MILAN – Since its introduction last year, Collanine Colorate’s sun-shaped, gold-plated pendant that expanded its offering has become a favorite among local clientele.
The indie label, which is known for its colorful beaded necklaces ideal for accessorizing summer looks, launched the pendant as a year-round, higher-end product, as well as a representation of its lighthearted ethos given that the piece is engraved with “Il Sole Dentro” on the back.
The message, which translates as “The Sun Within” in English, resonated with many customers, turning it into a bestselling piece. Its success encouraged founders Lorenzo Franchini and Giacomo Giovagnoli to expand their silver collection with new designs and a customization service.
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Handcrafted from silver and gold-plated silver by a Milan-based goldsmith, the new pendants come in four different shapes, ranging from hearts to four-leaf clovers as symbols of love and luck, as well as a tag and a nugget design, “small but precious, conceived for those who find beauty in details,” said the founders.
Retailing at between 38 euros for the single charm to 98 euros for the pendant and chain, all styles can be engraved with a name, date or a brief sentence both at the brand’s store in Milan and on its e-commerce.
The pieces are meant to be worn alone or to be stacked with the label’s existing designs, including the popular charms shaped as alphabet letters — available either in silver or with enameled details — or the ones featuring colored hard stones smoothly cut in geometric shapes.
The digital-native label, which is named after a naïve moniker translating into English as “Colorful Little Necklaces,” launched during the pandemic and is best known for its multicolor necklaces triggering childhood nostalgia with their simple beading technique.
Its growth was initially driven by word-of-mouth and targeted placements on local influencers, but the brand gradually increased its reach thanks to its artisanal creations imbued with a sense of spontaneity and its approachable price point. Franchini and Giovagnoli soon expanded their offering with pearls, shells, glass beads and polished hard stones, elevating the perception of the label.
The brand’s growth accelerated last year, also thanks to a retail expansion and a series of strategic tie-ups with the likes of Douglas, Coccinelle, Havaianas, Harmont & Blaine, Paula’s Choice and Victoria shoes, to name a few.
In addition to unveiling its first Milan flagship in the elegant residential area of Via Mameli, last year the brand opened a series of itinerant pop-ups across Italy, which added to corners at the likes of Rinascente, for one. This year it stepped abroad, with upcoming temporary stores to be unveiled at the Dinamo Collective space in Madrid from Nov. 27 to Dec. 10; at Impar in Lisbon on Nov. 29 and 30, and at the Nectar flower shop in Paris from Dec. 4 to 14.
