Ilaria Azzolin, founder of Ramispera: “With my jewels I tell the hidden beauty of Milan”

This article on Ramispera is part of the special reportage with some virtuous examples of young entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs, published in number 28/29 of Vanity Fair, on newsstands until July 15th.

Ilaria Azzolin He took the train every day from the center to the outskirts of Amsterdamwhere he worked. Looking at the trees in bloom out of the window once he thought: «What I am doing makes me feel arid and sad. I would like to feel a tree in spring». A word that did not exist came to her: Ramisperaan intersection between branches and hope.

Today is the name of his jewelry brandborn two years ago, after returning to Milan. «In Italy there is the idea that craftsmanship is the shop that is handed down from father to son. It was during my years in the Netherlands that I have seen many young people open their activities. Then my boyfriend, now husband, gave me a ring of an oraphic of my age, and I said: “It can be done!” ». He left his work in the fashion design and enrolled in the Ambrosian goldsmith school. He already had very clear ideas on how he wanted it was his brand: “Silent elegance” It is the definition of his style.

Where does the inspiration for the jewels you draw born?
«The inspiration is very specific, it is the Milanese architecture of the early twentieth century. It is an idea that came to me when I was still in Holland, and I lacked my house, that is Milan. He has a little name for a little gray city, a little antipathic, he has always been a little “criminal”. Instead, I had this nostalgia for the buildings, of the Milanese beauty that is hidden. It is not so clear and striking to everyone, as in Rome, Florence or Venice. With Milan you have to go beyond appearance ».

So any corner of the city can end up in its creations?
«These are the places where I walk every day, among suppliers, meetings, deliveries. Although so specific, like the Milanese architecture, is at the same time without rules: it can be the knob of a door, the staircase of another door, a gutter. The Androni dei Palazzi. I like to see how a symbol, for example the lozenge, is repeated in a thousand different materials. In mosaic marble on the floor, in wrought iron on the corruption of the stairs … ».

Is there a jewel that is most tied?
«This is like saying what the favorite son is! But among all I would say the very first collection I made, precisely that of the lozengers, is the most representative. The losanga rings, the rounded ones, the stylus earrings with the losangue at the top relief. It is precisely the Milanese aesthetic and that of my brand ».

On the one hand the artistic intuition, on the other the concreteness of carrying out the project. How do you do it?
«For me it is very important to have clear ideas. Do you want to be an time, maybe for some other company, or open your brand? Then the goldsmith school gives you the opportunity to choose personalized courses, so I had already selected the techniques in which I wanted to specialize. The first investment is in the study. Then, if you want your brand, you must also know how it should be. From the logo, when the site appearance … you cannot leave anything to chance. You must also put into account that for the first years it will be complicated to have revenues, you have to return to the expenses, then if you embark on precious metals there are bureaucratic aspects to be resolved so it could also take a year to be able to start ».

What was the greatest satisfaction?
“I launched the store on the day of the spring equinox, in 2023. A year later I did my first pop-up: many people came, who did not know and who followed me, filled me with joy. I was in a street in Milan, and I had made an event alone ».

Among young people who start their business, can you collaborate?
«In a city like Milan, where everything is quite expensive, it is essential to help each other. Already in the Netherlands I had seen that there was this mentality of “things are going well to you, I give you a hand and it benefits both”, the company is enriched to network. My sister has her own brand of dry flowers and fittings, and in the neighborhood where she is she started collaborating with a Brazilian bakery, recently opened. She provides her flowers, the other prepares sweets for events, things like that. Sometimes my laboratory lends me to meet customers, and this synergy is created ».

The next dream?
“Being able to open my atelier, a space where I can accommodate customers and also have my laboratory.”

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