C'est Officiel: Place Vendome Wunderkind Lorenz Baumer To Design Jewelry Collection For Louis Vuitton

I have good news for all of you who, like me, cringed profoundly when Louis Vuitton unveiled their 'Blason' jewelry collection designed by none other than hip-hop/r&b impresario, Pharrell Williams. Rumors had been swirling around Place Vendome since last Spring and despite many proclamations on French and English language blogs, the rumors had never been confirmed by either parties. It is now official however - Place Vendome 'wunderkind' Lorenz Baumer will be joining Louis Vuitton to design the brand's jewelry collection for Fall/Winter 2009. What remains unclear however is whether this is a mere collaboration or a more permanent arrangement (we sincerely hope the latter).

Since opening his Place Vendome atelier in 1992, Baumer has established himself as a bright light on the fine jewelry scene. In addition to his eponymous jewelry collection, he is widely rumored to have also designed part of the fine jewelry collection for Chanel (a fact neither Chanel nor Baumer has ever officially confirmed). His background is unusual (he trained first as an engineer) as is his approach to designing jewelry. His intricate designs and use of colored stones are particularly fresh and alluring and his series inspired by fruits and vegetables is simply gorgeous (trust me on this one). For more information about Lorenz Baumer, please visit his website. Also, he published last year an exquisite book (bilingual French and English), Le dictionnaire egoiste de Lorenz Baumer, which I consider a 'must read' for anyone who loves jewelry. In addition to exquisite photography, the book is useful to understand Baumer's process of designing and crafting fine jewelry. I for one can't wait to see the result of this collaboration! Congratulations Monsieur Baumer. Well done Monsieur Arnault.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

All photos courtesy of Lorenz Baumer via www.lorenzbaumer.com.

Comments

[Ms. P&C]

Agreed - this is incredible stuff and it's very on-brand (for once) for LV. Hopefully they will let him do something interesting and not merely re-hash the fleurs Monogram for the thousandth time!