PHOTOGRAPHY: VINCENT FERRANÉ WRITER: LAURA HAWKINS
CHAIN REACTION
Byredo’s Ben Gorham links with Charlotte Chesnais for his jewellery debut
In a way, fragrance and jewellery both play
a contradictory role, designed as they are to
elevate the personality of the wearer, yet also
to become an almost imperceptible element
of their character. ‘Jewellery has to be almost
invisible, yet have real strength,’ says Byredo
founder Ben Gorham, who was struck by
this dichotomy a year ago, when he asked the
Paris-based jeweller Charlotte Chesnais to
create a simple chain for him.
From pieces owned by Gorham’s Indian
mother to midcentury Navajo designs,
jewellery has long fascinated the former
professional basketball player, who launched
Byredo in 2006 with a series of niche scents.
After dabbling in homeware and bodycare,
the Stockholm- and New York-based brand
produced its first handbag line in 2017, a movethat piqued Gorham’s interest in metalwork.
Byredo’s jewellery debut, the Value Chain
collection, was designed in collaboration
with Chesnais and is inspired by the chain
she created for Gorham. The collection spans
from a dazzling pavé-encrusted gold necklace
to a utilitarian sterling silver bracelet, as well
as rings and earrings. ‘Because I don’t have
a background in jewellery, I tried to take a
few steps back when conceiving the designs,’
Gorham says of the pieces, formed fromchunky links connected with metal double (^) »
GORHAM AND CHESNAIS WEAR
JEWELLERY FROM THE NEW VALUE CHAIN
COLLECTION (GORHAM ALSO WEARS THE
CHAIN THAT INSPIRED THE PROJECT) IN
BYREDO’S PARIS STORE, WITH WALL ART
BY M/M (PARIS)
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Jewellery