Jewelry

Danish Jewelry Designer Sophie Bille Brahe On Her Cosmic Brand - Forbes

There's an undeniable purity and minimal elegance to Sophie Bille Brahe's jewelry but there's also a cosmic avant-garde nature to it as well.

Having attended The Royal College of Arts in London, Brahe established her eponymous label in 2001 after honing her skills with master jewelers in Copenhagen. She takes inspiration from her family’s love for astronomy and this translates into her pieces via seemingly floating pearls that have a little cosmic wonder about them. Expect whiter than white Akoya pearls and diamonds combined with 14k or 18k gold to form a collection of earrings, solo earrings, necklaces, bracelets and anklets. 

What was your first fashionable memory? As a child, my family and I lived in Saudi Arabia. My parents had a summer house in Hornbæk, where we came home to celebrate the midsummer. I remember that my mother had lost her Cartier watch and that my dad went and searched along the waterfront with a flashlight for many hours before he found it. It really made an impression on me, the sentimental value that jewelry and clothes can have.

How did you get into the industry? At school, I wasn’t very academic but always loved working with my hands and creating things in precious metals, so I did a Goldsmith apprenticeship in Copenhagen, then went on to do a Masters in jewelry-making at the Royal College of Arts in London. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Do you have a signature style? How would you sum up your aesthetic? I have always aimed to make my designs clean and classic, but always with a modern twist. What interests me most during the design process is stripping back all unnecessary elements and adornments in order to allow the materials to shine and speak for themselves.

Talk us through the collection...My AW18 collection is primarily inspired by the works of Botticelli, particularly the Three Graces in 'Primavera'- their hair flowing with pearls and their bejeweled necks. The collection features clusters of pearl 'grapes' and baroque freshwater pearl earrings, as well as two hair clips in 10kt gold and freshwater pearls, also inspired by Botticelli's 'Portrait of a Young Woman'. The collection pays homage to the decorative and ornate nature of the Renaissance art movement.

What has had the biggest impact on your career to date? So tricky to choose one moment, however, my very first design-the Croissant de Lune earring-recently celebrated its 10th birthday, which felt quite surreal and momentous on a personal level. 

Who are the supporters of your brand? Dover Street Market has been incredibly supportive of me since the very beginning, as well as Net-A-Porter. Lots of women who inspire me have also worn my designs over the years, from Rihanna to Alicia Vikander to Emma Leth- they all have such special, different ways of wearing the jewelry and making it their own.

Which piece do you connect with the most? The 'Croissant de Lune' earring, I designed it 10 years ago and I still wear it every day.

What were the greatest lessons learned when it comes to the fashion industry? A valuable lesson that I have learned over the years is that it is important to design for yourself and the people that inspire you. When I'm designing, I always start with what I would want to wear myself and I am also very inspired by my friends in Denmark- they have such a strong sense of style and are at the heart of so many of my designs.

Shop the collections at sophiebillebrahe.com