After the long, grey days of winter, we are all ready for a little color, light, and levity. There are few better ways to accomplish this than with the vibrant hues of a tropical landscape. While lush, tropical prints motifs for spring and summer are certainly nothing new, and it’s been a new fashion seasons now since the television show Portlandia mocked the bird motifs trend by urging crafters everywhere to “put a bird on it.” However, neither of those things stopped jewellery designer Daniela Villegas from creating one of the most covetable capsule collections of the season, and made using those two very motifs, no less.
Villegas has been designing under her own name since 2008, and is particularly known for using organic motifs such as animals and leaves in her designs. True to form, she has created the 8-piece capsule collection for Ferragamo around the theme of a love for travel and nature; an idea that was originally inspired by the seeding of one of Ferragamo’s silk scarves. The collection consists of necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets, and
In a promotional video for the collection, Villegas had this to say about the source of her inspiration.
I have always been inspired by nature. It’s what I believe in, where I learn, and where I find my answers. It’s where I go to reconnect with the world, be in peace, it makes me happy. The bird is a symbol of freedom. They soar high into the sky. They’re a symbol of eternal life
According to Elle Magazine, the collection is “crafted by Italian goldsmiths in sterling silver, topaz, amethyst, gold, and diamonds.” Featuring whimsical parakeets and birdcages, pieces range in price from $240 to $10,000. Some limited edition pieces created in gold and diamonds are available in selected stores.
Daniela Villegas is based in Los Angeles, where she creates her mostly-made-to-order jewellery line. Her pieces are also available in select boutiques such as Net-a-Porter and Moda Operandi. Villegas’ namesake webpage, in addition to showcasing many of the various lines she has designed (that you can also order), has this to day about her artistry.
Her intense curiosity of nature’s nuances combined with her artistic sensibility, is clearly expressed in each of her delicate yet powerful creations. Most pieces are one of a kind carefully hand made with a strong emphasis in craft and details.
he often combines real organic elements such as beetles, porcupine quills, feathers, shells, pebbles and wood with 18K gold in every color mixed with precious and semi precious stones.
My own personal sartorial ethos is very much in line with Villegas’, and this line speaks directly to my soul, as I’m guessing it will for a lot of you as well. The fact that she manages to incorporate “real” items such as feathers, bottles, and quills into her unquestionably high-end work is utterly fascinating, and I can’t get enough of it.
The collection for Ferragamo is very much on-point when you consider Villegas’ point of view as a designer; they simply couldn’t have picked a better person for the job. The collection’s “mission statement” (if you want to call it that) on the Ferragamo website it this.
Ferragamo celebrated its long-standing love of nature and travel with a new capsule collection; a women’s jewelry collaboration with designer Daniela Villegas. Juxtaposing the magical world of nature with complex craftsmanship and exquisite materials, the collection depicts the themes of freedom and exploration through the prism of wild birds.
The heart of the collection sees Daniela Villegas playfully channel the highly colored birds and wildlife that feature on iconic silk scarves and the Ars shoe designed by Salvatore in the late 1950s.
In addition to the love of travel and nature, there was an even more specific inspiration for this collection. Villegas cites a quote by Salvatore Ferragamo himself as one of the main reasons she chose birds as the central inspiration for the capsule collection.
I believe the answer is simple. I believe that it is due to nature, I discovered these existing years that nature heals her own woulds when she is given her freedom”
