Mary Katrantzou brings Bvlgari back to its roots for Calla collection
Mary Katrantzou takes her vision to ancient Roman roots to birth the new Calla collection of the Maison.
INTERVIEW Loris Peña
When it comes to Bvlgari, each and every piece is always rooted in heritage and tradition—giving importance to the preciousness of the Maison’s connection to their own history. For her debut as Bvlgari’s Creative Director for Leather Goods and Accessories, Mary Katrantzou draws inspiration from the very heart of Rome, the Maison’s home and inspirational font. Finding the foundation of her first collection, she then introduces the ‘Calla’, a leitmotif from the intricate mosaics of the Terme di Caracalla.
The Calla collection introduces a rich and beautiful curation of bags crafted with complex matelassé and pavé crystal treatments on the iconic Serpenti Forever silhouettes. Its lineup includes the new Serpenti Sugarloaf–a padded-volume nappa shoulder-bag which draws its silhouette from Bvlgari’s signature cabochon cut. Joined in the lineup is the Serpentine Duo, a tote with a forged metal handle featuring the double Serpenti head realized by Bvlgari’s incredible savoir-faire. This piece includes a leather version for day wear and a meticulously crystal-coated version for the evening. Another is the Marquise, a jewelry-inspired domed top-handle bag in fine nappa leather. Concluding the lineup are the new Ginkgo clutch, with its silhouette drawing from the pure, singular form of the Calla motif, and the Calla evening clutch, an artisanal piece that houses the Calla pattern with intricately-tooled openwork gold metal.
Every collection that is birthed by Bvlgari goes through a meticulous artistic process that is always rooted in the Maison’s rich heritage. Mireia Lopez Montoya, Bvlgari’s Managing Director for Leather Goods and Accessories shares that color and craftsmanship is what they prioritize in designing the bags. She shares “ Our colors are also inspired by the stones... So we have this Bvlgari green, emerald green that is our best. So we always have these colors that are linked to the gems’ colors because Bvlgari also traditionally is very known as a jewelry brand, for being the master of color. So that's something that is very much in our heart when we make the color selection for the bags. Then the craftsmanship. The craftsmanship is something that we really pay a lot of attention to because we want our clients to feel like they're wearing a jewel.” In the quest to get to know the ins and outs of creating this artisanal collection, L’Officiel Philippines exclusively speaks to Mary Katrantzou herself, Bvlgari’s Creative Director for Leather Goods and Accessories.
Where are you based now?
Mary Katrantzou: I'm now based in Athens… I used to live in London for almost 20 years and then we moved back to Athens when I gave birth to our son. So we've been there for two and a half years. So now I travel and commute between Athens and Florence for Bvlgari and sometimes Rome. And my team is still based in London and they usually come to Athens. They come to me because I don't have time to do the triangle. I can only do Greece, Italy for now because he's young and it's already complicated. I'm in three different cities.
Different time zones?
MK: Yes, but a small difference. Greece and Italy are just an hour away, so it doesn't feel completely different.
How does that contribute to your creative process?
MK: You know what? It's interesting. I love that I have a little bit of distance and a break between you know working intensively at the atelier with my team, the development team, the artisans, and then going home to Greece, being able to have a week to design and reflect on what we did and take a step back instead and have the intensity more spread. I prefer one week dedicated to Florence working hand in hand, you know, touching the materials, looking at the patterns, everything. And then one week in Athens where, first of all, I can be with my family more, but also I can have a moment to reflect and recharge and work on the designs as well.
How has it been being the first creative director?
MK: It's an honor. Bvlgari is a brand that I've loved since I can remember so it felt natural because we've been working together for four years now. It felt like it was also meant to be because we developed trust in one another during that time. Being the first ever creative director sounds daunting, but not if you've known the brand and connected, you know, and you studied the archive and understood the DNA. It's been a lot smoother than it would have been if we didn't have that time to collaborate in the past.
Can you tell us more about the recent collection?
MK: The recent collection is called Calla, and I was inspired by the thermal baths of Caracalla in Rome. I was looking at all the different jewelry lines of Bvlgari and when I was studying studying, researching at Diva’s Dream, I saw a picture of our CEO Jean Christophe at the thermal baths of Caracalla looking at the incredible mosaic floors. I love the pattern, I love the connection that at the time, Bvlgari had supported the restoration of the floors and it was also the inspiration behind Diva's Dream. So I like that it's a pattern that Bvlgari already owns, already has the connection to because of Diva's Dream. It connects us back to our Roman roots and it's very feminine and very universal. I think this kind of shape can mean different things to different cultures. For example, you know, in Southeast Asia, I don't know if in the Philippines, ginkgo is a symbol of resilience like it is, let's say, in Japan. You know, the ginkgo leaf. I don't know if it has a symbolic meaning in the Philippines. But in some parts of the world, that shape, which is the calla, also reminds people of the ginkgo. And for me, symbolism is very important at Bvlgari. So for some people, it will look like the Calla lily. For some people, it will be the ginkgo leaf. For some people, it will be the thermal baths of Caracalla. For some people, it will be Diva's Dream from Bvlgari. The fact that there's different interpretations is what makes it so universal.
Is there any favorite piece from the collection?
MK: My favorite piece is the Ginkgo clutch just because it's very purely the idea of that shape that connects to Diva's Dream and also to the Calla pattern. So even though it's not the most functional bag because of its capacity, I think it's very pure in its architecture and I think it's important as we build on different pillars outside of Serpenti that we create a very definitive, let's say, pillar or family beyond Serpenti that can live with Serpenti but also can stand on its own. And this does that. It doesn't rely on Serpenti like most of our bags.
Going back to your creative process, how do you edit yourself? Because I've seen the bags, there's a lot of them. I’m sure you have a lot of ideas. What really comes to the final phases?
MK: I think you just feel it. When you work with something for weeks or months and you give it the time to reach its true potential, you know if you feel you have the same excitement at the beginning of the project at the end. And sometimes also, what I’ve learned is when a design makes you feel sometimes slightly uncomfortable or you're unsure about it, sometimes it's also an indication for breaking new ground. So I've learned to listen to that. And if it makes me feel nervous, sometimes I think this might be a good thing. Because if you’re too comfortable as a designer, it means you're not doing anything new for you or for the brand. So I've learned to embrace that. Not if it really makes me nervous and I look at it and I’m like, “It's ugly”, not that, no. If I just look at it and feel it's weird, then no. Because you know, Bvlgari is not about that. It's important to know also for which brand. Bvlgari has always been about harmony and symmetry and narrative. And so, you also have to take into account that DNA.
I think you spoke about in one of your interviews about function and adornment. What are the challenges in creating the balance for this?
MK: Well, I think jewelry is more adornment. Bags are more function. So I think working for a category, being the creative director of a category that has this inherent relatability makes you think of function more. Because, yes, a Bvlgari bag, I want always for it to feel like you're holding a piece of jewelry. And most of the Serpenti bags do it. But, for example, the Diva Marquise, which is a new bag in the Diva's Dream collection, what was important to me is that it's light, that it's very feminine, that you want to carry it every day. And so in that way, functionality came first. But there's so many details that are taken from Bvlgari. This is from the Calla pattern. This is the Diva, let's say, mirror. Thee base of the bag is cut in a marquise shape so it connects to the gemstones. So I think everything communicates Bvlgari but it doesn't need to do it in a way that doesn't think about the wearability. Functionality in this sense is very important to me.
Talking about function, what's the number one top priority when you're designing?
MK: Innovation, newness. I think that’s important. Narrative. I like a bag or any design that has a concept, a story, a reason for being. Because I'm a designer, I like the process that goes into it. So for me to be captured by a bag that I'm not buying just because I want to own a certain brand, for me to be interested in that, I need to love its aesthetics and it needs to invite me to learn more about how it came to be. And so that’s important, or else everyone would do the same bag with a logo on, which is what's happening. Here, you don't really see any Bvlgari logo apart from here. Everything else is about lines that are taken from the jewelry. And so I feel it's a more sophisticated way to approach a bag.
Talking about the story that you want to tell, what type of woman do you imagine wearing the bag?
MK: Well, I am personally a Bvlgari woman, so I feel quite confident when i'm designing. Because if everything goes wrong, I can always question myself, “Would i wear it?”. But a Bvlgari woman is somebody who's very confident. She’s cultured. She’s very generous. She's very positive. You know, it's not that everyone needs to fit that mold. But the Bvlgari woman that I have in mind are women who are very confident. They're fearless. They're boss women. They're very cultured and they appreciate, you know, arts and design. And also they're generous with their time, with their spirit, with their personality. They're open. They're warm. So I always see Bvlgari as a brand that is a warm brand. A very feminine brand. A very positive brand. There's no facade. It's not a cold detached… I mean, it's Italian, how can it be? So there's a soul there, and I think the woman is exactly the same.
So I have a fun question. In designing bags, what do you think of micro bags, the tiny ones? Do you like them?
MK: What do you mean, do I like to wear them or do I like that they exist?
Yes, do you like to wear them?
MK: I don't like to wear them but I think they're super fun and I love seeing it as an object. So I've never really bought a bag like that to carry. I'm a busy woman. I need function.
What's the smallest bag you can carry?
MK: Well the Ginkgo bag doesn't fit a phone. I love it so much that I don't even care if the phone doesn't fit, I hold it anyway. Even when I go up here, my phone is with me on the other hand. So I think people are used to it. I think micro bags are so fun and we do them at Bvlgari as well. But, you know for me a design, when it comes to an extension of your everyday life, it needs to cover function. Then of course styling, that's fun too. Nothing against having something just to complete your look.
What do you think your bag should match? Like your shoes?
MK: No, your bag doesn't need to match anything. Your bag is your bag. I was thinking, I mean I wear always black so it doesn't matter, I can wear any colored bag so I don't count. But I don't think your bag needs to match your shoes.
What about your jewelry?
MK: It should complement your jewelry. They shouldn't fight each other. They should be friendly with each other. You can be very open to invite any friend but they need to like each other.
What should we look forward to in the future?
MK: You should look forward to a lot more amazing things we're working on, evening bags that we haven't yet done. We have a project called Heritage Icons and they're all minaudières that are coming up next year that I'm so excited about. Building into the Diva's Dream pillar because it's new and then continuing to reinvent Serpenti because Serpenti is Serpenti. You know, you constantly need to transform it and change it and get people excited by it because it's the biggest, strongest icon of Bvlgari in jewelry and in bags.
