MARIA BLACK
www.maria-black.com
After studying in London and Copenhagen, Maria launched her first eponymous collection in 2010, driven by a passion for precious metals and conceptual jewellery design. The designer operates from her East London studio, hand-crafting each style using solid 18-karat gold. Black's Danish roots embrace one of the latest trends in jewellery, creating clean, minimal and versatile pieces, that can be worn for every occasion.
Sold on Net-a-Porter and LuisaViaRoma amongst the others, her collection is at once contemporary and timeless.
REPOSSI
www.repossi.com
Established three generations ago, Jewellery brand Repossi is a worldwide synonym of ornate, diamond-studded pieces that are carefully hand-crafted and artisanally created.
The brand is now headed by creative director Gaia Repossi, the twenty eight year old only daughter of Alberto Repossi. After graduating in Archaeology and Anthropology in Paris, Gaia took over her role at only 21 and immediately started producing her collections in the same workshops as her great-grandfather nearly 90 years ago. Her pieces are inspired by ethnic silhouettes and tribal adornment coupled with contemporary art. Repossi collaborated with fashion designers and friends such as Alexander Wang and Joseph Altuzarra amongst others, in her own words, you shouldn't be afraid to wear one of her creations, as 'marks and little imperfections that come with usage are meant to make your jewels even more precious and personal.'
DELFINA DELETTREZ
www.delfinadelettrez.it
Delfina Delettrez Fendi, daughter of Silvia Venturini Fendi, certainly inherited the Fendi's artistic vein, as she is the youngest designer included in the permanent collection of fine jewellery at the Louvre’s Musée des Arts Decoratifs.
Already a well-known and established name, Delfina creates adorable jewellery collections that are born our of her conceptual sense of the surreal, mixing futuristic shapes with ancient goldsmith techniques. Her designs are hyper-modern, but still hand-made in her Roman atelier; tradition always at the forefront.
AKONG LONDON
www.akonglondon.com
Born and raised in the West Indies, for Nicole Akong jewellery is a relatively new thing. As one of those rare talents who are just gracefully able to succeed in pretty much every artistic discipline (she wrote a book and worked as an established DJ, to name two of her professions), Nicole has probably just one mission in life: making beautiful things. Her jewellery pieces feature an eclectic use of metals, crystals, beads and textiles, combined with a meticulous approach to design and construction.
Akong's signature coloured jewels are now sold on fashion outlets like LuisaViaRoma, and are in growing demand by the world's top fashion editors, stylists and buyers.
NACH
www.nachbijoux.com
The brains behind Nach are sisters Nadia (the business) and Nancy (the artist), daughters of Christian Koch, whose namesake company became a world leader in porcelain animal miniatures almost 30 years ago.
Clearly influenced by their family history, Nadia and Nancy developed a jewellery line that features an original use of porcelain, alone or combined with others materials (brass gold coating, leather, rope and feather amongst others). Each piece is entirely handmade in their own workshops, by skilled artists with years of experience. Each piece reveals a world populated by animals, fruits and myriad colours that will lift any outfit.
CATERINA ZANGRANDO
www.caterinazangrando.com
Caterina Zangrando was born in Italy and is now fully Parisian, having started her career at the Valentino Press Office in Milan, before leaving that path and starting her own jewellery business.
Spotted by well-known Vogue Editor André Leon Talley in Paris whilst wearing a necklace of her own creation, made of river pearls and Disney puppets, he encouraged Zangrando to keep on keeping on by designing her own pieces. After collaborating with established brands such as Ferragamo and Swarowski, she launched her own line, creating intriguing pieces with a symbolic and geometric style. Mixing materials such as plexiglass, pearls and gold, Caterina creates designs that are inspired by geometric shapes that are both contemporary and classic, and certainly make an impact.
CA&LOU
caandlou.com
Long-time Milanese friends Carolina Neri and Bérengère Lux founded Ca&Lou in 2010 out of their ambition to create original and upscale jewels. The brand aims to create beautiful hand-crafted pieces at an accessible price, drawing inspiration from Art Dèco and 20’s and 30’s costume jewellery. Their pieces feature colourful, pure, geometric lines paired with special techniques to turn stone matt and apply antique finish to metals for a vintage look.
Ca&Lou is now stocked in internationally renowned department stores such as Colette, Saks and Matches, and has been featured on the pages of T Magazine, Vogue Paris and the International Herald-Tribune amongst others.
29 May 2015