Over the past 25 years, the fashion and luxury industries have opened the golden gates to their respective worlds wider than ever. Atelier presentations have turned into mega fashion shows, newspaper reviews are now online, and meanwhile, PRs are increasingly releasing previously archived content. Public exhibits retrace the lives of designers. Editors boast about their “all access” power highlighted by lunches with designers, visits to the major ateliers, and even to the private apartments of people like Coco Chanel.
But in this industry, some stories are almost better left behind-the-scenes. We explore three such unresolved cases.
THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST FABERGÉ EGGS
Peter Carl Fabergé was born into a family of jewelers in Saint Petersburg, and after honing his skills all over Europe, in 1885 he became the goldsmith to the great Russian Imperial Court under the graces of Tsar Alexander III. During the first year of his appointment, to celebrate Russia’s most important Orthodox feast, Easter, he designed an egg made of gold, coated with opaque white enamel to create the appearance of a real eggshell. It was then decided that each year an “egg” would be made as a gift for the Tsarina, who loved the first so dearly.
Fabergé designed Easter eggs for another eleven years until Alexander III died. Then, Nicholas II, Alexander’s son, carried on the tradition. These projects became Fabergé’s top priority and the design and execution was always kept secret.
After the collapse of the Russian Empire, the Fabergé egg production stopped and the Fabergé family fled the country. Fabergé made 50 eggs, but only 42 have survived. Every so often, what is claimed to be a Fabergé egg surfaces— each time, however, it is invariably revealed to be a fake. The mystery on the whereabouts of the eight missing eggs only adds to speculation about the precious objects and an alleged secret message on each of them.
FASHION’S INVISIBLE MAN
In 2002, his house was bought by Renzo Rosso’s holding company, Only The Brave, but it was long before this that Martin Margiela decided to stop talking to the press and start acting like “fashion’s invisible man”. After founding his eponymous brand in 1988, the Belgian designer decided during the rise of celebrity culture and supermodels in the 1990s that he would remain behind-the-scenes and instead let his work do the talking. Reportedly, to Margiela, designing is a collaborative effort—hence one designer simply cannot represent a whole house. Margiela never took a bow after his catwalk shows and all his corporate communications are signed, Maison Martin Margiela. The direct result of his modesty is that the slew of mysteries have unintentionally become the heart of the brand.
It would appear that Martin loves to play hide and seek. This fashion ghost disappeared so quietly that it took years for Editors to notice that he had, in fact, left the design studio. In 2008 Renzo Rosso told the International Herald Tribune, ”We are very happy with Martin, but for a long time he has a strong team and does not work on the collection, just special projects.”
Tall, with piercing brown eyes, Martin Margiela has a classically attractive face and often wears a dark cap pulled down over his eyes. We can tell you that much.
JAR, THE BUYER’S CLUB
Margiela’s reluctance to being interviewed and photographed is not only paralleled but surpassed by Joel Arthur Rosenthal’s secretive demeanor. Neither his incredibly prestigious acquaintances nor clients can say a word about him or his brand, JAR, to the press without first obtaining his approval—and face excommunication if done otherwise. Diane Von Furstenberg once called Rosenthal, “The Fabergé of our time”. Rosenthal’s shop in Paris’ Place Vendôme displays empty shelves and has no regular hours—JAR will not sell to just anyone. Elizabeth Taylor, Elle Macpherson, Barbara Walters, Ann Getty, Mary Pinault, Marella Agnelli, and Princess Firyal of Jordan are among the privileged few.
Rosenthal jewelry designs often take inspiration from flora (from leek brooches to clover rings) and are made in Switzerland and France. Only 70 to 80 pieces are produced each year and each are assigned to a particular client.