Beyoncé, Gigi Hadid, Kylie Jenner, Jennifer Aniston, Nikki Parker, Camila Cabello, Cecilia Rodríguez and María Becerra are just some celebrities who wear the original MAM jewelry in photo shoots, on catwalks and even in series (no less Elite and Sex and the City).
They started almost ten years ago as a wooden watch brand and, over time, they have come to create unique pieces that revolutionize the way we view accessories. Face jewelry that replaces makeup, hair accessories, anklets, earrings, rings and earcuffs seem straight out of a futuristic movie and are present in the new MAM store, located on Ample Street, 23 in Barcelona.
Going past the MAM store is an impossible mission. The shop windows attract attention with their alien mannequins wearing the star accessories of new collections. In the center of the store stands Gaia, the 3D printed lilac avatar. Her name comes from Greek mythology, where Gaia is the goddess who personified the Earth.
“We chose two colors: lilac, the color of intuition, and green, which symbolizes recovery and nature. Our Gaia represents the philosophy of MAM. Emerging from the earth and showing the jewelry we make from natural materials brings together the sustainability and beauty of our accessories,” explains Anthya Tirado, the creative director of MAM.
The process of creating the brand identity through an avatar took them three years. Once they found a French artist Victor Clavelly who creates 3D models, they began experimenting with shapes, colors and sizes to one day find the perfect model. Anthya Tirado remembers that upon receiving one of the latest versions of the avatar, she came up with the idea of modifying it with plasticine. “Everyone's first reaction was ‘what is this?!’, but the most important thing is that Clavelly understood the concept and improved it until Gaia was born,” adds Tirado with a smile.
MAM House, the new venue is located in the old building of a police station, built in 1852 by Elies Rogent i Amat, a classmate of Antonio Gaudí and the teacher of Lluís Domènech i Montaner (the famous creator of the Palau de la Música Catalan from Barcelona).
Anthya Tirado and Jordi Enrique Albert, CEO of MAM, wanted to preserve the historical heritage of this building, so its renovation was extended to two years. Before starting, they threw a party for all their friends and colleagues and together they painted the walls of the building with spray cans, leaving their wishes and aspirations for the brand. Tirado confesses that later they had to repaint the walls several times to cover up all the graffiti.
Inspired by kintsugi, a Japanese ceramic repair technique that highlights the fractures of an object with gold, instead of hiding them, they did the same on both floors of their store, embedding the brand's name in their antique tiles. “We give life to this space with gold, in every sense,” jokes Jordi Albert, caressing two cats that live in the office like true kings and encourage the design team.
Currently MAM sales are concentrated in the online market, especially in the United States, France, Great Britain, Italy, Germany and Japan. Their goal is to open flagship stores in all countries, where there is demand, and take Gaia, their avatar, wherever they go.
