CHP is a jewellery production brand, with its name coming from Chi ha paura...?, the Italian translation for '"Who is afraid of...?"
Two important aims of CHP are:
- to intrude in the international world of design and to show that a good piece of jewellery is more than a decorative accessory.
In other words, to design a piece of conceptual jewellery, in which the choice of material and technology is less important than the concept, the idea.
- the need to evolve jewellery just like other design disciplines. CHP has attempted to fill in this gap.
Asking well-established designers to invigorate the tradition of jewellery, giving particular attention to concept, play, new techniques and materials, concentrating more on the preciousness of the idea rather than on the intrinsic value of the object.
PROJECTS
Once every three years CHP...? asks designers who are playing a prominent role in the international design and jewellery world to design a piece of jewellery in response to a theme given by CHP...?. Examples are: Sense of Wonder (2002), What’s Luxury? (2005) and Rituals (2007).
From the proposals the best concepts are chosen and CHP...? develops these designs into prototypes and producible products.
PRODUCTION
All CHP...? products are made with the utmost care, mostly by hand, by our producer and technical brain Jan Matthesius. He is a skilled gold and silversmith and since 1983 and a part-time teacher at the Polytechnical College, Schoonhoven (NL). Jan is responsible for design development, including the search for the best materials, clever technical solutions and innovative techniques. Each piece is finished by hand to assure our high quality standard. Each CHP…? jewellery is a unique product in an unlimited edition.
PEOPLE BEHIND CHP...?
Gijs Bakker, jewellery designer and co-founder of Droog Design, is the artistic director of the CHP...? collection. In mutual agreement with Liesbeth den Besten and Guus Bakker, the members of the board of the CHP...? foundation, the artistic direction of the CHP...? label is determined.
CHP...?’s sales manager is Pauline Barendse (a skilled goldsmith herself), who works with assistant Annette Tjho. Besides making her own jewellery, Pauline is dedicated to CHP...? because she loves the designs. Pauline is present on specialised fairs and she is the connection between the CHP...? board and the retailer or the customer. You can reach her through sales@chihapaura.com.
FACTS
The CHP...? collection today comprises more than 40 unique jewellery pieces by 30 designers, namely Marc Newson, Marcel Wanders, Gijs Bakker, Ted Noten, Studio Job, Ineke Hans and Frank Tjepkema, amongst others.
The CHP...? foundation was established in 1996 by Italian gallery owner Marijke Vallanzasca, Padova, Italy and Gijs Bakker, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. CHP...? has its seat in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Production and distribution are centred in the city of Schoonhoven.
|