“I worked for a lot of big brands as a designer, but there came a time when I didn’t believe in my job anymore”

DA: Will you direct the Dietrich brand to collaborate with other brands? ED: No, not for now, because I want to build Dietrich to be a strong brand first. We are too young to attract the attention of well-established companies. If IWC is making straps with Santoni, that makes sense because both are on par in terms of their respective fields of expertise. So, I prefer to wait and enhance the brand first before venturing on any sort of collaboration. DA: So far Dietrich has been focusing on the Organic Time series, which is very contemporary in design. How did you start the project? ED: Well, I started this project five years ago. At the beginning, I created more classical watches, but then I couldn’t find a spot in the market—the competition was packed. So I had to go back to the drawing board, and sort of reinvent my signature for the project. January last year I came up with the first prototype which I had complete confidence in, and the brand has been progressing since then. DA: What’s the big picture for Dietrich? What will it be in, say, the next ten years? ED: Ideally, I want Dietrich to be the avant-garde version of Hermès—in other words, the Hermès for our generation. I mean, I love Hermès, but I want to build more “exciting” products with a strong passion for materials and a very modern touch suitable for people in my generation and for my son. That’s why I’d love to have leather goods, accessories and more. DA: When will those Dietrich products be ready for the market? ED: We’ll begin with cufflinks this year, and the whole range of products should be available in three to five years. At the same time, we will have our mono-store ready. It should be a place with a very cool atmosphere and a mix of products, including coffees and wines. It’s not going to be all about watches, I’ll make sure of that, because that would be a bit boring.

I now have some ideas for the interior. I love picking materials that could give you a surprising tactile experience. One idea is to have the same material for the wall and the floor. That way, it’ll make a very strong