Vhernier, the sculpture-jewels aim at Asia

He has already spent 10 years at Buccellati, taking a niche brand, albeit one with a long history, to become one of the most interesting and fastest growing in the industry. And even though he remains vice president («I am following the project to expand the ateliers»), since last September another challenge has opened up for Gianluca Brozzetti: to repeat the same success with Vhernier. Eight months ago, in fact, the closing of the operation took place that brought the brand founded in Valenza in 1984, and acquired by the Traglio family in 2001, to enter the perimeter of the Richemont group. Since then, Brozzetti has been executive vice president and CEO of Vhernier: «Richemont saw a great opportunity in completing its portfolio with a “different” Italian jewelry brand - he explains -. The diversity of Vhernier comes through the design, the purity of the forms, inspired by contemporary sculpture, as well as the ergonomics that allow them to embrace the skin. And it is also a diversity of materials: not only the classic gold, diamonds and precious stones are used, but we venture into new materials such as aluminum, titanium, ebony. Clearly it is a more niche offer, but there is certainly a group of customers who love the avant-garde».

The goal is to expand this philosophy of jewelry even further around the world: "We want to complete our presence in Europe, for example in Great Britain, where we will return, in London, and we are also targeting the Middle East. But two markets are in our objectives, the American and the Asian ones." In the United States, Vhernier has been present for some time, especially thanks to investments by the previous owner (Carlo Traglio is now president of Vhernier USA), "and we will strengthen ourselves both with single-brand stores and with the main department stores - says Brozzetti -. The duties do not scare us, I do not believe that Americans will stop buying Italian jewelry. And we certainly cannot start producing in the United States." The market has recently expanded further with the opening of the first Vhernier boutique in Mexico City, the first in the country.

Asia-Pacific, on the other hand, is an area that still needs to be covered: «For the Chinese market we are a new brand, but one that presents itself with a different formula, precisely, and very specific. If a proposal is solid and interesting, it always finds its audience - she notes -. However, we have done some market research, we will probably have to reduce the size of our jewels, proposing them in a midi version to better match the smaller build of Asian women compared to European and American women».

Strategies that require adaptation, not a break with the past, as also happens in the management of the brand, in which there are the people who have written the history of Vhernier. In the company, in fact, the co-founder Angela Camurati and Maurizio, Carlo and Isabella Traglio (as creative director) are still present: «It is a story that continues and needs all those who have contributed to it», he concludes.