Aurélie Bidermann

Ever since she conquered the concept store, Colette (Paris) with her charms, Aurélie Bidermann has not stopped taking over the fashion world and the star system. Between her naturalist lucky charms and bohemian-chic jewelry creations, this designer has been offering increasingly unusual, highly desirable collections.

Not quite as dark as Pamela Love's creations, and more sober than those of Victoire de Castellane, Bidermann's designs go from addictive, deceptively serious baubles to exceptional pieces in poured gold.

For many, her name may still be synonymous with charm bracelets (thanks to which she was able to win over the entire hype girl aristocracy at the beginning of her career); but today, Bidermann offers jewelry in a wide variety of themes, and is consolidating her popularity with the fashion editors.

As an adolescent, Bidermann did not dream of a career in the jewelry business. Instead, she saw herself working in the milieu in which she was raised: art, secondhand trade, and flea markets. She naturally chose to study art, after which she landed a job at Sotheby's in New York, then Paris.

However, the desire to create something concrete became overwhelming. Ever since she was allowed to wear jewelry, she had always been customizing it. She thus decided to change careers and enrolled in a gemology school in Antwerp, where she learned the science of precious stones. She continued with classes in technical design, allowing her to produce the jewelry she had in mind with the best possible techniques.

This was followed by a long journey around the world, which allowed the future designer to find inspiration, as well as the stones necessary to develop her pieces. After many months spent running around the planet, it was in India that she finally found her style, a mix of superstitious details and a slightly girly aesthetic.

When she was finally ready, Bidermann decided in 2003 to launch her own name brand. Her first collection was composed of charm bracelets and necklaces, delicately peace&love, developed on a base of charms and talismans.

The idea to make the charm into a piece of precious jewelry quickly convinced the headhunters at Colette, who made place for Bidermann's creations in their windows. With the blessing of the priests of hype, Bidermann's "charms" (that unlike Delfina Delettrez's creations are affordable) became THE jewelry to wear in 2004.

Buoyed by her success, she began developing innovative and surprising concepts, but her main concept remained the same - her jewelry must, above all, tell a story.

Thus began the appearances of gold covered insects, which became impressive spider and scarabee broaches, bling-bling reinterpretations of the Brazilian bracelet, gold lace cuff links, or feathers covered in a thin coat of gold.

While her collections are more and more innovative and diversified (e.g., for winter 2010-2011 she created rings in the form of a knight's helmet), she remains the one who brought the good luck charm back into fashion. Her collaborations with Bonpoint and Lacoste do not result in little creatures covered in gold or silver, but rather in jewelry that resembles easy-to-wear good luck charms.

This being said, if the jade or mother-of-pearl charms that marked the beginning of her career continue to win new fans everywhere, her more sophisticated creations are also meeting with success, as witnessed by the launch of her e-store as well as the growing number of boutiques distributing her jewelry around the world.

As for other information about this globe trotter always on the look out for fragments of old fabric, post cards, or sundry baubles that she can slip into her inspirations notebook, we observe that:

• She creates better in New York than anywhere else, when she distances herself from the pressure of her Parisian studio.
• She tries to lead a lifestyle that respects nature. She consumes only fruits and vegetables in season, recycles, produces her jewelry locally (in Paris), and gives Lauren Bush Feed Bags to all her friends in order to reduce the number of plastic bags in her entourage.
• She also exercises very good hygiene that allows her to maintain a fresh complexion and a slim figure. Every morning she drinks a glass of water with rose salt, drinks diluted apple vineger all weekend to help detoxify and practices floor bar three times per week.

Official site: http://www.aureliebidermann.com/

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