Breaking the Mould
A fourth-generation jeweller working out of her family company’s Paris headquarters, Gaia Repossi discusses the family legacy and her inspirations
After studying painting and archaeology, you moved into the family business in 2007 as creative and artistic director. You were 21. How did you see yourself influencing the business? My desire was to oversee a simple evolution in design, while respecting the heritage of the brand. My duty was to ensure the growth and the stability of the house, but also to express, like my father did, creativity with the same passion. I am the first woman to design in my family and I try create simple yet effective designs in phase with the time. How does your passion for contemporary art, modern sculpture and architecture influence your creative process? The arts inspire me. I originally wanted to be a painter, and I find my design process quite close to that of an architect’s. I find a shape, a pattern or a reference where I see the jewel before I even draw it. What are your favourite materials to work with? I learnt from my father how to work with gems, and I like to work with the purest ones. With my simple yet radical designs, I prefer fancy shades over vivid ones which are light in tone and low in saturation. You’ve done an amazing job attracting a much younger audience. How did you manage to do this? I remember when I was a teenager, my parents wanted me to wear my father’s designs and I felt like they just didn’t work for me. The cool factor was missing. I wanted something clean and pure, something that simply moves with the stone as accents of lights on the hand or body parts. I believe it’s my constant search for timeless purity with the most sophisticated gems, giving them a lasting expression, that has drawn a new audience to the brand. If you weren’t designing jewellery or working in the family business, what would you be doing? Painting, or I used to write as well. My partner and I love travelling to the most remote places in the world, just to be surrounded by nature. But who says you can’t do both? It’s my belief that work and life should be the same vehicle, driven by the same passion and joy.