The Fashion East alum collaborated with photographer Luke Gilford for his latest collection ANARCHY
Jewellery designer Alan Crocetti first captured the attention of fashion all the way back in 2015, appearing under the Fashion East umbrella.
Since graduating from the initiative, he’s continued honing his skills, collaborating with the likes of GmbH and current Fashion East label Asai. Unlike any jewellery you’ve ever seen before, Crocetti’s designs are for both men and women and can be manipulated by the wearer to be worn in various different styles. Other more extravagant pieces wrap around the head, perfectly placing a sapphire next to the eye like a teardrop.
“I’m super intrigued about the human body with its curves, weird shapes, and forms so I would say anatomy is usually the starting point,” Crocetti tell us. “There's no formula though, my head is literally everywhere so I get too attached and obsessed sometimes and every collection can have a few drastic changes from one another.”
For his latest collection – entitled ANARCHY – Crocetti wanted to celebrate actual individuality and identity, “no gimmick,” he says. Collaborating with photographer Luke Gilford, the collection’s series of images shows a mix of old and young faces, all previously shot by Gilford for his personal projects. “Luke felt it was important to collaborate with a cast that has a personal story to tell,” Crocetti explains. “Because he has an ongoing collaborative relationship with the cast, their stories could be communicated through body language and their familiarity, comfort, and intimacy with each other.”
Here, Crocetti shares his inspirations, experience working with Luke Gilford, and what he thinks the future of jewellery design is.
ON THE SS19 COLLECTION, ANARCHY
“The collection came from the principle of not following imposed themes, rules or guidelines. Western meets punk was the foundation for ANARCHY. I like the shifts between minimal and maximal, and the unbalance makes so much sense to me. I’m always inspired by the human body and anatomy, I think this inspiration comes through in all of my work. For ANARCHY I was also looking at Luke Gilford’s Queer Rodeo project and Richard Prince’s cowboy paintings, and old imagery of Billy Idol.”
ON COLLABORATING WITH LUKE GILFORD
“I’ve been a fan of Luke’s work for a while and I was thrilled when he wanted to be a part of it. His vision and the sensitivity in his photography were vital for the campaign’s outcome. My inspiration of Western culture and the queer rodeo is very personal to him. His father was a professional bull rider, and Luke has been working on a book about the queer rodeo for a couple years now. Even the cowboy hat we used in the campaign is Luke’s own. I travelled from London to New York so we could cast people that Luke already collaborates with regularly. I think the sense of intimacy and trust in his work is palpable, and I really feel it in these images. Throughout the process, Luke and I had a very cohesive vision, and I think the imagery really expresses that union.”
ON THE FUTURE OF JEWELLERY DESIGN
“To me, the line between men’s and women’s jewellery has always been blurred, or even non-existent. So the evolution is not coming from jewellery design per se, but from the mentality of those wearing it. There has always been some sort of norm regarding jewellery that would make me uncomfortable. I never designed pieces with the simple intent of being different. I make pieces I am not familiar with and I like to push some boundaries in terms of design, wearability and desire. I want to give options to people that don’t like what they have been served so far. I’m inspired by those who are different and want something unique and I want to celebrate the individuality of the people who wear these pieces.”
