Repossi is an Italian jewelry house founded in 1957 in Turin by Costantino Repossi, a family-owned business now run by the third generation of the Repossi family. The luxury group LVMH is a majority shareholder since 2018.[1]
History
After studying industrial design, Costantino Repossi took over the Italian workshops of his father during the post-war period. He opened the first eponymous boutique in Turin in 1957. In 1974 the founder's son, Alberto Repossi, took over the direction of the business.[2] He moved to Monte-Carlo where he opened his first boutique in 1979. A sescond shop opened in Paris in 1986, at 6 Place Vendôme.[3]
Following the death of Princess Diana in 1997, Repossi made headlines due to claims that Dodi Fayed had purchased a ring from the Paris store, in order to propose to Diana.[4] According to an executive of the Ritz Hotel, when the couple bought a ring together at the Repossi store, Fayed picked the cheapest ring in the "Dis-moi Oui" collection, thus disputing the claims that it was a proposition ring (despite the collection's explicit name).[5] The footage of Fayed picking the ring in Paris was released in 2007.[6]
In 2007, Gaia Repossi, daughter of Alberto, became the creative director of the brand, making her the first member of the third generation of the Repossi family to take over the company.[7][8] She reinvented many aspects of the brand, bidding goodbye to opulent designs and excessive coloring, preferring minimalist yet sculptural pieces. New patented techniques have been developed, such as the "serti sur vide", a process to make a diamond "float".[9]
In 2015, a partnership with luxury conglomerate LVMH was announced through which LVMH acquired a minority share in the fine jewelry house.[10][11][12] In 2016, Repossi's Paris flagship store, located on historical Place Vendôme, re-opened after the redesigning by Dutch avant-garde architect Rem Koolhaas and his OMA practice.[13][14] In April 2018, LVMH increased its ownership to 68%, thus becoming majority shareholder of Repossi.[1] A few months later, the company opened its third store overall, and its first standalone store in the Middle East, in the Dubai Mall.[15] In 2021, the designer Flavin Judd redesigned the Monaco store.[16]
Style
Repossi's designs are said to be modern and minimal.[17] The brand collaborates with contemporary artist Vivian Sassen.[18] Collection presentations were held at the Gagosian Gallery in LeBourget.[19]
