Performance And Power

Of course, you'll find a gazillion brands that make jewellery. And of course, they’re all making tall claims. But for the Grewal sisters from Outhouse, nope, it’s not their style. Enter their disruptive ideologies — they’re questioning what jewellery is, why they’re making it and how they’ll sell it to you, beyond the tangibility aspect. It’s all about the narrative, baby. 

Built by sisters Kaabia and Sasha Grewal, Outhouse has never simply been about adornment. Think architecture, but for the skin. As the brand celebrates its 13th year, it doesn’t mark a milestone so much as it stages a shift. And as they gear up for their latest showcase, ‘The Alchemy of 13,’ it takes that tension between beginning and becoming and turns it into form. We’re looking at gold and silver fused in the same piece, organic materials next to precise geometry, design straddling both sculpture and intimacy. 

“When we started, our dialogue was fiery—two strong opinions constantly clashing,” Kaabia states. “Over time, we’ve learned to trust the rhythm of that friction. Now, it’s more of a dance. We know when to lead, when to listen, and when to merge.” Sasha describes it less as a compromise and more as a language. “It’s no longer about convincing the other person. It’s co-creation. There’s this shorthand now, built on instinct and memory. An unspoken sense of where the other is going, even before she gets there.”

It’s this rhythm that continues to drive their design process. Sasha often finds herself seeing a piece anew through Kaabia’s references, which can come from anywhere: ancient myth, brutalist buildings, even a single charged word. Kaabia, in turn, is constantly challenged by how Sasha resolves the impossible into form. That tension, that shared push towards something unknown, is what gives Outhouse its energy. 

“For us, jewellery isn’t just something you wear,” Kaabia says. “It’s something that transforms you. The line between function and fantasy is intentionally blurred.” Sasha drops an interesting word—emotional architecture. “We’re designing objects that act like structures, but their purpose isn’t just utility. It’s how they make you feel. That’s what takes them into the realm of sculpture.”

In ‘The Alchemy of 13,’ that emotional pull is channelled through duality. Shells with molten metals, finishes that shift between raw and refined, forms that feel at once found and futuristic. “Thirteen is often misunderstood,” Sasha says. “But it’s actually a matter of power. A place where endings and beginnings fold into each other. It’s chaos before the bloom.”

Thirteen years ago, none of this felt inevitable. The vision was there, but the scale wasn’t even in the conversation. “We didn’t imagine that sketches from a small studio would turn into a design language people would recognise around the world,” Sasha says. “We only had the dream.” Kaabia puts it more simply: “We didn’t know we’d still be here. And not just here, still evolving.”

The future comes wrapped in the form of KoKo, the label’s iconic muse and alter ego. Obviously, I had to quiz them. “If she were a dinner guest, how’d she conduct herself?” I asked. “She’d arrive in black: sharp, sculptural, unapologetic, with the Duo Metallic Choker catching every shard of light. In her glass? Mezcal. Smoky, citrusy, slightly elusive,” they added collectively. The penchant for tasteful drama is in their blood, one can tell.

In fact, KoKo is going to be the centrepiece of their upcoming runway installation. “We want awe,” Sasha says. “But also introspection. That moment where you sit in tension and then find resolution.” For Kaabia, it’s more about personal transformation. “We want people to walk away thinking about their own evolution. Their own wholeness.”

And as for what the next 13 years hold, the vision is as layered as their design. The quiet provocation they’ve been leading with seems like a formula that works quite well. Others, take notes.

Also Read:

Bejewelled Teeth, Family Portraits And The Rise Of Rebellious Jewellery

Whisper, Don’t Shout: The New Codes Of Fine Jewellery