MELODY, PASSION, RHYTHM, MOVEMENT - ALL THIS MIXES IN THE NEW MUSICA COLLECTION OF JEWELERY CARRERA Y CARRERA. MUSIC - AN INTEGRAL PART OF SPANISH CULTURE.
The feelings expressed in music are embodied in each of these unique jewelry ... More about the success story, the latest innovations and the ongoing progress we are talking with the President of Carrera y Carrera Jewelry House Natalie Gage, who arrived in Dubai to open a new boutique at Atlantis The Hotel Palm and the presentation of the Musica collection.
Natalie, you have been leading Carrera y Carrera for more than six years - what changes have occurred in the company during this time?
I was invited to the company in 2006, and today I can proudly say that over the past time there have been no dramatic changes in it. The brand didn’t really need it, and the main thing in my work was only the desire to make it even stronger, to unite all the common points within the company, so that people would know more about Carrera y Carrera and what kind of decorations are created by this House. Instead of changing everything, I just made everyone play together together. And I believe that it worked out for me - everything began to work more harmoniously and efficiently, the right atmosphere reigned in the company, it became easier for us to breathe in it, the interaction between the creative department, the communications department and the customer service became more effective. We began to work as if by notes, like a good orchestra, and I am a kind of conductor in it.
Do you think there are a lot of imitators of Carrera y Carrera today?
Our brand has always had a strong personality, and it is so rich that we only have to develop and work it out in the right direction. And I am happy when people looking at our collections say: this is very Carrera y Carrera style! But everything in them was invented long before me and always enjoyed success: both plastic forms and special matte gold. Of course, those who want to create something similar are sure to be in the jewelry environment, but it seems to me that it is better not to look around, but to continue to do their job. So, every year we try to produce a very modern collection, and at the same time it should be flesh from the flesh of Carrera y Carrera, in the same style, but with our feeling of the 21st century.
Today you opened a new branded boutique in Dubai, and which countries would you call key markets for Carrera y Carrera?
In recent years, we have entered new international markets. Say, from 2000 to 2005, before I took office, the brand had serious problems in the USA. Over the years, we have resolved these problems, and the important American market for us today is growing quite rapidly. Of course, we pay the greatest attention to our native Spanish market. After all, when you come to some big market, for example, to Russia or the Middle East, and your product suddenly starts to enjoy incredible success here, then you involuntarily adapt to the tastes and needs of this market only, and this is very dangerous, since you can lose your personality .
I can proudly say that today the Spanish market is number one for us - it should be so. We must be strong where we come from! This does not mean that when we create jewelry, we don’t think about customers from one country or another, but the last thing we want to do is become a “faceless” brand. And by the way, in my opinion, buyers all over the world just love our jewelry for their Spanish spirit and passionate character.
A couple of years ago, everyone was vigorously discussing the news that a group of certain private Russian investors had acquired Carrera y Carrera. Can you formally shed light on this story?
Yes, I can officially confirm that the company is now owned by a group of private investors who want to remain anonymous. And I respect that their desire. Among other things, it means an excellent understanding of the essence of the world of luxury and the fact that the brand and its products are much more important than the person who stands behind the brand. When the situation begins to develop on the contrary and the ego of a person begins to overshadow the brand, it does not end with anything good. Nevertheless, our owners, remaining in the shade, are deeply involved in the business process itself. They respect the brand and want to see it grow dynamically. What does this give us? First of all, confidence that there is someone who supports us and makes the necessary investments. On the other hand, I like that even with a private investor, we are independent in many of our actions and, most importantly, in our work.
Since over the years there have been no major changes, does this mean that the creative team has remained the same?
Previously, from time to time, the company resorted to the help of independent designers, and today, if necessary, we also use their services. But we work only with those who perfectly feel the spirit of the Carrera y Carrera brand. Everything that we present on the market today is created by our creative team of nine people. In truth, external interference with the brand is quite important: it stimulates the team, shakes it, if people suddenly run out of steam. And when they work with the artist with a fresh, unencumbered look, they themselves get the opportunity to look at the brand from the other side.
Sixty master jewelers work in our workshops, and that’s enough. Luxury is still not a mass product, so we do not produce a million products, and the best decoration for us is what we have done in hundreds, not thousands of copies. We are still a small House, but, fortunately, today our products are sold in forty countries around the world, which, in my opinion, is not bad. And, most importantly, today we have enough capacity to create jewelry that these markets buy.
What, in your opinion, is the secret to the success of Carrera y Carrera? And how much do your jewelry correspond to the tastes and needs of modern customers?
There is no universal recipe in the creative process. Unfortunately! There is no recipe for how to create a commercially successful work of art. Today, if you have money, you can hire yourself a super team - the best marketing and sales specialists, PR specialists and advertisers, but you can never buy the creation process. Of course, the richer the company's legacy, the easier it is to build, because you can always find the right direction in the once set. But then again - why does one brand have a rich heritage, while another, with the same historical length, does not? Nobody knows! Why is Dior or Chanel still Dior and Chanel, and others are nothing more than history? The true beauty of our business consists not only of marketing, but also of art, and our task is to preserve and cultivate this magic. There is one more thing that I am proud of - our workshops. We stay where our brand was born, near Madrid, because its strength lies in the skill and skill of our jewelers, as well as in its outstanding quality. And the quality is created by our craftsmen who are used to working in a certain atmosphere and environment.
Do Carrera y Carrera train masters?
Yes of course. And sometimes, to become a good master, jewelers have been studying with us for years. In our workshop today there are employees who have been creating jewelry in the company for thirty years, but there are also young people aged 26-27 years.
Why, in your opinion, is Carrera y Carrera the most famous Spanish brand in the world?
There are really few well-known Spanish brands in the luxury segment in the world. I would say that the Spaniards are not the best sales managers in the world. They are beautiful and talented artists, but they do not know how to sell well what they create. I think this is due to the fact that for most of the last century, Spain was a poor and closed country, under the oppression of Franco, and then there simply did not exist an external market, only an internal market. This situation did not allow designers and brands to develop, evolve, and any creativity was completely under the control of the authorities. Here is an example from the history of our company: when the Carrera brothers headed the family business in 1975, Franco died the same year and his dictatorship ended.
Manuel Carrera once told me that in his memoirs the following years remained as the best in life: "You can’t imagine, Natalie! What freedom we finally breathed deeply! We, artists, got the feeling that now everything is possible! We finally were able to travel the world! I packed my suitcase and went to America, to Japan and was able to show my products there, and it was an incredible feeling! " You see, in what conditions did creative people have to exist until this moment? But this is 1975! If you remember, Louis Cartier began his career in 1875, and his descendants traveled to the same Russia with their jewelry at the end of the 19th century. So Spain was a poor, economically undeveloped country, and its strength and potential, until recently, dozed off within its borders.
Since you mentioned Manuel Carrera, who flew to Dubai with you and his wife to open a new boutique, tell me, what role does he play today in brand development?
Some time ago, he removed all his powers and, one might say, retired. But at the same time, he didn’t retire! Every month he certainly comes to our office, we have lunch together, discuss some pressing issues, our latest collections, he watches how the craftsmen work, tells us something, guides them. Once we worked on a line of jewelry, and it didn’t work out in any way. Manuel and I went to look at her in the creative department, and he promptly prompted that, in his opinion, it was necessary to change the design and the model. We did so, and it turned out that he was right, everything turned out fine. He still has the exact view of the artist! He is the basis of the brand, and you can not argue with that!
I am glad that I persuaded Manuel to come to Dubai, where he had not been since 1998. In my opinion, he was very pleased, as was Levant, which represents our brand in the region.
Who makes the decision which collections to launch on the market, and which ideas remain unrealized for now? How do you manage to get into a wave of consumer demand?
We are not new to jewelry and we understand which idea has great commercial potential and which needs refinement. We know our strengths and weaknesses, and try to take into account market realities. So, we decided to come up with more jewelry for a young audience, and today we are actively working in this direction. The creative process also needs some semantic organization; it cannot go spontaneously.
Please tell us about the new Musica collection? And about her collaboration with Olivia Palermo, who became her face?
We, as always, turned to Spanish culture. Classical guitar, whatever one may say, this is a Spanish guitar. So we decided to use guitar elements in Musica jewelry - strings, a hole in the upper deck, characteristic design ornaments. The second element is the Spanish dance, which we embodied in the decorations in the form of multilayer skirts of flamenco dancers fluttering in the wind. The new collection fully reflects all the bright features of the House - volumes, an exquisite combination of a matte and shiny surface and the unique work of goldsmiths and craftsmen. These are unique decorations that are created for the same unique moments of life. Jewels that express feelings. They are filled with emotions and created for a modern, passionate, courageous, true woman.
In my opinion, the art of weaving the sounds of music into beautiful melodies is a rare talent, the same as the talent of the Carrera y Carrera jewelers. In general, the collection turned out to be very young and elegant in character, therefore it was the model Olivia Palermo that was chosen by her face. She is beautiful, subtle and elegant, which fully corresponds to the spirit of Musica jewelry in white and yellow gold with black and white diamonds and the characteristic finish of Carrera y Carrera metal. In a word, Musica is a story about Spain, but not closed, but open, welcoming other cultures.
How has the consumer audience wearing your jewelry changed recently? And who, according to your observations, buys Carrera y Carrera?
I would say that the brand has always created different collections: some are more formal, others are lightweight, designed for a young audience. We continue the same policy, try to balance between the interests and needs of women of different ages and social status. More purchases are made by men - and without any female hints. Jewelry is a special emotional thing that, on the one hand, can ideally express the feelings of the donor, become a symbol of love relationships, and on the other hand, serves as a constant symbol of success, power and influence. And, it seems to me, women are still not ready to exclude men from this process. I consider myself a very independent woman with an established career, and I can buy anything for myself, but when it comes to jewelry, I would prefer to receive it as a gift from my beloved.
Thank you for the interesting conversation, Natalie. We will wait for new collections.
