Courtesy of Bulgari
In an exclusive sit-down with Vogue Philippines, Mary Katrantzou, Bulgari’s newly minted creative director for leather goods and accessories, talks about the inspiration behind the Calla collection and why she thinks there may be a little bit of a Bulgari woman in all of us.
“I said guys, look no further,” declares Mary Katrantzou, in an interview with Vogue Philippines during Paris Fashion Week. “It’s a pattern that is already in our world. It’s already Bulgari, we just need to take it and allow it to grow.” The fashion designer and Bulgari’s first creative director for leather goods and accessories is, of course, talking about the inspiration behind her debut collection, the Calla.
She talks to Vogue Philippines editor-in-chief Bea Valdes over coffee, narrating what had first drawn her to the sensuous Calla pattern. “So, I was researching Divas’ Dream, to go deeper into the inspiration behind Divas’ Dream as a collection. And I came across a picture of Jean-Christophe [Babin, Bulgari CEO] at the Thermal Baths of Caracalla, looking at the mosaic floor, at the time that Bulgari supported its restoration,” she begins. As part of its advocacy to preserve Roman and Italian history, Bulgari sponsored the restoration of the Terme di Caracalla, among other ancient works of art.
“As soon as I saw the motif, I realized I’d seen it at the Bulgari Hotel Spa. It also exists at Via Condotti … It’s also in other Bulgari sites around the world,” she shares. Heralded as one of the seven wonders of Rome in antiquity, the marble mosaic’s tessellations thus became the de facto muse to the Calla collection. “I realized that it’s, first of all, already part of the Bulgari universe. And second of all, connects with our Roman roots in a very authentic way. Third it connects to Diva’s Dream, which is, let’s say an icon-to-be, on its way to becoming a Bulgari icon.”
With this as her creative catalyst, Katrantzou lays down this collection as her “statement of intent,” keen on highlighting the Calla as a beloved entry into Bulgari’s rich lexicon of design. “There’s so much you can do once you establish a pattern that people see as an identity,” she shares.
And indeed, Katrantzou presents different incarnations of this curvilinear fan. For day, it is quilted into nappa leather in the “Serpenti Sugarloaf.” It is then enlarged and incorporated into the dome-shaped silhouette of the “Marquise” bag. Then, in its pure singular form, it emerges in the bejeweled Gingko clutch, spotlighting how this leitmotif is also one found in nature.
As a Maison revered for its expositions into haute joaillerie, the pieces intrinsically marry function with adornment. The “Serpenti Duo,” for instance, glitters with hand-set pave crystals in a design echoing the Roman mosaics. In the “Calla” evening clutch, that pattern is then expressed in openwork gold metal, giving it a “gem-like preciousness.”
Incidentally, the word Calla is drawn from the Greek meaning “magnificent beauty,” adding another layer to the pattern’s narrative.
And while Katrantzou had only assumed her position in April of this year, the designer’s ties to the brand go way back. Born in Greece, she shares the same roots as Bulgari founder Sotirio Bulgari. “I always loved Bulgari as a brand from as far back as I can remember. My first graduation gift from my father was a Bulgari watch. My first collection out of fashion was a collection based on oversized jewelry,” says the Central Saint Martins graduate.
She then collaborated with the brand in 2019 as part of her eponymous clothing label’s Spring 2020 couture show. Staged at the Temple of Poseidon in Athens, models clad in intricately embellished gowns walked the runway adorned with spectacular high jewelry pieces from Bulgari. “I realized Bulgari was a huge part of that beauty, and I realized that there is a connection in the richness of the narrative and the symbolic meaning behind Bulgari pieces,” she conveys.
Katrantzou and Bulgari would once again come together for two capsule bag collections. Dubbed “Serpenti through the eyes of,” the ornate pieces draw inspiration from the Maison’s serpentine emblem, reimagined through Katrantzou’s playfully creative lens. The Athens-born creative also delved into fragrances with her own take on the Bulgari Omnia, deepening their symbiotic relationship. “There’s a lot of synergy,” she shares.
When asked who she envisions as a Bulgari woman, a portrait of confidence and complexity emerges. “I would say she’s a woman who’s very generous in spirit, and warm, and fearless, and bold and self-assured,” she declares. “She really knows who she is.”
There is indeed a vivacious Italian spirit to Bulgari, but one that has transcended cultures the same way good design or art does. To Katrantzou, it is also something of a mentality and a host of inimitable yet magnetic qualities. “It’s being appreciative of design, being generous with your time, with your family, the people you meet. I think it’s a certain quality of woman,” she shares.
Later on in the interview, she declares, “I think we actually need to bring out the Bulgari in everyone.”
