Lady LUX

There are plenty of jewelry brands out there, but none quite like Bande des Quatres. There is a sense of illusion that comes with the brand’s hand-made, avant-garde rings that makes one wonder, “how does it stay on the finger?” The mystery could be perceived as a risqué piercing, causing disgusted looks as experienced by creator and designer Erin Wahed. Yet, whether they inspire curiosity or repulsion, there is no denying the rings’ strong architectural influence, androgynous style and downright coolness.

It’s been slightly over a year since Bande des Quatres’ launched, but Wahed has come a long way since she used to watch her mother hand-make jewelry as a child. Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, Wahed learned at a young age the importance of business from her father, an investment banker, and art from her mother, a renowned Canadian jeweler. While following her mother’s footsteps as a jewelry designer may seem obvious, it wasn’t the path Wahed intended.

LadyLUX via Bande des Quatres

“Being exposed to jewelry as a child watching my mother work, I knew that I would never have the patience to hand-make jewelry, but it always fascinated me,” explained Wahed. “Instead, I moved to New York to study photography at NYU. There, I learned to push the boundaries with my photography. Inspired by the abstract elements of the universe, I believe we must appreciate the purely visual.”

It wasn’t until her last year in college when she was planning her outfit for her senior thesis exhibition that she collaborated with her mother, Janis Kerman. The outfit was inspired by Michael Jackson – imagine black and gold sequin pants – and needed jewelry that would make just as much of a statement as the pants. On a family vacation, the two envisioned the ideas for the Van der Rohe and Moholy-Nagy rings, giving birth to Bande des Quatres and a mother-daughter partnership.

“Van der Rohe really pushed me to develop the brand and debut the collection of Bande des Quatres. Each design is a collaboration: conceived by myself and handcrafted by my mother. Working with my mother has truly been a gift. I’ve never had a knack for drawing,” said Wahed. “It’s always ideas for me, so she can read my mind in the sense that I’ll point to something and she’ll know exactly what I’m thinking and how to translate it. That really works extremely well. It wouldn’t work like that with just anyone. I think you have to have that family bond to be able to do that.”

LadyLUX via Bande des Quatres

The philosophy behind Bande des Quatres is the union of fine art elements with jewelry design that lives within the fashion world. Wahed doesn’t believe art and fashion are mutually exclusive realms.

“Colors and shapes make a more definite statement than words,” said Wahed, sharing a quote by Georgia O’Keeffe.

The collection, as well as Wahed’s photography, projects an aesthetic that is heavily inspired by the Bauhaus movement, specifically Lazlo Moholy-Nagy’s philosophy of learning by experimentation. Particularly in Collection II Architects, Wahed leans towards visual landscapes comprised of colors, shapes and lines.

“When researching the first collection, the connection between the Bauhaus and Architecture was so strong that the seeds were planted for Collection II while we were working on Collection I. When working out the designs for the new collection, our focus was on the wearability, the weight and the contrasting finishes, which in some cases take longer to achieve than the whole construction of the piece. With architects and their works being our inspiration this time around, three-dimensionality as well as illusion occupied our psyche while working out the construction constraints of each piece,” she explained.

LadyLUX via Bande des Quatres

Each modern piece of Bande des Quatres is produced in their studio in Montreal. After an order is received, the piece is constructed from raw materials, hand worked and hand finished. The collections combine sterling silver, oxidized sterling silver, 18kt yellow and palladium white gold and precious gemstones with hand finishes of sand blasting, scratching, oxidizing and polishing.

Wahed’s epic determination is transparent with just a glance at her daily schedule. She is already conceiving ideas for Collection III (which has yet to be revealed) and prepping for design season. She also finds time to promote the brand, landing features in magazines such as Vogue, Elle, V Magazine, Zoo Magazine, Wad Magazine and the blogosphere, and getting Bande des Quatres seen on notable celebrities including Jessica Alba and Raven Symoné. This is not to mention Bande des Quatres isn’t even her full-time job. Wahed spends her daytime hours working as a project manager at a design agency and somehow squeezes a personal life into any hours that are leftover.

LadyLUX via Bande des Quatres

“The biggest challenge with Bande des Quatres thus far is time management and balance. The best part though is seeing my hard work pay off and watching my dream for the line unfold in front of my eyes. I have to tell myself that it has been only a year. I pinch myself every day,” Wahed shared.

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Tagged in: lux exclusives, new york, new york, jewelry, rings, handmade, architects, bande des quatres, montreal, bauhaus, janis kerman, custom jewelry, erin wahed,

Fashion / Features