Jewellery designer Rosalie Carlier on chains, change, and creative freedom

Rosalie Carlier is a jewellery designer whose career spans both fine art and high fashion. After studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, she has since worked in collaboration with Louis Vuitton, Jean Paul Gaultier, D’heygere, Courrèges, and Diesel, designing pieces that rethink what adornment can do—not just as a sculpture, but as a mode of identity and expression.

Her recent work with Jacquemus has been some of her most bold, with her statement pieces featured throughout the collection as a whole, most notably the S25 Banana Earrings, which were not only a compelling accompaniment to the overall look, but ineffaceable. Central to her vision is the acclaimed Uniting Selves series—which appeared in her recent exhibition with Dover Street Market–interlocking chains that celebrate connection through the rejection of uniformity. By weaving this ethos into her high-fashion collaborations, Carlier brings radical altruism to jewellery design—ratifying it as both an ornament and provocation.

hube: What was your very first act of creation, and how did it set the foundation for the practice you have today?

Rosalie Carlier: That would probably be making clothes for my Barbie dolls as a kid. I remember waking up and feeling the urge to make something I had in my mind, to turn an idea into something tangible. This is when I discovered how much I enjoy working with my hands and the delight of seeing something come to life this way, which I still love. I used to draw a lot—mostly comic books with characters dressed in funny outfits. I was obsessed with comic books as a kid, and my dream was to become a comic book author.

h: Working with metal forces you into a dialogue with time—time spent designing, time in the atelier, the permanence of the material itself. How does this relationship with durability and ageing shape your thinking?

RC: My love for metal runs very deep. There’s something magical in starting with nothing more than some grains or wire—seemingly insignificant fragments—and, within a relatively brief span, creating a piece of jewellery that will remain unchanged forever. It still moves me; it gives me a thrill. Working with metal carries its own pace. You cannot rush it—the melting, heating, forging—they all happen in their own rhythms. And yet, from what is often an unrecognizable, formless beginning, a fully formed and lasting object emerges.

There is a beautiful contradiction here: the permanence of metal set against the fleeting rhythm of trends. That is why I choose to work consciously with gold and silver for my own collection. If trends are destined to be temporary, then the piece itself must choose not to be—both in its design and in its execution. Precious metals carry this promise. They do not diminish with time; instead, they gather stories. Through wear—they soften, they tarnish, they change—but in that change they become even more beautiful. They begin to speak of the life they have lived with their wearer. Jewellery made of base or non-precious metals, unfortunately, does the opposite: it wears down, it erodes, and it becomes replaceable. I want my work to resist that disposability. This is what I long to create. I want each piece to remain, to endure, and to carry the narrative of time rather than be erased by it.

h: You’ve spoken about resisting norms and preserving individuality. In an era of algorithmic fashion and online sameness, how do you stay connected to your own voice?

RC:In a world of repetition and uniformity, I find honesty in imperfection and craftsmanship. These things can’t be standardized, and perhaps that is where individuality hides. For me, it always comes back to the hand—to the act of making. Working with a material is a dialogue full of irregularities that leave each piece with its own trace. Authenticity, I believe, it isn’t something to defend. It arises when you follow intuition, curiosity, and the freedom not to take it all too seriously.

h: Your chains often symbolize unity, turning metal into something almost spiritual. Has merging the physical with the metaphysical always been at the heart of your practice?

RC: Yes, without a doubt. I love that I can translate these ideas subtly through my work—that through jewelry, someone might quietly express what they believe in, or what they hope to change in this world. There’s a gentle power in that merging of matter with emotion, of metal with meaning.

h: You’ve created for houses from Diesel to Louis Vuitton. How do you adapt to each brand’s language while ensuring your own voice remains distinct—whether designing bold works for Jacquemus or delicate illusions for Gaultier?

RC: I love immersing myself in the histories of these extraordinary fashion houses—their unique values, heritage, and identities fascinate me. It’s inspiring to try to contribute a new perspective within those traditions. Usually, the process begins with a brief from the creative directors—an insight into their current collection, inspiration, or design direction. From there, we try to draw our own inspiration, building ideas that resonate with their language through jewellery.

h: How do you wear jewellery in your own life? Is there a continuity between your personal style and the pieces you design?

RC: I’ve worn the same necklaces for years—pieces given to me by family that I never remove. It is a cliché, but without them, I feel naked. They’re my little talismans. For special occasions, I enjoy completing an outfit with bolder pieces. I always feel moved when I see how people express their personality and emotion through jewellery—that interplay between inner feelings and external adornment, a reflection of how they want to show themselves to the world that day.

h: Your independent line launched at Dover Street Market marked a new chapter. What drew you to this collaboration, and how did designing under your own name shift your creative process?

RC: It was such a delightful and serendipitous alignment of events. Dover Street Market reached out to me as part of their curated Jewellery Market summer exhibition—an initiative for emerging designers. I was both honored and utterly surprised to be selected—truly humbled. Even more surprisingly, almost everything sold out on the very first day. A very lovely experience. It helped me to stand behind my designs.

h: Is your creative drive sparked more by people and relationships, or by ideas and concepts beyond the human realm?

RC: I draw much of my inspiration from art and from nature. There is something deeply moving in the beauty of nature—the way a walk can quietly shift my state of mind and open me to new ideas. However, often the real inspirations come when I am out with friends—dancing, talking, sitting on a terrace full of people.

h: If you could collaborate with any artist or designer—living or dead—who would it be, and what kind of work would you dream of creating together?

RC: Elsa Peretti! My dream would be to spend a day walking through a forest with her, sketching among fields, and then dancing in Studio 54 by night. Marvelous!