Just south of the Colosseum in Rome is the Terme di Caracalla, a vast complex of Roman baths where, in the time of antiquity, residents of the city – up to 1,600 at a time – would lounge in the thermal spas, lavishly decorated with marble and gleaming glass mosaics. It is from here that the Greek fashion designer Mary Katrantzou, who was recently installed as creative director of leather goods and accessories for Bulgari, drew inspiration for her first collection for the Roman jewellery house, which debuted last month in Paris.
‘I wanted to create something emblematic and deeply connected to Bulgari’s Roman roots,’ explains Katrantzou, who notes that the baths were considered ‘one of the seven wonders of ancient Rome’ thanks to their rich interiors and dramatic architecture. In particular, it was the fan-shaped designs found on the floors of the baths’ western entrance palestra – composed from a combination of granite, marble and porphyry – which particularly fascinated Katrantzou, an expanse of preserved mosaics that previously inspired Bulgari’s ‘Divas Dream’ jewellery collection, in 2016.
