Prada Launches First Fine Jewelry Line
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MILAN — Prada will unveil on Wednesday its first fine jewelry line, which is breaking ground as the first one made with 100 percent certified recycled gold by a global luxury brand, said Lorenzo Bertelli, group head of corporate social responsibility.
“This was not a simple objective, and we are very happy we’ve succeeded because it allows us to set a new standard in the industry,” said Bertelli. “Right from the start we wanted to do jewelry in a different and more radical way with a strong message and offering full traceability, shifting outdated industry standards to mirror societal change.”
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To mark the launch Prada is rolling out a campaign photographed by David Sims and fronted by award-winning American poet and activist Amanda Gorman; American actor, model and singer-songwriter Maya Hawke, and Dutch-Korean-Canadian musician Somi Jeon.
Classic portraits are juxtaposed with gold-gilded reflections for a “visually strong and immediate campaign, recognizably different from others in the category,” said Bertelli.
Prada has also assembled a team on the jewelry industrial division that is working on the line, which is called Eternal Gold, and helmed by Timothy Iwata as Prada jewelry director. Prior to joining Prada, Iwata was global innovation officer at Cartier.
Clearly, Miuccia Prada’s longtime passion for jewelry has been instrumental in the launch. “Timothy was surprised to see how involved and knowledgeable in the history of jewelry my mother is,” said Bertelli.
“She has fun freeing her creativity on the jewels,” he said with a knowing smile.
At the core of the collection is Prada’s signature triangle motif, which harks back to the brand’s founder Mario Prada and a focus on 18-karat gold.
The triangle appears as a clasp closure on earrings and pendants or on ribbon chokers, while its angles shape chain links and hearts or the head of a snaked bracelet. Proportions are reconsidered, with pendants supersized, for example.
Asked about the increasing relevance of the triangle at Prada, Bertelli said his mother started with co-creative director Raf Simons working on the logo on the fashion collections a few seasons ago, but observed that “now they are working on the abstraction of the logo and more on the shape, there’s been an evolution.”
Prices range from four figures to $60,000. The debut collection features 48 pieces, of which 10 designs are available on a made-to-order basis, which Bertelli said will be further expanded in the future.
Bertelli said 100 percent of the gold used in Prada’s fine jewelry collection is Certified Recycled Gold, meeting “Chain of Custody” standards set by the Responsible Jewelry Council.
Every step of Prada’s responsible gold and diamond production chain is verifiable and traceable —something offered by no other fine jewelry or luxury fashion house in the world, contended Bertelli.
“Prada’s recycled gold is drawn only from eligible recycled material sources, in compliance with due diligence — including industrial gold, from electronic components and postconsumer precious objects,” explained the executive. “Prada partners exclusively with those suppliers of precious metal and stones who meet the highest industry standards concerning human rights, labor safety, environmental impact and business ethics.”
Also new for fine jewelry, records of this verification have been logged on the Aura Consortium Blockchain ́s platform and can be accessed by the collection’s customers, who will be able to verify the authenticity and trace the provenance of their pieces.
Prada, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and Compagnie Financière Richemont joined forces to establish the Aura Blockchain Consortium in April 2021, with the aim of promoting the use of a single blockchain solution open to all luxury brands worldwide to help consumers trace the provenance and authenticity of luxury goods. They were joined as founding members by the OTB Group and Mercedes-Benz.
Bertelli observed that the reduction of mining of new gold benefits the environment and human rights, and while traceability of diamond origins is conventionally only possible with stones of 0.5 carat or larger, Prada expands the concept, for the first time, to stones of all sizes.
The collection is the latest step in Prada’s commitment to sustainability and responsible practices, such as the shift to its recycled Re-Nylon production.
The prototypes are created internally but the jewelry is all made in Italy, almost entirely in the Valenza goldsmith hub. Hand stone-setting, cutting and polishing are combined with laser engraving and 3D print prototyping.
Prada started on this project around two years ago, revealing it at the group’s Capital Markets Day in November 2021, and Bertelli said in that time he has learned “very different dynamics” compared to the fashion industry. For example, he is now aware of clusters of “customers that are not really interested in fashion but who buy only jewelry.” This was reflected in a strategy mapped out for the launch to avoid the mistake of targeting the same customer, he observed.
The next step for the brand is a high jewelry collection.
The collection will be distributed in Prada stores only from Wednesday in Europe, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, the U.S., China, Japan and Korea in cities ranging from Milan, Rome and Paris to London, Dubai, Beverly Hills, New York, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai and Beijing, among others.
It will also be available online from Oct. 17 in selected countries in Europe, the United Arab Emirates, the U.S., China, Japan and Korea.
