For Nadine Ghosn, jewels can be at once fine and fun.
The Stanford University-educated designer who cut her teeth at the Boston Consulting Group and Hermès before launching her own brand in 2016 is by her own admission an outsider in the jewelry world.
Yet eight years and eight collections in, this “one-woman show” who still personally answers the DMs of her brand’s account has made her mark with items shaped like burgers, sushi, bike chains and even a spaghetti-wrapped fork — with a sprinkling of caviar, natch.
Never one for the easy road, she even stood outside Lego’s headquarters for five hours to get the email to the toy manufacturer’s legal representative ahead of the launch of her collection nodding to the famous building blocks.
Ghosn says she plays best with those “who gravitate toward their inner child” — clients and brands alike. So much so that many of her designs turn into a dialogue between the two parties. Over the years, those conversations have also turned into hookups that include a Bling Mac with McDonald’s, access bracelets for the Frieze art fair in London and precious croissants with hit pastry chef Cédric Grolet.
And her no-holds-barred approach to turning the ordinary into gem-set pieces has caught the eye of the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Beyoncé, Drake and, most recently, Lil Yachty, spotted with a crayon-shaped bangle.
Here, Ghosn discusses why food is precious to her, making the everyday into precious markers of time, and watches.
WWD Weekend: A BIC pen, a pencil and now a crayon. Why are you reaching for the first writing instrument many of us used for your latest creation?
Nadine Ghosn: I naturally reached for wax crayons because they unlocked creativity and creation. A formative, therapeutic and expressive experience — I always seemed to color outside the lines.
Writing instruments have power. They are a reminder that you write your own story and empower our voices but it also nods to the importance of education, which not everyone has the privilege to access.
WWD Weekend: Why do you like playing with your food?
N.G.: I love things that bring together communities and culture. I am an avid traveler and self-proclaimed nomad. Food is such a unifying medium. And how universal can you get with a hamburger? It’s funny because everyone has their own preference for a stack — jewelry or food. Burgers for me symbolize McDonald’s and happy meals — a childhood memory I fondly cherish.
WWD Weekend: What’s the first object you wanted to turn into jewelry?
N.G.: I am attracted to the things we use everyday and rarely notice. I’m always in pursuit of making the ordinary extraordinary in my craft and give those hidden heroes a moment to shine.
Some of these pieces are like trackers in time, like the headphones, the first item I turned into a necklace. At the time in New York City, everyone was sporting corded headphones looped in their own way. I wanted to glorify and glamorize this by turning it into a timeless memento.
WWD Weekend: What is your motto in life?
N.G.: Creativity is an outlet for me. As an outsider who never fit in, when I started, I was told continuously I would fail as I didn’t have the background or pedigree to make it in the highly fragmented competitive [jewelry] industry. I want to instill in others the belief that when there is passion, conviction and vision, there is a way forward. Sometimes, being different is your superpower.
WWD Weekend: Who are your inspirations, past or present?
N.G.: There’s Elizabeth Taylor — those diamonds! — but Karl Lagerfeld and Drake inspire me as they are so creative, charming and positive. They empower others while constantly pushing their limits, without pigeonholing themselves to one outlet or medium.
People everyday inspire me too. The way they wear, sport, stack and identify with their pieces often impacts me subconsciously.
WWD Weekend: What is your advice to wear jewelry in the day-to-day?
N.G.: Wear pieces that bring you joy and represents key moments in your life. These mementos should be worn daily and regularly. My pieces are not meant to sit in a safe. Nothing brings me more joy than witnessing clients wearing pieces regularly. It becomes their conversation starter, a form of self-expression.
WWD Weekend: Watches also regularly feature in your arm stacks. Are you a collector?
N.G.: Although many people fancy the mechanism, I appreciate them from a design perspective and always have. I see watches as I do jewelry, as a form of expression. As a kid, I would have a [toy] watch on one wrist and beaded jewels on the other. Not much has changed.
My collection is eclectic, spanning a Swatch Caramellissima that looks like candies on a string; an orange JAR Metropolitan Museum of Art limited edition; a rainbow Tourbillon Audemars Piguet, and my 20-year-old Patek Philippe Ellipse. This array accurately reflects the polarity of who I am creatively: loud and in charge versus simple, suave and subtle.
