Yamamoto & Mikimoto Team Up for Fall 2007 Jewelry Collection

[MissMagAddict]

from fashion week daily

Yohji's Pearl Power
Yamamoto and Mikimoto team up for fall jewelry collection

Tuesday, April 10, 2007


(NEW YORK) First came Doc Martens. Now… Mikimoto pearls? Yohji Yamamoto and the Japanese jewelry firm have announced plans for a joint project set to debut this fall, when they will align their talents to create an unprecedented series of fine jewelry collections. The designer, now in his 35th year of revolutionizing the way women dress, will apply his creative vision to Mikimoto, a leading purveyor of the world’s most luxurious pearls for 114 years.
Needless to say, Yamamoto’s focus on designing this jewelry collection centers on the pearl. While the collection is still in development phases, a spokesperson for Mikimoto said that the collection of 20 pieces, comprising three groups, will range in price from approximately $2,500 to $150,000 and include necklaces, pendants, earrings, rings, and bracelets.
Starting in November 2007, the distribution will be limited to the Yohji Yamamoto and the 19 freestanding Mikimoto stores worldwide, as well as select points of sales in the United States. In 2008, the distribution will be expanded in Europe and Asia.
“This groundbreaking jewelry collection is an artistic expression of nature’s dramatic volatility on a stormy day,” the company said in a statement. “Concept, design and craftsmanship, like three verses of a song, harmonize to a single note, establishing the first line of fine jewelry conceived by a fashion designer whose primordial character is both unique and unifying.”
This collection will be officially debuted in July 2007 during couture week in Paris. A New York event that will see Yamamoto make a rare visit to New York is also currently in the works for this fall.

 

[Diorling]

WOW. I did not see this coming...

Could be interesting, and didnt Comme just come out w/ a line of pearl necklaces? Jealous much, Yohji?

 

[gius]

It might come out interesting especially after seeing his collection for spring this year i look forward to it!

 

[novella]

This sounds like a very promising & interesting collaboration. I'm looking forward to seeing more!

 

[augustus]

Oh my god, sounds promising!!!
But is...Yohji low on cash?

 

[Whitelinen]

Oh yes!

It is rather strange that Yohji has so many collaborations at the time though.

 

[skot4mc]

thanks for the news MissMagAddict

 

[SomethingElse]

I have died and gone to heaven. Yamamoto and Mikimoto will make extraordinary pieces, sans doubt! Thanks a gzillion for the announcement, MissMagAddict!! I cannot wait to see the results of their collaborations! I believe it is through working together that the most amazing and creative work occurs, so I am very, very pleased that Yohji-san reaches for my favorite pearls...

 

[ilaughead]

This had better be better than CDG's lackluster (get it? Luster? I'm so clever) attempt. Of course, I want to see the $150,000 piece the most.

 

[Dustcakeboy]

I often ask myself will I ever become tired of Yohji collaborations.

The answer is undoubtedly, yes, but not just yet!

 

[runner]

it seems that they showcased the line in Paris yesterday.
29 pieces
from about $1200 to $60000


asahi.com

 

[softgrey]

ooh...very nice and very unexpected...
thanks for the pic runner...

 

[Scott]

it's very pretty....like a constellation...

thanks runner,deer

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

Pearls are usually so sporific, imo, but Yohji has done wonders with these.

 

[seanutbutter]

Nothing too spectacular; I've seen designs similar to that before.

 

[runner]

you are welcome softgrey, Scott

The moon's pearls

By Suzy Menkes
Wednesday, July 4, 2007



The gaping holes for eyes and mouth look like a sculpted version of Edvard Munch's primal scream. But this necklace, with a dagger through its back and droplets of pearls hanging on its cord, is also a magical piece of jewelry. So are gleaming pearls nestling in white gold discs, each of a slightly different caliber to correspond to the phases of the moon.

Yohji Yamamoto's collection of jewelry for Mikimoto, unveiled in Paris on Wednesday, is an inspirational vision of the dark side of the moon - rendered by the Japanese pearl company into sculptural pieces. A pair of cuff bracelets, twisted like a whirl of the wind, and earrings as glistening, mercury-colored drops both come under the collection's title of "Stormy Weather."

Shown in a studio where steamy clouds belched as a backdrop, this collaboration has brought the freshness of a modern-minded designer to the classical beauty of pearls.

"The whole direction of the collection was done by Mr. Yamamoto - we try to meet his demands," said Toshiro Tanaka, president of Mikimoto, explaining that the company had planned the project for more than a year.

As with Frank Gehry's collection for Tiffany, jewelry houses appreciate the input of a creative imagination. But the surprise at Mikimoto is that Yohji has shown his romantic side - as in pendant earrings where the pearls are "tears" descending from the moon to the ocean bed. It makes a powerful mix of elegance and edge.

iht.com



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[wheneveriwakeup]

Stunning. Thanks for the images, Runner.

 

[marylauda]

Lovely. Thanks Runner!

 

[Diamond Star]

Looks beautiful

 

[iSpot]

Nice Japanese combination...Nice pieces!