The FRED Happy Blue Shades collection borrows from the Côte D’Azur, refracting an energy that recalls the French Riviera for all its surroundings.
Contextually, the word “blue” can stand to define more than just a colour. As an adjective, the term reflects a quality of glumness, while the hue itself is often likened to a distant coolness. In pop culture, the shade bears firm association with the 2013 French romance film, Blue Is The Warmest Colour, which unfortunately, falls short of delivering the typical fairytale happy ending.
But blue isn’t just one-note. As multi-faceted as colours come, blue can be understood in the context of the natural world. Overabundant in our surroundings (see: the naming conventions behind sky blue and ocean blue), the colour stands to encompass freedom, levity, serenity and tranquility. And as per its latest collection’s name, FRED’s Happy Blue Shades looks to materialise these qualities.
In exploration of the more positive qualities of blue; see: lightness, warmth and gaeity, the high jewellery collection borrows from its founder’s fascination with the French Riviera. Yet, this evocative emotion was not inextricable. While Côte D’Azur bears an almost obvious appeal for its affluence of lush natural states, founder Fred Samuel found inspiration in the parallels between the Riviera and his home state in Latin America. The instantaneous captivation of Samuel with the destination could be tangibly recalled in the feelings of nostalgia, innocence and youthful joie de vivre, feelings that stuck to pave the way for the maison’s present day collection.
To drive home the multiplicity of the colour and in turn, the collection, the shades are described as “intensely glamorous, passionately hedonistic, always warm and vibrant”. Quantified in azures and aquatics, the high jewellery collection imbues inspiration in the form of sights surrounding the Mediterranean Sea — from the refracted waves of the ocean to a blue curaçao cocktail. Resultant is a dazzling palette of precious, semi-precious and ornamental stones, seen in the signatures of Force 10, Chance Infinie, Pretty Woman and Pain de Sucre collections.
@mensfolio What was Jeff Satur doing in the toilet? #jeffsatur #fredjewelry @FRED Paris ♬ Cool modern chill out, 10 minutes(1001927) – 8.864
And to cement the maison’s blue narrative, the Happy Blue Shades collection saw a congregation of celebrities in celebration of the launch. Thai actor Jeff Satur joined Singapore-based artistes like Sorn, Chantalle Ng, Desmond Tan and Yoyo Cao at the Fred Blue Party. Held at Michelin-starred restaurant Born, the event saw a spirited transformation of the space, which imbued more than just a jewellery showcase. Curved and arched interiors were fitted in “infinite” shades of blue, inviting a different take on blue as we know it.
Once you’re done with this story, click here to catch up with our August 2023 issue!
RELATED ARTICLES
The AI-fication Of Facial Treatments
