Milan is ultra-busy with loads of events, meetings, parties, people and buzz everywhere in these days for Milan Design Week.
In an area of the main cloister of the University of Milan, on Via Festa del Perdono, there are a series of white, organically shaped, elongated plaster structures of an installation-event—“Crafted to transcend”, a project by Paola Sasplugas, architect, co-founder, and creative director of the Spanish jewelry brand PDPaola.
One of these structures features a large niche where many visitors are busy digging, carving, writing names and graphics, and shaping the space with hammers and chisels, like children. On the opposite side there is a huge distorting mirror, and on a third side are niches containing modern jewelry designs in various materials such as semi-precious stones, and metals, along with tools hanging nearby ready for those who wish to try their hand, like modern Stone Age people, at scratching the uneven surface of the large niche.
The stars of this highly experiential installation are the contemporary jewel brand PDPaola, beloved by a young audience and known for various designs such as the iconic fluid-shaped earrings—Glacier.
Paola Sasplugas founded the brand in 2015 with her brother Humbert. Born in Spain, PDPaola is now sold in 51 countries through 1,700 stores all over the world and flagships in Milan, Madrid, and New York, with its greatest popularity in Spain, Italy, and France.
We asked Paola Sasplugas what it means to her to return to Milan Design Week for the second time, after hosting her firsts installation inside her Milanese store last year, and why she presented this new, immersive, and very engaging project.
Hi, Paola. You’re in Milan for Design Week with your jewelry brand. Do you feel more like an architect or a designer?
I think I’m both because, in reality, I’ve never left architecture behind. And in the end, even a piece of jewelry is like a small building. Ultimately, this is architecture too, but on a different scale, because it’s very precious and very small. Besides, I’ve always preferred focusing on detail in architecture rather than large-scale creations.
So, was creating jewelry a natural evolution for you?
Yes. But creating physical spaces where people can interact is also very natural for me.
Like your store in Milan, for example? Yes. Could you recreate a similar experience in some of your other stores?
No, I wouldn’t actually want to. This space is about the message we want to convey. It’s about transcendence. It’s about how femininity truly embraces the act of transformation.
I’d say that as a woman, you can understand that we’re thinking about ourselves, about how we might become. In the end, perhaps the answer is always to embrace change. So this artwork seeks to represent that transformation. That’s why we invite people to interact with the artwork and be part of the change alongside it. And it’s an opportunity to reflect on every moment of life and it’s also about having fun.
Do you mean it also about craftsmanship and rounded shapes without sharp edges?
Yes. You can see that in the transformation as well.
I think that through my jewelry and in my design, I evoke organic shapes because I believe we need to be gentle. I think changes should always be soft and gradual, like in nature. That’s my language.
You mentioned nature. Are there elements of sustainability in your jewelry?
Yes, of course. Our entire fine jewelry line is based on “Embrace” lab-grown diamonds.
What are they exactly?
They are diamonds like those found in nature, but the only difference is that the environment in which the diamond forms is man-made, like in a laboratory. That’s why they’re called “Embrace.” Ultimately, you recreate the same conditions that occur in nature, but you accelerate the process.
Do you use special, recycled, or organic materials for your jewels?
In general, we try to make products that have the least possible impact, that can be reused, and last as long as possible. Everything we make is RTC-certified [Editor’s note: RTC is a manufacturer and distributor of Certified Reference Material, Quality Control Samples and Proficiency Testing Samples].
Could you also eventually launch a clothing or beauty line in the future?
Never say never. It’s not the right time yet, but I always tell myself: “Never lose your curiosity, and no matter what happens, have fun.”