We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Ghazaleh Lebaschi ("GL").
She is a dreamer, a hard worker and passionate about almost everything. She likes struggling and resolving new problems and she never choses the simple ways or shortcuts, a kind of perfectionist. She launched her jewelry line at the age of 30, and at that time she was a R&D specialist and an artist. She didn't have much experience as to how a company worked or how to build a brand or how to acquire new costumers, etc. She had no idea how to start actually! Startup was long and difficult but, With long hours, hard work and persistence, now she has become a designer and she knows how get new clients, how to produce large quantities and how to manage a company. She loves nature and she loves traveling. She has also become a photographer while taking photos of her creations.
Ghazaleh Lebaschi Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Ghazaleh Lebaschi.
Designer Interview of Ghazaleh Lebaschi:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
GL : I graduated at the university of Architecture in Florence. I obtained a Goldsmith certificate followed by my MA in Jewelry Engineering in Polytechnic of Turin. I immediately started to work, after my internship at Bulgari where they introduced me to a very famous High quality Jewelry company where I learned the ropes. I have always been fascinated in design in all its aspects so I gradually moved towards Jewelry Design.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
GL : Privato Gioelli Firenze is the name of my company. I started it in 2014 when I was 30 with lots of passion. My first clients were private and slowly I obtained many more through word of mouth. I started to increase my collections and started to collaborate with individual shops.Now my main work is with various clients in Dubai and since the end of 2018 I am collaborating as a Jewelry Designer for a very famous shop in Dubai at the Gold & Diamond Park.
DI: What is "design" for you?
GL : Strong design is about knowing how to create an object that involves you! Creating a dialogue between the object and the wearer.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
GL : My favorite materials are Yellow Gold and diamonds.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
GL : I feel very creative after visiting an exhibition or a museum.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
GL : As a jewelry designer my main priority are my clients. I always try to design and produce pieces that are easy to wear and jewelry that you can wear for many hours.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
GL : It is always beautiful and emotional when you see your designs have been realized. Actually one of the best moments are when I get a call from my clients having received their jewelry, stating how extremely delighted they are and especially when they reorder.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
GL : The first thing that comes to mind is: the length of time it takes for the designer to design! You can not design a good product in 2 days. The more you elaborate and study your design in varieties of aspects, the more solutions you find and Your design will get better and better. I never judge a design because it is not my style and I appreciate the amount of work involved.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
GL : Designers have a special rule regarding the environment. Every designer piece can be designed in different ways and the more the designer cares about the environment such as using materials, processes and to respect waste, the whole project will get off to a good start.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
GL : My last exhibition was in Museum of Bijuox in Casalmaggiore, Italy. I participated with a pair of cufflinks in Rose Gold and Blue sapphires.My next evet is launching my new collection in Dubai in September 2019
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
GL : I think it is difficult to name a style but I always appreciate elegant pieces. I was born and raised in Iran and I have lived and studied in Italy since I was 18. Maybe creating detailed pieces recalling Persian culture with an Italian touch is the main characteristic of my style!
DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
GL : I live in Florence the city of renaissance and perspective! I really love and enjoy this beautiful city everyday. It is some kind of auto inspiration of beauty and harmony living in Florence, when you find yourself in such spectacular city your aspects of beauty will be raised at every moment.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
GL : I think a good designer is worth a lot for companies, as in these days a social media directly or indirectly put you in the world of competition. I think a good designer should know the product very well in almost all aspects like the production processes, the materials, ergonomics etc. plus a good designer should be always updated in it’s field of design.Don’t judge the designers because they are not good at writing emails or other small issues, this is not their field. As long they are passionate and curious, they will learn the rest quickly.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
GL : The fact that you are always creating new things and looking for new solutions is always fun and enjoyable. One of the issues is that the work of a designer is so difficult to quantify, so not always but usually a designer works is underestimated.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
GL : Creativity, manual skills and hand sketching, curiosity, and for sure knowing couple of design programs very well.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
GL : Designing is always time consuming and it is really important to have a good organisation. If you are not synchronized with your clients it will be difficult, as you might be designing something that has not been requested or have some misunderstanding. So first thing is really knowing what do you have to design exactly. It seems simple but this is the most important issue!
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
GL : It depends on the project. If you have to design a single ring or you have to think also about the whole collection. If your client has a clear Ideas etc.
DI: What was your most important job experience?
GL : I have worked in 3 important companies. But my most important-famous and eye opening job was as a researcher in an extremely high tech project for BVLGARI during my studies in Polytechnic of Turin. The company itself was very organised and everybody was super professional and lovely. I learned a lot. The entry was very selective as they only chose 2 persons for internship every year in the Jewellery R&D department. My project was accepted and financially backed. I can’t talk about more details as it is confidential.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
GL : My future plan is to work more with jewellery shops that want to order or create their own collection . I am constantly searching to offer extra services to satisfy more varied type of client.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
GL : I create the first design individually. When the client accepts the design, then the Jewellery prototype will be developed by myself and R&D (research and development) team as a group.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
GL : Yes! Actually I have one of my favourite collections on the way. Caleido Collection. This collection is very Young and strong with a touch of Kaleidoscope effect!
DI: How can people contact you?
GL : I am always contactable by my email: Lebaschi@privatogioielli.com.I am also in Dubai most months by appointment.