The jury selected the following five TALENTS for presentation at THE SHOW:
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TALENTS BY WELLENDORFF
Christoph Wellendorff talks about young talents and extraordinary creations
When it comes to promoting young talent in the jewelry industry, one name spontaneously comes to mind: Wellendorff. Before the Big Fashion Show on the evening of the opening day of THE SHOW, Christoph Wellendorff presented to THE SHOW’s audience “THE SHOW Talents by Wellendorff,” which is sponsored by his manufactory.
How difficult was it to decide on these five individuals from among all the applicants?
Christoph Wellendorff: From a publisher’s shortlist of 25 applicants, we chose the five individuals whom we regarded as the most talented. In this top-class jury, we didn’t always agree on everything right from the start, but our ideas all went more or less in the same direction. There was plenty of laughter, but there were also tough fights on behalf of individual talents. The result was this wonderful mix of talented young people from China, Brittany, Switzerland and Austria.
It’s obvious that you enjoy promoting talent in this way. What is special about these five young designers?
The design language of these five talents is really fascinating because each one person tells their own unique story. With Jiayi Zhang, for example, we have a Chinese designer who combines the craftsmanship of her home country with her impressions of Europe and her current hometown of Vienna. Her jewelry is unique, colorful and radiates an immense lightness. Also absolutely worth seeing are the pieces by the Viennese designer Marie Boltenstern. As an architect, she takes a completely new approach and works with 3D printing. The results are pieces of jewelry unlike any I’ve ever seen. Alix Dumas from Brittany and Leni Adam from Switzerland are likewise distinctive. But don’t take my word for it: the terrific talent of all these designers is something you should definitely see for yourself! We have a whole range of different ideas on display here. I’m fascinated to see what young and talented people are creating nowadays. That really gives me a lot of pleasure.
The jury selected the following five TALENTS for presentation at THE SHOW:
A keen sense of justice motivated Leni Adam from Olten to study law. Her passion for jewelry is similarly infused with her commitment to fairness and integrity. Her jewelry is resolutely sustainable: she uses only gemstones from Switzerland and recycled gold, from which she creates jewelry that tells honest stories and embodies impeccable responsibility.
Marie Boltenstern is an architect and technologist from Vienna who regards jewelry as architecture in its smallest form. Her designs are created by mathematical algorithm; her pieces take shape via 3D printing. Her vision is to soon make it possible for customers and partners to easily personalize and manufacture jewelry.
Alix Dumas has seen and done many things. She says that jewelry unites all her passions: love of craftsmanship, pursuit of beauty, and artistic expression. She loves to play with colors and transparencies, and she makes pieces that embody haute joaillerie in the best sense of the phrase.
Julian Pelliccia’s pieces combine his enthusiasm for haute joaillerie, gemstones and design with his passion for Japanese culture, its spirituality and the martial arts that he has practiced for many years. The result is a very unique and extraordinarily exciting language of jewelry.
Jiayi Zhang grew up in central China, but has lived in Vienna for ten years, where she completed her training as a jewelry designer. Rather than using precious stones in her jewelry, she relies on the centuries-old Chinese craft of double-sided embroidery to create unique pieces from steel, silver, gold and silk.
TALENTS BY WELLENDORFF
Booth: M1
The new pieces in Schmuckwerk’s Alpine collection include rings set with diamonds and precious jewelry for the neck and wrist .