News from Italy
A rare flower growing among the Baroque beauties of Rome: Bvlgari
Ayfer Selamoğlu– Carrying a Bvlgari is like standing in front of a waterfall where water-filled gems flow with reflections of light: it is a rare, prestigious and unique experience. It is a status, a sign of prestige that completes both men and women with its stance and brilliance…
An example of a determined entrepreneur is Sotirio Voulgaris
The history of the Roman company is long and adventurous. Bvlgari, one of Italy’s most famous and oldest brands today and one of the emblems of Italian excellence, traces its origins to Epiros, located on the opposite shore of the island of Corfu. The story begins with a Greek man named Sotirio Boulgaris, who was born in 1857 in Paramythia and came from a family of artisans skilled in working silver according to a tradition that dates back to the times of Byzantium. Almost all the members of the Voulgaris family, whose leaves on the family tree are visible up to the sixteenth century, were engaged in the processing of silver. Sotirio will mark the turning point of this family and their arts …
Sotirio was a determined young man who knew what he wanted. As a young man, he decided he didn’t want to live in a small, troubled village. His journey of advancement began when he was just 20 years old. In 1870, he took his family and moved to the opposite island, the fabulous Corfu, where Greek and Italian cultures were blended. The shop he opened in the late 1800s sowed the seeds of Bvlgari’s brand journey. Sotirio, who lived in Naples for a while after Corfu, immigrated to Rome. The year was 1881…
Sotirio’s fate began to change in the immortal city of Rome. Opening his first store in Via Sistina in 1884, he changed the family name Voulgaris to Bulgari. Thus, it gave its name and brand a more Latin identity from its roots. In its early days, Bulgari attracted attention with silver jewellery inspired by ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine art. His embossed and embroidered silver creations became a centre of attraction for Italians and tourists. After the First World War, which negatively affected everyone and every company, he switched to jewellery production, relying on the intuition of his sons Giorgio and Costantino. This step brought Bulgari even closer to the luxury brands club.
Fathers and sons…
The death of Sotirio Bulgari in 1932 marked a new turning point for the brand. Brothers Constantino and Giorgio restructured the brand. They changed the name of the Via Condotti store to ‘BVLGARI’ in both the official and Roman alphabets. They used the letter V to show the family’s passion for Rome and the reflection of this feeling in their designs. They created the brand’s pink and beige ‘hallmark’. From the 1940s, Bvlgari’s elegant Italian style began to take shape, as he used new elements such as the shimmer of yellow gold and the twisted spirals of his ‘Serpenti’ creations. In these years, the company also turned to platinum sets with diamonds. After the war, when prosperity started to increase, the Dolce Vita era in the 1950s was also reflected in Bulgari. The firm became famous worldwide.
In 1967, the third generation of the family, Giorgio’s three sons, Paolo, Gianni and Nicola, took over the brand’s responsibility. The eldest son, Gianni, became CEO of Bvlgari. Paolo became famous as the world’s foremost jeweller. The youngest, Nicola, was known as a “businessman personality”. But he was also interested in design and collecting coins.
The Bvlgari brothers opened their first international store at the Pierre Hotel on New York’s Fifth Avenue in 1970. At the end of the 1970s, it had three more stores in Genova, Monte Carlo and Paris. As soon as his nephew Francesco Trapani, who became CEO in 1981, took office, he implemented an aggressive strategy for growth. It first opened stores in Milan, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Osaka, Singapore, and London. Before the end of the 80s, new stores were opened in Munich and New York.
Celebrity corridor opening to Bvlgari…
Bvlgari’s reputation had spread. The passion for the Roman jeweller spread to famous couples and stars over time. In the post-war period, the front of the Bvlgari store became a place where celebrities from around the world posed for paparazzi: Roberto Rossellini and Ingrid Bergman; Sofia Loren and Carlo Ponti; Paulette Goddard and writer Erich Maria Remarque… but also Audrey Hepburn, Kirk Douglas, Ursula Andress, Klaus Kinski, John Wayne, Mina and Jessica Lange, Anita Ekberg, Gina Lollobrigida, Naomi Campbell and Jessica Chastain… Italian high society; American businessman Nelson Rockefeller; A prestigious clientele has emerged, including celebrities such as Clare Boothe Luce, the American ambassador to Italy. According to Richard Burton, the only word he knew in Italian for his great love, Elizabeth Taylor, was Bulgari. Burton said in an interview, “I taught Elizabeth how to drink beer. She also taught me Bvlgari.”
Bvlgari Style
Sotirio Bulgari created his style with vibrant colour combinations, balanced volumes, fascinating patterns and motifs. He brought together very precious stones with the familiar mastery of silver. The early creations of the 1920s reflected the designs of the traditional French school. He combined platinum and diamonds with the stylized geometries of Art Deco. In the 1950s, he was among the first jewellers to use colour in a daring, new way. He opened up a new and exciting colour palette by choosing gemstones for their chromatic effects. Sapphire was her symbol, but her jewels reflected a rainbow hue.
In the 60s, the Bvlgari style began to find its unique style, with three handsome brothers who embodied Italian elegance. Now, the products differ from the French style in some places. The diamonds used have become a support material for the play of colours. The bold mix of colours, combining precious stones with decorative semi-precious stones, attracted much attention. At the same time, its large dimensions were considered as bold as contemporary art. All these innovations are reflected in the classic look of the Bvlgari plate in stylized yellow gold engraved on the edges. This bold new look soon became known as the Bvlgari style. Whenever the father of Pop Art, Andy Warhol, visited Rome, he never returned without stopping by Bvlgari, whom he defined as “the best contemporary art exhibition “…
Pioneer of Bvlgari style icons, the Serpenti is one of its most recognizable models. Its history dates back to the 1940s when they decided to add a watch to the trendy snake bracelets of the Art Deco era.
Coins or Monete is another Bvlgari symbol that started life in the 1960s. Nicola Bulgari, an avid coin collector, decided to turn ancient Roman currency into jewels, and thus Monete was born. Monete jewellery, usually with thick gold chains, is among Bvlgari’s indispensable collections.
Although Bvlgari has made purses, brooches, and wristwatches throughout its history, it did not launch an extensive watch collection until the late 1970s. With its classical design, the “BVLGARI BVLGARI” wristwatch, made of yellow gold surrounding a black round face, became the most well-known and highest-selling watch. Another critical design was Bvlgari’s ‘curvy snake’ watch.
In addition to jewellery and watch products, Bvlgari introduced a wide range of products, from silver tableware to perfumes, ties to scarves, bags to all leather products. Bvlgari, which surrounded the world like a chain and turned into one of the legendary brands of Italy, was offered to the public in 1995. After the sale, Paolo and Nicola Bulgari owned 61.8% of the company… Bvlgari entered another milestone when the calendars showed March 2011. The world’s largest luxury product group, LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy), has acquired a significant stake in the legendary brand Bvlgari.
Sotirio Bulgari, which opened its first store in Rome, Via Sistina in 1884, and Louis Vuitton, which opened its first store in London’s Oxford Street in 1885, came together under the roof of LVMH, the world’s largest luxury group. Sotirio Voulgaris crowned their journeys with handmade silver and Louis Vuitton Malletier chest suitcases with LVMH, where multinational luxury brands meet…
LVMH is a Paris-based multinational French company born in 1987 from the merger of Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennessy. It has 75 high fashion brands, including Dior, Bulgari, DKNY, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, Kenzo, Loro Piana, Emilio Pucci and Louis Vuitton, perfumes such as Guerlain, Givenchy and Acqua di Parma, and watches such as TAG Heuer. Bulgari, De Beers and Tiffany & Co. jewellery, wines and spirits such as Moët & Chandon, publishing such as Les Échos and Le Parisien, and distribution and luxury hotels such as Sephora. The main shareholder is Bernard Arnault, one of the world’s first rich people. Arnault Family Group, the holding company of Arnault, controls 63.13% of the voting rights and 46.84% of the shares.