Bicego grows with new talent

It is the handcrafted technique of coil, the coiled wire, exclusive to the brand, that characterises this AW24-25 season of the Bicego collections, a brand of which Marco Bicego is the founder and creative director, now distributed in more than 50 countries worldwide. Diamond-accented bangles, necklaces, earrings and new rings complete and mark the evolution of the Masai collection, "in line with our credo of creating timeless and distinctive jewellery, deeply consistent from a style and design point of view, that complements, enhances and enhances each other," explains Bicego.

In parallel, the Alta line is expanding, the high jewellery collection launched three years ago that celebrates the splendour of natural gems and the craftsmanship savoir-faire of the Trissino atelier, where techniques such as burin engraving and coil enhance natural gems and diamonds. A knowledge to be protected and handed down: this is the task of the Academy, set up in collaboration with the Scuola d'Arte e Mestieri di Vicenza (Vicenza School of Arts and Crafts) to solve the problem of the lack of specialised workers, but also and above all to return to enhancing in the eyes of young people the beauty of a job made up of manual skills, passion and dedication. "The goal is to train highly specialised professional figures who can help us continue the tradition and meet the challenges of digital transformation, with the intention of restoring lustre and appeal to a profession, that of the master goldsmith, which is increasingly rare to find in the district. It excites me to see young people become passionate about this world, to understand the opportunities, because I know well the pride of the craftsman who knows he has created something beautiful," explains the founder. This year, a second edition of the Academy has been proposed, with a focus again on the processes of goldsmithing, burin engraving and stone setting, the rarest craft skills to be found on the market, and which we therefore want to train, as part of a project to enhance craftsmanship and re-launch the ancient goldsmith trades.

The sector is showing a slowdown, but jewellery, along with beauty and eyewear, is proving to be one of the best performing categories, also fuelled by a desire to invest. Turnover 2024 sees growth in all markets, in continuity with previous years: 'We maintain an attitude of cautious optimism on 2025 as well, with a forecast of healthy revenue growth and balanced profits. Exports account for about 85% of the business, with the United States being the most relevant and historically most consolidated market, but the incidence on turnover also increases in Italy and Europe, with a growth trend that continues to be markedly positive in continuity with 2023: "The Middle East is another major driving market for the jewellery category, we look at it with great interest".

Following the opening of the new boutique in Shanghai, the second in China after the one in Beijing in 2020, in partnership with the distributor Chow Sang Sang, an agreement was announced in October with Watches of Switzerland Group, the UK's largest retailer of luxury and high-end watches.