Article written by Cedric Viglione, newspaper Var-matin.
Expatriate in Bangkok, for more than 20 years, a native of Toulon, Thierry Martino has become one of the Creators of jewelry best known to bikers. He works also for Harley-Davidson®.
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Bowler hat, leather jacket, glasses on the nose, on this sunny day, Thierry Martino attracts some attention. But what stands out in him are the many jewels he wears. All of them are made by him. Surrounded by its relatives on a terrace of a coffee shop in Sanary-sur-Mer, the native of Toulon recalls his debut in the world of solid silver.
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“At the base, I was trained as a mechanic, which did not predisposed me to make jewelry. But over time, I had the chance to work for Reminiscence with Zoé Coste“, says Thierry. An enriching experience that will serve him all his life, particularly. 20 years ago he decided to go to Thailand to try his luck.
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Faced with difficulty
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If today he has several shops in the world and he manufactures high end jewelry for Harley-Davidson®, everything was not rosy for the native of Toulon, it was quite the contrary. “I arrived with 500 euros in my pocket in Bangkok. I struggled, I was very hungry. I first worked in freelance, before trying to set up a business with my wife whom I met there. We made models and we went to see factories to make our jewels. But these factories sold our models to others. The turning point came when my employee asked me why we could not do it ourselves. “An idea that I accepted, and that we launched.”
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However, this decision does not bear fruit in a row. “Thailand is a complicated country for creation, he says. Over there, 99% of the manufactured objects are copies. I chose to create my pieces and I was perhaps one of the few. For a while we did not have clients, I did not have a cent and I felt terrible. Until the moment a few days after my wife learned that she was expecting a child, a Japanese woman entered my shop and placed an order of $ 3,000. This began to mark the beginning for SoulFetish (that’s the name of its mark, Editor’s note).“
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An atypical style: chic rock
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Inspired by his passion of the world of bikers, he makes pieces related to this universe. Made of solid silver, and assorted by rare stones, he always puts skulls at the forefront of his creations. “As you can see, I adore them,” he said, pointing to his rings and bracelets. But it’s not just because it’s something that’s very apparent in the look of bikers.
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The skull is very symbolic and that’s what I do with my jewels, I try to give them a symbolic value, to make them say something. For me, the skull reminds me that we are alive and that life is short. It is also a mark of sincerity, to show what is under the skin. That is to say, one’s true self. “
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A Recognized work
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Over time, his style and achievements began to become known in Asia, then in the United States where the biker style which deeply marked his creations attracted the attention of Harley-Davidson®. “I got up one day, I looked at my mails and I saw an offer from the Milwaukee brand offering me to make high-end jewelry for them.” I immediately agreed.
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Today, Thierry is far from his original galleys. He employs about thirty people and has several shops in Europe, in addition to that of Bangkok. After Paris, Geneva, Athens, Innsbruck and Verona, it is at Sanary-sur-Mer that he will open his new store very soon.
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A shop where the work was done by him and his relatives. “I’m resourceful , a bit like MacGyver, it’s always been like that in my life,” he jokes.
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This one will be in the same style as its jewelry, very rock chic, skull well in sight obviously.
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http://www.varmatin.com/belle-histoire/derriere-les-tetes-de-mort-des-bijoux-harley-davidson-se-cache-un-toulonnais-135359
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