MANA MATSUZAKI Mana Matsuzaki is an award-winning Japanese jewellery designer whose collection is a nod to the best in classic civilisation: to launch her brand she used the word LATREIA, a Greek theological term meaning adoration. The majority of her collections are also named after Greek words. “I have long been in awe of Greek ancient history; the philosophy, politics and culture of that era have had such a powerful influence especially on the Western world to this day. When I came across the word “LATREIA”, originating from the Orthodox bible, I felt it captured perfectly the elegance I wanted to convey in my jewellery collection.” Matsuzaki doesn’t incorporate any specifically Japanese cultural elements in her work – that would be an easy cliché, she feels. Rather, she draws inspiration from the shapes of fossils and skeletons she observed at the American Museum of Natural History. “My designs can be appreciated and understood without complex explanations - I wanted to create jewellery that transcends ethnicities, cultures and times. I wanted to create jewellery that even space aliens could understand.” That said, Matsuzaki has enormous regard for traditional Japanese handcrafts and techniques and while none of her work is explicitly Japanese, she feels she is subconsciously influenced by the Japanese shibui aesthetic, defined by laid back, subtle elegance rather than ostentation. Her fascination with pre-historic adornments made of bone, horns, and other raw elements used before gems were mined is reflected in the design of the pieces, many of which appear to be claws, arrows or are scarab-like in shape. “When drawing a human skeleton at art school, I noticed that the shapes of bones are really interesting. Staring at the big pointy claws and huge curved spines of the T-Rex for the first time, I found ‘factional beauty’ designed by nature itself. Ever since I have been obsessed with those natural shapes and have come to focus on the concept of “animism” and the original meaning of jewellery. I admire how our ancestors used to communicate with nature and the supernatural power through their jewellery.
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