Designer Discovery: Natalia Brilli

Edited by Andy Wass

Accessories designer Natalia Brilli is another one of those grown-up goth visionaries. Like Gareth Pugh and Olivier Bobin, Brilli designs pieces that are dark, conceptual, intriguing, and daring.

Belgian-born and Paris-based, Brilli attended La Cambre in Brussels and started out in the theater, designing sets and costumes.  Gradually she began collaborations with fashion designers.  In 2003 she enrolled at Paris’ Institut Francais de la Mode (IFM).  Here she began her devotion to accessories design.  In 2004 she not only joined Rochas under Olivier Theyskens, but also launched her own line.

Her handmade leather jewelry and accessories are now like ink spreading across the globe.  From sculptural bags to layered necklaces, the weighty black make Brilli’s pieces look serious — but they often have a humorous tint.  She’s made a laptop sleeve with a keyboard molded on the outside, and her signature “Nolex” bracelet (bottom image), which is a leather-wrapped fake watch.

Brilli has also done art installations, and won the Association Nationale pour le Developpement des Arts de la Mode (ANDAM) award in 2006.  

Images from Natalia Brilli’s official site and Flickr.