Samuel Gassmann

Teaching himself the art of cufflinks

• Samuel uses traditional materials such as mother-of-pearl and gold leaf
• ...as well as more unusual materials including cement
• His cufflinks have been bought by the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris

Samuel Gassmann studied history of art at the Sorbonne in Paris. During this time he also worked as a cultural journalist for outlets including ARTE and Metropolis Magazine. One day he started to research a new documentary looking at one question: what is a man’s shirt button? He carried out extensive historical research focusing on the etiquette of the French royal court and also researched the subject empirically by creating a series of five buttons in his living room. He then discovered that these resembled cufflinks, and that’s how it all started. “A friend of a friend had a small shop, I gave him these objects and said, 'if you want to sell them we can go 50/50'."

Interview

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How did you learn this craft?

I am self-taught. I say it very often, without intending to provoke. I am very proud to be self-taught because I often have ideas that I try to create without knowing that it is not usually possible to make them. As a result I make things that theoretically I should not be able to make.

When did you start your business?

When Bergdorf Goodman bought my works in 2009, I created my company. I worked at home in my living room for a few years, and then my wife and I had a baby and this was really not compatible with home working!

What techniques have you mastered over the years?

It's awful because I spend six hours a day polishing, which is really not interesting, but I had to master it! Then there’s enamelling and using gold leaf... I even developed a technique for the gold leaf. As it is placed on the top of the cufflinks, it must resist friction with shirts and jackets.

You make 1,500 cufflinks a year on your own?

Yes. I do all the prototypes, so that takes the longest. I display the collections during fashion week and then come the orders and my customers. For example, for Bonmarché, with whom I have worked for a long time, I say to them: "If you are taking 100 pairs then I'll need at least two months".

Samuel Gassmann is an expert artisan he began his career in 2009

Works

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©All rights reserved

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