Article kindly written by Eva Boden, German jewelry designer that worked with me for a few years in Milan at Swarovski. (www.evaboden.de)
As a jewelry designer, I have been visiting the Inhorgenta fair in Munich for more than ten years. Known as a common platform for traditional German jewelry companies, the Fair is changing its image, becoming more and more sensitive to the drastical evolution in the jewelry industry.
As a general statement, the number of foreigner exhibitors has been growing season by season. Interesting to mention the presence of Scandinavian brands such as Bron and many South-European brands coming from Italy, Spain, Greece and Turkey . They cover all areas of the jewelry market – from premium to costume jewelry. In the latest years, the fashion jewelry area has become more and more established. More specifically, the presence of long-standing and often family-run jewelry companies has decreased. Some well-known German jewelry brands are no longer represented in Munich, for example Ehinger & Schwarz and Niessing, to name only a few.
To innovate and keep the pace with new developments, Inhorgenta 2014 has extended its program to lectures and seminars. The focus of this complementary program has been the organization of lectures by international trend analysts, as well as the emphasis on topics like fair trade jewelry and 3d printing techniques.
Main trends:
Luxury and super precious remain important accents in uncertain times. The forecast is on the come back of yellow gold and a reduction in rose gold. The customer is urging for the rare and the exclusive.
The Pantone color “radiant orchid”, a shade between fuchsia and violet, is the flavour of the upcoming season.
For trend analysts, nature will play an important role for the coming seasons. You can see this macro trend in various jewelry collections.
Special interest for me, as a jewelry designer, are labels who combine classic materials and codes of fine jewelry with costume jewelry, following a new direction.
Outstanding examples:
Monies (visita il sito)
A beautiful example of Danish jewelry tradition, the two goldsmiths Nikolai and Gerda Monies have a mission, the fusion of art and craft. They use rare materials horn, bone and stones, researching for the exceptional crafts all over the world. Every piece is one of a kind item. Their production is located in Copenhagen, in a studio with ten employees. The staff, among them their younger son, is involved with the same passion and commitment in the working process, like an enlarged family.
Amberwood (visita il sito)
Another interesting brand focusing on the combination of jewelry and unusual materials. The polish designer Marta Wlodarska emphasizes the mix of materials for instance amber, various species of wood silver, linen, leather and feathers. They show the inner beauty of nature and celebrate the organic forms.
Rahel Fiebelkorn (visita il sito)
Another young jewelry designer with a good strength in nature and organic collections. As a daughter of an artist and a musician, the jewelry designer considers the human body in its completeness and wants to enhance and to caress it. In her studio in Berlin, she develops unique and exclusive pieces. They are made of gemstones and metal, but also glass, textiles and recycled pieces.
1 Comment