Do judge a book by its cover’ is the thought that lingered on our minds
hours after we met Annerose Muyombano and while our belief system was
being reduced to ashes inexorably, the timeless splendour of Annerose’s
jewels remained the only certainty.
Indeed this 33 years old
german-rwandan jewellery designer reflects her creations: intense,
sublime, sophisticated yet simple, playful and above all genuine. It is
therefore no surprise to us that Anne rose started modelling at the age
of 16 in Miami, New York and Germany for high end jewellery brands where
what could be called a ‘skin story’ started: the sensorial evidence of
the precious stones and their magical ability to make one feel beautiful
were decisive: “I really felt beautiful and empowered presenting all
the amazing rings, necklaces and earrings. I will never forget the
sparkle the diamonds left on my skin and when I decided to create my own
company it was clear that it would have to deal with jewellery”. But
“Did the world really need another jewellery brand?” was a recurrent
question keeping on haunting Annerose Muyombano to which she answered in
2011 with ‘Muyombano Jewellery’, a florilegium of shapes, textures and
colours. A unique brand was thus born, expressing “pure aesthetics,
feminity, strength” and heralding an invigorating and differentiating
point of view on Africa.
“There is so much Africa in me that it
constantly influences my work. However my priority is to show that there
is no such thing as “typical African“. To be honest I am allergic
against this stereotype. African Fashion and Jewellery can be very
diverse and represent a wide range of Africa”.
In fact Muyombano
Jewellery is deeply anchored in African traditional shapes but
transcends them through a modern sophistication. At the heart of her
metallurgy – stainless still is omnipresent in all her work- lies
something essential, almost telluric: the shapes are pure, minimal, the
circles are recurrent, multiplied, amplified in the “pure” collection,
they become slightly acid, tangy and playful thanks to the coloured
acrylic glass in the “candy” artwork, they turn into basic micro tubes
in the “Naja” collection sublimed through a very European touch; they
all convey the same eternity that diamonds have.
“Diamonds and
precious stones are timeless – I adore them, however I wanted to
challenge myself by using other materials and show that they can also be
timeless when you combine the right design with perfect craftsmanship.”
This combination of “African grace” and “European sophistication”, this
syncretism of tradition and modernity are sitting at the very core of
Annerose personal geography. Born in Burundi of a Rwandan father and a
German mother, in a family where politics and history were often
discussed at the breakfast table, self-expression and open-mindedness
were the fundamental pillars on which Annerose Muyombano insatiable
curious spirit would lean on, a curiosity to which the designer credits
her artistic eye. “Even though I know exactly how I want things to be, I
love experimenting, exploring new places, cultures etc. My parents
(both teachers) taught me to be open minded and curious. It is important
for me to understand the dynamics of the world.”
Annerose and
her family moved from Burundi to Germany – where she still leaves now-
when she was six. After her studies in management, she modelled for a
few years and started her professional career working for the Rwandan
Embassy and for the Further Education Institute in Berlin. But Annerose
curiosity was doing its work and it did not take long until she grabbed a
piece of paper one day and started drawing.
Self- taught
designer she is in a constant learning process – at the moment she is
experimenting with rough diamonds and rose gold- and in search of
perfect craftsmanship which makes her say that she will probably never
feel accomplished. Well, her creations are. Perfect finishes, exquisite
lines, subtle coatings, poetic hollows and unexpected colours
orchestrate style and give the opportunity to whoever wears Muyombano
jewels to go beyond fashion and to express one’s personality. ”I don’t
like every trend that is being introduced to the fashion world. My
customers are the same – they are individualists, have a great sense of
style but they are no fashion victims. I want to inspire and surprise
them with my work, give them pieces they can use to enhance their
uniqueness.”
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