Natalia Brilli Jewellery / Accessory designer
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laika,i love that pic of her!! 
could one be so beautiful whilst riding their bicycle?!
i don't speak french fluently but from what i gathered in her statement of the designers she personally loves,speaks volumes. branquinho,margiela and gaultier. she'd be a great bruno p. girl too! should post that pic though on best personal style thread if it still exists.
could one be so beautiful whilst riding their bicycle?!i don't speak french fluently but from what i gathered in her statement of the designers she personally loves,speaks volumes. branquinho,margiela and gaultier. she'd be a great bruno p. girl too! should post that pic though on best personal style thread if it still exists.
laika,i love that pic of her!!
i don't speak french fluently but from what i gathered in her statement of the designers she personally loves,speaks volumes. branquinho,margiela and gaultier. she'd be a great bruno p. girl too! should post that pic though on best personal style thread if it still exists.
I think women are often beautiful when riding bicycles but I hate that techno fabric + hi-tech bike thing.
About designers: she said that she saw images of a Margiela show in '91 and was impressed by his reluctance to play the star, use of mystery and way of turning a runway show into a happening. She mentions that at the time the press was all over the flamboyant Gaultier and she liked the different approach of the low-key Margiela. She also listed Branquinho as a designer she likes but didn't explain why. If you guys want me to I can translate part/the whole article for you, some good points in there.
By the way her two favourite fashion blogs (she's more into decoration/interior design and sees her creation as "object" more than fashion) are the sartorialist and suzie bubble's blog.
I have a friend who was supposed to intern for her but is now interning at Bless, he's the one who told me about the duffle (never seen it), I wish I had a picture, it sounds gorgeous.
^please! 
yeah,she kind of hinted at the object sensibility in a small article in american elle. which to add about the decor,she collects interesting things like texidermy,coral and medical-school paraphernelia.
awww,she likes our very own susie! fab...
yeah,she kind of hinted at the object sensibility in a small article in american elle. which to add about the decor,she collects interesting things like texidermy,coral and medical-school paraphernelia.
awww,she likes our very own susie! fab...
Ok, I'll translate it this week. I'll write to her first to make amends in advance for the butchering of her prose + she listed tFS in her links so I wouldn't want her to come upon it all messed up without prior notice, don't want to cause a heat attack. 
Translated the first two paragraphs.
Hi Natalia. What is your profession?
I create accessories. I started covering Sautoirs with leather during my studies at the French institute of fashion (postgraduate studies in creation). I love the softness and matte aspect that leather gives to jewellery, usually sought after for its shine. Since then, each of my creations has been covered in treated lambskin, (a material) which became my signature. I launched my brand in 2004, with the help of my boyfriend Lionel. My experimentations has progressively expended to other types of jewellery, up to the creation of a line of bags that now represent 30% of sales.
You did not chose the easy path : leather is a luxurious material, expensive and difficult to work with.
Yes, you need a lot of know-how, but this is also what protects us from knock-offs. I use high quality treated lambskin, the same employed by large fashion houses like Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Since I like voluminous bags, I need large, flawless skins….which are onerous. Added to that are the cost of labour – all our jewellery are hand-made in our Parisian workshop while the bags are made in France or Italy. Consequently, at the retail level, the quality of our products has a price (250 euros for a Sautoir and 1000 euros for a large bag).
Hi Natalia. What is your profession?
I create accessories. I started covering Sautoirs with leather during my studies at the French institute of fashion (postgraduate studies in creation). I love the softness and matte aspect that leather gives to jewellery, usually sought after for its shine. Since then, each of my creations has been covered in treated lambskin, (a material) which became my signature. I launched my brand in 2004, with the help of my boyfriend Lionel. My experimentations has progressively expended to other types of jewellery, up to the creation of a line of bags that now represent 30% of sales.
You did not chose the easy path : leather is a luxurious material, expensive and difficult to work with.
Yes, you need a lot of know-how, but this is also what protects us from knock-offs. I use high quality treated lambskin, the same employed by large fashion houses like Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Since I like voluminous bags, I need large, flawless skins….which are onerous. Added to that are the cost of labour – all our jewellery are hand-made in our Parisian workshop while the bags are made in France or Italy. Consequently, at the retail level, the quality of our products has a price (250 euros for a Sautoir and 1000 euros for a large bag).
To be clear, the two paragraphs above are translated from the following website (Laika posted the link on the previous page).
http://blogs.lexpress.fr/cafe-mode/2007/11/un_cafe_avec_natalia_brilli.html
http://blogs.lexpress.fr/cafe-mode/2007/11/un_cafe_avec_natalia_brilli.html
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Here's the complete translated interview (taken from: http://blogs.lexpress.fr/cafe-mode/2...ia_brilli.html)
Hi Natalia. What is your profession?
I create accessories. I started covering Sautoirs with leather during my studies at the French institute of fashion (postgraduate studies in creation). I love the softness and matte aspect that leather gives to jewellery, usually sought after for its shine. Since then, each of my creations has been covered in treated lambskin, (a material) which became my signature. I launched my brand in 2004, with the help of my boyfriend Lionel. My experimentations has progressively expended to other types of jewellery, up to the creation of a line of bags that now represent 30% of sales.
You did not chose the easy path : leather is a luxurious material, expensive and difficult to work with.
Yes, you need a lot of know-how, but this is also what protects us from knock-offs. I use high quality treated lambskin, the same employed by large fashion houses like Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Since I like voluminous bags, I need large, flawless skins….which are onerous. Added to that are the cost of labour – all our jewellery are hand-made in our Parisian workshop while the bags are made in France or Italy. Consequently, at the retail level, the quality of our products has a price (250 euros for a Sautoir and 1000 euros for a large bag).
How would you define your style?
I like to stay away from trends. I buy one or two great pieces every season that I see as investment I’ll still enjoy in five years. I am rarely mistaken as I know what fits me well. As an example, today I’m wearing a Burberry coat bought on sale three years ago…but that already had ¾ sleeves, I was in advance!
To complement those accent pieces I’m in the same boat as everyone; I go to Zara and COS for disposable fashion. I also like Brussels second-hand stores where I often find beautiful, angular dresses from the 40s, in navy or black crepe (the day of the interview she’s wearing a great high-waisted black Louis Vuitton dress made of wool jersey.
When it comes to shoes I have a soft spot for cavalry boots that I wear year-round, even with bare legs. Truth be told I’m having a progressively harder time enduring heels.
Who are your favourite designers?
Martin Margiela is, to me, an important creator. In 1991, when I was still studying at la Cambre (in scenic writing/scripting), I was shocked the first time I saw images of one of his runway shows. At the time the highly mediatized Jean-Paul Gaultier was the talk of the town and suddenly someone arrived with a totally different attitude, refusing to act like a star and preferring to surround his shows/happenings with an air of mystery. It was very new. I have a couple of pieces from him that I still wear, year after year. Time has no grasp on them; they never fall out of fashion. I also like the style of Véronique Branquinho. That’s it: Margiela and Branquinho, those are two brands with which a can create a personal connection.
What is your favourite activity do to in Paris?
I like to nourish myself with the various expos that are held here. I love going to the Grand Palais, at the Louvre, at the Orsay museum. Sometimes, I get enough inspiration just visiting one room. I also have a soft spot for the Museum of natural history and the FragonardMuseum of the Maisons-Alfort veterinarian school. It’s a little bit trash (in English in the original text, French speakers often use trash nowadays) with all these “flayed” (human corpses arranged by the famous anatomist) but I like the atmosphere of curiosity cabinet (I can’t translate that stuff, it’s a weaker version of “freak show”, like going to a wax museum or something like that).
Do you read blogs?
Yes I’m a big fan of American interior design blogs. My Netvibes is full of them!! Strangely I get more inspiration out of them than fashion blogs, surely because I consider my jewellery to be objects at their core. My favourite are:
Reference LibraryScout HolidayLiving in Andylandhoping for happy accidentsdesire to inspiredesign*spongeinnumerable goodsHabitually Chic
"O"
Coco + KelleyOh Joy!
(she also mentions reading the sartorialist and style bubble + a couple of French blogs including one about food)
What is your favourite coffee house in Paris?
The Saint Gervais, on Vieille du Temple Street, right in front of my showroom. There’s no better place to learn about fashion rumours. Everyone passes right by!
They mention her email address and where you can get her merchandise :
Paris (Maria Luisa, 58M, Lobato). Sold at about 60 sales point around the world including Barneys NY, Liberty and Harrods for London and On Pedder and Joyce in HK.
Hi Natalia. What is your profession?
I create accessories. I started covering Sautoirs with leather during my studies at the French institute of fashion (postgraduate studies in creation). I love the softness and matte aspect that leather gives to jewellery, usually sought after for its shine. Since then, each of my creations has been covered in treated lambskin, (a material) which became my signature. I launched my brand in 2004, with the help of my boyfriend Lionel. My experimentations has progressively expended to other types of jewellery, up to the creation of a line of bags that now represent 30% of sales.
You did not chose the easy path : leather is a luxurious material, expensive and difficult to work with.
Yes, you need a lot of know-how, but this is also what protects us from knock-offs. I use high quality treated lambskin, the same employed by large fashion houses like Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Since I like voluminous bags, I need large, flawless skins….which are onerous. Added to that are the cost of labour – all our jewellery are hand-made in our Parisian workshop while the bags are made in France or Italy. Consequently, at the retail level, the quality of our products has a price (250 euros for a Sautoir and 1000 euros for a large bag).
How would you define your style?
I like to stay away from trends. I buy one or two great pieces every season that I see as investment I’ll still enjoy in five years. I am rarely mistaken as I know what fits me well. As an example, today I’m wearing a Burberry coat bought on sale three years ago…but that already had ¾ sleeves, I was in advance!
To complement those accent pieces I’m in the same boat as everyone; I go to Zara and COS for disposable fashion. I also like Brussels second-hand stores where I often find beautiful, angular dresses from the 40s, in navy or black crepe (the day of the interview she’s wearing a great high-waisted black Louis Vuitton dress made of wool jersey.
When it comes to shoes I have a soft spot for cavalry boots that I wear year-round, even with bare legs. Truth be told I’m having a progressively harder time enduring heels.
Who are your favourite designers?
Martin Margiela is, to me, an important creator. In 1991, when I was still studying at la Cambre (in scenic writing/scripting), I was shocked the first time I saw images of one of his runway shows. At the time the highly mediatized Jean-Paul Gaultier was the talk of the town and suddenly someone arrived with a totally different attitude, refusing to act like a star and preferring to surround his shows/happenings with an air of mystery. It was very new. I have a couple of pieces from him that I still wear, year after year. Time has no grasp on them; they never fall out of fashion. I also like the style of Véronique Branquinho. That’s it: Margiela and Branquinho, those are two brands with which a can create a personal connection.
What is your favourite activity do to in Paris?
I like to nourish myself with the various expos that are held here. I love going to the Grand Palais, at the Louvre, at the Orsay museum. Sometimes, I get enough inspiration just visiting one room. I also have a soft spot for the Museum of natural history and the FragonardMuseum of the Maisons-Alfort veterinarian school. It’s a little bit trash (in English in the original text, French speakers often use trash nowadays) with all these “flayed” (human corpses arranged by the famous anatomist) but I like the atmosphere of curiosity cabinet (I can’t translate that stuff, it’s a weaker version of “freak show”, like going to a wax museum or something like that).
Do you read blogs?
Yes I’m a big fan of American interior design blogs. My Netvibes is full of them!! Strangely I get more inspiration out of them than fashion blogs, surely because I consider my jewellery to be objects at their core. My favourite are:
Reference LibraryScout HolidayLiving in Andylandhoping for happy accidentsdesire to inspiredesign*spongeinnumerable goodsHabitually Chic
"O"
Coco + KelleyOh Joy!
(she also mentions reading the sartorialist and style bubble + a couple of French blogs including one about food)
What is your favourite coffee house in Paris?
The Saint Gervais, on Vieille du Temple Street, right in front of my showroom. There’s no better place to learn about fashion rumours. Everyone passes right by!
They mention her email address and where you can get her merchandise :
Paris (Maria Luisa, 58M, Lobato). Sold at about 60 sales point around the world including Barneys NY, Liberty and Harrods for London and On Pedder and Joyce in HK.
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many thanks fuuma for taking the time. quite refreshingly insightful. and like she says of margiela,i would venture to have the same sentiments of her own work. it's just a different aesthetic than what we percieve of jewellery. and it's timeless!
i love how she describes her style and her shopping expeditions. disposable fashion. commendable that she admits to disposable(appropriate term!)fashion.
i love how she describes her style and her shopping expeditions. disposable fashion. commendable that she admits to disposable(appropriate term!)fashion.
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Thanks so much for doing that Fuuma!
She sounds so unbelievably cool. I really enjoyed hearing about her personal style preferences, actually. Branquinho & Margiela....a woman after my own heart.
BTW, I noticed that Bblessing carries a few of her men's pieces.
She sounds so unbelievably cool. I really enjoyed hearing about her personal style preferences, actually. Branquinho & Margiela....a woman after my own heart.
BTW, I noticed that Bblessing carries a few of her men's pieces.
Thanks so much for doing that Fuuma!
She sounds so unbelievably cool. I really enjoyed hearing about her personal style preferences, actually. Branquinho & Margiela....a woman after my own heart.
BTW, I noticed that Bblessing carries a few of her men's pieces.
Barney's carries the women's line. Project No 8 and Erie Basin aswell!
Thanks so much for doing that Fuuma!
She sounds so unbelievably cool. I really enjoyed hearing about her personal style preferences, actually. Branquinho & Margiela....a woman after my own heart.
BTW, I noticed that Bblessing carries a few of her men's pieces.
Really, the only NYC salespoint where I saw some pieces was Barneys.
