Accessory Designer Gabriele Frantzen

Who: Gabriele Frantzen, Accessory Designer
Where: Munich, Germany

Time for a break: Gabriele Frantzen at the cozy fireplace. At her arm she wears the ‘Watch-Candy’ from her new collection. Her styling tip: consciously over the blouse!

Her jewelry is available in New York, London and Berlin. And she’s also regularly featured in Vogue, Elle or Madame: Accessory designer Gabriele Frantzen is ubiquitous and very busy. I meet the jetsetter in Munich. Cozily at the fireplace, we drink tea and revel in jewelry – exactly the right thing to do on a grey autumn-afternoon.

Colorful: Fur scarves are new in the collection, for example ‚Patchwork Phantasie’. “My accessories are often colorful, because the clothes are mostly worn monochrome.”

“I’m very lucky that I met Fern Mallis, who’s the founder of the New York Fashion Week, in the USA”, tells Gabriele. “She’s a real puppet master and an ingenious communicator.” And she wears the necklaces of Gabriele. And suddenly everyone wanted to wear those incredible-statement-pieces of the German designer – including fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker. That was the breakthrough.

The designer got her idea of the lasso necklace from the favorite German pop song of her grandfather: “I want a cowboy as husband.” Funny!

Everything started with a small boutique in the Bavarian Olching, where Gabriele Frantzen operated a so-called multi brand-store together with her mother, who’s a learned tailor. At a time when the word didn’t even exist and the fashion imperium ‘My Theresa’ was still very small. “We had brands like Miu Miu and Prada”, says Gabriele. “This was new at that time.” But for what do you have the prettiest dress if you don’t have the matching accessory? “Wherever I was looking for it, I couldn’t find any.” Encouraged by her husband Jürgen, with who she’s leading ‘Best of 19’, an agency for fashion sales, Gabriele began to make her first valuables. Directly out of the material.

Beautiful: The new ‘Watch-Candy’ collection with a sportive band

Fashion-lover Frantzen, who’s the brand ambassador for the labels ‘Phillip Lim’ and ‘Alice & Olivia’, collected her inspirations for her designs in her daily life. “Women are continuously busy with their phones. Therefore the arm is getting into focus, especially the wrist.” And all of a sudden the idea for the new Wrap-Bracelet was born. “I consciously renounce trends. When everyone wears Isabel Marant vests, I definitely don’t want one.” Individualization and resistance are important to her – next to quality of the materials and the processing. Today the collection – which meanwhile also includes fur-accessories – is made in Germany. “China won’t be an option.” BvH

Color up your outfit

“Meet Gabriele”: At so-called trunk shows, like recently in the concept store ‘Apropos’, Gabriele Frantzen personalizes the bracelets of her customers. Those sales shows are part of the American sales culture and are getting more and more popular

XXL fox scarf ‚Click it –Moritz‘ with a practical click-fastener

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend

Gabriele Frantzen loves sustainable fashion. “I wear designs that outlast the season.” Her trousers by Odeeh, cape by Jil Sander, shoes by Lanvin and bag by Marni with the fur trinket “Cheerleader” from her own collection and a blouse by Fonnesbech, the favorite label of the Danish princess Mary

Contact:

www.gabriele-frantzen.com