Vain Stylist issue no. 4°- ENG

STYLIST

ITALIA INDEPENDENT

New

CLAUDIO CALESTANI

Indice

HECTOR RICCIONE P.11

ANTONELLA BONFANTONI P.22

ITALIA INDEPENDENT P.41

LIPSTICK P.49

PAULA CADEMARTORI P.25 GIULIA BARELA P.51 COLLANE NIGHT MARKET P.35 CLAUDIO CALESTANI P.61

www.harim.it

R I C C I O N E

HECTOR RICCIONE 30 years of Indianino: the history of a worldwide success.

H E C T O R

By Valentina Sorrenti Selena Magni

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H

ector waits for us in his shop in Ibiza.

The furnishings are very particular: the walls are covered with colourful Indianinos and everything reminds of the Indian style. Indianinos have become increasingly popular over the last few years, both in Italy and abroad. Boots, but not just that.

Besides being the inventor of the famous Indianinos, Hector is a skilful leather craftsman, who’s produced belts, bags and leather accessories since the 80s.

We interviewed him today because the 14th of June he’s celebrated the 30th anniversary from the creation of his first pair of Indianinos.

This year is the 30th anniversary of the famous Indianinos, how did you come up with this idea?

The idea derives by my passion for horses and adventure.

I wore the boots of the American natives for the first time in the 80s, riding without saddle during a trip in Quebec, where I lived with a tribe. When I came back, the desire to share such an experience was so strong that I created them, thanks to my knowledge about leather craftwork, I customised them and adapted them to our culture. For example, I added the inner wedge heel, that makes the boot more feminine and comfortable.

What are the most beloved models?

The classical evergreens are “Traforato” and “Lacci”, always very successful, but the latest “Microborchie” are growing popular, too, and the precious Indianinos with pearls and crystals. The most popular model in the 80s is out of production but we’re thinking about making it again.

Are the Indianinos your top product in foreign countries, too?

Yes, Indianinos are the most wanted abroad. In Spain, however, is very fashionable to wear the favourite model of boots with matching bag and belt and the most purchased models are the colorful ones, especially in Ibiza.

Are there any special edition?

Yes, there’s the python skin limited edition and the new model with pearls and crystals. We’re preparing new models that will soon be available in our shops.

There are many pictures of celebrities wearing your boots in Italian magazines as well as in the Spanish ones. Do you have any testimonials?

We’ve always had celebrities visit our shops, the list is really long, but none of them has ever been our testimonial, they’re all loyal customers of ours.

What is the best outfit to match Indianinos?

I don’t think there’s any rule concerning a matching outfit for Indianinos. It’s not a difficult item to wear and it gives the client a large choice in colours and models.

What’s the origin of your brand? And the key to its success?

We started in 1976 with leather products, but we had been also the first to start the fashion of the worn-out Levi’s jeans, which has grown popular over the last few years. Craftwork is our original work: we started by creating bags, sandals, clogs and, above all, boots. At first we produced texans, camperos and motorbike boots, then came the Indianinos, that have conquered the market over the past 10 years, in Italy and abroad. Moreover, before the 80s our belts were very popular, too.

We’ve dressed two generations and those boys still come back to our shops, some years older but with the fresh memory of our products’ quality and originality. These two characteristics and the export are the main keys to our success.

How important has marketing been for your achieving?

We’ve been ground breaking since the beginning: in the 80s, the idea of placing the label with our brand on the heel of the boot was brilliant, because, besides our brand, it still features the address and the phone number of our first shop.

The first historical label didn’t have the area code for the phone number because it dates back to the 80s and the modern one was changed 18 years ago. There’s a nice promotion running on www. hector-riccione.com: if you bring a boot that has the old phone number without area code “43071”, you get 50% off the purchase of a new pair. In our homepage there also the image of the old label we’re talking about.

We give great prominence to communication medias, especially to the social networks. We’re very attentive to our fans’ requests and we often reward them with contests and special promotions. We like to feel close to our customers.

How do you deal with your boots being counterfeited?

I am used to see the bright side in everything: I consider myself lucky and honoured by the fact that, according to the figures of the Fashion Chamber of Commerce of the Marche district, the Indianinos are the most manufactured boots of the post war years.

I like thinking that the Indianinos have provided work for a great number of people, because the factories that forge us are settled all around the world. The only thing I dislike is that some of these factories use deceitful slogans like “We are the orginal”.

How come that you chose to add RICCIONE next to the original brand name HECTOR? It is because the factory was created in Riccione, in Emilia Romagna, and the entire production is still Italian. Moreover, I’ve always been very committed to promoting tourism: thanks to my brand, the name of the city of Riccione travels around the world and people come from all over the world to buy out products in the historical shops of Riccione.

Is there anything you regret of these 30 long years of career and the creation of Indianinos?

Yes, only one: that I didn’t patent the peculiar stitching with studs that replaced the first hand-made one.

To conclude, let’s talk about the great celebrations for the 30 years of Indianinos!

Yes, for the Indianinos birthday on the 14th of June, we’ve organised an experience of emotional shopping for our customers in our shops all around Europe. In every shop we’ve organised events like photo-shootings, model shows with music, dancers and surprises.

We also gave a special 30% discount on all purchases.

ANTONELLA BONFANTONI The passion for accessories.

By Cristina Giannini Selena Magni

I

n any outfit it’s the accessories that give the essential touch. Under the years we have been given the chance to love any kind of necklace, bracelet or bag, all inspired by a precise period and trend. The love for accessories has turned into a real passion and Antonella Bonfantoni, creator of accessories, can tell us about this story.

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B o n f a n t o n i A n t o n e l l a

How did it all begin?

My fancy for accessories arises from the will to create something different and unique.i’ve always been attracted by jewels and I love to wear them. One day, I asked myself: “why not do them myself?” So I started this wonderful adventure, with the will to create something that is my own.

Did you study at any academy? What are your studies?

I’ve drawn and painted since I was young, afterwards I attended the art school, but my real education arises from my personal interest for beauty.

What do you take inspiration from?

I’m always inspired and I let everything inspire me: the morning light and that of sunset, sometimes I take the ideas from some paintings’ colours, I prefer warm colours. Everything I see that gives me emotions is a good reason to create. I am passionate and I try to convey this in my creation.”

What materials do you prefer using, and why?

I mostly work with materials like aluminium, copper, silver, a polymeric paste called Kato and shellacs. These materials I can easily mould.

Do you see yourself in your creations? Are you emotionally tied to them?

I put myself in everything I do and this is evident. The fact that I consider them as “my creatures” makes me feel pleased to see the appreciation every time I sell one but at the same time I also feel a bit sad about not having the object anymore, since they are unique.

What kind of women are you inspired by?

I say that my creations are STRONG and are meant for women who DARE. What do you like the most in this job?

Everything… the idea of inventing, creating, starting doing something and seeing it changing shape under my hands, it’s amazing!

What is your relationship with the world of fashion?

I’ve always been interested in fashion and I love the creativity of our stylists’: they are the greatest in the world, but, as I don’t make collections with a theme, I am more interested in the trends of the moment, so I try to keep up to date about the styles of every season.

What is your advice for those who want to challenge themselves and create their own accessories?

I would advise them to try, because it is nice to invent something and invent yourself, every kind of expression is art, and creating is wonderful.

For further information or to buy accessories, check the Facebook page: “Le mie idee” by Antonella Bonfantoni. www.facebook.com/antonellabonfantoni

C A D E M A R T O R I P A U L A

PAULA CADEMARTORI

By Angelica Grittani Selena Magni

E

very bag has its purpose, something that makes it special.

Paula Cademartori, born and raised in Brasil with Italian origins, conceives the bag as something evergreen, timeless, a most beloved accessory by all the women of the world.

Her being Brazilian provided her with a different point of view, and she started at once with a product that could interest not just the Italian market but the global one, with different influences and cultures in which she could reflect her personality.

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“The goal- she said- was to fulfil the desire of the woman all over the world, creating a bag that could be the symbol of this vision. The same idea is in my desire to use colours and to mix materials that remind me of Brazil and that are the focus of my research every time I desing a new collection.”

Are you satisfied with your job?

“I hope to be on the right path to create something beautiful, to enter the history of design. First of all, I chose to pursue my dreams with passion, motivation and dedication. I’ve believed a lot in what I’ve done to come up to this point, but I’ve worked hard, too.”

Before starting to make bags and her brands, Paula Cademartori worked for prestigious Italian firms and leather shops (Orciani, Versace, ndr) and had the pleasure of being selected by Vogue among the budding designers and of confronting with other young designers during the Vogue Talents competition in 2009. To complete her education she attended the master course “Young fashion manager”, to better analyse the entrepreneurial side of fashion and Made in Italy. Her love for Made in Italy is essential for her job: it is only with the finest leathers and the excellence of a craftsman’s work that you can obtain an object of the highest quality that can represent the Italian style.

Paula Cademartori’s bags are a blending of style and art, colours and gemotry, luxury and simplicity, they have casual shapes but at the same time they are modern in their design and production. Every season has a mood that is inspired by celebrities like the patron Peggy Guggenheim and the extrovert Anna Piaggi, or that reminds of the fascinating atmospheres of the Italian garden or the elegance of Art Nouveau.

-When did you feel the desire of making the first bag?

After I graduated in Brazil in Industrial Design, I decided to come to Italy, where I had attended the master in Fashion Accessories in 2005 at the Marangoni Institute of Milan. During this master I make a project for a bag for a famous brand of leather items: this first bag was a great surprise to me, it should have been an It bag and was selected among many project to be produced even before I finished my master. I’ve been lucky and this was a great satisfaction that gave me the impulse to go on. In Brazil I had already started my career drawing jewels, shoes and accessories, but in Italy I had the chance to test myself with important clients and firms.”

Your bags have a strong personality, they are unique items in their production and design. How do you imagine the object you are going to create? What are the creative steps?

Usually bags are chosen according to personal taste or necessities, but it is possible to design it anyway you like because you don’t need to have sizes as it is for shoes or clothes. The challenge is to find the right proportion, the right balance of materials, details and special features that make it special.

The research and the experimentation that lies behind each one of my bags are what make it special. The goals are convenience and versatility, always keeping in mind the necessities of the women who will wear them.

Also, the Made In Italy creation with the accurate choice of leathers and the buckle made in palladium, always hand-made, gives them that additional value that I wanted my collections to have and which is the strong point of my bags. Moreover, each bag has a name, they are unique and, given their personality, it feels right that they should have a name: Tatiana, Sylvie, Carine, Anna, Faye and so on. I am usually inspired by women I admire or friends of mine. Tatiana, for example, is inspired by Tatiana Santo Domingo, who I think is super cool and by a friend of mine that is called Tatiana, as well.

-Who are the designers you admire the most?

I love many creative designers that make a wonderful work in my opinion, like Miuccia Prada, Nicolas Ghesquiere, Riccardo Tisci, Raf Simons, Pierre Hardy, Azzedine Alaïa, Phoebe Philo.

-You favourite bag or the one you would like to have?

I always wear the bags I design, I like collecting them.

-An average day in Paula Cademartori’s life?

Mine are long days (smiles) because I wake up early and if I manage I practice sport in the morning. I arrive in the office where I never know what awaits me, but usually I move around between clients, photographer, the factory where I have meetings. You can’t stop a minute! I have many responsibilities, being in charge of a growing society, and for this reason I work a lot and I have many engagements, I can’t take too much time off. It is important for me to keep a balance between work and my private life, I must say that I have the fortune of loving my job and I don’t mind my being full of engagements, because I do what I love doing. It is surely important to love the fashion system in order to do this job.

-What characteristics should a young designer have to distinguish themselves in the market?

It is necessary to be determined, to enter this world, to be ready to challenge yourself and have personal opinions. It is also important to have strong principles at the basis of your job, like to work with trustworthy people, be coherent in production, buy the right materials, all this helps making a more responsible and transparent job at the eyes of others.

COLLANE NIGHT MARKE

COLLANE NIGHT MARKET, L’ACCESSORIO FA IL LOOK

By Gaia Bregalanti Selena Magni

T

he importance of the accessory in fundamental, a simple bracelet or an important necklace can turn the simplest look in something sophisticated.

Matching a pair of extravagant earrings with gathered hair and a total black outfit can be the winning strategy to attract the attention. The accessory is what makes the difference in the game of match.

Night Market’s necklaces are the perfect example of how a jewel can make the difference. Night Market’s necklaces are decorated with pearls, rhinestones and contrasting applications. These are sparkling jewels.

The Night Market line comes from the artistic creativity and the passion for fashion of the two owners Flavia and Laura di Pozzi. Lei, the concept store, has shops in Treviglio, Monza and Crema. With this line of accessories branded Night Market, the purpose is to express creativity and love for what is refined.

This brand does not only include accessories but items of clothing, as well.

The blogger Giulia Baggini modelled for this brand and she showed how to wear the wonderful Night Market’s necklaces during the fashion weeks.

Night Market’s necklaces are perfect to wear in every occasion, either with a formal look or with a sporty outfit, to add that touch of elegance and character.

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I N D E P E N D E N T I T A L I A

ITALIA INDEPENDENT “Being independent means writing one’s own story every day.”

By Selena Magni

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T

his is the motto of this genuine Italian brand, established in Florence in 2007 by Giovanni Accongiagioco, Lapo Elkann and Andrea Tessitore.

Italian Independent combines the attention to tradition and elegance typical of Made In Italy with the search for innovation: “ I-I is a brand rich with creativity and style that came about from the need to update Made in Italy, give birth to a Made in Italy 2.0.”, says their website.

The brand produces clothing and accessories, often in collaboration with illustrious brands and designers like Karl Lagerfeld, Borsalino and Diesel, to name a few.

The main product, however, is the eyewear: Italian Independet signs some ground breaking models, like the first luminescent glasses, presented to the Amsterdam Fashion Week, velvet-rimmed glasses, the nice I-V, and camouflage models with a charming design. All this models are the result of researches on innovative materials and have an interesting design that strikes as modern and original and features at the same time the elegance that defines Italian fashion.

A well-established brand, Italian Independent takes part to the Fashion Weeks all around Europe, is present all over Italy with “shop in shop” stores and has recently opened in Turin their sixth flagship store of Italy.

For further information: www.italiaindependent.com

LIPSTICK the absolute fashion accessory doesn’t forget about packaging.

By Serena Secco Mattia Vismara

P

ackaging has always been a basic element in cosmetics. If a woman is attracted by a shelf is not only because of the product, but for the combination of the characteristics of its packaging, as well.

There are those who are attracted by a flowery and colorful style, those who prefer the minimal one and head for white and transparency, or those who love delicate details and pastel colours.

Up to our days, we got used to admiring perfume bottles that are always different, ready to surprise us because of their grace, the shape’s refinements and their decorations.

Finally, this marvel has conquered every make up sector: the lipsticks or palettes which we bring with us in our cases often take complex and particular shapes that make them look like little jewels rather than simple cosmetics.

The trend of the latest months for makeup is indeed the jewel-packaging.

Cosmetics factories understood that products confections and “containers” themselves can be the basic characteristic to be distinguished from the masses and ensure that they can be chosen among thousands of other similar products.

A brand that seems to have adopted this strategy is YSL. For the new collection Rouge Volupté, composed by lipsticks with velvety texture and shiny colour, they created a little golden tube with a stripe of the same colour of the lipstick in the middle, carved with many little golden YSL monograms.

The result is very elegant, capable of drawing the attention of every woman, who will surely buy it to show off not only the nuance, but the tube too!

The same packaging, but with silver shades, has been used again by YSL for his Volupté Sheer Candy, lipsticks that leave a light and shiny colour, and which are rich of antioxidant vitamins.

Christian Dior made a different choice for his line Dior Addict Lipstick, which has the iconic Kate Moss as testimonial. The little silver and transparent tubes of these lipsticks have a very simple and elegant line, but with a distinctive feature: the top is not flat, but has a little silver sphere.

Even more curious are the newcomers Dior Addict Fluid Sticks. The tubes of these nuances for lips create an optic illusion: the confections is transparent and shows a glimpse of what is supposed to be the top of a lipstick, but when you open the case, it appears an applicator immersed in the liquid itself.

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B A R E L A G I U L I A

GIULIA BARELA

By Rossella Scalzo Mattia Vismara

G

iulia Barela is a woman who put her creativity, included her rich culture, in the realization of elegant and polished jewels.

She does not only draw her creations, she realizes them with her hands, giving to every piece the curiosity that strongly characterizes her personality and her love for the jewel.

Giulia Barela Jewelry’s are not simple accessories to beautify women’s looks, they become part of who wears them, objects to hand down that will never go out of fashion.

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Your personal life features different phases. Before talking of your creations, I would like to talk about your path. From the international relationships sector to the owner of a home of charm in Rome thanks to which you have been defined the queen of marketing and reception. Tell us how and why you decided for this change.

After my law studies, my idea was to go on the law field which I entered for family tradition, even though since I was a little girl, women in my family – my mother, my grand-mother – had handed me down the jewel passion. For many years I have worked in a state administration dealing with international relationships. However, after my son’s birth, travelling became difficult, then I thought about an alternative which allowed me to stay in Rome in order to take care of my son.

So it came to me the idea of creating a home of charm in the centre of Rome, in which I exploited my knowledge and my experiences in the travelling sector. For many years I dealt full time with the house of charm with very good results.

But your professional life did not stop here. You decided to realize jewels.

The house of charm is something I created with my family, but suddenly I felt the urging wish to express on my own and to express my creativity in a much more visual way. So, I brought together my passion for art, architecture, design and jewels, and I started a new adventure.

How did you approach the world of handcrafted goldsmith’s art?

This world has always interested me. I decided to rely on myself. At first drawing jewels and having them realized by goldsmiths. Then, I wanted to get my hands on it too, attending handcraft laboratories to learn the techniques.

When the passion urges, you manage to learn quickly and so I stared soon to realize jewels by myself, which I still do and every time I add something because I am always searching for something new. A particular feature of my character is indeed the great curiosity that pushes me to grow up, to evolve and go further.

Why did you decide to use the handcraft materials and techniques of the ancient goldsmiths?

The investment casting method has a very sculptural look and it is the right one that lets me express myself. It is a very manual technique and allows me to give expression to my kind of character, to my very physical taste, for those things that give you a tactile pleasure when you touch them, that you like to hold. I tried this technique and it seemed very suitable to me, actually I always try new techniques because I really love experimenting, but investment castings always satisfies me a lot.

PH GAUTHIER GALLET

Tell me about your jewels collections. What is the one you love the most and why?

I am in constant evolution. I have always been attached to everything I make because new things thrill me, it takes my all to do it. At the moment I am working on a new collection, very sculptural, a little bit different from the previous ones, with a little different technique. I love all my works that I did in the past, too. I love animals, it is typical of me. For my next collection I am working also on a series of different animals, I really like adding new details every time. I like working on surfaces too, experimenting new textures.

How does a jewel come alive? Which are the different steps and what does inspire you?

Inspiration can come from everything. I do not have hinders. Sometimes I see some particular shapes that intrigue me, even shapes of common use objects, architectonic and natural elements. I am a person that looks around. I look both at things and people, I am very intrigued by what surrounds me. I always find inspiration very easily from things that surround me. Inspiration is always interpreted by my character. In any case, I never transpose what I see as it is, but I interpret it with my imagination, a bit of dream and humor. My animals, for example, are memory, they are the image of what I have in mind.

From friends to international markets: how did you succeed in making your jewels known abroad?

It has always been a pleasure when friends appreciate my things, but I have felt the need to compete with an international audience since the beginning. I have presented my creations in Paris for five seasons, twice a year, during the fashion week, but I do not create them thinking about the market, I like making things I believe with, that are appreciated too in Russia, Germany, Spain, Japan, USA, Canada.

What is it like to see your jewels worn by VIPs such as Claudia Gerini?

I have to admit that for me is a pleasure, of course, because looking at beautiful women who wear my jewels is a great satisfaction. I like seeing them worn by women who have a spine and are beautiful people, but I am very glad when my jewels are appreciated and worn by common and not famous women, too. In any case, when women choose them, they show to have character and to be in harmony with my ideas and my work. The great satisfaction is to know that people who buy them or receive them as a gift, get attached to my jewels. They often tell me that they cannot go out without a certain jewel, which has become part of them.

How much are accessories important to complete women’s look?

According to me, they are a lot important. I chose to make them, indeed, first of all because I use them. They are details that make a difference, things that beautify by remaining simple and others by being complex. They are important because the show the personality of who wears them.

Finally, I like the idea that my jewels can be treasured and handed down.

C A L E S TA N I C L A U D I O

By Angelica Grittani Luisa Attardo

A

rtist-craftsman for passion, Claudio Calestani is descended from a family of jewelers who have made jewelry its tradition which is now being carried through a modern and rock reassessment. Claudio is a mixture of irony and modesty which blend together in his works: as a lover of motorcycles and custom world, he combines his passion for metal with the magnificent silver jewelry. He created his store in Milan, in the Isola quarter, an area growing from the cultural point of view, a crossroads of artists, vintage lovers and bikers.

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How did your passion for jewelry start? Initially, my passion for jewelry came from family tradition (his grandfather Lucedio was one of the founders of the Federal Goldsmiths Company in Casalmaggiore, ed): in fact, my great-grandfather, my grandfather and my father were jewelers, he who is in the gold and he who is in the jewelry. They were able to carry on this family activity. I personally was aware of this path. As I have had creativity since childhood and the desire to express something which comes from me, I have always wanted to do a job by using hands. The ways of my family in making jewelry are similar but different in the type of workmanship and materials used. I use almost exclusively silver, while my father produced jewelry by using nonprecious materials, in his factory in Milan.

Why did you decide to create objects by hand?

Because, in the hand-made work there is still creativity applied to manual skill and you get your hands dirty by giving the jewelry the desired shape according to your own imagination. That is the idea that materializes during the work process. I much prefer the handmade jewelry where you can still notice the dexterity of the artisan, who creates objects without imperfections, and a little flaw will be its particularity, its essence as a unique piece made with love.

How do you create unique pieces? By using the lostwax casting: the same finished jewel is made of wax which we have previously sculpted by giving it the shape we want, to be perfectly smooth, flawless, the same result as the one we want to achieve.

Then, you proceed with the merger of the metal, in my case it’s silver which will replace the wax once it has melted. You can also create a wax tree, with many rings attached onto it, so we can create multiple rings contemporaneously; then, it will be covered by a plaster casting so as to realize a mould for jewels and where the metal will pour later.

Do you also create jewelry on demand? Several clients ask me some jewels on demand, with names or nicknames, initials or other things according to their fancy. The only thing that I usually don’t do is creating jewelry with a design that is not mine, from my inspiration. I always try to meet client needs, but if they ask me to do something that is not for me, I refuse to do it, because I already know that I wouldn’t be fine. I created a ring as a reward for a Jet-ski race, which was held in Russia, a 1000 km race without assistance lasting 5 days. I was asked a very wrought and heavy ring. For me, this was a good competition (he smiles ed) because before finishing, I’ve made three more which I did not like at all, thus wasting time. If I am not satisfied with my jewel I will make it again until I’m pleased with the result.

What should a gem have in order to come from your inspiration and to satisfy you? The jewel has to talk to me, I want to feel it alive not only in my mind but we must feel this vitality on the metal as well. I’m not good at drawing (laughs ed), but the design is all in my head, I already know what I’m going to do and how it should be. My hands put into practice the design, what I imagine, and I put all of myself, sometimes by risking the client judgment. However, I am always faithful to my artistic inclinations and my favorite subjects (such as heart, snake, and other decorations reminiscent of nature). Let’s say that with the lost wax casting technique, there are no limits to creativity, you can create anything. I made​​ rings, necklaces, bracelets, buckles as well as handles for drawers, counterweights to the handlebars of motorbikes, key rings and keys for motorbikes.

How does expertise develop in this kind of job? I think that in this job being humble is very important because it allows you to always learn from other colleagues and collaborators, and to refine the technique where you started from. Listening is essential to get involved, while accepting criticism is useful to start with more awareness. Another aspect that can be misleading is being too hasty, wanting to get faster at the end of the creative process, at the risk of forgetting some steps.

How long does it take to make your own jewel? If a client requires me a personalized buckle, I will need a lot of time, about 4-5 months. For a ring 1-2 months because besides the technical reasons for the various stages of production in which it takes a long time, even for the inspiration I need time.

However, I do not rule out that the idea could immediately come and I actually make it within a month. I do not like having pressure and breathing down your neck, I prefer to take my time to make something beautiful where I identify myself. And the purpose is that the client is satisfied with what I have made.

What are the themes from which you get your inspiration? There are recurring symbols such as my “snake” that I’ve never seen as it is, more often it was a drawing I did when I was boy. Many people have associated it with a snake, but I do not see this symbolism. It is just a sign which resembles a snake, but that makes me think of infinity. Then there’s the heart that is universally instead of love. But it is a stretched heart, tight for one reason only: because he is suffering from love, it symbolizes the suffered love for the first crushes, the first time we fell in love.

Is there a piece that you’re particularly fond of? I think it’s always the next gem I will realize, what I have still to do. In any case, I love everything I do, in fact I keep everything in production also what I made twenty years ago.

Why did you choose silver? It is a metal that I know well, which I find very interesting because when it is used and worn, then it will get a color. By wearing it, the silver will be clean but if you don’t wear it, it tends to oxidize slowly over time. It’s also nice because it has a weight, and I know the relationship between the wax and silver: if firstly I carved rings to make them hollow inside, now I do not do it just to let their particular fullness and weight.

Are you an artist/craftsman but also a biker and lover of Harley Davidson. How these two entities are related to each other? The world of bikers, of Harleys, is a world of freedom, love of life, where there is a desire to socialize and spend time with friends. While enjoying the view from the motorbike, you feel the scents that we would not feel from the car, all according to a more relaxed lifestyle. So my jewels would be a complement coming full circle. They are symbols of a life style for people who wear them and who share this philosophy. Motorbikes and accessories, as my jewels, fully reflect this way of being, of living life having fun, as “a little bit grown up children” (laughs Ed.) Modern bikers are very representative of their kind: roaring motorcycle, leather vest as well as the accessories are not left to chance. What do they express through this image? The desire to appear, which is not only characteristic of women. Even men love to dress up and have a well-groomed look. Who wants to buy my jewelry want to show off while seeking happiness in an object, by buying a gem that makes him special. Even the reality of custom stems from the desire to personalize, to make changes for instances to make a piece of a motorbike unique, regardless of others’ taste.

What did lead you to open a store in Tokyo? It happened by chance, I love Japan and its culture, and one day a friend of mine told me that he wanted to open a shop like mine in Tokyo. Now, I collaborate with Japanese people, who sell the same product that I create even in Italy, so it is as I had to work twice now (he smiles ed.) My colleagues help me a lot, I am not alone in what I do, even if others are performers and I realize the first piece but it is not always easy to explain what you want.

Which are the artists you admire the most in the field of jewelry? In recent years I discovered that in making this kind of jewelry, buckles, we are not so many in the world. I am the only one in Italy, two in London, one in New York and the others are all in Los Angeles. We met and it was a unique experience because we have realized that we have nothing to envy nor to be copied to anybody else. However, we have a common language: experimentation, research of new materials, finishes, and things that attract us like a fire that burns within us. Some of the artists I admire the most: Starlingear from Los Angeles, Bill Wall Leather from Malibu, Crazy Pig from London, Alex Streeter from New York.

Fashion enhances the importance of accessories. Little touches of design can transform an outfit.

Precious elements and evergreens create uniqueness and personality.

“Suitors are for women like necklaces and bracelets: ornaments they would rather not get rid of” Alberto Moravia Accessories are a fundamental part of every outfit. Be them jewels, shoes, bags or a tie, a bow-tie or cufflinks, every woman and man like to enrich their look with small elements that make the difference. All accessories can have a different meaning from the mere decorative one, for example they can say something of people’s style and personality. They have the unique power of transforming any outfit, making it special. If we just think about jewels, these accessories cannot simply be given a single meaning, because they are often tied to memories and emotions, and they acquire a particular importance in every woman’s style.

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