It’s 2001 and two young Italian men with law degrees sit in a Manhattan Starbucks– not quite your typical opener to a fashion success story. However, these were the humble beginnings of Roberto Faraone Mennella and Amedeo Scognamiglio, owners of internationally renowned jewelry brand Faraone Mennella and featured guests at this year’s SCADstyle event.
Scognamiglio and Mennella grew up in the same small town in Southern Italy, where their families worked in the jewelry business themselves. Still, both men were pushed to pursue careers outside the family business. They went on to attend the same law school and coincidentally landed in New York at the same time. However, it wasn’t until years later that they decided to dive in and start their own business. Combining their savings to a total of $8,000, they invested everything they had into the company with the mindset, “if you don’t stop, you can’t fail.” And they didn’t.
With a few minor setbacks, most notably losing Sarah Jessica Parker’s phone number, Faraone Mennella jewelry eventually ended up on the fashion famous series Sex and the City. From there, it appeared on the cover of Women’s Wear Daily, which Scognamiglio and Mennella both jokingly admit to not thinking was a big deal at the time. Ironically, this cover was probably one of the most pivotal moments in the business partners’ career.
The next day department stores blew up their phones with calls pleading to carry Faraone Mennella. And when faced with the problem of paying for production, Neiman Marcus offered a $350,000 check in the mail. Faraone Mennella attained something so difficult to achieve in the fashion industry, relevance. However, when faced with this word, Scognamiglio counters the importance of being relevant with the power of being efficient and talented and creating beautiful things.
The duo has hit almost every market of the industry– from filling the gaps of fine and couture jewelry to collaborating with Carolina Herrera, acclaimed fashion designer and SCAD Etoile award winner in 2016. Mennella and Scognamiglio spill that this collaboration changed the future of their brand by leading them into the couture fashion market. It also revolutionized the way they campaign, presenting their most loyal customers as the “Muses” for their collections.
In a brief moment after the presentation, the Manor got the chance to speak one on one with Scognamiglio himself. When asked about the most prominent source of inspiration for the company, he shares that it is “creating the lifestyle you want to represent.” Most recently this includes the “mystique of the island of Capri and the fashion that exists there.” In a final note, he also reveals his best piece of advice to those wishing to follow in similar footsteps: “Always keep in mind that design is not art; it is business. Create things that people want to buy.” In addition, Mennella also encourages designers to not let others possess too much influence over what you create. If anything, “always stay true to yourself.”
Written by Kat Sours
Photos by CoCo Hubbeling