Year 2018 Project :
Ring “Memento Mori” by Manuela Zacchei
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Summary
1. Moodboard
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2. Mission statement
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3. Product brief
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4. Sketch
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5. materials and productions
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6. Rendering
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7. Marketing e Packaging
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IThe material within the thesis is owned by the respective owners. Copying or use without permission is not permitted.
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Mood board
Mission Statement • Product description: The project is a unisex ring, of high jewelery. • • Main business goals: Launch a product on the market that will be kept in the company’s catalog. Launch of the product with a marketing plan chosen from September 2018, to receive a high response from stakeholders that embraces the autumn and winter holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve). • • Primary market: High-income customer. • • Secondary market: Outlet chain customers, of high / average income availability, with a restyling replacing the materials with semiprecious materials (see steel for alloys and zircons for gems). • • Hypothesis and Constraints: wearable, of different sizes. Non frequent maintenance of cleaning with special products. • • Interested (Stakeholders): • users • sellers • retailers • assistance services • Production • Legal sector.
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Product description My project is the realization of a Memento Mori themed ring. I chose this theme that is part of a long-lasting trend. Currently some of the major fashion brands offer themes related to memento mori, the first to do so was Vivienne Vestwood who used it as a symbol of the Punk of the ‘70s and’ 80s. Recently, jewelery designer Victorie de Castellane has also created a collection for Dior, on the theme of poisons and secrets at the court of Versailles.
Vi v
estwood eW n ien
The current concept of death in Western pop culture is tackled with detachment and sweetened with the popular visual aesthetics, which flows into kitsch and pop. The stakeholder who uses the skull as an identifying symbol, is individualistic and desaturates the macabre meaning to make it a mere cultural pop element. The theme often recurs as a subject for tattoos, for musical entertainment, and as a piece of furniture. There is also a taste for research and recovery from a collector for the grotesque and for the symbols that belonged to esotericism and to the Catholic liturgy by virtue of the strong symbolic charge with an Victorie de Castellane effective and retro decorativism. For this reason the product will be widely distributed and is part of a consolidated trend over time. The target to which I address are customers with high purchasing capacity, aged between 25-60 years of age.
Original meaning of the Memento Mori The phrase originates from a particular custom typical of ancient Rome: when a general returned to the city after a war triumph and parading in the streets gathered the honors that were given to him by the crowd, he ran the risk of being overwhelmed by pride and mania size. To prevent this from happening someone, behind him, pronounced the phrase: “Respice post you. Hominem te memento »(“ Look behind you, remember that you are a man “). [1] The memento mori then became popular in the Christian painting of the Counter-Reformation in the context of still life. The most typical example is that of a skull placed next to flowers or fruit. (source, wikipedia) 7
Riflessione culturale e sociale The last vision of Dante’s human hell is that of Count Ugolino, who bites the skull of his tormentor; the last great allegorical vision of Spenser is that of Serena stripped and prepared for a cannibal banquet ... The ogre and the cannibal giant of the popular tales that appears in the literature as Polyphemus, and a whole series of sinister events of blood and human flesh from the history of Tieste to the Shylock pact, they belong to ... a radical demonic form. Northrop Frye, “Anatomy of Criticism” Alexander McQueen, the “genius of the skulls”, took his life 3 years after his discoverer, the English publisher Isabella Blow, and a week after his mother’s death, left a singular (morbid?) Obsession with skulls, skulls, bones and death (The fashion of skulls in jewelry explodes; the fashion of skulls is unstoppable, Skull mania. Are the skulls back in fashion ?; Death makes you beautiful ...; death is fashionable; And ‘skull mania: the fashion of skulls goes crazy among the stars) that has then rooted for years in luxury sportswear / streetwear (eg Hydrogen) and in low cost fashion (eg Zara, H & M), as long as the designers, in particular the Italian and European ones (with some sporadic exceptions like John Richmond and Lucien Pellat-Finet), have left behind this corsair caprice and, almost by unconscious reaction, have multiplied the reproductions of vitalistic archetypes (flowers, animals, stars) , hearts, even the queen of tarots: indeed, the queens), at least starting from the spring-summer 2014 collections, after a preparatory phase in the autumn-winter 2013-2014. The fixation for the symbols of death is generally associated with the reptilian brain (R-complex), the oldest portion of our brain and also the one that makes us more problematic and less empathic. Whether we like it or not, we live in a world dominated by reptilian necrophil stimuli. For example the mania for zombies, vampires, apocalyptic catastrophisms at the cinema, in tattoos, cartoons, advertising, literature, contemporary art, video games, etc. not to mention Ebola (the new Plague), the rise of political movements strongly associated with death like ISIS, Golden Dawn and the Ukrainian ultranationalist crop right and the cannibalistic epidemic (Another cannibal in the US: the zombie wave due to a new drug?). In times of crisis, like the current one, mass psychosis can occur, psychic Damien Hirst & Alexander McQueen epidemics that bring out dark energies. Carl Jung remarked at the time of the rise of Nazism: 8
The ancient religions, with their sublime and ridiculous symbols, good-natured and cruel, did not fall from the heavens but were born in this human soul, the same that still lives in us today. All those things, their primordial forms, live in us and can at any time assail us with the destructive force, in the form of mass suggestion, against which the individual is helpless. Our terrible gods have only changed their names and all remain in -ism (Jung, 1946). As stated by the American sociologist William Thomas at the dawn of his discipline: If men define certain situations as real, they are real in their consequences (the self-fulfilling prophecy). This means that if we fill our heads and hearts with images of death and destruction, this could be the future that awaits us. A necrophilous and sociopathically oriented art prepares the lands to new Auschwitz, not to new Renaissance. It is therefore particularly exciting and encouraging to note how the very mistreated high fashion has decided to turn the page and embrace the life and the colors and expressions that celebrate it, perhaps looking for a way out of a hysterical and nihilist impasse. A Bergsonian vital impulse that enhances creativity, freedom, will, spontaneity, spirituality, feelings ... Returning to the world of haute couture, this “vitalist revolution� of stylists is all the more surprising if we take into account the fact that death makes us sell. On September 11, 2001 a consumerist craving followed, which led to a 6% increase in purchases in the following quarter. The American citizens escaped the fear of death that had crept into their psyche trying to consolidate their status, as if this could ward off the Black Lady. A perceived strengthening of status corresponds to greater self-esteem and symbolic immortality. As is easily imaginable, this mechanism works particularly well with luxury goods (lin9
ked, in fact, to status). When the perspective of one’s death becomes more intense, people cling to materialism, seek immortality in the accumulation of goods and riches. It is possible that the recent global boom in the luxury sector, in crisis, is to some extent due to some unconscious apocalyptic anxiety. It is the reptilian brain that takes control. In a majority of cases those who are afraid of dying do not care about the fate of others, do not care about peace, are not altruistic, do not cooperate, do not face a common front against power, but look at others in a daze, they are ready to kill not to be killed. A substantial number of research has shown, however, that traits such as possessiveness, envy, selfishness and greed are negatively correlated with satisfaction and a happy life. The more materialistic we are, the lower our self-confidence is because we continue to make comparisons with those who are more privileged than us. {fonte: https://wazars.com/2014/09/28/lalta-moda-la-morte-la-vita/ }
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Gucci 2018 , parade in Alycantes, French 18th century cemetery.
Pendant Dior, designer Victoire de Castellane 2017-18
Hydrogen, brand sportwear luxury.
Moschino, Milano Fashion Week fall/ winter 2016/2017
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Product cost: Ring volume (without gems): 177.54147 mm³ Specific weight Gold: 15.6 gr / cm³ Formula: P = X (specific weight) x V (volume) = 15.6 gr / cm³ x 177.54147 mm³ = 177.54147 / 1000 = 15.6 x 0.17754147 = 2.76 gr / mm³ Weight Spot price of precious metals in real time: 05/27/2018 20:18:02 Gold price per gram 35.95 euros + Added estimated average working hours rounded 50% on the estimated cost of gold: euro 35.95 x 2 = euro 71.9 rounded up = euro 72 per gram 2.76 x 72 = 198.72 euros final cost 12
STRENGTHS
POINTS OF WEAKNESS
Widespread and recurring symbol in global culture. Widely adaptable to various age groups and income.
Symbol of death in religion. Or exorcising and transgressive symbol associated with cultural phenomena such as the punk, hard metal movement. Possible limitation to a niche object.
Unique design studied on the botanical trend and strong mark on the marketing campaign.
Rings with skull launched earlier by the big brands such as Vivienne Westwood, Dior, Alexander Mc Queen. Difficulty to emerge with respect to the marketing strength of these brands.
Price lower than the competition. Less advertising costs. Greater profit margins.
Prices highly sensitive to the echo of marketing campaigns and the engagement of high-level testimonials.
Made in Italy product, entirely Italian production. Ecosustainable, original, authentic.
Accelerated and efficient production with 3D printing.
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Sketch
Ruby
Enameled flowers and rhinestones with buttons
Acquamarine 14
Materials and production techniques
18 karat yellow gold, this ring is completed by a silver skull with rubies set in the eyes. The details of the flowers and butterflies will be enamelled in color. To be realized with the Cad: Sculptris and Rinocheros programs. 18 carat yellow gold (faith) Silver 925 (detail of the skull) Rubies (eyes), aquamarine (mouth), Swarovski rhinestones (flower buttons, butterfly wings details).
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Production techniques
The ring will initially be printed in 3D with resin and / or wax using a CAM MJP 2500W printer to increase the profit margins from the time saved by the prototype (about 25-30%), obtaining an extremely faithful example to the one realized on Rinocheros / sculptriss. The choice is motivated by the characteristics of the ring which has undercut areas, non-gumable rendedolo. Suggested technology: MJM Multijet modeling. The lost wax casting technique will be used since we will have the pieces to be assembled on the tree in clusters. This technique dates back to the 4th century A.C. and allows you to make many products at once. Following the realization of the “bunch� tree, it is inserted into a cylinder of refractory material. Gypsum will be injected to fill the gap inside the cylinder. Once solidified they will be placed in furnaces at temperatures of max 350 degrees, for melting the wax. The molten metal will be injected into the recessed cavity. The plaster will be removed with a solution of water and soluble and the metal tree will be obtained. The pieces can be detached and polished and galvanized.
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The new ProJet MJP 2500W is a 00% RealWax 3D pattern printer that improves workflow, delivers different batches in the short run a day to the next day, with larger, high productivity constructions. These extremely precise fine wax models are printed directly, without tooling time, geometric costs and limits, for reliable and repeatable direct metal casting efficiency.
Melting reliability The VisiJet M2 CAST 100% wax material melts as a standard casting wax, with a negligible ash content in the casting. This material is durable for handling and fusion of excellent features, and the high contrast purple color allows better visualization of details.
High productivity Thanks to the production of fast wax models, up to a print speed of up to 10 times faster than similar class solutions and an even faster workflow with single lane constructions, the ProJet MJP 2500W improves the efficiency of the casting room. With a volume capacity of 3.7 times higher than similar-class printers for application versatility and 24-hour operation, the high productivity of this cost-effective printer means fast payback and a high return on investment.
High resolution models Constant printing of sharp edges, extreme sharp details and smooth surfaces with high fidelity, ideal for the production of precision metal parts with a reduction of metal hand polishing.
Š Copyrights 3D Systems
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Rendering
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Product launch study: Marketing and Packaging
The product adapts to a sensual and transgressive climate. The ideal proposal for the launch would be to present it initially with the ‘sneak peak’ of the product, the packaging and the slogan in promotional campaigns through Ads on social networks and clues to various influencers of the product target. The sponsorship campaign starts definitively from September 2018, taking advantage of worldly occasions such as the Venice Film Festival, inviting various personalities of the show to wear the ring and an exclusive party will be organized. The campaign will have advertising space in magazines of the sector and fashion, as well as trailers that give the mood of the product. Important role of the product will be the packaging that will play with the theme of death proposing a package that simulates a coffin without having a disturbing appearance. The package that will contain the ring will be a wooden box padded with contoured purple velvet for the insertion of the ring. It will be inserted in a box without the left and right sides to allow sliding in these two directions. On this will be engraved with the pyrograph an effigy the logo, and decorative elements characterizing the product. This will be inserted in a boxed package closed 22
with two-color satin-covered cover and hot foil stamping with gold leaf. And again we will repeat the form of the brand and the name of the product with a face of a living woman surrounded by flowers. The sketch of the package is shown below.
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Render Box
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For the project I thought of an advertising campaign based on plastic photographic images and accentuating the nocturnal and sensual character of the product. I thought of a logo that was immediately traceable to the look of the jewel and I called it “Mr. D” from Death. In addition, I have chosen an inspirational phrase as the product’s claim, a quote from the famous 19th century English poet, William Blake:
Eternity is in love with the works of the time
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Thanks for watching! Manuela Zacchei
Illustrator & Graphic Designer www.manuelazacchei.com
(+39) 333 9091602 zaccheimanuela@gmail.com