The past few years have been particularly eventful for Aziz & Walid Mouzannar. Three years ago, the venerable Lebanese jewellery house, whose roots stretch back to the 18th century, produced a spectacular jewellery line in collaboration with the late architect Zaha Hadid, and in 2016, the house was tasked with creating the Victoria’s Secret multimillion-dollar Fantasy Bra.
Operating under the helm of Dori and Alia Mouzannar, the sixth generation of the Mouzannar family to assume the jewellery design mantle, Aziz & Walid Mouzannar has sought to diversify its offerings in order to remain relevant in an increasingly competitive retail environment. But while many other jewellers chose to “accessorize” their products by producing trendy, mass-market, consumer-oriented jewellery pieces, Dori and Alia Mouzannar made a clear decision to hold on to their artisan roots and continue creating pieces that are either inspired by the company’s massive archives or mark a complete departure from the house’s established style.
To distinguish their jewellery offerings, Dori and Alia have divided their designs into three distinct lines. The first is the House Collection, branded Aziz & Walid Mouzannar, and it highlights classic, heirloom pieces. “This is an artistic line,” explains Alia Mouzannar. “We re-edit pieces that our parents used to make, using new techniques.” Dori Mouzannar adds that the line is oriented toward vintage jewellery. “It offers pieces like tennis bracelets and diamond earrings, modern yet classical.” All pieces – and this applies to all jewellery produced by Aziz & Walid Mouzannar – are made with 18-karat gold or above, never silver or a lesser metal.
The house’s other two collections, DORiMZANNAR and alia mouzannar, feature contemporary pieces that reflect the design ethos of each jeweller. “I create organic, one-of-a-kind pieces,” Dori Mouzannar explains, pointing to his Meteor collection, which includes organic gold rings adorned with precious stones in a rainbow of colours including diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires. “No two pieces are alike,” he says, adding that the intricate production and careful selection of stones results in rings that belong to the same collection but are organically different, each exuding its own persona. Another of his collections, Matrix, encompasses futuristic, linear, asymmetrical cuffs inspired by the movie of the same name.
Alia Mouzannar’s background as an architect is evident in her eponymous range. Her pieces reflect an architectural spirit in their clean lines, design purity and technological savvy, which was recognised when she won the SDE Award during the HRD 2011 contest in Shanghai for her Folding in Love modular bracelet.
Her star pieces include the Caché ring, a particularly personal design that came about when she received a vintage diamond ring that was both a bit too classical for her taste and too delicate to wear every day. So Alia Mouzannar created a removable gold shell in which to hide the ring (hence the name caché, meaning hidden), transforming the piece into a contemporary beauty, while still allowing the ring’s vintage feel to shine through. The Caché ring is characteristic of the designer’s creations, many of which can be worn in a variety of ways. “I want to respect the past, but still be contemporary,” she says. In addition to their flagship store in Beirut, the Caché ring is available at Dover Street Market in London and New York.
The house garnered further accolades late last year when it was selected by Victoria’s Secret to create the Fantasy Bra, based on an original design by New York jeweller Eddie Borgo. The bra, which took six months to produce, was unveiled on November 30, 2016, when 25-year-old statuesque African-American model Jasmine Tookes donned the dazzling piece during the Victoria’s Secret runway show at Paris’ Grand Palais. “I chose 18-karat white gold to compliment the model’s skin tone,” says Dori Mouzannar. “The bra is flexible, even though it’s made entirely from gold, with 800 pieces and 9,000 precious gemstones, including emeralds from Colombia and diamonds.” The glittering 450-carat masterpiece is available for purchase and priced at 3 million USD.
The collaboration with late architect Zaha Hadid is another major milestone for Aziz & Walid Mouzannar. “Zaha Hadid was a customer and fan of the house,” says Alia Mouzannar, “and she was amazed by our craftsmanship.” In 2014, Hadid joined forces with the jewellery house to create the Silene cuff, a distinctive piece that combines Hadid’s signature curves with Alia Mouzannar’s modular savvy. The success of the initial piece encouraged Hadid and the Mouzannars to launch an entire collection, which is now part of the house’s permanent offerings.
Hadid fans will be thrilled to know that Aziz & Walid Mouzannar still have original jewellery designs by the late architect that haven’t yet been unveiled. The new rings and bracelets will be released in spring 2017. “The pieces show how Zaha’s architectural vision was translated into jewellery,” says Alia Mouzannar, “how she adapted her sculptural concept to the body.” You heard it here first.
