When Valérie Messika recalls her childhood memories of playtime growing up, they’re world’s apart from what other little girls got up to. “When I used to play with my dad, instead of playing with dolls, he used to teach me how to look inside a diamond. We used to do this together so often and then one day there was this moment when I looked at him and realised that it was the stone of our family,” she recounts. “I was the first kid from a big family to go into diamonds, therefore I felt a big pressure to follow in his footsteps. For three years he taught me everything there was to know about diamonds and following that I told him that my destiny was to do something different with these stones. I had this feeling deep down that I had my own world in the diamond industry to explore.”
Following her heart and her instincts has come to define Valérie’s work and her contemporary cool brand Messika which has accumulated legions of fans of all ages from around the globe including the likes of Beyonce, Celine Dion, Natalia Vodianova and Selena Gomez. Sighting a gap in the market for edgy diamond jewellery a little over a decade ago, Valérie changed the way diamonds were conceived, shaking off their antiquated reputation with her super modern designs. “I think that since the beginning, the success of the brand has been due to the fact I appeal to all women, especially younger ones. My clients range from 18 to 60-years old so it’s transgenerational. I think the fact we don’t reach or target one specific client demographic has been integral to our success. Back when I launched Messika, people knew that a diamond was an amazing stone, but it was often thought of as a bit old fashioned – if you wore diamonds that weren’t your eternity brand, they automatically looked a bit older. However, in recent years brands have evolved and changed and the mentality about wearing diamonds is completely different now, which is something that I think I have been a part of. I’ve worked a lot with the ear cuff, the double ring, the hand bracelet which creates something a little more casual and cool as opposed to wearing big statement stones.”
Each year Valérie reinterprets and reinvents The Move. This year, to celebrate its tenth anniversary, she enlisted the help of Gigi Hadid. “I chose Gigi because she really inspires me and she’s been someone that I would love to work with for a very long time - she was at the top of my list for a tenth anniversary collaboration. Since the beginning, the fashion industry has always been a source of inspiration for me and Gigi is at the very forefront of the industry – she’s one of the top models today and she’s one of the girls who changed the way that brands work with models due to her digital exposure – her contact with her fans and the people that follow her is very different to that of the older era,” she enthuses. “Gigi is very invested in the creation of things – I think after modeling she will definitely launch her own brand or something to that effect – she loves creation. She used to sketch with her dad who is an architect when she was a child and she’s very hands on, she likes to understand every step of the creation.” The collection features a graphic G motif from which a loose diamond is suspended. Designed to be stacked and worn every day, the collection includes rings, bracelets and necklaces in rose, yellow and white gold as well as four one-of-a-kind high jewellery pieces. “The Move is quite modern in terms of style so it corresponds to the mood of the people who like to wear contemporary diamond jewellery. It’s also quirky, you can wear it everyday and it’s a good value for money – it’s the equivalent of a nice bag or pair of shoes,” explains Valérie. “In a few days I have a meeting with Gigi because we are going to be building the collection – which I’m very excited about. We are going to do some more high jewellery pieces as Gigi feels very confident about that, since the initial collaboration she’s become a bit of a jewellery addict and thinks that now is the right time to do that.” The partnership with Hadid has been a smart move for the Messika brand, giving them exposure and access to the highly sought after millennial market.
As a modern woman at the head of a modern jewellery house, Valérie recognises the advantage her femininity brings. “Being a woman in a women’s industry is definitely a helpful thing. When I created pieces, they’re things that appeal to me and my friends to wear which makes it more relative. It’s helped me to have that intuition of what women would like to have. “Most important of all,” she reflects, “I’m passionate about diamonds and creating something with them, there’s nothing more exciting than seeing your jewellery on the red carpet or in public and seeing it embody the personality of the woman wearing it.”
2018 will bring a slew of new store openings for the brand including store launches in Dubai, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. “I really am so excited about next year – we’ve been made so many steps as a brand this year and are looking to build and expand on that,” she notes. “I’m very fond of my Middle Eastern clients, I had the opportunity to meet some in Dubai earlier this year and when I visited Doha there were women queuing to meet me, I couldn’t believe it!”
When speaking to Valérie it’s easy to gain a sense of the love and pride she has for what she does. “Each morning when I’m going to my office I’m so full of energy, everyday I try to bring a new and fresh perspective on everything I’m doing. I’m full of passion about what I do because I’m have the opportunity to do so many different things; from communication to creation - even designing my new concept store. What I love most in my job is that I feel passionate about what I’m doing every day, which is something I’m trying to teach to my daughter because when you feel like that about work your talent grows and you never notice the time which is very important.”
