What do the words ‘gender-neutral fashion’ bring to mind? You may think of the icy-cool, androgynous tailoring often seen on Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett, or perhaps, the flamboyant, full-skirted extravaganzas sported by the likes of Ezra Miller and Billy Porter.
In reality, unisex fashion is no longer reserved for one-off red-carpet statements. Neither does it apply only to clothing. Today, consumers at large are caring less and less which section of the store they shop from—increasingly, they are overlooking gender-based dress codes as relics of the past. Unisex fashion, once relegated to the fringe, has firmly begun its shift into the mainstream.
The way we accessorise is no different. The world of jewellery, too, is ushering in a new, genderless age, spurred on by a new crop of fashion icons who are putting unapologetic mixtures of masculine and feminine fashion influences on full display. Think Harry Styles—whose red-carpet looks have reached cult-status by inspiring a new generation of men to wear their jewellery with pride—full strings of pearls, no less.
Equally Bling
Perhaps this has been a long time coming, given that unlike clothing, there is no practical reason why jewellery needs to be segregated by gender. Jewellery pieces seldom need to accommodate differences in the contours of the male and female forms, making them strong contenders for transcending gender labels and being truly unisex.
That might be why Francesca Amfitheatrof has chosen to classify Louis Vuitton’s new fine jewellery collection as such. Entitled LV Volt, the gender-neutral collection is built solidly around the brand’s iconic ‘L’ and ‘V’ initials, the letters reinvented in a multitude of ways to create bracelets, rings, pendants and bangles with a strong architectural edge.
Aptly, the collection’s campaign features a diverse quartet of different genders, race, and walks of life—actress Alicia Vikander, dancer Hugo Marchand, artist Sharon Alexie, and model Xiao Xing Mao.
“The entire collection is unisex. It doesn’t distinguish between sex, age, or colour. It is completely universal,” Amfitheatrof says. When asked why such an all-encompassing label is important, she adds, “I believe that great design should be appealing to everyone. Why make distinctions? We [Louis Vuitton] should be for everyone and completely inclusive.”
The 52 year old is the first woman to helm the heritage brand’s Watches and Jewellery department. While she brings her old-school metalsmithing know-how and years of experience as the design director Tiffany & Co. to the table, she’s also well abreast of changing tides within the fashion and jewellery worlds.
In fact, this is hardly the first time she has shown interest in pushing the boundaries of gender through jewellery. LV Volt is Amfitheatrof’s second original collection for Louis Vuitton—and comes a year after the release of her debut project for the House, the celebrated B Blossom collection. Centred around the many facets of femininity, the collection notably tapped transgender model and actress Indya Moore to front the campaign. Amfitheatrof’s own label, Thief and Heist, is also unisex in its entirety, and created with an ethos of subverting stereotypical notions in the jewellery world.
A New Era
Besides understanding the significance of championing an inclusive message in this era, Amfitheatrof recognises that what people are really looking for in their jewellery today can be boiled down to three characteristics: creative, rule-breaking and individualistic. To that end, she has designed each piece in LV Volt to be fully open to interpretation, with a myriad of different styling options offering maximum customisability. Her message to wearers? “Break the rules! This collection is about drumming to your own beat.”
LV Volt’s line of pendants, bracelets, bangles and rings are available in both silver and gold (mixing metals is just one of the jewellery rules Amfitheatrof recommends you break), and designed to be stacked. It’s a collection that calls out to be purchased in multiples—just the bracelets category alone features seven different designs, not counting alternative metal or gemstone choices for each.
Given the innumerable mix-and-matching options, Amfitheatrof offers some much-needed styling advice. “The upside down rings can be worn in different directions, with the open ones on the knuckles, or between the knuckle and the finger-tip. You can practically cover your whole hand. With the bracelets, I would style the upside down one with the curb chain and the mesh.”
The final item in that list also comes in necklace form, which in Amfitheatrof’s view is the stand-out piece from the collection. “The LV Volt Mesh bandana necklace is a feat of engineering. It is made completely by hand, in a very special way. Each piece, each link is put together by hand and [every trace of construction] is hidden. It has a subtlety that makes it feel as though it is liquid, and completely fluid—it feels like silk.”
Fashioned from 18-karat yellow gold, the aforementioned necklace features miniature Ls and Vs stacked into a fluid mesh, ultimately taking on the shape of a bandana. It is a statement piece in every sense of the word.
Everlasting Love
Amfitheatrof brims with appreciation for the savoir-faire involved in creating the intricate items in the Volt collection. Her excitement, no doubt, stems partly from her background in metalsmithing, which she learnt at London’s Royal College of Art from Giovanni Corvaja, one of the best goldsmiths in the world. For all her ideological modernism, she is someone who knows the true value of handmade artistry —especially in the craftsmanship-laden universe of Louis Vuitton. “We are always trying to find modern techniques. But to make something of this quality, we had to go back to making it completely by hand.”
And premium, lasting quality has never been held more importance than in the sustainability-focused age we live in today. “I think that the culture of throw-away and single use items has to change. What we need to do now is create pieces that last lifetimes, and create with the view of longevity,” says Amfitheatrof.
She intends for the LV Volt pieces to become classics, worn every day, cherished for life, and passed through generations. “The message behind this collection is that it is cool, but also timeless. Ultimately, these are pieces that become part of you.”
Vogue Singapore’s 17 Top Picks
With a total of 36 different pieces, Louis Vuitton’s LV Volt collection spreads across five sub-categories, each with a specific design vision. LV Volt Curb Chain features interlinking LV motifs in a repeated pattern, while LV Volt Mesh applies the two letters in a finely hewn mesh. LV Volt Multi highlights the V motif in alternating directions, and LV Volt One spotlights the LV motif. Finally there is the electrifying LV Volt Upside Down which truly epitomises the name of the collection. All five of them fabulously gender-neutral future classics.
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LV Volt Upside Down
Pendent in yellow gold and white gold with diamonds, $13,400, available on louisvuitton.com
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LV Volt Upside Down
Ring in yellow gold and white gold with diamonds, $15,800, available on louisvuitton.com
