Hippie Chic

Amanda Marcucci is a name synonymous to resort wear jewellery. Teeming with colours and signage of peace and happiness, her jewellery has the power to brighten up a sunny day at the beach or a glitzy night at the club. Being a vagabond at heart, her travels and her love for history and culture make her one of her most revered young designers of Europe. With the likes of Rihanna adorning her jewellery, there is no doubt that her collections are everything young and urban. Priyanka Desai catches up with this Italian designer to know more of her travels, inspirations and more.

She is a true blue fashionista and she is an incessant traveller, she is Amanda Marcucci. Amanda is a jewellery designer who has carved a niche in the resort wear jewellery. Vibrant, chic and contemporary, her designs have won many hearts and adorned by most. Bejeweling the jewellery boxes of the urban and stylish traveller, Amanda Marcucci jewellery is a rage for the young Europeans. Talking about her inspiration, she sums it up in one word, “The World!” Elaborating further, she states, “My biggest inspiration is travel. Exploring the vast array of different cultures, costumes and history, inspires me the most. Various local markets and original artisans using the age-old traditions and designs fascinate me. After being inspired by natural products and stones, colours and textures I then go on to produce my collection.” Throwing light on the cons of having such a receptive mind, she articulates, “My mind is always overflowing with ideas after a trip. Trying to stick to one collection, idea or design is rather difficult. I find that I have to really pull the reigns in order to stick to one theme.”

Having studied and lived all over the world, Amanda decided a long time ago that she could never work a 9 to 5 job. Perpetually feeling a tug to be free and creative and always ready for another adventure, she yearned to be a traveller while pursuing a career in something creative. “Fashion had my attention as I always had a good eye for the latest trend. After three years at London College of Fashion, I proceeded to work for the magnificent Vivienne Westwood. After four years of creative genius overload, I felt I needed to be able to express my own ideas. Hence, I went on to be a fashion stylist for a few years,” informs Amanda while informing us about her past.

Continuing to travel, she came across her calling by accident. In one very busy summer with a long list of weddings, birthday weekends and holidays from Ibiza, Sardinia and Positano to Crete and St. Tropez, Amanda was in dire need for some stylish beach/resort jewellery to look chic on the beach as well as in the parties. Not finding anything that matched her taste, she decided to make some pieces for herself. She swiftly designed a collection of necklaces that could be layered and bracelets that could be stacked. Simple, colourful and bohemian yet chic and elegant for the evening, her collection was set to woo one and all. Amanda says, that she came back home completely empty handed except for the vast amount of orders! “It was a no brainer! People were literally sopping me in the bars and beaches asking me where I got my jewellery from. Amanda Marcucci Jewellery was born… somewhere in Ibiza,” Amanda expresses with a warm smile.

When asked to share a happy memory about her line of jewellery, she takes us down the memory lane, and states, “In the Christmas of 2013, we were out in Barbados doing trunk shows. Having created some rosaries and bracelets matching the colours of the Barbadian flag, Blue, Yellow and Black, we decided to leave a bunch with a contact we had for Rihanna. We knew she would LOVE this kind of jewellery. Later that week we bumped into her and her entourage at pre New Year’s Eve party. Much to our delight, she and her entire crew were wearing them. She proceeded to come over and thank me and that was a nice feeling.”

The renowned pop star adorning Amanda Marcucci’s jewellery is an achievement in itself. Amanda has been successfully trading her jewellery since past four to five years. For a brand to be successful marketing and public relations (PR) play a pivotal role and Amanda concurs with this mantra. “All of our PR is done in house and we are blessed to have had some great press coverage in magazines from all over the world. Grazia, Vogue, Tatler The Stylist, Cosmopolitan, to name a few have featured our line of jewellery. We have also been featured in a fashion show alongside Melissa Odebash and in a short film for Pirelli by Saatchi. I am happy to say that we continue to grow and expand everyday,” states Amanda.

When asked to share the creation process and inspiration of her renowned and vibrant collections, pat comes the reply, “Last year, I woke up one morning remembering a dream about the Mayans and Mexico. Within just a few days, I was on a plane to Cancun. I adore Mexico, which is seeped in history and culture and is teeming with colourful characters and mystery. I proceed to take a little road trip through Tulum down to Chichen Itza. The mixture of random bright colours surrounded me. I fell in love all over again with the people and culture of Mexico. I sat on a beach and I designed the Mexican rosary collection. The collection is bright and colourful and it brings a smile to all who see it. Adorned with angel wings, peace signs and sugar skulls, it is all about the positive meanings. It has been a massive hit with our Bohemian hippie chic travellers as well as with our fashionable VIP Ibiza crowd. The collection has no colour boundaries and becomes almost an addiction with people always wanting the latest new colours and styles. It is also unisex which is great for the boys.”

One look at her collections and a person with a creative bend and effortless style will fall in love with the colourful jewellery. When asked to describe the wearer of her jewellery, Amanda opines, “The women who wear my jewellery tend to be slightly bohemian. The women, who like to travel and love fashion and are not afraid to be bold, love my jewellery. For the more sophisticated and elegant lady we have our large Agate statement necklaces, which are real showstoppers. We also have our more relaxed every day layered necklaces and bracelets like our Peace & Love Collection for our hippie girls.”

When quizzed about her personal preference, she articulates, “Being a traveller myself, I like to travel light. The rosary necklaces are perfect for this as they go with most outfits and I can layer them up with almost anything.”

Amanda believes in happiness and joy, thus ‘all work-no play’ policy does not go to well with her personality. She is a ‘flower child’ and loves to be surrounded by them. Her hobbies include anything that involves nature. Be it travelling, cooking, walking, exploring, gardening, she loves it all. “Being one with the world and the environment is how I get my peace of mind. I also love travelling with friends and big Italian dinners Al fresco,” she adds.

Amanda is one of the lucky few whose avocation is same as the vocation. She has created a tranquil world around herself, which helps her in being more and more creative. Shedding light on her design process, she shares, “I tend to go for a long run in the nearby forest to prepare my mind. I do however love my work, which is why I created this world for myself. I believe in doing what you love for a happier life. I like to get the boring stuff out the way such as emails, phone calls, etc. and then switch everything off. I surround myself with book, gems and mood boards to get in the zone. I mostly do all my creative initial designing in Tuscany, Italy at my house, where I have complete tranquility and peace, as well as constant inspiration.”

The young designer finds inspiration in the works of other contemporaries and classic jewellery designers too. She informs, “I am currently adoring Daniela Villegas. I love her little Scarab jewellery, all hand made with such talent to detail. I also love how everything is connected to nature, in her jewellery. The Art Deco Cartier is always a must as it has incredible craftsmanship and is truly inspirational.”

With big dreams and future plans, Amanda is planning to move into jewellery and accessories all created fair trade and made by local artisans. “Each collection will be a story from a different part of the world. I will be using local designs and traditions into my designs,” shares she.

She has a straightforward and simple advice to the budding designers. “Stick to your dreams, if you want to realise your dream then work hard. It is also important to find a good manufacturer to realise your dreams,” she signs off.