Prada’s sustainable endeavours have been omnipresent across every facet of its business since it did a full 180 on its complete nylon production operation three years ago. The idea was to instead tender innovative and sweepingly sustainable recycled Re-Nylon lines. The shift has fed into the maison’s ready-to-wear work and now its freshest fine jewellery collection, called Eternal Gold.
Using 100 percent certified recycled gold alone – sourced from industrial stores and post-consumer precious objects – Eternal Gold meets the “Chain of Custody” standards set by the Responsible Jewelry Council, which is the world’s leading sustainability standard-setting organisation for the jewellery and watch industries. Every snake bracelet, heart motif pendant, chain necklace, ribbon choker and Prada triangle boasts the highest of industry standards with particular regard to the advocacy for, and preservation of, human rights, labour safety, environmental impact and business ethics.
Lensed by David Sims, classical monochrome portraits of exceptional personalities are placed beside gilded reflections of themselves, the optical repetition underscoring the cyclical nature of the collection. Dripping in gold is the award-winning American poet, activist and Harvard graduate Amanda Gorman who recited her poem The Hill We Climb at Joe Biden’s Presidential inauguration and made the cover of Time that same year. Also, the American actor, model and singer-songwriter Maya Hawke, known for her roles in Stranger Things, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood and Ladyworld and Dutch-Korean-Canadian musician Somi Jeon.
Radically transparent, every step and incarnation of Prada’s responsible gold and diamond production chain is now verifiable and traceable with records of authenticity being logged onto the Aura Consortium – a Blockchain platform – that clients can access easily. It’s a ground-breaking new step toward true sustainability within the realm of fine jewellery, and the records extend through the entire value-chain, from mining to cutting, setting and polishing.
Eternal Gold was created with the future in mind in more ways than one. For one thing, Prada’s dereliction for continuity lingers with the intention of the luxurious items being passed between generations, ergo standing the test of time. But it’s also the first truly and completely sustainable fine jewellery collection to come out of a globally resonant luxury label. When it comes to Prada, all that glitters sustainable really is gold.
Photography by David Sims.
