Luxury artisan jeweler John Hardy unveils its first collaboration with muse, activist and campaign star Adwoa Aboah for Holiday 2018. The capsule collection evolves Aboah and John Hardy’s creative relationship, which began with the brand’s Fall 2017 Made for Legends launch campaign and developed organically, underpinned by a mutual approach to adornment.
Famous for her irreverent attitude and original style, Aboah transmits unmistakable strength, power and drama, characteristics intrinsic to the John Hardy DNA. “Adwoa is the definition of a modern-day legend. John Hardy felt a natural gravitation to her authenticity, passion, fearlessness,” confirms Robert Hanson, CEO of John Hardy. “Our shared philosophy of using jewelry as a tool for self-expression and self-empowerment allowed for an organic continuation of our relationship. Her artistic disposition is a constant source of inspiration to the brand and we were thrilled to further explore our creative partnership through this collaboration as championing female artisans, in all forms, is core to our brand.”
Drawing inspiration from jewelry’s transformative possibilities, Aboah and John Hardy created evocative designs anchored in the Earth’s raw power — a core tenant of the brand’s philosophy — as represented by vivacious, tactile materials in reclaimed silver and gold and punctuated by colorful stones selected for their affirming properties: pyrite, black tourmaline and hematite offer grounding and strength, whereas pink tourmaline, rose quartz and spinel extend color, energy and light.
“Our collaboration celebrates the artistic spirit of chain, its empowering strength and ability to transform into endless combinations to express to your personal aesthetic,” confirms Hollie Bonneville Barden, Creative Director of John Hardy. “The collection was about creating something that felt natural and sensual, but at the same time gave you an empowered strength. From the very beginning, Adwoa brought a distinctive point of view on raw materials that were rich in contrasts, including powerful stones accented with splashes of color that felt authentic to her creative, bold style. I wanted to reflect both her strength as well as her electric, uplifting and vibrant energy”
Rooted in John Hardy’s iconic Classic Chain, the collection echoes Aboah’s spirited, maximalist approach to styling. It mixes Classic Chain’s refined handwoven links with the archival-inspired Curb Chain, a graphic nod to street style. This union of classic and contemporary textures further infuses the collection with Aboah’s youthful energy and eclecticism, while reinforcing the brand’s signature stacked and layered styling. At the same time, the breadth of offerings invites all wearers to pick, pile and personalize pieces to create a custom look that showcases their singular story.
“Creating pieces that spoke to my authenticity and that could be personalized in a variety of ways was very important to me. Jewelry has transformative power. It communicates your mood, story and expression,” explains Aboah. “Each piece was designed to stand out on its own yet complement the others to show depth and dimension.”
Bold multi-strand bracelets and necklaces juxtapose textures, metals and vibrant stones. Earrings manifest as oversized hoops, single drops and chains intended for mixing and matching. An understated, sensual body chain can be worn underneath or over clothing, while stackable signet rings speak to the allure of heirlooms. Aboah’s grandmother had a signet ring that she passed on to Aboah’s mom, who gave it to her. Aboah evolved this tradition by creating a ring that pays homage to Gurls Talk, her female-empowerment platform. “When designing I envisioned all the girls I love: my friends, my mum, my sisters, my tribe — wearing this jewelry,” she verifies. Meanwhile, a pinnacle one-of-a-kind cape marries all of the collection’s defining elements into one design, balancing multiple Classic Chain and Curb Chain strands in the front with cascading chain layers and statement stones in back.
The collection is available in October at select worldwide retailers and at www.JohnHardy.com.