Two Generations Of Women-Led Design: Suzanne And Patile Kalan
Published on 8 March 2024
This International Women’s Day, we’re sharing the inspiring story of a mother and daughter who came together to create one of the most cutting-edge jewellery brands of our time: Suzanne Kalan.
When launching her eponymous brand 36 years ago, Suzanne Kalan may not have been able to conceive what it would become today: a world-renowned jewellery house synonymous with an artful, yet innovative, approach to design. It’s also unlikely she knew that, one day, her own daughter Patile would join her at its helm.
Born into a family of jewellers, Patile has been surrounded by precious stones and sketches since birth, but entering the family business wasn’t something she’d immediately pursued. Instead, she decided to go to university to study biochemistry.
But it wasn’t long before her love for jewellery and curiosity for craftsmanship took over. Even while at school, she spent a lot of her spare time at her mother’s atelier, learning about the business from the ground up: “Because I lacked real experience in the jewellery industry, my mum started me at the very bottom with menial tasks so I could learn every part of the business,” Patile told Coveteur in February. “That understanding gave me this sense of inner strength I hadn’t felt before, and the contrast of how I felt at school versus how I felt at the office was my wake-up call.”
From that point on, Suzanne Kalan became a generational brand, a family legacy, a powerful story of a mother passing on her passion to her daughter.
Becoming an integral part of the business, Patile’s love for geometric art was very much aligned to Suzanne’s own love for innovative design, the brand’s 14k Collection and its iconic Fireworks Collection — which boasts a bold combination of custom-cut gemstones and dramatically placed diamonds — both showcasing their shared vision. “Overall, our tastes are very much aligned. As far as design and colour, we trust the others’ input almost implicitly. My mum is the only person I look for when I need to bounce design ideas around,” Patile shares.
Although they’ve already worked together for many years, Suzanne and Patile’s mother-daughter partnership is only getting started: “Our story has been one of continuous evolution, especially since the debut of our Fireworks collection,” Suzanne told Coveteur. “There are exciting things on the horizon so stay tuned for what’s to come; we’re just getting started on the next chapter of our creative journey.”
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