In the fashion/publishing world, the September issue is always the thickest and considered the most important issue of the year.
While many blogs are all about Kate Moss on British Vogue’s September issue, Manila’s fashionistas are all abuzz about Bea Valdes’ statement necklace on the same cover.
Kate Moss wears nothing but a buttery Burberry trench coat and neckpiece by Bea Valdes, shot by no less than Mario Testino. Earrings are Kate’s own with makeup by Rimmel and styled by Lucinda Chambers.
“As much as it is my name on the label — and yes, I do design the pieces — getting the necklace on the September cover is really the work of my sister, Marga. Everything you see on our website’s press page and all the stockists are my Mom and sister’s efforts,” Bea explains.
ON THE RADAR: How did you start making your neckpieces?
BEA VALDES: After our first Vogue feature article came out in 2005 with the tag line: How Disco Chicken became this season’s must have evening bags, Mega magazine wanted to cover a story.
At that time, they were revamping their own magazine’s look and I believe it was the first issue where Carla Sibal would have full editorial control over the content.
Michael Salientes, who was styling the shoot asked me to make something to wear for the cover. As my family has been in the fine jewelry trade for three generations, he instructed me: “Please! Just don’t wear diamonds!”
That was how the Venom necklace came about. I wanted to make something that had the impact of substantial jewelry, something that had the weight but a different sparkle from that of diamonds.
It was like trying to create the antithesis of fine jewelry but still capturing the drama of it.
The Venom necklace is made of onyx and black agate — both in matte finish — and jet crystals and beads. It remains as one of our all-time best sellers. I actually made two necklaces for that shoot with Mega. The other one was called Envie, and it was also a large, multi-pendant necklace with turquoise crystals and beads.
Unsure of what to do with these new pieces I had just created, I sent them to the writer at Vogue to ask her what she thought about them. They too were immediately photographed. They were my only samples and in my haste, I did not even photocopy them before I sent them out!
And by December 2005, we had our second feature in Vogue and the first international launch of my necklaces in the foreign press.
Each time we have an important feature with the necklaces, Michael Salientes is the first person I send a text message to — to remind him it was all his fault.
And he loves that. Can you name some celebrities who wear Bea Valdes?
I’m not sure if it is so much celebrity as it is personalities. We often find out that someone is wearing our pieces when a friend lets us know if they’ve come across a published image.
If it is for magazine editorials, we lend our samples, but these always come back to us. For example, a friend from New York sent me the full-page image of Rachel Roy on New York Times’ T magazine wearing our Venom necklace.
Another friend saw Sharon Stone wearing our piece on TV. Just last month, at a dinner, the host told me he had come across a clipping with the Queen of Malaysia using one of our bags. And recently two local lifestyle magazines featured well-known women on their covers who were both wearing our necklaces. These pieces came from their own personal collections, which made it all the more meaningful for us.
What are you bestselling pieces right now?
The necklaces and bijoux des corps, practically in all styles, have been doing very well since we launched them a couple of seasons ago. Our fabric bags in our signature bulb shape have been extremely popular. The most complicated of our fully beaded and crystal bags always are great performers.
The most intricate pieces — most of which are bespoke — are really what have been flying off the shelves, despite the recession, or perhaps because of it.
Where can people buy your pieces here or abroad?
Locally, we will have a capsule collection of necklaces soon for Adora. We have always enjoyed creating holiday bag collections for Firma. And we also continue to do bespoke orders for our private clients in Manila and abroad.
Online and in London, we are available at Couturelab.com and at the Dorchester Hotel. We are also carried by Harvey Nichols in Hong Kong, Aseana in Malaysia, the Tanagra Stores across the Middle East, Podium and Aizel in Moscow, the Wynn Hotel in Vegas, Henri Bendel in New York, and Holt Renfrew in Canada to name a few.
What’s next for Bea Valdes?
As I’m currently working on the new Spring/ Summer 2010 collection, it’s always either finishing up the last one or working on the new one for us. But before “what’s next” I’d really like to enjoy what’s happening now.
* * *
To view the latest from Bea Valdes, go to http://beavaldes.com/ or