Italian jewelry designer takes over the creation of Animale ORO and promises to further strengthen the brand’s identity
Italian jewelry designer takes over the creation of Animale ORO and promises to further strengthen the brand’s identity. Check out the details!
Italian by birth, but with a Brazilian heart, Raffaele Petruzzelli has just taken on the role of creative head at Animale ORO. Although he is very excited about the news, he is overcome by a sense of déjà vu. The jewelry designer, who graduated from the renowned IED in Rome, where he was a professor for 15 years (and coordinator for four years at IED in Rio de Janeiro), is an old acquaintance of the Rio de Janeiro brand. In 2012, he crossed the Atlantic to live in Rio de Janeiro and was responsible for the creations of the Animale jewelry line. “I moved to Brazil, where I stayed for five years. It was a great time. Rio is a wonderful place to live,” he says, in plain Portuguese. His headquarters are currently located in Bari, where he was born, in the Puglia region, one of the most beautiful and popular in Italy. And it is directly from there that his jewelry ideas come. Founder of the Italian Institute of Design and with over 25 years of experience in the field, his career has been marked by collaborations with important brands such as Fendi, Chloé, Alexander McQueen, as well as providing consultancy for several Italian brands. “I have been interested in fashion and art since I was 14. I went to study at an art school that specialized in goldsmithing.”
Some time later, the designer had what he considers one of his greatest professional experiences, working with Karl Lagerfeld at Fendi: “I made the brand’s jewelry and costume jewelry. I was lucky enough to spend time with Karl, who was a genius. I learned a lot during that time. I left there to open my own consulting firm.” Until a passion changed the course of his life. And now it’s been 32 years since Raffaele first set foot here. Driven by art and the warmth of Rio, he played a fundamental role in building the DNA of Animale ORO, creating iconic collections.
In true “good son returns home” style, he returned last January to take on the role of creative head of Animale ORO, bringing with him a more international vision and Italian designs that guide and inspire his upcoming collections. “We are already working on the collection that will be launched in early 2025. We want to make the brand name appear more on the pieces, but without exaggeration, in a very soft way. The main material continues to be gold,” says Raffaele, who has a clean style as his trademark and confesses that he does not have a defined process when it comes to creating: “It could be architecture or an object that he sees on the street and inspires him. I believe that the initial phase of creation does not have to be rigid, so as not to limit creativity.”
“I WANT TO STRENGTHEN THE BRAND ’S JEWELLERY IDENTITY EVEN FURTHER , WITHOUT GIVING UP MY STYLE , WHICH IS CLEANER , BUT WITH SOME DETAILS THAT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THE IDEA IS THAT PEOPLE RECOGNIZE ANIMALE ORO JUST BY LOOKING AT IT.” RAFFAELE PETRUZZELLI
Raffaele promises to use all the know-how he has acquired throughout his long career as a jewelry designer. “I want to further strengthen the identity of the brand’s pieces, without giving up my style, which is cleaner, but with some details that will make a difference. The idea is for people to recognize Animale ORO just by looking at it.” Stay tuned!