TOPIC

How luxury is made

Harwell Godfrey beaded necklace with pendant. Photo: Handout

How colourful Y2K beaded jewellery is making a sophisticated comeback

Taylor Swift brought back the friendship bracelet, which millennials will remember from the playground – now, designers are creating luxe versions of the playful, nostalgic baubles.

Style Edit: Chopard’s sustainably sourced Ice Cube high jewellery collection

The truth behind Trump watches: Rolex rivals or overpriced knock-offs?

Style Edit: Going beyond the ballroom with Cartier’s Tuttitutti collection

Seeking to appeal to a modern generation, the rings, necklaces, bracelets and watches are playfully driven by a clash of unlikely materials and peacock hues.

Cartier’s Tuttitutti collection for modern daily wear retains the house’s historic design cues. Photos: Handout

How Chow Tai Fook is reviving ancient Chinese culture for the 21st century

The Guangzhou-founded, Hong Kong-based jewellery brand is honouring the traditions and craftsmanship of Chinese culture, while infusing them with design sensibilities resonating with modern consumers.

Style Edit: Hermès latest homeware collection embraces its equestrian legacy

Studio Hermès referenced modernist traditions with its Diapason d’Hermès chair, while other items draw from the brand’s heritage, using earthy materials and equestrian references.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Premium cigars from Africa? Why not? The tobacco grows there

Cigars made in Mozambique may sound surprising, but Bongani Cigars rolls thousands a day. Its founder talks filling a gap in the market.

A Mozambican man rolls a cigar at the Bongani Cigars workshop in Maputo. The company, which sells its premium cigars in Africa, the United States and Europe, was started after its owner wondered why African cigars didn’t exist. Photo: AFP

Style Edit: Richard Mille’s McLaren W1 is another masterpiece in excellence

This is Richard Mille’s fourth partnership with the British luxury car maker, which just launched the W1 – it builds on the legacy of McLaren’s F1 and P1 models.

Style Edit: Messika dazzles with high jewellery inspired by haute couture

At Paris Fashion Week, the maison showed how it is redefining and pushing the boundaries of high jewellery and haute couture with its daring visions.

Style Edit: Technology forms the core of Boucheron’s Quatre 5D Memory ring

The French jewellery house has a special something embedded in its Quatre 5D Memory – a recollection of a childhood by the ocean, in the form of audio data.

Boucheron’s Quatre 5D Memory ring has audio data embedded in it. Photos: Handout

Q&A | Why Jaeger-LeCoultre has debuted a scent collection by a self-taught perfumer

Consisting of 3 bold perfumes, the new collection is part of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Made of Makers portfolio, which sees the Swiss watch maison partnering with innovative creatives.

Nicolas Bonneville is the perfumer behind Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new perfumes. Photos: Handout

Style Edit: Bulgari’s Tubogas design gets a modern makeover in a new collection

The legacy design’s interlocking strips of gold, without any soldering, was a bold departure from the norm when it was launched in the 1940s.

Style Edit: Pomellato’s new Iconica jewellery line blends old and new

Putting a 21st century spin on Milan’s centuries-old tradition of goldsmithing, the new Iconica line by Pomellato features intricately crafted and beautifully wearable jewellery.

Style Edit: Louis Vuitton’s damier motif gets a diamond makeover

The legendary chequerboard pattern makes a glittering entry to the maison’s Le Damier de Louis Vuitton unisex jewellery collection.

The Le Damier de Louis Vuitton collection sees the chequerboard motif making its jewellery debut. Photo: Handout

Milan Fashion Week: Fendi’s 1920s homage and Max Mara’s earthy elegance

Read on for our highlights from Milan Fashion Week so far, from Kim Jones’ tribute to Fendi’s 5 sisters, to Marni’s ode to beauty from the unconventional perspective of Francesco Risso.

Models on the runway at the end of Fendi’s womenswear spring/summer 2025 show at Milan Fashion Week. Photo: AFP

Style Edit: Richard Mille dazzles with an RM 17-01 Tourbillon masterpiece

The case of the RM 17-01 Tourbillon is set with precious stones, showcasing the Swiss luxury watchmaker’s outstanding skill as a jeweller.

Style Edit: How Cindy Chao’s brooches embody her pursuit of perfection

The Taiwanese jewellery designer has built her brand and formidable reputation with works of wearable art that transcend the industry standard

Advertisement
Advertisement

Style Edit: The peerless elegance of Cartier’s Panthère

The Panthère de Cartier motif brings an air of feminine self-confidence to the French luxury house’s range of jewellery and accessories

The panther is Cartier’s most distinctive motif, found across its range of jewellery, handbags and accessories. Photos: Handout

Style Edit: Dior pairs whimsy and animal magic with dynamic design

Dior sets woodland animals a-frolic in a whimsical, vibrant and sparkling wonderland

Style Edit: How Henry Jacques crafts luxury scents with premium natural essences

The best raw ingredients go into iconic scents such as Ambrose, Blue Vanille and Jasmine de HJ, while the Sur-Mesure service offers one-of-a-kind creations

Style Edit: Louis Vuitton’s monumental Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds collection

Artistic director for watches and jewellery Francesca Amfitheatrof explores the brand’s 19th century roots with 220 pieces split into 2 chapters

From left, Urassaya Sperbund, Young-ae Lee, Louis Vuitton’s artistic director for watches and jewellery Francesca Amfitheatrof, Phoebe Dynevor and Jin Chen all attended the launch of the monumental Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds collection, in June. Photos: Handout

Style Edit: Inside Bulgari’s Aeterna collection and its most opulent necklace

Bulgari celebrates its 140th anniversary with a new collection featuring over 500 pieces, from jewellery to bags and fragrances

The dramatic Serpenti Sapphire Echo necklace is part of Bulgari’s Aeterna collection. Photos: Handout

Q&A | Eastern Edition’s Teo Yang merges old with new in his sustainable designs

The Seoul-based furniture brand’s founder on minimalism in Korean culture and making ‘the old aesthetic into an international language’

Style Edit: How The Labirinti Gucci collection is inspired by Italy’s gardens

The Labirinti Gucci high jewellery collection is built around the themes of nature’s chaotic beauty and geometric splendour

The ancient techniques and unorthodox materials tempting high jewellers in 2024

Van Cleef & Arpels and Cindy Chao use the ancient cire perdue, or ‘lost wax’, casting technique for their delicate creations, while Joel Arthur Rosenthal, Hemmerle and Forms are turning to aluminium

The Spring brooch from Cindy Chao’s Four Seasons collection is an example of how today’s high jewellers are using ancient techniques as well as unorthodox materials to craft their pieces. Photos: Handout

Style Edit: Graff’s Galaxia is high jewellery inspired by the cosmos and nature

Dutch model Rianne van Rompaey is Graff’s muse Galaxia, capturing the radiance of the house’s high jewellery creations

Dutch model Rianne van Rompaey is at the centre of Graff’s Galaxia high jewellery campaign. Photos: Handout

Style Edit: Chopard inspired by fairy tales for Cannes Red Carpet

The Red Carpet collection, an annual milestone for the brand, channels enchanting stories and the animals that feature in them

Style Edit: Henry Jacques’ latest Collection de L’Atelier fragrances

Harvesting the Rose de Mai, grown on the maison’s land, the perfumer has created 500 sets of exclusive scents: Rose Soleil, Rose Très Rose and Rose Azur

Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
How luxury is made
A look behind the scenes at the artisanal expertise that go into creating the world's renowned luxury goods
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement