Pascal Mouawad - Celebrity Jewelry Designer
Pascal Mouawad has made his mark as the fourth generation jewelry designer to run his family’s company, Mouawad Group. He was raised in Geneva, Switzerland, but moved to Los Angeles after high school to further his education. It was there that his dream of expanding his families business into the U.S. and eventually Hollywood where he would become the dominate player in collaborating with celebrities.
The pop culture world would find Mouawad’s design talent in a unique item you wouldn’t normally associate jewelry with... a bra. That's right, in 2000 Mouawad designed a $2 million dollar diamond Fantasy Bra for Victoria's Secret that would become known as the most luxurious and expensive lingerie ever made. This caused much hype and an avenue where he became friends with Victoria's Secret model Heidi Klum with whom he would partner with on his first celebrity collaboration.
At the time, celebrities like, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, Eva Longoria, Gwen Stefani, Faith Hill, Mary J. Blige, Gisele Bundchen, and Tyra Banks had already donned his gems at red carpet premieres and high profile Hollywood events.
After being well worn by Hollywood's elite and his first collaboration with Klum, his fashion jewelry brand would continue to grow. Next, in his most well known line, House of Harlow 1960 with Nicole Richie (appropriately named after her daughter, Harlow) big bling is what it's all about. House of Harlow 1960 offers versatility to wear many of the pieces as bracelets, necklaces, belts or even headbands. "I've always felt that great accessories are essential in every complete outfit and I wanted to create a collection that was easy to mix and match; to either wear alone as an everyday piece, or stack on to make more of a statement," says Richie in a press release. As a longtime jewelry collector, Richie has always had an eye for good quality and design. "I went to Pascal Mouawad knowing he'd be the perfect partner to build my designs; he's been incredible at bringing my creative ideas to life.".
What followed was a modern watch line with Grammy Award winning music mogul Jermiane Dupri called NU POP MOVEMENT, in which Mouawad and Dupri have fused their creative forces to craft a unique collection of stylish watches. The line, characterized by its eye-catching, oversized case, incorporates vivid colors and analog and digital movement, with a funky, fashionable twist.
“I grew up loving fashion watches and admiring Andy Warhol," said music legend Jermaine Dupri of creating the line. "A lot of my inspiration came from that. I wanted to create a watch that was stylish and affordable.”
The NU POP MOVEMENT collection takes its inspiration from the iconic pop art of yesteryear as well as the vibrancy of today’s pop music and culture. "Pop art, like pop music, derives its name from tapping into the 'popular' elements of culture, as opposed to elitist," said Pascal Mouawad, "We designed a line of watches that goes straight to the heart of what today's fashion-conscious, trend setters are seeking."
That led to a watch line of her own for Jessica Simpson which includes 35 designs that speak to Jessica’s personal style, varying from classic leather and menswear styles to fashion forward jewelry-inspired looks.
For Mouawad, there's no slowing down in dominating the Hollywood market place. His current projects include partnering with designer Erin Wasson for Low Luv, and Kim Kardashian on a fashion jewelry line. The debut collection will include 25 statement pieces that speak to Kim’s personal style, which was inspired by the combination of 1930’s and 1960’s modern era. This collection contains a cornucopia of strongshapes and silhouettes, Lucite with metal plates-very bold but everyday wearable pieces. "The line with Pascal Mouawad is fun, edgy, yet feminine," says Kardashian in a press release. "I love statement pieces because they make a simple outfit stylish and fun!" The collection will launch Spring/ Summer 2011.
As for reaching beyond Hollywood with some of the world's most influential characters in the sports world and beyond, that's not a dream or out of the question for that matter. It's finding the right person with the right style for Mouawad. Just ask any celebrity in Hollywood. Most if not all have worn his designs.
