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| HONG
KONG, Tuesday July 17 2007: NEW HONG KONG MEN’S LIFESTYLE BRAND
JOHN FERDINAND LAUNCHES JEWELRY COLLECTION IN EBONY AND SOLID
SILVER |
New men’s lifestyle brand, John Ferdinand, launched its men’s accessories
collection today in Hong Kong.
“There is a huge gap in the market. Men are being ignored. We decided
to fill that gap,” said Mark Armstrong, co-founder and chief designer
for
John Ferdinand.
The collection features solid silver accessories inlaid with ebony.
The items are styled in modern lines combined with organic form
symbolising our life journey.
“From day one in August 2006, we decided to build a brand with
a soul.. a soul in the product design and a soul in human connection.
We wanted to create a brand that would make Hong Kong proud. A
brand worthy of the world stage which resonates with the essence
of the modern man. And a brand which would showcase the power of
compelling product design.
“Inside every man is a story, and the intent of the collection
is to connect with that story. For some, its the yearning to enjoy
the rewards of hard work.. an internal drive. For others, it’s
a more external motivation, to feel attractive. It’s about desire.
Men want to be attractive. It’s about letting modern men be men,
freed from the constraints of the traditional man’s business attire.
Men are poets and dreamers. Every man has a story.
“We started with a very simple concept. What would we men love?
What would our friends love? We talked with them for months to
understand what they wanted in their lives, and we fed that into
our design process. It continues today. We’re still connecting
with those same people and delivering on the ideas. It’s fascinating
and a tremendously important part of what we do, and what makes
us different.
“We realised our friends, like us, are global nomads. They’re happy
where they are, but there’s something lacking in their lives. They’re
not grounded in a place, they’re free spirits. We decided the collection
should focus on creating symbols of man’s journey in life, their
dreams, their hopes.. they’re life adventure. We want our customers
to feel harmony -- to feel they belong. We want to be grounded,
to be individuals who can express their own sense of contemporary
style.
“To us, good design is about restraint. It’s sort of zen. It’s
about focus to create a compelling point of view. We selected materials
with a meaning. We felt the harmony and balance between the ancient
sensuality of wood, and the modernity of silver. There are modern
flowing lines and organic forms in the collection. The pieces transport
us to a higher plane, driven by the raw power and sensuality of
the materials. They’re tactile. They demand to be touched.
“Wood transports us to a time of birth, to the East, in the season
of spring. The beautiful fine grain from untreated ebony entrances
you with its raw, earthy power. Ebony is a very valuable wood and,
for centuries, has been admired for its hardness, beautiful fine
grain and ability to hold a polish.
“On close inspection of the larger pieces in this collection, the
wood grain clearly continues across the inlay areas, a beautiful
flowing grain. The pieces are finished with incredible precision
and attention to detail.
“Curving through and surrounding the wood is solid silver, symbolising
maturity, the West and the season of Autumn, you are grounded by
its strength. It demands order, and brings strength, stability
and organisation to our lives.
“Men want a masculine and understated style. They want timeless
pieces with high quality materials and luxurious textures.
“Not only do men tell us they want sophisticated and understated
contemporary style, we found they want a dialogue. They’re fascinated
by the materials, workmanship and textures. We’re avoiding traditional
retail for the most part. We want to engage with our customers
and create a community around the brand.
“We try to let our pieces speak for themselves. We let our customer
hold them and explain the story, the materials, and how each piece
is made. There’s a zen to our customer approach, its low key and
intimate. We want the man to connect with the piece. It’s fascinating
to watch, and something we’re learning from every day. It feeds
back into our design inspiration for the collection ahead.
“We looked around at various stores and saw loads of skulls and
daggers and other designs which made us shudder. We can’t imagine
ourselves wearing that. It’s no surprise to us the products are
today still sitting unsold and ignored. There’s no connection,
no soul to the design. Men want jewelry that is masculine and yet
beautiful. We’re determined to be different, unexpected and deliver
a style which resonates with men everywhere.
“Design and creativity is inside all of us, we are exploring jewelry
and its human connection to bring undiscovered, unexplored design
to men’s lives,” said Mark.
ABOUT JOHN FERDINAND
John Ferdinand is a new men’s lifestyle brand. Born on the streets
of Hong Kong, the company’s launch collection combines urban and
organic forms and materials. The company’s first collection of
men’s accessories, titled “Dreamer”, launched July 17, 2007. The
collection is available through private sales, events and the company’s
storefront at
http://www.johnferdinand.com
MEDIA CONTACT
Mark Armstrong
Email: mark@johnferdinand.com
Mobile: 9195 7856
Skype: markarmstrong
NOTE FOR JOURNALISTS AND PHOTO EDITORS
High resolution and very high resolution images are available for
product photography and
website screen shots. Samples are available for photo shoots and
stylists.
Email info@johnferdinand.com for
more information.
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