‘120 years of artistry, of character’: How Paula Gerbase is breathing new life into historic Danish design house Georg Jensen

An ‘intimacy of materiality’ is how Paula Gerbase describes her approach to design, which has encompassed her own labels – the London-based 1205 and the more recent eponymous label Gerbase – as well as a six-year-long stint at British shoemaker John Lobb. In each of these roles, Gerbase has focussed on the way that materials feel on the body: whether her featherweight plissé skins for Gerbase, or the perfect leather hiking boot, designed to stretch to its wearer’s proportions as they walk.

Now, she embraces a largely new medium, that of metalwork, recently instated as the creative director of historic Danish silversmith Georg Jensen which was founded over a century ago in in 1904. The wide-ranging role will see Gerbase – who was born in Brazil but grew up in Switzerland – shape the overall vision for the house, not only overseeing design across various categories (from desk accessories and home scents to jewellery), but also leading collaborations and ‘digital and physical brand experiences.’

Paula Gerbase’s new vision for Georg Jensen

‘I was approached earlier this year with the project [but] was not very familiar with the brand,’ Gerbase tells Wallpaper*. ‘When I began to look deeper into its history it became clear that there was something really very special to dig deeper into; I was intrigued at discovering a house founded by a sculptor, with art as a central force, and a house which has been built with a collaborative spirit at heart. [There’s also] real authentic synergy between art and craft, and a roster of design talents that reads like a who’s who of some of the most prolific talents of Scandinavia and the Nordics.’

The goal, ultimately, is to ‘reinstate Georg Jensen to its rightful place as a truly distinctive Danish luxury house,’ says Gerbase. ‘It is a very unique proposition – artistry is at the very core of its values, as is quality, a closeness to nature, [but there’s also] humour and a certain eccentricity which I have been surprised by and found so intriguing.’

The opportunity has afforded her several trips to the house’s silversmith studios and archives in Copenhagen, the city in which Georg Jensen was founded as a jewellery maker in the Frederiksberg district. ‘[There is such] an extensive archive housed within the headquarters, with not only physical objects, drawings, sketches, photographs but also working models, old store blueprints and so much more,’ she says, noting the ‘invaluable knowledge’ of the in-house archivist and artisans, some of which are third or fourth-generation Georg Jensen family members. ‘It is really a wealth of combined knowledge, passion and shared experience which is a privilege I do not take for granted.’

Of jewellery – a medium she has previously worked on in a personal capacity at Gerbase – she says that she is intrigued by ‘the intimate space within design... in particular in an age of over-communication and over-stimulation. To have the luxury to focus on the detail, on a gesture of a hand adorned with a slither of gold, the sharp satisfying snap of a box clasp on a bangle, the unexpected textural quality of a beautiful piece of rutilated quartz, the possibilities to punctuate, to adorn the body, and to frame small moments of the everyday.’

Her first launch, though, is a series of silver accessories which are a teaser of sorts for her tenure. Each coming with a C-shaped lock, they can be used as keychains, bag charms, or as adornment on a belt, they recreate a series of ‘treasures’ from the Georg Jensen archive. ‘The collection is a representation of the rich history Georg Jensen has and how the house has been central to artistic and creative movements in Denmark through the ages, from Art Nouveau, through to Art Deco, Functionalism and many more,’ says Gerbase, whose next step is to open a London store this month and host an archive exhibition in January. ‘120 years of quality, of artistry, of character.’

georgjensen.com