Georg Jensen goes back to its roots with stunning new REGITZE collection

REGITZE, the beautiful new icon collection from long-time Georg Jensen collaborator Regitze Overgaard, sees the world-renowned jewellery brand  reconnecting with its origins as a manufacturer of exquisitely crafted silver jewellery.

The soft, organic shapes of the pieces in the REGITZE collection were inspired by the designer’s visit to the Miro Museum in Barcelona. Regitze found herself drawn to one sculpture in particular and its pleasing fusion of shapes. These are expertly reinterpreted in many of the collection’s pieces. The collection comprises bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings and pendants. All in sterling silver and fashioned in line with Georg Jensen’s uncompromising pursuit of flawless quality and unique design. Regitze says the collection is her most personally satisfying yet. She adds: “Never before have I created a jewellery collection that contains so much of myself. The goldsmiths at Georg Jensen have encapsulated the precise look I dreamed of when I drew the first sketches.”

The designer concludes: “I think the collection’s raw, simple look is what really defines it. For me it goes without saying that jewellery should be able to move on the body so you feel a sense of freedom. Wearing jewellery should feel like a natural part of one’s clothing.”

About Georg Jensen

Georg Jensen was founded in Denmark in 1904 and now has over 100 shops in 12 countries. Georg Jensen began as a silversmith workshop that created exclusive hollow-ware and jewellery in silver. Today it carries a broad range of jewellery, watches, cutlery and hollow-ware products in gold, silver, platinum and diamonds. Its clean, elegant, Scandinavian style of design is appreciated by millions of people around the world and is often cited as one of Denmark’s most recognised brands.

About Regitze Overgaard

Regitze Overgaard began training as a goldsmith in 1970 and graduated from Kunsthåndværkerskolen in Copenhagen in 1976. She has collaborated with Georg Jensen Silversmiths since 1987 and has participated in exhibitions throughout the world.

introduces its most ambitious FUSION collection yet, expanding the line for the first time to include a range of bangles, rings with black diamonds, pendants and earrings.

The 2009 FUSION collection marks a new chapter in the story of this most unique of jewellery collections. But while the collection may have grown, the single-minded commitment to understated elegance and uncompromising craftsmanship that has consistently characterised the FUSION collection remains firmly in evidence.

The collection’s new centrepiece – the bangle – a beautiful and beguilingly simple piece in 18-carat gold, encapsulates this sense of focus. With its simple shape enhanced by a dynamic, vibrant design, the bangle bears all the distinctive hallmarks of the FUSION ring design: timeless, unfussy and immediately arresting.

“The FUSION ring has been one of our most successful jewellery collections since the very launch and throughout the years, many of our customers have asked why we didn’t extend this truly unique concept across more products” Charlotte Juhl, Business Manager for Jewellery at Georg Jensen says. “The FUSION ring concept expressed a completely new way of thinking in modern jewellery when it was launched in 2000. It is based on the characteristic of individual gold units combined in several ways to allow the creation of a personal piece of jewellery. Even though the consumers for technical reasons cannot create their own bangle or earpiece, we have maintained the very essence of this concept in our new line extensions, combining separate pieces which create a unique piece of jewellery. Within both bangles, pendants and earpieces there will be a number of variants to choose from, allowing our customers to create their own, individual look”. Charlotte Juhl continues.

All the pieces in the 2009 collection are available in a number of variations, and as with all previous FUSION collections, every item is available in a wide array of finishes.

April 2009

Georg Jensen Takes Danish Design to the Next Level

Scandinavian luxury lifestyle brand Georg Jensen has appointed designer Todd Bracher Creative Director of the brand and head of a new creative force consisting of the Georg Jensen internal design team, the Georg Jensen designer network and Copenhagen based design consultants OeO. 

April 30, 2009 – Today Georg Jensen announced that Todd Bracher will take the reins at Georg Jensen as Creative Director, responsible for the full range of Georg Jensen products from jewellery and watches to flatware and hollowware. Todd Bracher will take up his new position on May 1st.  Together with Georg Jensen’s in-house product development team and Georg Jensen’s unique designer network, Bracher and OeO will energize and align the future design and brand vision. 

As part of the new strategy Todd Bracher will be working together with his long-time partner Thomas Lykke and Anne-Marie Buemann from OeO, a Danish based, and strategy-driven design company with vast experience from the design industry. The new set-up allows Georg Jensen to unite the best of today’s Danish and international design competencies with a strong strategic and commercial approach to new product introductions.  

“I am thrilled and honoured to be joining Georg Jensen. To be part of this brand and to help sculpt its vision has been a long-term dream for me. Georg Jensen has a specific language and intelligence, it communicates on so many levels.  The possibilities are endless and we intend to explore them”, Todd Bracher says. 

The appointment of Todd Bracher is part of the strategy that CEO Ulrik Garde Due introduced when he joined the company from British top fashion label Burberry last year. A strategy, which is turning the traditional Danish Silversmith into a Scandinavian luxury lifestyle brand with an integrated product range. 

“Todd Bracher was an obvious choice for the position as Creative Director. He is perfectly aware of the brand’s many qualities and appreciates the craftsmanship and the unique sense of style. Yet, he has a young and fresh approach to continue the creative developments. I am convinced he will be able to take Georg Jensen to the next level”, Ulrik Garde Due says. 

Since 1904 Georg Jensen has succeeded in attracting and working with some of the most talented designers around the globe. One of these talented designers is Todd Bracher who has designed for Georg Jensen since 2004 and will now be in charge of identifying and supporting the next generation of design stars, joining such legendary artists as Georg Jensen, Arne Jacobsen and Henning Koppel. 

When, back in 1999, Todd moved to Denmark to study in Copenhagen at the Danish Design School he soon became fascinated by the Danish design tradition and shortly after launched his own beautiful sculptural furniture and home accessories for Danish and international companies such as Fritz Hansen and Zanotta. 

“The works of Georg Jensen himself, Henning Koppel and Arne Jacobsen have shaped who I am as a designer and are the very reason why I eventually moved to Denmark to look ‘behind the scenes’ at the source of these works. I discovered that the forms of the Georg Jensen collection capture the generosity and elegance that is built into the Danes and their way of life”, says Todd, who, at Georg Jensen, will be defining the brand’s future design philosophy.  

“Design is much more than creating forms and shapes. It is about the heart and mind that has produced it. For us to maintain brand coherence we must define what the heart must feel and the mind think and the rest will follow”, Todd Bracher says. 

Critics might argue that asking a foreigner to take the Georg Jensen design language into the future is not the obvious thing to do. That it would take a native Dane to understand the true essence of Georg Jensen – the tradition, the story and the role the Silversmithy has played in creating the term Danish Design. 

“The heritage is huge and the responsibility is vast. Part of Todd’s training was here in Copenhagen, which mixed with his international experience allows us to get an external point of view of Danish design with an internal understanding. For me it is bringing in the right person who in his soul understands where Georg Jensen is coming from and who has the skills, the courage and the ability to bring Georg Jensen and Danish design into the next century. To me Todd Bracher is that person,” Ulrik Garde Due states. 

Ulrik Garde Due, CEO  Todd Bracher, Creative Director

Closeness to nature, health, environmental sustainability and bicycling are all integral parts of the Scandinavian lifestyle. As part of the Global premiere of the new Scandinavian Luxury Lifestyle store concept Georg Jensen is launching WHEELS – a unique Danish designed and produced bicycle. Yet another quality, long lasting investment opportunity from Georg Jensen – in a world were financial values decline by the tick of the clock .

“The best part of Denmark and the rest of Scandinavia is our lifestyle and the clean environment. The relaxed atmosphere where people are enjoying the closeness to nature and get together with friends and family at home. Our wonderful clean environment which provides clean drinking water directly from the ground and which makes it possible to swim in perfectly clean water even in the harbour in the very midst of Copenhagen. And then there are off course the bikes”, Ulrik Garde Due, CEO of Georg Jensen, states.

Denmark is after the Netherlands, the country in the world with the highest number of people bicycling. All over the country the road net is making is easy to be on two wheels and the official government includes bicycling as part of the national transport policy. In other words bicycling is an integral part of everyday lives in Denmark. In most big cities tourist can borrow city-bikes for free while they are visiting Denmark.

‘We’re very pleased to have the opportunity to host some of the all-time masterpieces of Danish design at Storefront this fall. Why do some items make the transition from fulfilling a basic function, such as listening to music or serving food, to becoming a work of art?

This exhibition will tell the fascinating story behind the genesis of these icons’, says Joseph Grima, Director for Storefront for Art and Architecture. The Danish creative studio Hz has curated the exhibition with the aim to let the artistic forces of Danish design be refracted through a prism. ‘When light hits a prism of crystal, the rays are refracted, gaining volume, color and shape. For literally hundreds of years, these companies have functioned as prisms that have invited designers, sculptors, architects and sound engineers to use their production facilities to create past, present and future icons’, states the Creative Director behind the exhibition, Jonas Hartz of Hz.

Bang & Olufsen, Fritz Hansen, Georg Jensen, Louis Poulsen and Royal Copenhagen each represent an angle of the phenomena of Danish design. The egg chair, the Henning Koppel silverware and the PH lamps, to mention a few, are all iconic products that have been created by visionaries with a deep interest in the relationship between man and object, the uncompromising craftsmanship and the timelessness of the right shape.In connection with the IKON exhibition, a limited edition book will be released to further the inside look into the heritage, the personal relationships, the production and the design philosophies behind these icons. The exhibition will equally interact with a curated program of cultural content, film and music, which will run from 19 to 28 September 2007.

www.storefrontnews.org
www.h-z.dk
www.bang-olufsen.com
www.fritzhansen.com
www.georgjensen.com
www.louis-poulsen.dk
www.royalcopenhagen.com

Ulrik Garde Due (44 ), who was born in Denmark, is Senior Vice President of International Sales, Burberry and since 1998 he has been a member of the Burberry Management Team responsible for the re-launch of the brand and transformation of Burberry into one of the most successful luxury brands in the world and a financial success.

Ulrik Garde Due has considerable international experience including positions with the international luxury fashion brands Celine/LVMH and Cerruti and has been based in Tokyo, Paris and New York. Furthermore, Ulrik Garde Due has a background within Shipping and diplomacy. Lars Nørby Johansen, Chairman of the Georg Jensen Board of Directors, states: ”Ulrik Garde Due is a highly respected international profile with in-depth knowledge of the international luxury business and an invaluable extensive global network. This, combined with his achieved financial results and flair for operational excellence, makes him the right person to lead Georg Jensen through the next tough phase, where the many good initiatives initiated in recent years must be realised.” Lars Nørby Johansen stresses that the overall strategy to transform Georg Jensen into an international luxury brand remains unchanged. Georg Jensen will continue as a serious player in the luxury goods market – without loosing what makes the company special: the Scandinavian legacy, the renowned tradition of high quality craftsmanship and the unique design language. Georg Jensen is showing some good signs but getting it right is still a challenge and the Board felt the need to introduce new competences to meet those challenges and to ensure a focussed and consequent execution of the strategy and fulfil targets both brand wise and financially.

Lars Nørby Johansen continues:
”I would like to thank Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard for skilfully setting Georg Jensen on the right track – with the international luxury market as the final destination. With both dedication and professionalism, Hans- Kristian Hoejsgaard has initiated the globalisation of the Georg Jensen mindset. But it is time for new competences which can lead Georg Jensen through the final part of the journey to success. By mutual agreement Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard will leave Georg Jensen July 31, 2007.

The KOPPEL collection pays homage to the original understated design by Danish designer Henning Koppel. The KOPPEL in black was part of the original collection created in 1978. The signature feature of the KOPPEL in black is the white dots, in place of numerals and the white hands which naturally illuminate against a black dial. The inversed elegance of the KOPPEL in black, coupled with the pure simplicity of the original KOPPEL with white face and black dots, ensures that the KOPPEL collection gives the wearer the versatility to create the correct expression with their attire.

The men’s range includes a 38mm dial with date in stainless steel with black calfskin strap. The women’s KOPPEL watch has a 32mm dial with date and is available in a stainless steel version. The KOPPEL in black is also available in a pendant/pocket watch version. Worn by women and men alike, the watch makes a fashionable pendant-inspired accessory and can even serve as a modern pocket watch inspired by the early 20th century vintage fob watches. The pendant pocket watch is attached to a black cord with steel fastener and mechanism to adjust the length of the cord. The KOPPEL black version will be available in June, 2007

About Georg Jensen
Founded in Denmark in 1904, Georg Jensen now has over 100 stores in 12 countries. Starting life as a Silversmithy which created exclusive silver hollowware and jewellery, Georg Jensen now applies its superior craftsmanship to a wide range of gold, silver, platinum and diamond jewellery, watches, cutlery, hollowware as well as design items for the home and office. Its pure, elegant, Scandinavian design style is favoured by millions around the world and is often quoted as one of Denmark’s most recognised brands.

About Henning Koppel
Henning Koppel has been described as a distinguishing exponent of the development Danish design since the mid-fifties. He was, like Georg Jensen himself, originally educated as a sculptor, but made his mark very strongly as a designer. His work is characteristic for its understated, organic, fluid expression. Many of Henning Koppel’s iconic works are found in Georg Jensen’s Hollowware range with Fish Tray no. 1026 and Pitcher no. 992 recognised as design icons of the last 100 years.

The VICE collection, created by Swiss designer Nicolas Barth Nussbaumer, combines the classic strength utility and functionality of a steel bracelet watch with the design elegance and simplicity of Georg Jensen’s design language. “The VICE watch’s bezel and back case lock the body of the watch in a tight embrace – a vice like position. The steel bracelet also emulates this form giving the watch a sturdy, powerful appearance” explains Nussbaumer.

The aesthetic appeal of the watch lies in the small details of the watch face. The minute markings are embedded within a sub-layer of the face while the hours illuminate in silver. The dial of the VICE watch is available in both black and silver versions. The date is displayed at 3 o’clock and the watch is water resistant to 10ATM. The steel bracelet is secured using a butterfly-lock. The VICE collection has been created for men and women and available in both a 40mm and 34mm version.

For the watch connoisseur VICE will be launched in the Autumn 2007 in an automatic version. Importantly, this steel bracelet watch will be the first automatic movement watch to be added to the Georg Jensen collection for many years. The watch dial of this version has a more vintage expression in its design and will be available in 40mm black or silver versions.

About Georg Jensen
Founded in Denmark in 1904, Georg Jensen now has over 100 stores in 12 countries. Starting life as a Silversmithy which created exclusive silver hollowware and jewellery, Georg Jensen now applies its superior craftsmanship to a wide range of gold, silver, platinum and diamond jewellery, watches, cutlery, hollowware as well as design items for the home and office. Its pure, elegant, Scandinavian design style is favoured by millions around the world and is often quoted as one of Denmark’s most recognised brands.

About Nicolas Barth Nussbaumer
After specialising in jewellery and watch design at the Art & Design School in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Swiss born designer, Nicolas Barth Nussbaumer has worked with some of the heavy weights of the luxury industry, designing watches, jewellery and furniture. The CONCAVE watch launched in 2006 was his first collaboration with Georg Jensen.

De pt. 27 udstillere, der blandt andet tæller Rosendahl, Georg Jensen, Thuesen Jensen, Eva Denmark og Stelton, får deres helt egen hal – ganske som det er tilfældet på efterårsmessen, hvor branchen har været fast deltager i en årrække.

- Efter flere års forarbejde er det nu lykkedes os at få de største mærke-vareleverandører inden for isenkram med på begge årets Formland messer. Det hæver det i forvejen høje niveau på messen og understøtter Formlands profil som det største og førende mødested i verden for skandinavisk design til boligen. Dertil forventer vi, at der vil komme flere besøgende indkøbere fra såvel Danmark som det øvrige Skandinavien – for nu skal butikkerne ikke længere til udlandet for at se alle isenkram-nyhederne, fastslår projektchef Lars Jespersen, Messecenter Herning A/S.

Ny interiør- og tekstilhal ser dagens lys
Med udgangspunkt i forbrugernes stigende efterspørgsel efter interiørvarer lancerer Formland endnu et tiltag på forårsmessen. Det er den hidtidige tekstil-zone i Hal F, der får en ny profil med interiør som omdrejningspunkt.
- Vi forsøger at tænke nyt og anderledes. I fællesskab med udstillerne har vi fundet frem til et spændende koncept, der skaber unikke oplevelser for de besøgende. Med åbne stande og brede gangarealer vil indretningen sætte nye standarder for Formland, ligesom der centralt i hallen indrettes en spændende lounge-café, fortæller Lars Jespersen.

Motorvej lige til døren
Udover de nye tiltag på Formland er logistikken omkring Messecenter Herning forbedret væsentligt til forårsmessen. De nye motor- og motortrafikveje fra øst, nord og syd, der blev indviet i begyndelsen af oktober, fører de godt 20.000 besøgende direkte til Formland Spring 2007.