enya FASHION QUEEN

Text · Translation by Sherry Chen

豔陽下，人們嬉鬧著踏在柔軟的沙灘上，心情如同放飛的彩帶，繽紛而燦爛。他們躍入閃耀的海水、乘風遨遊，享受陽光輕撫的暖意。他們追逐著光的交錯變化，構築出一幅永恆璀璨的藍圖。睽違了 29 年，斐登的副總裁暨藝術總監 Valérie Samuel 再度踏上台灣的土地。隨著她踏入W飯店，心中湧起一股親切的感覺，彷彿置身於法國的蔚藍海岸，即使是春雨連綿的台北，也終於迎來了和煦暖陽……

People frolic on the soft sand with fluttering spirits like colorful streamers. They dive into the shimmering sea and sail against the wind, basking in the sunlight. They chase the interplay of light, creating an eternal blueprint of life. After 29 years, Madame Valérie Samuel, the Artistic and Vice President of FRED, revisits Taiwan. As she stepped into the W Hotel, we felt a sense of familiarity as if we were in the French Riviera. Despite the spring showers, the warm sunlight finally shines in Taipei…

色彩的絢爛

鑽石與彩色寶石相互點綴，是 FRED 斐登高級珠寶的特色，也是 Valérie 與她的團隊喜愛探索的風格。和煦的午後，Valérie 熱情地邀請我們坐在她身旁，聊起她在宛如珠寶盒中的珠寶家族長大，Valérie 溫柔而堅定地說，寶石如同藝術家的調色盤，在筆觸間藏匿著無盡的創意源泉。勇於創新、以現代珠寶設計師見稱的祖父 Fred Samuel 先生於 1936 年以鑽石、珍珠及不銹鋼混搭金飾設計創立品牌，並成為 LVMH 旗下首個珠寶品牌。在 Valérie 擔任副總裁暨藝術總監後，她想致力於匠心獨具的工藝，延續隨著時光流逝愈顯珍貴的家族回憶、熱情、深湛的冒險精神，綻放屬於家族的絢爛色彩。位於台北 Diamond Towers 的新駐地點，不但是家族的縮影，更是呼應了鑽石塔的名稱，融合台北的在地風情，帶我們逃逸到夢幻的蔚藍海岸！

Splendid Palettes

Diamonds and colored gemstones intricately interweave— they are the personalities of FRED High Jewelry. On a warm afternoon, Madame Valérie kindly invites us to sit with her. She talked about how growing up in a family of jewelers is like growing up in a jewelry box. Madame Valérie, in her gentle and assured voice, says that gemstones are like the artist’s palette, embodying endless creativity within each subtle stroke. Madame Valérie’s grandfather, Monsieur Fred Samuel, identified as the Modern Jewelry Designer, founded the brand in 1936, introducing diamonds, pearls, and stainless steel mixed with gold designs, becoming the first high jewelry brand under LVMH. As the Vice President and Artistic Director of FRED, Madame Valérie is committed to extending her family’s precious memories, passion, and adventurous spirit. She would like to shine the colors that incrementally grew precious in the passage of time with her dedicated craftsmanship. The grand opening in Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Diamond Towers Taipei, Taiwan, embraces the essence of the FRED heritage, echoing with the name Diamond Tower, blending the local spirits of Taipei while transporting us to the dreamy French Riviera.

生命的璀璨

燦陽下的珠寶閃耀著，襯映出 Fred Samuel 先生在法國浪漫、樂享生活（joie de vivre）的精神。Valérie帶領團隊在不懈的努力下推出了「Hero Cut」獨創切割，對應品牌年份的36面切割，是最令人驚嘆和美麗的挑戰。最新的六個高級珠寶篇章「Monsieur Fred Inner Light 系列」，也是向祖父的個性致敬。為了更深入地了解祖父慷慨熱忱的性格，Valérie 特地在訪談餐敘的甜點菜單中，為我們安排了她祖父最喜愛的法式煎餅。在酸甜沁心的滋味中，我們與 Valérie 舉杯歡慶她在台灣的里程碑，就如同她所說的：「人生就是要歡慶、綻放生命大大小小的每一刻。」

Splendid Lives

The sunlight-infused diamond shines the spirit of love and “joie de vivre” of Monsieur Fred Samuel. To extend this brilliance, and with unwavering efforts, the Maison introduced a unique “Hero Cut,” a 36-facet cut corresponding to the founding year of the house. It is one of their most astonishing and beautiful challenges. The latest collection, “Monsieur Fred Inner Light,” is also a tribute to her grandfather’s personality. To give us a deeper insight into his generous and passionate character, Madame Valérie thoughtfully included her grandfather’s favorite dessert, Crêpe Suzette, on the media lunch dessert menu. Amid the sweet and orange savors, we salut to Madame Valérie and her milestone in Taiwan. As Madame Valérie said, “Live every moment at the best, making small moments big moments of life.”

大膽的創意

作為陽光珠寶商的繼承人，Valérie 喜愛運用可調整變換拆卸、自由搭配的元素詮釋設計密碼與圖騰，因為自由度能賦予力量、毅力和勇氣。在她腦海中，總有無盡的創意組合。當問起靈感是否來自於她酷愛的攝影，她笑逐顏開地說：「常常啊！常常（與團隊）分享建築、設計、大自然的照片。忠於品牌的 DNA 並融入新元素是一場挑戰 。」她的團隊也靦腆地相視而笑。

「創意是隱晦的。屏除第一印象後，你看見的事物，包括激發創意的組合、色調及圖騰都是靈感！」Valérie 如數家珍地展示設計圖，「以鮮豔色系銜接細節，再以品牌技術勾勒寶石與半寶石的細膩絕美之處，這正是為家族的工藝傳奇所寫下的最新篇章。」

Dare the Impossible

As the sunshine jeweler, Madame Valérie incorporates versatile elements that can be adjusted, detached, and mixed-and-matched to interpret the Maison’s signature codes and motifs. She believes that freedom bestows individuals with strength, resilience, and courage. There are always infinite creative combinations in her mind. Upon mentioning her creative inspiration and passion for photography, she chuckled joyously, “All the time, all the time! I share photos of architecture, design, and nature with my team, but foremost, I try to be true to our DNA, offering sun-filled creations…get inspired by elements and add [them] to a design,” she exchanges a gentle smile with her team.

“Creativity is never one-to-one. It’s something that you’re able to see behind the first impression and how it’s inspiring you to a woven technique, or a graduation of color, or a motif.” Madame Valérie showed her design sketches with passion. “Connecting details with blinding colors highlight the beauty of precious and semi-precious stone with in-house craftsmanship— it is the latest chapter of the Maison’s legacy.”

寶島與法國

每塊土地都有其獨特的文化色彩，然而對美好事物我們是一致嚮往的。「或許相較於白金或粉金，台灣較偏好象徵幸運、珍貴的金黃色，我也認為象徵性是重要的靈感來源。」同祖父認為自己是世界公民的理念一致，Valérie 希望在奪目絢爛的熱情中，找到共鳴和協調，傳達溫暖、慷慨的熱情。「盡情活在當下吧！相信台灣人有著同樣的共鳴，渴望享受充實的人生。我對台灣精神與品牌間的連結感到非常感動。」

Formosa and France

Every land embraces unique cultural hues, and there is a universal taste for beautiful things. Perhaps Taiwanese clients “will favor more yellow gold than white gold or pink gold, because it refers to fortune and preciousness, but I think it’s quite universal to like emblematic [designs].” Parallel to her grandfather’s belief as a citizen of the world, Madame Valérie hopes to find resonance and harmony in passion to convey warmth and generosity. “Live in the moment! I believe Taiwanese people could relate to this sentiment where they want to live a full life and enjoy life. I was very touched by the connection between the Taiwanese spirit and the Maison spirit.”

光影的秘密

分享家族沿革時，Valérie 小心翼翼地拿出了珍藏的手稿，而裡面竟是 FRED 從未公開於世的最新系列「Pretty Woman Sunlight Message」的構思圖。此系列的設計創意是利用光影設計，投射傳遞墜鍊上的秘密訊息。「我們將吊墜的背面做成波浪狀，它可透過光影投射，例如以 Je t’aime 傳達愛的訊息。正因需要光線顯示訊息，只有配戴者才知道鑿刻的內容。作為陽光珠寶商，我認為讓傳統與創新交相輝映，從陽光中提取創新是相當獨特的。」

Valérie 也鼓勵讀者們挑戰未知：「珠寶是傳遞訊息，展現人格魅力的方式之一。它能帶給人們美麗的力量。要勇於搭配並享受搭配珠寶的樂趣！」

Secret of the Light

As Madame Valérie shares the Maison’s history, she carefully took out an unreleased design sketch of the “Pretty Woman Sunlight Message” collection. The concept of this collection is to convey secret messages on the pendant through an interplay of light and shadow projections. “We were able to modify the surface…of the pedant, so it’s  a wavy surface. When the light hits the surface, it will project the message, such as ‘Je t’aime,’ so it’s a secret message…[that is discreet to the wearer], because you need the light to reveal the message. And I think being the sunshine jeweler and having such an innovation taken from the light of the sun is quite unique.”

Madame Valérie also encourages enya FASHION QUEEN readers to embrace the unknown: “Jewelry is a way of showing your personality, and it can give you power and energy, making you more glamorous and beautiful. Depending on what you want to convey, dare to mix and match, and dare to have fun with the jewelry!”