LODIE KARDOUSS

A CATALYST FOR BONDING

Wouldn't it be great if a jewel was a device to stimulate the chemistry that urges people to touch one another? What if it were to be worn by two or more bodies simultaneously as if they were one with it?

Oxytocin (red is the color of love) is a collaboration between Lodie Kardouss and Alejandro Ruiz initiated and fully pursued online during the lockdown. The collection's name comes from the hormone that stimulates caressing and cuddling, as mothers do with their babies. The preciousness of the jewel is no longer in question; it simply seduces us to participate in an intimate bond. (If your shyness prevents you from getting close to someone, the pictograms beside each jewel give you an excuse to do so).

The wearers of this necklace want to hold each other, while those who put their fingers in this ring are already in love. The wearers of these giant bracelets caress each other's arms up to their shoulders, while the wearers of this other bracelet make a deal. Finally, those who join this board game play with the social codes associated with each finger.

Now that people are increasingly being pushed into isolation, by the coronavirus or by digital media, this jewelry collection is a passionate call to touch each other again and look each other in the eye. Because, after all, what would life be without a physical connection?

Concept: Lodie Kardouss

Designs: Lodie Kardouss for The Hug, The Game and The Pact
Technical execution in Brussels: Jean-Baptiste Pacucci and Lodie kardouss

Designs: Alejandro Ruiz for The Lovers and The time of a stroke
Technical execution in Spain: La Letreria
Models: Fabrice Kada, Jean-Baptiste Pacucci, Pieter T'Jonck, Alejandro Ruiz and Lodie Kardouss

Production: Lodie Kardouss Studio and Alejandro Ruiz Special thanks to: Pieter T'Jonck, Becraft and Possessions Collective

The full collection was presented in Budapest (HU) during the Budapest Jewelry Week (2020)
The Pact was presented in Athens (GR) during The Athens Jewelry Week (2020)