Atelier VM, the story of a nomadic (and golden) life

Marta Caffarelli and Viola Naj Oleari welcome us, tired but happy, at Via Cesare Correnti 14, in an apartment that time has only made more charming. The night before, the vernissage of the exhibition for the 25th anniversary of the brand they founded together in 1998, Atelier VM, was held, and it was a success. They tell us this with shining eyes, while showing us an intimate and rich exhibition that embraces them fully, skillfully mixing countryside images, personal photos, archive sketches, and material never shown to the public.

The first thing they talk about is precisely this: the almost complete overlap between work and life that guides the changes and growth of Atelier VM, for better or for worse. "This didn't start as a planned brand, it's a real story, it's authentic. In fact, it's like our lives, which change, evolve, grow. There are many stages. The idea was to maintain its original, authentic soul, and this indeed hasn't been lost and continues to exist. Now, however, the dream has become a business, with a structure and employees, many responsibilities. You have to deal with new needs, new situations, something has to change. However, the spirit remains the same." An ambitious spirit, inspired by women in the plural: "There isn't just one unique woman we address. The feminine imagery is truly vast, like a journey in a forest. Our jewels are named after women because they are inspired by some woman in our lives. Like the Alessandra bracelet, inspired by my mother. For us, it's really a game with the feminine world, a desire to embrace and capture all its facets and to imagine jewels for many different types of women."

Among the inspirations, beyond women, also poetry and art. "We studied in a classical high school and I bring up this common point because it's something that has always thrilled us: words, readings, the intimate comparison we've always had between us, our way of getting excited about a poem. Words are healing for us, they help convey a thought or to re-invent it. Included in the exhibition is a small poem, a phrase that says: embrace an idea to keep it from falling apart. This phrase is one of the ingredients of the L'Essenziale bracelet. The idea was to create something that embraced, that held together."

We talk a lot about the exhibition, inevitably. It's titled Due nomadi gold, curated by Milovan Farronato, and is accompanied by a homonymous book edited by Corraini Edizioni. What should we take away from these two women and their first 25 years of work on Atelier VM? "We would like people to be amazed, to marvel. We have this spirit that's always a bit in motion, we don't take things for granted. Many times, we don't even know what will come out, but then everything turns out harmonious and natural." Their advice for future generations has to do with nature too. Marta and Viola are keen to meet students every time they can: "We did everything in a very natural, organic way. We were free and this was a huge advantage that especially today has great value. We must remember it, hold on to it tightly. We must seize the opportunities that arise, make them live, be there, carry them out well without thinking too much about the future, about missed opportunities: be enterprising in the present." The advice doesn't end here: "We advise young people to find creative solutions, without getting discouraged. To cultivate calmness and kindness."