Nadine Ghosn has been keeping busy this summer and now the famed jeweler has finally revealed what she has been working on. Partnering with Bose to collaborate on two one-of-a-kind QuietComfort Ultra headphones for brand ambassadors Coco Gauff and Anthony Edwards, Ghosn adds her unconventional yet eye-catching touch to these accessories. The athletes are stepping onto their respective courts in style, especially with the new touch of bling from Nadine.
It's a busy summer for everyone, especially the athletes heading to the Paris Olympics. Both Gauff and Edwards are representing Team USA this year and Bose and Ghosn hope to be part of their game-changing journey with a set of game-changing headphones. A statement piece for athletes, these Bose headphones not only deliver great sound but with the help of Ghosn's personalizations, the pieces are a part of Gauff and Edwards' personal stories. Taking inspiration from both the players' own vibrant personalities and legacy on their respective courts, she reveals two custom headphones. For Gauff, Ghosn ties in her vibrant and strong personality with a mixture of rose and white gold transitioning to the traditional red, white and blue. The headphones feature 1,180 handset stones including about 26 carats of rainbow sapphires and over 1 carat of diamonds. For Edwards's headphones, Ghosn took inspiration from his adidas AE1 sneakers, creating a design out of 18k gold and 420 handset stone that include 4.5 carats of blue sapphires and 1.5 carats of diamonds.
On the designs, Ghosn shares, "Bose's focus on innovation and music, as a part of everyday life for entrepreneurs and athletes felt like a fitting challenge for NGFJ and my artisans and I am really proud of how both pieces transformed to celebrate the individuality of both individuals Anthony & Coco." The jewelry designer speaks to Hypebeast in an exclusive conversation to share more about the collaboration and her continued progress with Nadine Ghosn Jewelry.
Hypebeast: From designing jewelry accessories to working with some of the music industry's greats, how does working with headphones, and specifically Bose, differ from your previous projects?
Nadine: I like to make the ordinary extraordinary, elevating everyday pieces with the most premium materials to provide a shift of perspective and catalyze conversation. I've always been mesmerized with everyday objects styled as necklaces or in a cool and unique way on the streets of New York City. My first collection included earphones -- which were seen on Karl Lagerfeld -- and then the Bose partnership came.
Bose's noise cancelling headphones seemed like a natural progression since they are my go-to accessories when I travel. I spend so much time at airports and on planes - I need to be in my zone. It was a great honor and great fun to work with Bose on customizing them in a unique way. The challenge was to create while keeping them in tact. I can now add technical engineer to my CV.
Both Coco Gauff and Anthony Edwards are young rising stars in their sports. How have their careers inspired the designs? Can you talk briefly about how your Coco and Anthony designs came about?
For Coco she is young, bold, dynamic and the energy is palpable. I was inspired by her personality, sport, focus and dynamism to create free flowing lines like a child in full creativity with crayons. I made individual lines first, than recreated them in gold and engineered them to visually wrap around the headphones, carefully. I offered a play on color with a transition from 18k rose to white gold and an amalgam of colored stones shifting towards red white and blue. The childlike nature of the design encompasses over 1180 stones, over 110 grams of 18k gold (both rose and white) and over 27 carats of vivid sapphires and diamonds. I view it as a work of art - easily placed around the neck to form a necklace where her initials are reflected in 18k gold headpieces.
For Anthony I focused on his favorite colors and stones and alluded to things that are strongly identifiable. Anthony's piece is over 100 grams of 18k white gold with over 400 stones throughout of white diamonds and vivid blue sapphires. We worked to have his piece comprised of a big 5 -- a number that he wears on his jersey -- and kept the design minimal but powerful. It handmade from 18k white gold bent to perfection and a combination of micro set blue sapphires and white diamonds. The "5" itself is over 30 grams of 18k white gold with over 6 carats of sapphires and diamonds.
In the end my main inspiration in finding the soul of this piece was in the sole of his AE1s. Patterns of his shoes are echoed throughout, while keeping a bit of the playfulness and testing out different ways of customizing the headphones. For example, we included to cuffs on the side with over one carat of stones -- blue sapphires on one side and white diamonds on the other -- just to keep the sparkle alive.
A major part of your design ethos is about having fun and unlocking that inner child. Does this still hold true for this project?
Absolutely. My atelier and I had to break down and study the headphones to build them back up. A lot of the creative process was made through trial and error. The craftsmanship is crazy, with each taking more than 65 hours to complete. Coco's was specifically demanding as each piece is individually set. The creative process and spontaneity is showcased with free flowing lines that started with a sharpie mark, transformed into 18k gold that was then colored with a rainbow vivid sapphire assembly. No glue was used for either piece - instead we drilled holes to create a seamless design so the headphones and gold merged into one.
You continually expand your portfolio and push the boundaries of what you can do with accessories and your work speaks for itself. With every project, you've redefined what the modern jewelry designer can be. When a new project comes knocking on your door, what drives you to create?
I love collaborations and innovation with regards to partnerships and cross pollination across industry leaders. But it's important to note that the public only see the collaborations I accepted. There have been many times that I turned down a project because it was not aligned or a good match.
Bose felt like an easy yes. Naturally, it is part of my everyday. I want to continue to surprise and elevate everyday objects with unexpected partnerships. Not many people would combine fast food with fine jewelry, or headphones as wearable necklaces while maintaining functionality. But hopefully, introducing these concepts expands the potential portfolio for all jewelry designers and shows the infinite possibilities that exist.
I always say I don't think outside the box, I think like there is none. If the brand, project and ethos align, then I am excited for the new challenge.
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