Vintage inspiration

Coco Chanel once famously said she found it disgraceful to walk around with millions around your neck, just because you are rich. "The point of jewellery isn't to make a woman look rich but to adorn her; not the same thing," she said. That is the essence of the Roberto Farone Mennella and Amedeo Scognamiglio's line.

Light, nonchalant and glamorous - this is gold link jewellery that Coco would have approved of and worn to death, perhaps with a LBD and quilted bag.

The company R.F.M.A.S (after their initials) was founded by friends Mennella and Scognamiglio, who recently were in Dubai to showcase their collection at Harvey Nichols. "We have been friends since the age of 11, and our families are friends as well," says Mennella, who grew up in a family estate, surrounded by fine art.

He credits his grandmother Stella with honing his aesthetic sensibilities. Scognamiglio, who belongs to a family that has been creating handmade cameos since 1857, lived a few houses away.

They grew up in the Neapolitan town of Torre del Greco, at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. Many of their childhood experiences form their inspiration today: Visconti movies, vintage fashion layouts of the '70s and '80s, vacations in the nearby resort island of Capri and their grandmothers Stella and Augusta, who are their muses. Coral is plentiful in the nearby waters and they use quite a bit of it in their jewellery.

By the time he was 16, Scognamiglio mastered the art of hand-carving cameos, becoming the lead designer for his family's company. A law school graduate, he moved to New York City where he launched his first signature cameo collection. Meanwhile, Mennella also finished law school in Naples, but decided to pursue design. He applied and was accepted at Parsons School of Design. "I finished my studies and interned with a jewellery manufacturer. Jewellery was the closest to architecture, only at a smaller scale," he says.

Over a casual coffee break, the two friends decided to create a jewellery company together. In Spring 2001, Faraone Mennella by R.F.M.A.S. was born. Shortly thereafter, September 11 happened and it seemed their company might not take off after all.

"We had invested most of our money in making prototypes of our jewellery and didn't have much left. We were still looking for a location to open a store. It was 11 in the night when we decided to take another look at a shop we had liked. We were looking for a sign from above," Mennella reminisces.

They reached the shop and found a big trailer blocking the door. "A crazy, red haired woman opened the door," Scognamiglio recalls. She was Patricia Field, stylist to Sex and the City (SATC), which was being shot inside the store. It was an all-night shoot, they got talking and Field saw their prototypes. She ended up using them in the episodes.

The SATC appearance was followed by media coverage that created a buzz, but they were yet to make it to stores. They had no samples as Field had kept the prototypes. It took them three months to start selling. "There was the enthusiasm of two friends working together," chips in Scognamiglio.

"It's always about the challenge of creating something beautiful. We had just put in $4,000 (Dh14,694) each and decided not to borrow. Today we are a big brand, with stores all over the world, but we are still self- financed."

Despite misgivings from the Neiman Marcus buyers about the openness and too-European look of the line, it went on to become a runaway hit. Time named them one of the 100 most influential - and most imitated - names in fashion design.

"We were hit by so many copies that we had to sue many firms," says Mennella; including a $60 million (Dh220.4 million) copyright infringement lawsuit against the world's largest luxury conglomerate, the Richemont Group, for allegedly copying the duo's Stella collection.

"Remember, we trained as lawyers," adds Scognamiglio. "We are very protective of our brand and copyright every design. We started small, with great talent and modest means - design is all we have. It makes us angry when bigger companies copy our design, because they have the financial and marketing power to annihilate young designers."

While a stylist gave them their first big break, they have a healthy contempt for the cult of stylist-created looks.

"Few celebrities today have a confident sense of style. In the 1950s, you had Elizabeth Taylor who wore her own diamonds gifted to her by her husband, Richard Burton, or Sophia Loren who wore her fabulous Bulgari necklace. Stars today have a stylist, who puts something around their neck that they may not even know about.

We don't like that, so we don't pursue that route," declares Scognamiglio, adding, "Exclusivity is about bespoke, a true relationship with the customer to understand quality." Many of their clients are their friends. After overhearing a negative comment about her, Scognamiglio designed a cornicello for Olivia Chantecaille, a traditional horn-shaped Italian charm that is meant to guard against the evil eye.

R.F.M.A.S. refrains from using celebrities to endorse their creations. "If Jennifer Lopez wore one of our necklaces to the Oscars, our regular clients would not want to touch it. We understand the power of pop culture, shows such as SATC are trend setters, but I don't know how much today's celebrities can actually help. They are not like the old Hollywood stars like Audrey Hepburn who only wore Givenchy because she loved it," explains Mennella.

So Oprah being photographed in Faraone Mennella may seem like genius PR move, but they say she is only wearing it because she likes it. "When a celebrity of that calibre wears our earrings, after buying them at full retail price, that is more gratifying to us than a red carpet necklace borrowed by stars," says Scognamiglio.

Other celebs seen in Mennella include Raquel Welch, Pamela Fiori, Tinsley Mortimer and Brooke Shields. "Our ideal woman is someone like Carla Bruni: young, stylish, with an innate, effortless sense of chic. She is the first lady of France, but don't forget she's Italian."

They have created pieces for hit movies like The Devil Wears Prada, Perfect Stranger, and Sex and the City and TV shows such as Will & Grace and Lipstick Jungle. The duo has also collaborated with American fashion icon Carolina Herrera on an exclusive collection of couture jewels sold in New York.

Bingeing on Bling

The Faraone Mennella by R.F.M.A.S. collections features handcrafted sterling silver, gold and diamond designs in earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Signature pieces include the Wavy bracelet set in gold and available in a variety of colours, the Stella Hoop Earrings exquisitely crafted in a variety of shapes and designs, and the Sleeping Beauty necklace punctuated with tiny turquoise beads. The more plebeian Bikini Line jewellery collection features leather straps with 18-carat gold pendants. Their couture line uses colourful, gumball-sized cabochon gemstones: opal, citrine, onyx, aquamarine and tanzanite and is available at Harvey Nichols in Dubai.