WITH CHAPTER DE GRISOGONO THE FAVAZ OF THE LOAD WE MEETED DURING THE BASELWORLD EXHIBITION. HOW ALWAYS ELEGANT AND SLIM, WITH AN EQUAL CARIBBANE TAN AND MANNERS OF AN ARRESTED ARISTOCRA, HE WAS FOR OUTSTANDING RARE.
Interviewed by Irina Malkova
Fawaz, I see on your hand a New Retro watch that, you must pay tribute to, is perfect for you. They say you worked on this model for two whole years?
Fawaz: New Retro is one of de Grisogono’s major innovations this year. I wanted to create serious mechanics that combined simplicity and design. This is a completely new model and you will not find anything like it on the market. I created a lot of women's and men's watches, and I noticed that all brands look only ahead and constantly want to surprise with complications. Nobody looks into the past, and there is nothing that could literally be called "classical." Therefore, I decided to make a watch from the 50-60s. In New Retro there are no complications - only a high-quality beautiful mechanism. But this watch has one feature - the dial is covered with sapphire crystal, rounded at the edges, and this is very difficult to do.
Do you draw model sketches yourself?
Fawaz: I draw at the level of a 6-year-old child, but I can draw small details and show them to designers. However, the original idea itself is always born in my head.
You started as head of the Harry Winston Middle East Office, and later worked at Bulgari. How did you work in the Middle East?
Fawaz: It was a fairy tale. At first, I had a four-year contract as CEO of Harry Winston in Saudi Arabia. Then there was a boom in oil production, and Harry Winston was the number one brand. At first, I was hanging around in the office month after month until I gradually began to go out and get to know the right people. I must say that it is very difficult to enter the circle of Saudi royal clans - they practically do not let foreigners into their circle. But gradually they began to call me for one dinner, then for another, and I began to visit the office quite rarely. My new friends asked me to pick up something for my mom, for my wife, something for the children - my phone began to break. In the worst days alone, I sold half a million dollars; in the best of times, jewelry was sold for more than 8 million. Therefore, I especially did not work, but only spun in the right circles. The sun was shining all year round, the sea was splashing nearby, money flowed in a river, fantastic friends surrounded me. Life was crazy, but I still decided to leave. I was scared of losing contact with reality.
Was it not difficult to make a decision to abandon such a life?
Fawaz: You know, I always make decisions emotionally. It doesn’t matter whether it is good or bad, but I do what my intuition tells me. This is all of me. When I need to hire someone to work, I don’t even look at his resume. I have to see this person alive, chat for five minutes and make a decision. My best colleagues have been with me for 15 years.
After Saudi Arabia, were you invited to Bulgari?
Fawaz: Yes, Gianni Bulgari called me. And he hired me without a specific task. I moved to Geneva and sat in his office for two months, doing nothing. I remember, Gianni said - you are not the guy who should be in the store, just be with me and we will figure out what to do with you.
An occupation was soon found, and a beautiful life began again. I went to New York, Dallas, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, I was always provided with a large suite, and the local PR service provided meetings with the right people. Bulgari was a world famous brand and selling was easy. A series of dinner parties, dinners, cocktail parties - this went on for 8 years. Then the brand began to be led by Paolo and Nicolo - representatives of the third generation Bulgari, and they began to open boutiques one after another outside of Italy. But soon there was a disagreement in the management process, and I left. And he was on the street. About a year and a half I did not work anywhere, so sometimes I bought and sold stones.
And then he decided to open his own business. It was 1993 - the year of founding de Grisogono (The name de Grisogono was borrowed from the mother’s surname of one of the brand’s partners, which belonged to the hereditary aristocratic family of marquises. - Note. Ed.).
And you did not have any strategic plan or business project?
Fawaz: Honestly, there wasn’t. In general, I am so arranged, and always listen only to my heart.
So, in our world it is possible to open your own business simply by following your intuition?
Fawaz: Well, that’s how it happened. I developed a business strategy only last year. And in the beginning I just came up with ideas and implemented them. Yes, right now our company has many business plans and strategies. Let's see what happens.
Is life a struggle or an adventure for you?
Fawaz: Most likely a fight. But life is boring without challenges.
You are famous for their collections of women's jewelry watches Grappoli and Sugar. It takes courage to come up with something like that. Nobody has done anything like this before.
Fawaz: Funny, but I didn’t come up with anything on purpose. I once was in Tuscany, in a large house with a huge amount of land, and after lunch I walked in the vineyards. And so, when I looked at the vine, I came up with the idea to create such jewelry - this is how the Grappoli collection appeared. And the idea of the Sugar collection came to me in Rome, where I sat in the Greco cafe on Via Condotti and drank my coffee. Taking a square piece of sugar in my hand, I thought - what if we make a watch in the shape of this piece? Then the thought came to paint them in different colors - green, blue, orange.
The de Grisogono brand has always been associated with the world of stars. How important are these connections to you?
Fawaz: When we start working with one of the stars, we soon just become close friends, such as with Eva Mendes and Sharon Stone. Therefore, all celebrities are more likely my personal friends. Not so long ago, Cara Delevingne bought me a pendant in the form of a monkey with a large sapphire and now walks with him all the time. She’s generally a little crazy, but in a good way she’s young, successful, full of life, likes to have fun and it’s hard to keep up with her, you know. She travels somewhere all the time.
But you yourself are a kind of celebrity - not all jewelers have such popularity.
Fawaz: Well, I'm definitely not Brad Pitt and not George Clooney. I did nothing for this. And then, I think that now in the world there are not many jewelers who own their own business. Mostly brands are managed by hired managers. Mr. Harry Winston, Mr. Boucheron and others either died or sold their business, and now the big brands belong to the groups. And groups have shareholders who want to see income every year. Therefore, they hire people from the financial and marketing world to manage their companies. But they do not hire jewelers. And my company, and possibly a few more in the world, is controlled by jewelers who are not only interested in profit, but also put their soul into their jewelry. That is the big difference. Therefore, when I invite the stars to a party in Cannes or on my birthday, this is more my personal invitation. In big brands, chapters change every three to four years, and I've always been here for 15 years.
But I must say that you have a pretty attractive way of communicating with people. I am sure that many fall under your charm.
Fawaz: Actually, I'm a rather modest person. I don’t say much, as I have always been an introvert. I had to become almost an actor, because in my youth it was difficult to squeeze a word out of me. With age and experience, of course, I learned to speak, but this is more of a game.
You once said that true luxury is in the details and in freedom. How important is freedom to you?
Fawaz: This is the most valuable thing in this world. Because if you do not have the freedom to do what you want and close to your heart, you find yourself in prison, and creativity disappears. If you have to compromise, then the project ceases to be yours, like any of your creations.
