The year is 2008, and the world is reeling from one of the worst financial crises in recent times. In between the fiscal turmoil, a young fashion graduate sets foot in the market with a unique trompe l’œil style that would eventually have her dubbed as the ‘queen of prints’. In the years to follow, veritable fashion icons from Beyoncé and Zendaya to Michelle Obama would gravitate towards her mood-boosting creations. And now, designer Mary Katrantzou steps into yet another significant chapter of her career: scripting a new future as the first-ever creative director of leather goods and accessories at Bulgari.
For Katrantzou, the luxury fashion house’s seminal prints have always served as a source of influence. After all, she was born in Greece—the same country as the luxury brand’s founder, Sotirio Bulgari, in the nineteenth century. However, the duo lay claim to more points of intersection than their mutual Greek origins. “My work has always been thematic and this importance that we place on storytelling is something that we have in common. When you have an incredible story to tell, your work becomes so much more purposeful,” she shares in a conversation with ELLE.
It is perhaps this synergy of ideas that would lead the duo to dream up several highly coveted collaborations over the years—from contemporising the Serpenti Forever bag to a bespoke eau de parfum. And while she may be stepping into the role of the first creative director of leather goods and accessories at the Italian fashion house, a more momentous coming together of these two forces of fashion was inevitable.
“Our relationship evolved naturally over the years,” she reminisces. This was further fuelled by the need for a creative director to step in and script the next chapter for this segment of Bulgari’s offerings. So, what can we expect from her debut collection? As the first order of business, Katrantzou funnelled her creative energies into developing a motif that serves as an identifier, beyond the Serpenti. As she dug deeper into research, she chanced upon the unveiling of the Terme di Caracalla that was restored under the patronage of Bulgari. On the mosaic floors, a sinuously curved fan caught her eye, its Roman origins serving as a fitting tribute to the development of the ‘Calla’ leitmotif that would anchor her debut collection.
“After all, do we really need another box bag with a logo stamped on?” she quips and then elaborates, “It’s a beautiful thing to be able to self-reference. It’s a beautiful thing to rely on decades of incredible archival history. I have always believed that when you carry a Bulgari bag, it feels like you’re carrying a piece of jewellery.”
Her reflections come at a time of fashion’s great renaissance. As she puts it, fashion is rediscovering its own value system. In her experience, the modern tastemaker of today is now interested in the journey of an object. Where was it made? How was it made? What was the inspiration? Why will this piece be important a hundred years down the line? “When you have a system that is in a little bit of turmoil, you want to connect with things that have stood the test of time. You connect to their values and know that it will be an investment for years to come. Ultimately, the point of distinction for us is not merely using the Bulgari logo—we do it through the use of incredible symbols that have a rich story to tell,” she concludes.
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