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Special Theme | Made in Denmark
tures. “Quite soon after founding our business, we had the idea of merging jewellery with fashion to create an up-to-the-minute collection of creative, affordable and greatlooking jewellery,” explains co-founder and administrative director Henning Kern, adding: “The collections and products change every season, but the main idea is actually the same: we want to make women look even more beautiful than they already are – to make women sparkle.” Breaking with traditions Ever since Dyrberg and Kern’s first baby steps within jewellery design, the duo has been challenging and expanding the conventional conception of beauty with their unorthodox use of materials and sculptural shapes. In the late ’80s, the designers were among the first to break away from the traditional use of gold and silver and incorporate materials from the fashion world, such as feather, leather and silk, in their jewellery collections. The couple trawled flea markets and foreign production sites for suitable materials and inspiration. “Our intention was to have the look be expensive, but not the price,” says Dyrberg and adds: “So it’s not about being rich enough, just creative enough.” While the philosophy behind Dyrberg/Kern’s designs remains unaltered, the collections keep changing, mirroring new sources of inspiration, new materials and international trends. In the late eighties, one of the company’s first commercial successes was a collection of colourful Plexiglas chandelier earrings. Today, colourful beads, brass, leather, shells, precious and semi-precious stones, crystals and sterling silver all make up the mix of dazzling glamour and minimalistic elegance that distinguish Dyrberg/Kern’s sparkling droplet earrings, sleek gold-plated bracelets, voluminous necklaces and stylish watches. The materials undergo various processes such as casting, polishing and plating of the metals, hand-braiding of the leather and cutting and inserting of the stones and crystals by hand.
and exploring new ways in their two yearly collections. Among recent additions are a Sterling silver collection and a time-telling jewellery collection. In total, Dyrberg and her four designers today design approximately 1,000 pieces of jewellery every year. Though the collections are all distinguished by a sublimely simple modern Danish style, inspiration comes from everywhere and everything. “We are open to happenstance. Everything is potentially interesting and can become the creative point of departure for a theme or a collection. All colours and materials have an innate beauty. We try to take our collections to a new place in our customers’ hearts and minds each season,” explains Kern, who attributes some of the duo’s success to their impatience, resulting in an energy and attitude that has often made Dyrberg/Kern first movers on the market: “Fashion is fast. It’s now. You don’t have all the answers to a question before you find an answer.” Dyrberg/Kern’s 30th anniversary will be celebrated with a special collection called Trilliance, pre-released in October 2014. The name is a combination of Triangle and Alliance, symbolising the three decades of a love for jewellery and the creative partnership between Henning Kern and Gitte Dyrberg. For more information, please visit: www.dyrbergkern.dk
Dyrberg/Kern was founded in 1987 by Gitte Dyrberg and Henning Kern. The company’s headquarter is located in Østerbro in Copenhagen, where all jewellery designs are created. Dyrberg/Kern is marketed in more than 30 countries and has concept stores in Denmark, Holland, Dubai, Sweden, Greece, Canada, Russia and China. Dyrberg/Kern suppliers and manufacturers have to sign a code of conduct and are regularly inspected to make sure that they abide by the company’s social and environmental standards.
Still exploring new ways Even though it is nearly three decades since Dyrberg/Kern started out, the design duo still keeps reinventing, expanding
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