Funnily enough my aesthetic has been very consistent since the beginning – my designs are quirky, tongue-in-cheek and unexpected. I would say many of our pieces are similar to wearable art from the point of view of them being contemporary and inspired by objects that we easily recognise.
What has changed is the growing emphasis I place on technical development, both in terms of the design and manufacturing. Our collections have become increasingly more complex. Our bike chain is the perfect example – it’s a simple design, but the bracelet consists of almost 380 pieces that need to be combined individually by hand, and there’s micro pavé diamonds at each link. Then you have the straw bracelet – it takes great skill to get the bends right and we also use a sandblasting technique to recreate the crease-like effect.
Last year you went viral on social media with your collaboration with hip pastry chef Cédric Grolet. How did that come about?
Believe it or not, it was a very organic collaboration which started out with him sending me a DM on Instagram. I would always post a photo of his pain au chocolat when I was in Paris and at one point he reached out to tell me that his girlfriend loved my pieces and suggested we meet for coffee.
Squaring the circle: Cartier’s fresh angle on its Trinity collection
Squaring the circle: Cartier’s fresh angle on its Trinity collection
We genuinely connected with each other – we were both 30-year-olds discussing how we built our own brands, leveraged social media and expanded our visions. From there we decided to work on something together, but I wanted it to be food-related, fun and collectable.
In 2023, we came up with a special galette de rois [king cake] featuring his signature croissants and I made 18k gold croissant charms for three winners. We created a video for social media and 50 cakes sold out in 10 minutes after they launched!
My Style: Jewellery queen Gaia Repossi’s 9 top tips for a more stylish life
My Style: Jewellery queen Gaia Repossi’s 9 top tips for a more stylish life
This year we joined forces again to create another galette, this time featuring pain au chocolat, so I designed a matching 18k gold charm with four brown diamonds which I called the pain au chic.
Creating a video the second time round was even more fun since we know each other better – you can see our camaraderie. I’m hoping we can do a collaboration for Asia next year.
You made waves with your collaboration with McDonald’s a few years ago – are collaborations a big part of your strategy?
What I find exciting is the growing space for more jewellery creatives to collaborate or work with bigger brands. For me, many of the more established brands have become quite bland and are continuously reviving old pieces instead of creating something new. It feels detached from the next generation of females who purchase for themselves.
If brands are smart and want to stay relevant, they need someone with a strong aesthetic to take the helm, especially as fine jewellery as a category grows. If that person is able to maintain that same level of limitless creativity they have enjoyed in their own brand while leveraging the resources of the bigger brand, then we will see cooler, more innovative designs.
For me, working with Hermès would be the ultimate. They have a playfulness in their approach which is very aligned with mine. They are the best-in-class because they stay true to their vision while pushing the envelope.
Rise of the machines: how robots are changing the way jewellery is made
Rise of the machines: how robots are changing the way jewellery is made
Last year you decided to move to Asia. Why?
I made the decision to move to Singapore because Asia is extremely important when it comes to my clientele and relationships. I feel the customer is more open to moving away from bigger brands and highly recognisable pieces. They want to wear something different, a piece of jewellery that’s a conversation starter, and this is where I come in.
