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Exploring the Most Versatile Jewel with Gigi Clozeau
Nearly 10 years into the business, the designer’s eponymous collection is more popular than ever.
Produced in her family’s factory in the south of France, Gigi Clozeau’s simple design concept expressed in a multitude of colors has charmed top retailers in its nearly 10 years of business.
Step into some of the U.S.’s coolest jewelry stores—Broken English, Ylang 23, Pendleton Jewelry, the just-opened The Seven West Village—and you’ll see a familiar silhouette: a delicate necklace with diminutive, second-skin beads available in more colors than a rainbow, spaced evenly apart on a gold chain.
The necklaces (and bracelets) are by Gigi Clozeau, and though they’re not new, lately they seem to be everywhere tastemakers shop, from Twist and Marissa Collections to Net-a-Porter.
Designer Gigi Clozeau
Whether a colorful element in a neck mess or a no-brainer gift to loved ones, Clozeau’s lightweight comfort and vast range of shades make her pieces jewelry box MVPs.
I chatted with the designer, whose pieces are made in her family’s factory in the south of France, about what inspired her to create her eponymous collection in 2013, her love of color, and what shade she’s loving currently.
Ashley Davis: Your signature is your resin beads. How did you come up with the style? What was the inspiration behind it?
Gigi Clozeau: We like to call them “pearl of resin.” My father, who has been designing jewelry since the 1970s, made the first sample for me as a toddler; however, they were made out of glass.
When we launched in 2013, we spent some time engineering the resin and the colors.
AD: How many colors do you stock today?
GC: We have a palette of 60 colors.
AD: What is your relationship with color? What is the process like to create each custom shade?
GC: Each color has its own recipe that we have to refine as we go.
I use colors to express emotions and moods; I love to pair them with my outfits.
Gigi Clozeau says bright shades, like turquoise and coral, are the brand’s signature.
AD: Do you have a favorite shade currently?
GC: I am very into a mix of greens and our new fall color, called opal.
AD: Today there are so many great charms and pendants to add to your beads. Which is your favorite charm and why?
GC: I actually love to mix them to reflect my feelings and intentions. The charms one wears will help bring luck and clarity to lead to the right path.
Right now, I am wearing all the different stars we have in all different colorways on a long necklace.
AD: If you were to gift three pieces as a sort of Gigi Clozeau starter pack, which pieces would you choose and why?
GC: If I had to choose, I’d probably pick two classic necklaces of different lengths, in color-popping shades such as coral or turquoise, to showcase the versatility and focus on color that the brand does best.
I’d pair it with a charm that brings a touch of joy, like the sun or the lucky clover.
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