He’s exhibiting at Couture.
When Marco Dal Maso, founder and designer of MARCO DAL MASO, took a trip to New Zealand, it was life-changing. He’d grown up in his father’s jewelry company, DML, and began working on the creative side of the business, but he wasn’t sure what direction his career would ultimately take until that eye-opening trip.
There, he learned about the culture of Maori, indigenous people of New Zealand. In particular, he was fascinated by their ancestral practice of using ta moko, a type of chiseled tattoo, to illustrate achievements and status. “It’s not only about the beauty of the design, but there really is meaning behind it. The portrait that you put on your face describes everything about you. And I was inspired by that.”
As a direct result of that experience, he designed a jewelry collection for men, Marco Ta Moko, around the idea of jewelry as an extension of being.
“I started to design something that can be more interesting than normal, from my perspective,” he says. “Every time you look at a piece you discover something new.”
His jewelry is handmade in Vicenza, Italy, his birthplace. “I feel like jewelry is in my DNA,” he says.
Dal Maso is exhibiting at Couture, June 2-6 at the Wynn in Las Vegas, booth DA9 in the Design Atelier. It’s his third year exhibiting at the show.
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Do women buy for themselves from your men’s collection?
Yes. Some of my pieces are quite unisex. But we are also launching a new women’s collection at Couture. I’m doing a small line for women. Women buy more than men anyway, so why not?
What is your signature piece of jewelry?
I always wear the Warrior bracelet; it’s a links bracelet. It’s cool because you can link several bracelets together and make it thicker, or you can add to it and make it a necklace. It’s multi-functional.
Where else have you found inspiration?
With this business I travel quite a lot. When you come to a place you breathe a different air than your own and gain a different feeling or perspective. When I immerse myself in the atmosphere, it inspires me the most. And I’m passionate about cultural mythology all over the world, fascinated by how distant places can be in miles but quite close to each other in aspects of culture and mythology.
Do you design with particular customers in mind?
I design it just as I feel. I feel what I want to do and just do it. Sometimes you do have to think, `Where should I sell these?” or “Who is going to buy these?’ And if I design a classic pair of cufflinks I think maybe a corporate-type guy will buy them. But the first idea is what I want to express and sketch it out. I don’t think that much; I just do. I feel more than thinking.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My son. My newborn baby. He’s eight months old. I was ready to have my first one. It definitely changed the time schedule. They tell me that I’m never on time, kind of like all the Italian people. But a child messed up my schedule even more. You don’t sleep, ever, but you forget about everything once he’s smiling at you. I love it.
This story is an INSTORE Online extra.
