If there’s one brand that knows how to throw a birthday bash, it’s Messika. For its 20th anniversary, the Parisian high jewellery house is inviting us all to a very chic, very purple 1970s house party fronted by legendary supermodel Kate Moss among others.
To cap off a year of celebrations, founder Valérie Messika has turned the festive season into a cinematic nod to the decade that defined her childhood and her family’s diamond legacy. She describes this campaign as a “moment of gratitude,” but for the rest of us, it looks like the ultimate holiday inspiration.
Captured by the brilliant duo of Ezra Petronio and Oliver Hadlee Pearch, the holiday campaign feels intimate, but energetic and undeniably cool. The setting is a dreamscape of a Parisian artist’s apartment, washed in the brand’s signature electric purple.
Moss had previously collaborated on her own High Jewellery line with Messika, so her return here feels like a homecoming. “Kate has always been an inspiration, she is a real muse for me. Her elegance feels instinctive and her spirit is fearless,” says Messika. “She embodies everything I admire in a woman. At this memorable milestone celebrating twenty years of the Maison, reconnecting with Kate and her aura feels essential and meaningful.”
The supermodel indeed anchors the campaign with that trademark insouciance, draped in pieces that feel specially curated for a party context: the Move Link necklace for a bit of composed luminosity and later, the playful D-Vibes collection, where the diamond pompoms act as a cheeky, high-fashion reference to tinsel and baubles.
But a party needs energy, and that’s where the guest list gets really interesting. Joining Moss are model-DJ Georgia Palmer and the ever-charismatic Jordan Barrett. Palmer wears the Imperial Move set, which looks dangerously like crystallised snow, while Barrett grounds the scene with the architectural strength of Move Titanium. There’s a genuine connection between them that you can’t fake, likely because all three share a serendipitous bond: they were each scouted at the tender age of fourteen and have been navigating the industry’s highs ever since.
Messika hasn’t limited the festivities to print, either. If you walk past their boutiques this winter, you’re in for a treat. They’ve commissioned massive, jewel-glazed cakes sculpted in purple and frosted with their iconic Move motifs for the window displays.
To keep things playful, they’ve also teamed up with Space Dawg Studio for a series of 2D cartoon animations that reimagine these luxury goods with a bit of fantasy, turning balloons into jewels and proving that even after two decades, the Maison doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Discover the holiday campaign and anniversary collection here.
photography. courtesy of Ezra Petronio, Oliver Hadlee Pearch, Isabelle Bonjean
words. Gennaro Costanzo
