Vicenzaoro Highlights, January 2023: The New Season of Pianegonda

Betony Vernon’s nomination to Pianegonda’s Creative Director as of  January 2023 had already been anticipated at the last edition of Vicenzaoro  September 2022. But this new season  for the famous fashion brand belonging to the Marche-based group will be  officially inaugurated this evening, at Palazzo Loschi Dal Verme in Vicenza’s historic center, with the presentation of Assoluto, the first collection designed by the French designer. But how did this liaison with the Beleggia family, and therefore the brand, come about? «Everyone in the group and, of course,  in the brand, is great!» Betony confessed to us. «They called me at the right  time because I also had a yearning to be back in Italy, the most beautiful country in the world, where I grew up and where  I produce my collections. Coming to Pianegonda, I have admired its audacity  since the 1990s when it brought silver, a  metal I love to bits, to the jewelry market. Up until then, it had mainly been  used for tableware in Italy. Silver allows you to do bold things in terms of design and volumes and it is definitely closer to fashion than other metals and people like that a lot. So, my collaboration with Pianegonda starts here, but it doesn't stop with the product. It intrigues me because it has qualities that go beyond the concept of age. It is good for young people as well as jewelry connoisseurs like us. Mine is more of an all-round vision that I have tried to apply right from this first launch with the Absolute  collection. I wanted a modern and contemporary impact that also included a  little of my own DNA. From a stylistic point of view, we have created 23 pieces that revolve around spherical elements, a molecular structure, the concept of the  atom, which represents the beginning of everything. The absolute intended as the “great one”, the creator of everything that exists on earth. Added to this, of  course, is the decisive role of storytelling, of stories. Jewelry must always help  to tell stories and the idea of a cosmic  and spiritual storytelling was exactly what I wanted. The choice of Anna  Cleveland as the face for the collection  is also in perfect harmony with the spir- it of the collection.» Betony Vernon's  words were joined by those of President Lanfranco Beleggia. «The aim of the new Pianegonda project is to break out of the box and bring something new to the market, which means giving an artist like Betony Vernon the chance to  express all her charm and “aggressive- ness” in Pianegonda jewelry. Ours was  an informed choice. We like her sensual and unprecedented way of expressing  herself in jewelry as we are used to seeing it, because she brings it to life in  a special way. We share her vision of Pianegonda, without ever neglecting  the brand’s tradition which, as a fash- ion brand, must never lose sight of the value of its innovation-oriented identity. As a group, we are always ready  to tell new things and take risks, which is what Italian jewelry needs. Women have changed, they have different needs, are more attentive and want new things that are worn in a certain way and that are in line with fashion narratives. But  jewelry has not undergone this evolution. In terms of distribution, in order  to reach its goals, Pianegonda will have be going international, primarily in Europe and the USA, because Asia is still a premature market,» Lanfranco Beleggia concluded.