German with an African Accent

It is definitely African — the way Thomas Sabo’s spring/summer collection juxtaposes metals with tiger’s eye, jasper, obsidian, and lapis lazuli in spearheads and plait patterns. Even a white faceted diamond in their fine jewelry line is cut in a mosaic design.

That the German accessories brand chose to unveil this collection in old town Nuremberg would strike the uninformed as an odd match. Here, an Imperial castle erected in the Middle Ages sitting on top of a hill remains as unfurnished as it has ever been. There are not one but two cathedrals, despite never having its own pope. This time of year, tourists from all over the world fly in to shop and drink hot wine at Chriskindlmarkt, a handicraft fair honoring the tradition of Kris Kindle, St. Nicolas’ proxy since the city ceased being relevant to the Holy Roman Empire — which would later influence the Nazi’s decision to make it the site of its rallies. 

Through all the historical shifts that these structures and traditions represent, the Nuremberg people’s craftsmanship is more than about honoring this heritage but a way of life. It was one of the most important trading points in the renaissance, the entryway to everywhere else in Northern Europe. Goods coming from the orient and Africa would arrive first in Italy, then get transported through the Alps and into Nuremberg.

“It was because of this that very early on, they developed their own style,” Thomas Sabo creative director Susanne Kölbli says, pointing out their arts, architectural and even culinary heritage. Today, Nuremberg is Thomas Sabo’s headquarters (along with other global fashion and electronics brand you probably wear or own) and hometown and current residence of the man himself.

Founder, managing director, and chairman Thomas Sabo is a former precision mechanic who is committed to the concerns of disadvantaged children in Nuremberg, Colombia, and other places throughout the world, as well as with his ice hockey team, The Ice Tigers.

To celebrate its launch, Kölbli and her creative team transformed the Nuremberg Council Chamber Hall into a medieval feast: court jesters and fortunetellers entertained international press who savored traditional Nuremberg fare. Woodland blooms were set with pineapples — produce once deemed as exotic, coveted symbols of a luxurious, well-traveled life back when tropical items were so hard to import.

For the past couple of years, Thomas Sabo has been unveiling its collections in Paris and London, the fashion capitals where Kölbli would escape to and seek inspiration, watching the remix of ethnic cultures unfolding on a street level, a modern-day, real-life adaptation.

“You have a concentration of different subcultures there. I find shops and restaurants inside the little villages in the city where Africans and American Indians reside and uphold their tradition. There, I get an urban translation of their style,” she explains. Perhaps it was the inauguration of their renovated headquarters in July of this year that shifted her focus back to Nuremberg.

While there are still daintier items, rocker accessories, and geometric pieces among Kölbli’s designs for Thomas Sabo (she points out, “I try to design for every kind of woman”), it is the bigger, bolder, African-inspired ones that stand out. Do these symbolize a shift in the way that women are empowered today? I ask. The African woman in the time period that Kölbli references are unlike the meeker, submissive medieval European counterparts who allowed men to take the lead. The source of all life and wisdom in African legend is a woman. She was not only treasured for her life-giving and nurturing gift but was also allowed to play an active role in the upkeep of the tribe they belonged in. The last time we saw bold accessories on women was with shoulder pads, psyching women sartorially as they broke glass ceilings in the male-centric bureaucracy. I ask, because fashion reflects and predicts the times, do you think today’s woman is stronger?

“Women have always had power,” Kölbli clarifies. “In that period of fashion of excess in the ‘80s, yes it was a statement marking the times, but now it’s just a styling reminiscence to the ‘80s.”

This collection, then, is a reminder for today’s woman to recognize that power. Her latest designs not only take on the physical form of an amulet. Her favorite material, tiger’s eye, which was only interpreted in the brand's iconic Karma Beads, is cut into a bigger shape. Apart from its mythical energizing properties (“It unleashes inner strength and opens your mind,” Kölbli explains) the wearer can accessorize with the sheer beauty of its amber-like color and shine. “It’s a nice alternative to black. Men can also wear it.”

“You need a different attitude to wear big earrings. Your body language changes. Your face is framed so you put your chin up, your shoulders back, you elongate your neck. You have to be more proud,” she adds. “It’s never just decoration. Jewelry is always emotional.”

But she hates earrings on herself. “Without bracelets, I feel naked,” she admits, her morning routine’s highlight includes picking out bracelets and bangles — from the Navajos and the Indian Sunnis to the antiques she found in Nepal to her Thomas Sabo favorites — displayed in open boxes, a mix of gifts from loved ones and from herself.

“When you get it from somebody it’s always about love, a show of emotions for the most important days of your life. You keep heirloom jewelry worn by your mother or grandmother. You wear it directly on your skin, it touches your body and soul. But when you buy jewelry for yourself, it means you respect yourself enough to define your taste,” she says. She notes 80 percent of her jewelry is designed by Thomas Sabo. While eclectic in their origins, each piece was created and is now worn for the same purpose: more than decoration and an indication of status, jewelry did and still does hold power for its wearer. It brings it out. Kölbli’s spring/summer offerings, wherever in the world and whatever point in time you may be, are meant to have the same effect.

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In the Philippines, Thomas Sabo is exclusively distributed by The Anthem Group and is available in Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall; Power Plant Mall, Rockwell; Shangri-La Plaza Mall; Alabang Town Center; SM Mall of Asia,; and TriNoma.