Sexy, stylish, and subversive. This is Caterina Ruggeri’s new bracelets line
Text by: Charlotte Garlaschelli
A press and tv journalist, an anchorwoman, a creative artist, a mum. And now also a designer. Caterina Ruggeri lands in the fashion world with Krack, her line of bracelets that look very out of the box: geometric shapes to evoke inner strength, both symbolic and gritty. Her series of “wrist clasps” fit in the world of fashion accessories, rather than jewellery, reminding us of amulets, rather than simple decorations, halfway between Elsa Peretti’s bone cuffs and American bikers’ wristbands. Anyway, you can easily picture these bracelets on an assertive, anti-conventional woman, with a refined rock style. A little like their creator. The collection is dedicated to her daughter Angelica and made with the use of high quality leather by Italian master craftsmen. Three models: V-shaped Victory, as if to represent a protective shield; X-shaped Star, to propitiate activity and success; Infinity, a symbol of friendship and continuity.
What sparkled your interest in drawing a line of accessories?
Sometimes sparks live a long and hidden life amid embers… I had the privilege to interview many “big” names, I remember a chat with Gianfranco Ferré before a fashion show, his story about the variations of a white shirt. In 2005 Valentino fascinated me during a men’s show in Milan. He described me the fabrics he chose for his “travelling man”, after the interview he wrote me a beautiful note that I still keep and cherish. And then I met many more or less established eclectic designers, and each of them taught me something. I realised how important inspiration is… who better than me to design a bracelet that really represents me?
Krack it is first and foremost an onomatopoeic word, it reproduces the sound of something that breaks. When the order of things breaks, it is always a premonition of novelty and change. It is something that, in some way, reflects your way of relating to the world and life?
It is my belief that rules must be learned and respected. Once you know them well, you can break them responsibly at the right moment to reach your goal. When I thought of Krack, I felt that I needed to add a distinctive element to my clothes, even at work. According to my personality, I tend to dress in an essential and minimal way. In certain contexts jewels and big names are not a good idea, but I think that sobriety can also be a rather suffocating obligation. I needed an object for myself, that would be able to recount my personality, my state of mind, an object that stated with style: “this is me”. An accessory that would become a protagonist and would break the rules of an executive look. The choice fell instinctively on leather, as a material to decline in a thousand ways, and subsequently the name for “breaking” came quite naturally.
Let’s talk about your logo: it is a very personal reference.. it is a hug and around <rac> a reference to you and your daughter. Would you like to talk about it in detail?
R stands for my surname, A stands for Angelica my daughter’s name, C stands for my name, we are a mum and a daughter who are happy to be connected by a special relationship. You often write the initials of a person you love in your heart, lovers do so by carving them on tree trunks. So, I thought of stylising RAC by using two capital K letters (my initial in English) instead of the heart-shape so that they virtually enclose our three letters in a hug. I liked the sound and the meaning that goes beyond provocation for me.
The first bracelet you conceived?
Initially I thought of black leather and of course of the Punk world that is essential for the 1980’s. Malcom McLaren, Vivienne Westwood’s founder and partner, never ceased to be a source of inspiration from streetstyle to fashion and music. Then I applied the 3S rule: “Something Sexy, Stylish, Subversive”. I try to encase these three requirements in a single object starting from black leather, playing with colours, drawings and geometries.
Elegant and essential, and yet rock. It reminds of the essence of a strong personality, resolute but enveloping, just like the leather bracelet. What meaning does it bear for you?
It tells about the desire to state “who I am” beyond all appearances. Some women dress to seduce, others put on a uniform, but if you look at them carefully, it is through details that they express they personality. We all bought a leather bracelet during a summer vacation on a stand to grasp that sense of freedom, strength or rebellion. Just to leave it for the whole year in a drawer because it is not very elegant, or rough, or simply cheap. The bracelet that I liked for its quality, style and design did not exist, so I designed it.
Describe how you imagine the people who perfectly manage to wear Krack.
I imagine they can understand this as a symbolic object: all the women who are determined and idealistic, who perceive themselves as human beings. not as tools for use and consumption in a world that is still too sexist. They want to assert themselves through their merit and not through their neckline. They are fighting for a world of equal rights for their daughters. I imagine the women of the #MeToo movement or the women who wore the Pussyhats at the Woman March.
How did you choose the design?
The design has been carefully studied to make sure that it embraces the human wrist in the most physiological way possible, thinking of different moments and moods. The shield as a Wonder Woman’s defense, a star to shine, and then a continuous, infinite form, to be shared through friendship … also a perfect and beautiful object for a gift.
Is there a special memory related to one of your bracelets?
The first time I wore the prototype of a black Victory bracelet, a very young colleague told me that my wristband was triggering fantasies in him, he made me smile … but I thought I was on the right path.